Fun Lunch Board Ideas from an RD

Bored with your lunches? Try these nutrient-dense lunch board ideas!

Sandwiches. Salads. Protein Bars. Repeat.

After awhile, lunches can get a little bit BORING. It's time to spice up your day with a little creativeness, more variety, and lots of nutrients!

Making food boards is one of my favorite hobbies and stemmed from my love of making traditional charcuterie boards. I love a good charcuterie board because it promotes intake of a variety of nutrients and supports the idea of finding the satisfaction factor during our meals. These food boards take your typical lunch and add a ton of fun options so that everyone can customize their own meal. I provided "grocery lists" with each idea so that you can easily plan your shopping trip.

Check out these six "charcuterie style" lunch board ideas. It's a fun way to switch it up and keep your meals interesting, and your guests happy!

1. Mini Croissant Sandwich Board

How fun is this lunch board? Mini croissants are a perfect way to make your lunch time sandwiches a bit more interesting! I found these mini croissants at Aldi in their bakery section. Here are some other items that I used:

Grocery List:

Bakery:

Mini croissants

Protein:

Deli meat (I used smoked ham)

Egg salad

Chicken salad

Cheddar cheese slices

Produce:

Cucumbers

Grapes

Cucumbers

Cherry tomatoes

Leaf lettuce

Other:

Pretzels

Sandwich toothpicks

Pickles

2. Loaded Mac and Cheese Board

Mac and cheese is NOT just for kids! I added lots of veggies and toppings to this board for a fun twist on your typical macaroni and cheese dish. Box macaroni works well too (I like Annie's). Cook your pasta according to the package directions, then just add all of your favorite toppings!

Grocery list:

Protein:

Ham

Pepperoni

Shredded cheddar

Shredded Mozzarella

Grilled chicken strips

Produce:

Broccoli

Spinach

Mushrooms

Tomatoes

Fresh parsley

Other:

Hot sauce (I use Frank's)

BBQ sauce

Breadcrumbs

3. Cheese Fondue Board

Now we're getting fancy! Cheese fondue is so simple and super tasty. You can purchase store-bought fondue, or make a quick recipe on your own. It's so satisfying and the dipping possibilities are endless!

Grocery List:

Protein:

Ham

Cheese ravioli

Cheese tortellini

Produce:

Mushrooms

Broccoli

Bakery:

French bread

Other:

Pretzels

Wooden skewers

4. Make-Your-Own Pizza Board

Who doesn't love pizza for lunch? This is a perfect board for picky eaters, or for anyone who likes to customize the toppings on their pizza. I purchased pre-made parbaked mini pizza crust from Aldi, and created a board of toppings. Again, the possibilities here are endless--from veggie pizzas to 3-meat and supreme. Just make, bake, and enjoy!

Grocery List:

Protein:

Pepperoni

Shredded chicken

Cheddar cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Turkey bacon

Produce:

Mushrooms

Green onion

Yellow onion

Bell peppers

Cherry tomatoes

Jalapenos

Spinach

Black olives

Bakery:

Parbaked mini pizza crusts

Other:

Pizza sauce

BBQ sauce

Ranch

Buffalo sauce

Hot sauce

Garlic butter

5. Sweet & Savory Bagel Board

A good option for breakfast or for lunch! I love this board because it offers a great variety of healthy, filling macros. The avocados and smoked salmon are loaded with healthy fats, the bagels and fruit provide a variety of healthy carbohydrates, and the salmon, cream cheese, and turkey bacon provide protein options. You can add fruit toppings to make your bagel sweet, or some veggies and protein to make it savory! I made my own bagels, but store-bought will work too. Sometimes a flavored bagel variety can be more fun to use with this board. My favorite is a fresh everything bagel!

Grocery List:

Protein:

Smoked salmon

Plain 1/3 fat cream cheese

Flavored cream cheese

Turkey bacon

Hard boiled eggs

Produce:

Avocado

Cucumber

Fresh dill

Red onion

Lemon

Blueberries

Strawberries

Bakery:

Fresh bagels

Other:

Honey

Jam

Capers

Red pepper flakes

6. Turkey Burger Sliders Board

Mini turkey burgers are so simple! You can either make your own patties, or buy the pre-made frozen patties. You can also use plant-based protein such as Beyond Meat to make a vegetarian burger! While they cook, prep your board toppings so that everyone can customize their own sliders. I used mini pretzel buns here.

Grocery list:

Protein:

Ground turkey, beyond meat, or frozen slider patties

Cheddar cheese slices

Pepper jack cheese slices

Turkey bacon

Produce:

Lettuce

Jalapenos

Red onion

Yellow onion

Tomatoes

Avocado

Bakery:

Slider buns

Pretzel slider buns

Other:

Ketchup

Mustard

Mayonnaise

7. Hummus & Veggies Board

A wonderful vegetarian option! You can make your own hummus, or purchase it pre-made. I love trying all different kinds of hummus and veggies--from cucumber hummus to black bean hummus, they are all delicious!

With this board, I made my own garlic hummus and added my favorite veggies.

Grocery List:

Produce:

Carrots

Tomatoes

Radish

Bell peppers

Cucumbers

Broccoli

Bakery:

Fresh pita bread

---

Recap: Fun Lunch Board Ideas from an RD

• Mini croissant sandwich board

• Loaded mac and cheese board

• Cheese fondue board

• MYO pizza board

• Sweet & Savory Bagel Board

• Turkey Burger Sliders Board

• Hummus & Veggies Board

An MM Wellness Original Blog Post