1St Grader School Lunches

My kids love to have homemade "lunchables":

crackers and cheese and meat to make their own cracker stackers

English muffin half, spaghetti sauce and grated cheese - make you own pizza

cold hot dogs, crackers and cheese, tofu, cut up baked chicken

How about hot lunches?

Heads up nut and pband j fans...Peanuts are lethal to many children so I would try to get your children out there used to alternatives and things without tree nuts..WE love nuts and legumes but you have to be sensitive to people's life or death situation in public environments.

Left over pizza ( you can add healthy alternatives...veggie and ravioli easier to eat with butter and cheese...turkey and cheese roll ups ...have him make some food with you so he feels like he is coming up with his choices..may take some effort but it is always nice knowing your hard earned food is not in a garbage can.

Also, sandwiches with cookie cutters can make things fun..cream cheese with cheese and olives are popular at our house.

Hi T.-
Just a thought. Does your son like veggies or string cheese? We do snack bags: 1 of mixed veggies- broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, snap peas, etc. Whatever he likes, make a baggie. Then make snack bags of mixed nuts- we like almonds, pepitas, pecans, peanuts, pine nuts, etc with dried cranberries or dried green grapes. There is a serving size on the back of alot of bags- minimize and mix and throw a bunch of bags together. Then, a string cheese, a yo baby yogurt, an apple, a baggie of grapes... Children are little, and a few snack bags and a thermos or something of water or a milk ticket should do them just fine. Also, tell him to bring home the leftovers. You can get freezer packs in the dollar section of target to keep everything cool, and the nuts and veggies and usually the fruit will keep if he brings it home. The biggest thing is to mix it up. If he wants meat or something, but not sandwiches, pre-cook some chicken, or get some hot dogs, or a slice of turkey and add that. He is getting fruit, veggies, and protein in any mixture of the above and eating super healthy. You can also send a small container of dressing or peanut butter along if he likes to dip his veggies or apples.
The last thing is that if you do snack baggies once a week, then you can also just grab and go and not stress over lunches. Put 3 or 4 bins in your fridge and each one can have a certain "snack" in it. These are also perfect snacks for after school for kids and adults alike!
Hope this helps!
-E. M

Hi T.,

Try googling Bento Box Lunches, as well as Muffin Tin Mondays. Both are fun ideas for lunches! Good luck

T.

http://www.parents.com/recipes/cooking/kid-friendly-food/...

Parents.com has great ideas and none of the one's in the article above are sandwiches. good luck

I have three kids, two go with lunches and the other is a hot-luncher. My daughter doesn't eat sandwiches, fruit, pudding, or anything that goes into a lunch. She eats crackers and juice, that's it. She likes a hot meal put in front of her before she will eat. So after the first very frustrating year of trying to feed her a cold lunch, I just changed to hot lunches and she is fine now. Neither one of us are stressed about her eating. The other two get a hot lunch once a week as a treat.
Kids are sooo picky!

I hear you! My son is in 4th grade now, but he used to eat ONLY PBJs. Now will try almost anything. Just pack what you'd give him at home. I pack healthy, "snacky" things that my kids can eat quickly...apple slices or applesauce, cheese cubes and whole grain crackers, grapes, turkey roll-ups, quartered sandwiches, grape tomatoes, edamame, pasta salad, veggie slices and ranch dip. Mini bagel and cream cheese, hard boiled egg (of course they never eat the yolk!) Homemade cookie or fruit rollup once in while :) They may not eat it all, but if you keep offering a healthy variety, they really will learn to try new things on their own. Just always make sure there's something you know they'll eat along with something new and don't let them hear you complain that they're picky. Hang in there!

Happy Anniversary (if that is still your current "about me")!

I like the ideas presented on www.laptoplunches.com. It's a site promoting Bento Boxes lunchboxes, but there is no reason you have to use their boxes to use the food ideas. You can pack lunch in an insulated bag and use a little ice pack or freeze a juice box which will usually thaw by lunch time.

I gave my first grader a cheese sandwich, chps, fruit and a cookie along with a fresh bottle of water ( in a "Sigg" bottle) everyday for three years until she wanted something else. Really, don't sweat it. Your son will let you know if he wants to try turkey or salami or whatever when he wants it. Forcing "new foods" on him in school is the last thing you want to do since they are usually pretty tired by lunch and just want to sit, eat and relax before going out to play. Getting something reliable which YOU KNOW HE WILL EAT INSTEAD OF THROWING IT AWAY is your best bet. I worked the lunch/yard duty shift for five years and have watched many lunches get thrown away because the kids would not eat unless it was plain. I also made macaroni and cheese in a small wide thermos (available at Target) with a plastic fork. By not forcing the issue, my picky eater has now hit puberty and tries everything without any doing on my part. Her body wants it and I saved myself alot of worry by making her a cheese sandwich for five years. Also, I bought real American cheese at the deli counter instead of "cheese food slices" to make sure that she was getting calcium from the cheese. I also found that the kids who don't get at least a little sweet in their lunch are the ones who gorge on the stuff brought in by parents for birthdays, etc and constantly mooch off of the kids who do bring a sweet.

I'd say pasta, fruit and plain bread & cheese. Give him what he'll eat. Does he like yogurt? My kids like pbj on a tortilla rolled up like a burrito. That wouldn't really look like a sandwich. Spread it thinly or it squeezes out. We call them roll-ups. You didn't say anything about veggies. My kids like frozen peas straight from the freezer with a little salad dressing.

Kids don't really have much time to eat lunch at school anyway. It's noisy and the kids tend to throw a lot of food away or take it back home so they can go out and play. It's a good idea to just feed him more food when he gets home.

Don't worry about being creative. Kids like repetition way more than adults. They actually enjoy having the same thing day after day. It's security.

www.laptoplunches.com has some great ideas with lots of pictures and a menu and www.mealsmatter.com has lots of recipes and tools to plan ahead, etc and keep their health in mind.

Good luck-
S

If you are worried about protein, what about boiled eggs?
I find that my kids don't care that much if things are hot, so some leftovers from dinner can work sometimes. Also Cereal bars/fruit bars like Nutrigrain. There is popcorn or other things you can pack in small baggies or a plastic reusable container.
There are MANY foods sold in tiny packages now, if you don't mind convenience foods (tiny bags of crackers, cookies, individual child size yogurts, fruit cups, juice boxes, even tiny water bottles.) Also you can buy bags of tiny apples, which are easier for kids to bite, and less is wasted.
Don't forget the spoons, napkins, and coldpacks for hot days. = )

Hi T. -My son is similar. I'm in the same boat you are he starts Kindergarten next week and I had always sent his lunch with him to his pre school that consisted of a slice of bread with butter on it, some lunch meat cut up, slice of cheese and a fruit all separate.
I have found that if i try things on the weekend with him he's liking more and more things. (I have been gearing up for this)
First get him to help you make a lunch. He might not like cold cuts so try tuna with just mayo and some seasoning salt or egg salad and have him help make it.
Next, mix up the standard bread - try tortillas or a flat bread from Trader Joe's. I have rolled Tuna and a slice of cheese or even have him fresh grate some in a tortilla and make sushi style rolls. I also just discovered he loves the Mediterranean flat bread at TJ's also try an English muffin. If you can get him to help make it and choose he'll be more likely to eat it. Ask him what he'd like to put in he may just like to do PB and J tortilla roll. Also try sending some veggie sticks with a small container of ranch to dip it in. Nothing wrong with sending some chips or crackers, long as he eats his other things - Make it fun for him!

Cheese and crackers, cut up fruit and/or veges with dip (yogurt dip for the fruit, ranch or hummus dip for the veges,) celery or apple slices with peanut butter, pretzels, energy bars, sushi, wraps made with tortillas, cream cheese and lunch meat, bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter or jam, hard boiled eggs, pasta salad (a simple cold one with vinegarette, crumbled cheese and tomatoes holds up well.) Also making sandwiches on things other than traditional bread keeps things interesting, try pita pockets or dinner rolls. Just keep trying new things, kids' tastes change all the time. Have fun!