I've read all sorts of stuff about how school lunches are sub-par made from meats that are rejected fast food restaurants, etc. Anyway, I try to pack lunches for my son at least a few times a week - but sandwiches with various sides is boring! (I do usually 1-2 sides with crackers, yogurt, veggies, fruit, granola bars, etc.. to try to make to interesting)
What do you other Moms pack for your kids? -- I am mainly looking for main course ideas. Something that would be okay to sit in his somewhat insulated lunch box for 4-5 hours before lunch and doesn't need to be microwaved.
Any ideas?
Thank you all for the suggestions. My kids are 5, 3 and 1. The only one going to school is the 5 year old for Kindergarten. I don't actually have a good thermos or soup thermos -- I will remedy that. I didn't think it would actually keep the food warm enough to enjoy, glad to hear it does. That opens up a lot of ideas. I love some of the unusual meal ideas and new suggestions. I've done "wraps" a few times and should probably do that more often. My kids all love tortillas.
My daughter loves ramen noodles with cheese (I only use 1/2 the seasoning packet). We make it in the morning and put it in a themos. It stays hot until lunch time. Mac and cheese is also good in a thermos.
My oldest didn't like sandwiches at all. So instead I would cut up lunch meat or chicken breast into cubes and some cheese into cubes and send along with some crackers, basically the same thing in a different way.
We do turkey roll-ups. It's just a flour tortilla w/ cream cheese spread on it, then thin deli turkey (leave an edge w/ just cream cheese for "glue"), and roll it all up around a pickle spear! Slice it into little pinwheel bites. You can roll it up in plastic wrap or separate the little pinwheels & put into a plastic sandwich container (my daughter likes that best). Sometimes she likes her entire lunch to be served roll-up style....turkey roll-up plus a tortilla spread w/ peanut butter rolled up around celery or sliced apples & raisins. Or she likes chive cream cheese spread rolled up around julienne cut carrot shreds. A "treat" roll up is nutella spread rolled up around little marshmallows. (I don't cut a lot of these other roll-ups, though.)
Another fun thing she likes is a "make your own" sandwich lunch. I cut bread with a heart or star cookie cutter and stick them in there plain with some lunch meats or cheese and she assembles them herself.
She wanted pasta once, so I cooked it in the morning and put it in one of those short soup thermos cups. She leaves at 7:15 and eats at 12:10 and said it was the perfect temperature at lunch time. We've since done that with chicken nuggets and meatloaf, too! Otherwise, everything cold is in her insulated lunch box with one small reusable ice pack. She's pretty sensitive about wanting cold things cold and warm things warm, and she never complains!
Good luck!!
If u invest in a good thermos you can put anything in them to keep warm. Soups, Mac and cheese, pasta, chicken nuggets, last nights leftovers. Just heat and put it in the thermos and it should stay warm for lunch.
I make sushi at night with the left over chicken some fresh cucumber, carrot etc and then some egg. In the morning you just need to cut and wrap. A great healthy lunch with a bit of variety and difference.
Anther idea is to make some cheese and herb scrolls/scones (NZ) or savoury muffins are also great.
I have these things on hand or in the freezer for when my boys pack their lunches.
Making the scones etc are great because you can grate secret ingredients in too. I am talking about courgette, carrot and others that the kids say they may not like.
Good luck with lunch journey. I am more than happy to send some of my receipes if you would like them.
I bake every Saturday morning and my boys love it.
What about apple slices with a cup of peanut butter. You can make your own cups in reusable containers, or buy the pre-packaged Jif ones.
Or roll up ham and turkey slices with a tortilla and slice it like pinwheels.
Unless your kid is complaining, I wouldn't rock the boat too much. My daughter eats a PB&J, or a peanut butter cup/with crackers as the main part of her lunch about 4 days a week. She is quite finicky.... but she does eat the sandwiches.
My son, however, eats just about any kind of sandwich. But for his school lunch, he always prefers plain old turkey with mustard. No cheese or lettuce or anything else.
To add some variety, I would change up the "sides" more. You can send popcorn! My kids always have loved that. Or prepackaged cheese sticks. (just be sure to wrap them up in a cold pack thingee). Or a small container of Jell-o with a plastic spoon.
Sandwiches are boring? They don't have to be.
cold fried chicken
cold baked chicken
meatballs in a hot dog bun
cold pizza. (Almost any pizza is good hot, but only good pizza is good cold.)
ribs (pork)
grilled cheese sandwiches. (I make mine with one thin slice of deli ham, chicken, or turkey inside. It gives it just a hit of meat and makes it much more special)
pizza bites (once heated it doesn't need to be microwaived.)
chicken nuggets (Once cooked they don't need to be reheated or cooked.)
lasagna (Homemade tastes good cold. Storebought doesn't)
Sausage (squished flat) patties on a toasted sourdough english muffin. They're even better if you put some melted cheese on them before you pack them.
Good luck and Bon Apetite
one of my boys loved bagels and cream cheese. so thats a thought
My kids fav is to take a whole wheat hot dog bun, slather on some peanut butter, and put a banana in it. I use tin foil because they are hard to put in a bag, my kids recyle it at school.
We do mac& cheese too and soup in a thermos.
Since we are mexican, burritos work for my kids, and they only eat beans and cheese in a tortilla.
Left overs are a hit too, as are hard boild eggs, if your kids will eat them.
M.
When I was a kid, I loved it when my mom would send soup or pasta in a thermos. The one that came with the lunchbox was never big enough, but we bought a small thermos that held enough for me for lunch. You can also send cold pizza or crackers, meat and cheese for a homemade Lunchable. I personally like cold mexican food, so maybe a cooked-but-now-cold burrito or quesadilla?
Other than sandwiches, I send things like roll ups, yogurt, cereal, rolled up pancakes with peanut butter.
How old are the children? I ask because my 3 year old will just eat and not notice what it is, but my 5 year old will examine everything.
Right now, my son is wanting to take wraps every day. Flat Out flatbread with sliced chicken, lettuce, carrots & red peppers. Wrap in parchment paper, not a baggie--gets soggy!
