Lunches for a 5 Year Old Vegetarian

I wasn't a vegetarian, but I used to love to take a dill pickle or a few sweet gherkins in a baggie. I would get some odd looks, but also a lot of other kids looking like they wish they had one. :) Also a lot of cheese & crackers, velveeta & miracle whip sandwiches, and celery & peanut butter.

I am a mom of 2 girls who are vegetarian, same restrictions they eat eggs and dairy just no meat. I have tons of ideas for lunches but for us pasta and peanut butter are staples. Hummus and pepper sandwiches are great. Cheese sandwiches, tomato sandwiches, even cucumber sandwiches are all easy. There are plenty of "fake meat" options also for sandwiches as well as chik nuggets, veggie hot dogs or burgers (yes I do pack these in lunches). My daughter's favorite special lunch last year when she was in kindergarten was sushi, Annie Chun makes a lunch kit where you can make sushi from whatever leftovers you have in the house very quickly. Like I said, I have tons of ideas.

of course the standbys, pb&j and cheese sandwich but we also have done hummus and bread, pita or crackers, cheese quesadillas, cheese rollups. yogurt is quite filling even, you dont necesarily need a "main dish" my 9 yr old frequently takes yogurt, juice and a sweet snack but she wont eat fruit or raw veggies otherwise i would add some of those as well. a salad could be taken, my vegetarian only started eating salads around 10 or 11 years old though as she didnt like them before. my 9 yr old also likes tortilla chips and salsa, even better if yours will eat guacamole. in the winter you can do all kinds of things in a insulated mug, soups, spaghetti os, rice and beans. my vegetarian does not eat fish but if yours does there is tuna fish or at home fish sticks, etc mine also doesnt eat eggs but hard boiled eggs or egg salad is full of protein as well.

Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches on whole wheat bread is a favorite in our vegetarian household. They get a complete protein, and some fruit. I will add some cheddar cheese for the dairy. I also combine yogurt with fresh fruit, and crumble up a granola bar into it. They make vegetarian baked beans, and the publix variety is great, and say hot dogs (SmartDogs) that my 2 year old loves! I also know a lot of mom's that will heat up the Morningstar Farms chicken patties with some cheese, and a little salsa for a quick lunch. Just be careful how much of the soy products you feed the child, everything in moderation. Good luck!

Hi, my 7 year old son is not a vegetarian, but he is very particular about what he eats. I have been fixing his lunch since he was in pre-k. He has not grown tired of whole wheat bread with peanut butter & a little bit of jelly. For two years, he only had the peanut butter in his sandwich; we just started adding a little jelly this year (ever since he started staying over grandma's house).

Along with the sandwich, I keep it simple but will mix up the "sides": fruit roll-ups, various types of gold fish, pretzels, plain chips, etc. with fruit juice or lightly flavored water. It's been easy to do -- five days a week, and so far, it's just enough for him to be content at school. I'll add a little something extra for a snack. Now, of course, as he gets older, I'll need to add in more, but it is like pulling teeth to get him to eat "fruits and veggies." I can't fight that battle with him while he's at school, so I fix what I know he'll eat. The most I see him moving to now is...an extra sandwich. :-) Hope this helps.

My girls are not big meat eaters. They love avacados, boiled eggs, cheese, peanut butter on celery sticks with raisins, brocoli/carrot sticks with dressing, any and all kinds of fruit, canned salmon (not sure if he does fish at all) with crackers, garbanzo beans (sometimes they eat them plain and sometimes I make homemade hummus and do it with pita chips), dried fruit/nuts (they love almonds, walnuts, and cashews), and "pita pizzas" (I just do a pita and send some pizza sauce & toppings--whatever they like to sprinkle on it--they eat it because they "made" it). All of these do good in a lunch bag. I know some of these things seem kind of "out there" but you never know what a kid will eat til they try it! My middle daughter's first food (and it is still her fave) was an avacado! Who would have thought?!?!?!?

We weren't vegetarian, but my mom often sent peanut butter and celery in my school lunch bag, which I liked. Also, hard-boiled eggs are good.

Check out the books by Missy Chase Lapine... The Sneaky Chef. She has 3 books... The first one is for kids, second one is for husbands and third one is for the whole family. It's all good.... great veg snack and lunch ideas. I also just borrowed a book from the library that I love... The 6 O'clock Scramble... Check it out. I'm going to buy it! It has lots of meatless alternatives to the recipes with meat. It's really great.

My little one loves gnocchi (potato dumplings) mixed with a little butter and some grated parmesan. Greek yogurt mixed with fruit and topped with wheat germ is always high protein and yummy too!