Do you feel like you need to add a little extra protein to your kid’s lunch? This is perfect for you!

Here at MOMables, we’re big proponents of the idea “Why BUY it, when you can MAKE it?”

Especially when you’re working on filling up your lunch boxes, you can never go wrong with more options, so come check it out here!

So while the boxed “lunches” (*cough* snack size!) at a certain popular coffee chain are made with fresher and healthier ingredients than other boxed lunch options, $5 is still pretty steep for something you can easily put together yourself for less!

Plus packing it yourself means you can control the ingredients and cater to personal tastes. Don’t like pepper? Skip it. Need gluten-free? No problem! Prefer your eggs soft-boiled? Go for it!

The coffee-house boxed “lunch” makes a nice snack or supplement to a larger meal, but with a few changes, you can easily pack a stand-alone lunch!

Make It a Meal!

Add more apples, grapes, and cheese. And include a serving of fresh vegetables too, while you’re at it, for a nice balanced meal! See more ideas on how to make a bistro box here.

*I used a gluten-free multi-grain roll and maple-syrup flavored peanut butter (yum!)

DIY Protein Bistro Box

★★★★

4 from 1 reviews

• Author: MOMables.com

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 small slices aged cheddar cheese
• 1 hard-boiled egg (check out MOMables tips to make them easy-peel!)
• 2 tablespoons honey-flavored peanut butter, or regular peanut butter or non-nut butter*
• 3 apple slices (check out the MOMables tips to help keep them from browning!)
• 7–10 grapes
• 1 multigrain roll or scone (apple-cinnamon-raisin is closer to the weird “Muesli bread” thing the coffee-shop box has, but feel free to use your favorite!)
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Pack more or less, to fit your tastes and appetite!

Notes

* You can mix in a small amount of honey or agave syrup if you want it sweet like the packet that comes with the $5 version. 1 tablespoon should be enough for a small jar of peanut butter, so you shouldn’t need much here.