My children do not eat at school. This stems from my oldest getting sick 3 times in a row from eating cafeteria food. He is now going into middle school and I wonder, what do you pack your kids? He can be pretty picky, but then again he can surprise me. I would just like to make something a little more "mature" then the standard peanut butter and jelly or plain ham sandwich. Any ideas mommas?
So it has been 7 weeks now and I thought I would let everyone know how it is going! I think we have done peanut butter and jelly all of 5 times. Really it has been about once a week, my day to cop out and not put so much effort into it! Everything else has been prepared meals (as are their breakfasts) so I don't feel bad taking one day a week to make sandwiches! We have done ravioli (which I didn't like doing before, but now comes in whole grain!) Amy's mac n cheese, and Amy's burritos, lots of Morning Star Farm's products, soups, occasional French bread pizza, ect. Today they took my taco dip (taco seasoned tvp, fat free refried black beans, salsa and low fat cheddar) with blue corn chips. We have also managed to get in a veggie serving as well as a fruit in each lunch!
What has really helped the most is preparing menus just like what you get from the school. That way we aren't getting stuck in a rut and I know ahead of time what I need to make. A great site for downloads is www.lunchtaker.com , they also have great ideas and a lunch lottery, where you pretty much spin a wheel and make a lunch with what it lands on. Ideas are also by category, color, holiday, special diet ect.
Thank you all who responded!
My girls are going into Kindergarten in a couple weeks, so I'm interested in seeing the responses. I found some helpful hints on the Kraft website. They actually have a section for Lunch Box recipes.
weelicious.com
Here you will find her "school lunch" ideas, which pictures of them included.
cheesy corn dip and crackers and celery and carrot sticks, fruit salad, soup in thermos and bread rolls, goghurts and yoghurts, strawberries, fruit muffins, pikelets with butter, rice crackers, rice balls (onigiri), muesli bars, cold zucchini slice.
I thought this link had some really neat ideas that were different from the plain old things I normally think of. Just think bigger portions and more protein since he's not so little anymore.
http://www.parents.com/kids/nutrition/lunch/healthy-schoo...
lunchable, graham crackers then popcorn or healthy chips. My son is extremely picky. Ask your child what he or she wants and make that. Lunchmeat and peanut butter can get boring. Sometimes making a sub sandwich makes it more fun. Put the toppings that might sog the bread in separate containers.
Burritos, quesadillas, sandwiches with meat and cheese on Kaiser rolls. Send the lettuce in a separate bag for him to add to his sandwich.
Wraps, Pizza slices, leftovers. Fried rice.
Oranges, apples, grapes, cherry tomatoes, pixie pickles, olives.
Pasta salad
Wraps! I surprised my 16-year old (once in a blue moon I'll make my kids' lunches) with a wrap one time and he loved it! Start with a tortilla, a little shredded cheese, slice of thin ham, a little ranch dressing - rolled up and wrapped in foil. Use your imagination - he's now making them and putting in all kinds of stuff - whatever he finds in the fridge. We have insulated lunch bags but I'll still throw in one of those freezer sticks to keep it cool. We try to eat healthy and these are really easy and fun to make. We also get the little pudding and fruit cups - not always the healthiest, but a treat once in awhile isn't bad. Good luck!
my kids like to have their sandwiches on sub bread. my son likes pepperoni and cheese my daughter likes turkey and cheese.
my kids love these, you can make them pretty cheap, and customize--They stick with you way better than potato chips. Try popcorn too, to fill him up!
Homemade granola bars
1/2c sugar or your substitute
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c honey
5T nut butter
1 egg
2T milk
3 T canola oil
2 t vanilla
2c flour
1 t baking soda
1 1/4 t cinnamon
2c INSTANT cook oats
3 c crisp rice cereal
1/2 c dark chocolate chips
1/2 c dried fruit
1/2c chopped nuts
1/2 c flax
1/4 c wheat germ
Combine first 8 ingredients, add flour, soda, cinnamon. Add in grains and fruit, nuts, chips. Press into greased 9x 18 pan. bake 350 20-25 minutes do not overbake!. cool and slice. (sometimes I put a bar in a bowl and add milk)
My kids each have a thermos and when they don't want a sandwhich, I either send left overs, or soups, or ravioli and the food does stay hot enough in the thermos. My kids also try to convince me to buy the lunchables all the time but I don't, instead I send them with crackers, cheese, and lunch meat in separate containers and then they make their own.
