Tired of the Same 'Ol Lunches

Try some tuna and crackers with some shredded cheese. My daoughter loves it when I send that for lunch, also try pinwheels. Any lunch meat, sliced cheese, spread some cream cheese onto a tortilla and lay meat and cheese on top, roll and slice into about 1 1/2 in slices, those are always fun too. It makes it fun to have you kids help make these.

Hi P..

Try your closest Trader Joe's for some ideas for her that are dairy free. Goat Cheese is also a great alternate for those on a dairy free diet.

I've been thinking about giving my kids celery and carrots with peanut butter and a little honey as their main lunch dish.

Does she like hummus? How about flat bread or a bagel with hummus?

I'm wondering how you send her chicken and other food that must be refrigerated then reheated. Do they do that for you at the school? If so, you could also try a hummus and bean quesadilla. I know it sounds weird, but it is so good. You can also add alfalfa sprouts or avocado to it. Yum!

having a bunch of kids myself making lunches does get boring. unless your 2 year old has brought it up, i would think she probably hasn't noticed. kids like repitition, and familiarity. it sounds like you are doing a great job in providing a variety of healthy choices. i do try to use dinner leftovers as much as possible and use pb&honey etc as a crutch for when there aren't any leftovers. a suggestion is alternating making lunches with your husband.
good luck

veggie wraps are wonderful, i use canned chicken from costco and the wraps i use are are made of veggies, i shred carrots cabbage, cilantro, mushrooms and celery,all mixed with smart balance mayonaise and any kind of lettuce,and tomatoes, i think tomtoes might be to acidic for your 2yr old, my school age kids love them and never tire of em.

Hi, I have a book you might want to check out, and the writer also has a blog. It is called "Vegan Lunch Box". You could add or substitute meat if you wanted in many of the recipes. Most are pretty simple, very healthy, and have great variety. Most importantly for you though is that none of the recipes have dairy in them. There is everything from simple ham and cheese cutouts to wellingtons and pot roast. Anyways, this might be something to look into, the website is veganlunchbox.blogspot.com. There are a lot of recipes on there too.

Some other suggestions (some from the book):
tea sandwiches-cut out little crustless slices of bread and use any fillings

soup in a thermos-make it really hot and even in a fridge will be just right by lunch time

breakfast foods- cereal and soy milk, pancakes and berry sauce, waffles with peanut butter and banana, scrambled eggs and toast

Anyway, those are some that I've used in the past. Have fun!

I am a chef with two boys, 8yrs and 5yrs. I want to tell you that even with all my training and experience--all the amazingly fun ideas I have used, I still sometimes have my son tell me "can't I just have PB&J???" So if your daughter hasn't complained, there is a good chance she is just fine with it. On the other hand, if she is bored, I have had fun doing sandwhich wraps(tomatoes make it soggy by lunch though) Use all the ingredients you would for a turkey, ham, or chicken sandwich, and wrap it in a tortillia(try different flavores of tortilla too!) Try baked potatoes. That is a popular one with my kids with Broccoli soy cheese filling. If she is allowed to heat the meal those are fun.
Does she eat Polynesian or Hawaiian food? It is fun to do different cultural foods if she is open to them. I have a lot of recipes. If you would like more ideas, feel free to contact me via email ____@____.com luck!

I am not able to answer your question because I have the same problem with my daughter, however I was reading and wanted to let you know a very important piece of information that you may not know. If your little one can not eat dairy you may want to make sure you read the label of that soy cheese that you give her. The manufactures put casein in most of those products. If you do not know about casein, casein is a dairy ingredient and the main ingredient that people have an intolerance too. I just wanted to let you know because I did not know this for a long time and was eating soy cheese as a replacement and was still having "issues" then found out about casein. They put it in a lot of "Non Dairy" products so I really have to read now. I hope this helps you with that and if casein is not her problem then good eats with the soy cheese! Just wanted to share so you don't go threw what I went threw.
E.

Hi P.,
I definately hear you on this one...my kids get so tired of the same ole things in their lunch. They love hard boiled eggs or cheese and cracker instead of sandwiches. Or they like left over pizza (they'll eat it cold). They also love veggies with vegetable cream cheese to dip. Another thing they love is a piece of deli ham smeared with cream cheese wrapped around a pickle, sounds wierd but it's really delish. Sometimes I'll substitute bread for a tortilla and have a roll-up sandwich (don't try this with pb&j as it will run out of the ends and make a big mess). For a different sandwich, my kids beg for p-nut butter banana sandwiches. Hope these ideas help.

My little guy loves hummus. It's easy to make, healthy and fun! Pack hummus with cucumbers, carrots, pita and dip away!!

Hi P.,

I recently found this sight that has a lot of kid friendly healthy recipes. I have not tried any yet, but I think my kids would love some of them. Hope this helps!

eatwellbewell.org

S.

Hi P.,

I am vegan so I can definitely suggest some non-dairy lunches. My son is sugar sensitive so I try to be creative without adding too much (if any) sugar. Also, I generally shop at Sunflower or Sprouts but some things can also be found at Fry's, Safeway, etc. - as long as they are closer to more "upscale" neighborhoods. Here are a few things I pack for my 5 year old vegetarian son:

Tofu salad sandwiches - similar to egg salad but I use Vegannaise (vegan mayo). I do not have exact measurements down but rather prepare to taste/eye. To prepare crumble extra-firm or firm tofu into a skillet with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over med-high heat. It takes some time for the tofu to brown. In a food processor I put in the vegan mayo (depending on how creamy you like it - start with a tablespoon or so), one small-medium avocado, some yellow mustard, a pinch of sea salt, and some black pepper. I blend that up and put in fridge to cool. After the tofu is browned to your liking (generally not crispy but not too mush either - I prefer the consistency of WELL cooked scrambled eggs. I then put the tofu in a container and stick in fridge until cooled. Once both are same temperatures I will mix together adding diced sweet pickles. I have served this either on a sandwich bread or make mini sandwiches with crackers.

My son loves peanut butter! So he will have pb & j (no sugar added preserves), peanut butter and banana sandwiches, or peanut butter and cracker (Ritz type crackers) sandwiches. Another treat for him when he was a toddler was apple slices and a dish of peanut butter to dip them in. I do make cheese sandwiches for him on occasion - but am careful due to the fat content of vegan cheese substitutes.

Another favorite is a veggie dog (Smart Dogs are our faves) on a Snuggle (these are bread-like buns I found at Sprouts - and I think Fry's might also carry them). I keep ours in the freezer and the Smart Dogs in the fridge. I will make his lunch the night before - simply take the Snuggle out of the freezer, put the Smart Dog in it, and put it back in the fridge until morning. My son will add ketchup or mustard to it at school if he wishes. He eats them cold 95% of the time when home too - dunno why he prefers them this way - he just does! haha. (The same company that makes Smart Dogs - I think it is called LiteLife - also make vegan "meats" like bologna, turkey, and ham. I suggest these as you stated you were looking for healthy alternatives - and these alternatives are generally more healthy than the meats they mock.

He also loves bagels and (vegan) cream cheese and loves cold left over lasagna! (I make mine with medium to firm tofu for the ricotta, soy milk and flour for a "creamy" taste and add lots of veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant.) But if your child is at a day care that will warm her food she might like it better.

In the summer time he likes fruit salad - just a bunch of fruit cut up in a dish.

I also make wraps (tortillas) for lunches or dinners. I use vegan cheese, veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots), avocado, vegan mayo, mustard, and some sort of protein i.e. Morning Star Farms Chik'n Strips, marinated & breaded tofu strips (pre-cooked), etc.

For additions to his lunches I will include vegan: crackers, yogurt, pudding, dried fruit, homemade granola bars, fresh fruit (bananas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, plumbs, peaches, etc.) and sometimes Annie's Bunnies (variety of flavors - have some sugar in them but no dairy).

I found it is difficult to make sure he has protein for every lunch so try to compensate with at home snacks and meals.

The stores I listed above have a good selection for non-dairy alternatives so you might be able to find alternatives for your regular recipes that call for dairy.

Anyhow, hope some of those ideas are helpful. Good luck! =)

I used to give my daughter the same lunches everyday. Every now and then I would try something different and, although she would eat it, she would ask for her same old lunch again. I think sticking to the same lunch is fine as long as their healthy and she's still eating it. I try to put in 5 basics: a main item (usually PB&J), a fruit, a carb (usually Pirates Booty), a dairy (yogurt or string cheese) and a treat.

This is a great site. Lots of ideas about EVERTHING food and kids!

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/family/specialfeature/bac...

One thing that I do is when I make dinner, I always make a large batch and freeze several individual portions in Ziploc containers. That way, even though it's the same dinners we've had, there's always a variety of options already served out and ready to be thrown in a lunchbag and not just what we had last night. It's also fabulous for nights when I don't feel like cooking and everyone can choose what they want to eat. Good luck and take care!

My daughters love fresh berries in their lunch. I often pack grapes, strawberries, and blackberries or cherries whatever is in season. Seasonal fruits keep changing so it's hard to get bored with that. They love hard boiled eggs with a packet of salt. Fresh veggies maybe with dip, grape tomatoes, small pickles, popcorn, small muffins. If it gets really boring sometimes I don't even pack a "main course" just healthy "sides" or a simulated lunchable meat, cheese (soy cheese), crackers, and a fresh fruit they put it together however they want. I also tend to over pack a little so I can see what they really like & they eat the rest on the way home from school (we have a 25 min drive). Vary the drinks, different juices, water, lemonade; you'd be surprised how excited a kid can get about a Capri-sun. I also pack an extra water in the summer in case they're extra thirsty (then they have a drink for after school too). My oldest gets to use a microwave for one minute which opens a whole new realm of possibilities. Ask her what her friends "get" in their lunches that she'd like to try.

Honestly, I would ask your daughter how she feels about her lunches. Usually we adults get bored of the same things over and over, but kids don't (think about how many times they want to watch the same movie over and over again). I have a 7 year old in 1st grade and everyday I ask her what she wants in her lunch and every day she says the same thing. I try to offer different things and usually she says no. It seems pretty boring to me, but it's her choice so I don't argue. And honestly it sounds to me like you are giving her lots of variety with the leftovers from dinner. But if you are really needing a change (especially with the dairy free challenge), look to the internet. You can also find new ways to present old things. For example, cutting a sandwich into a fun shape with a cookie cutter, or toothpicking fruit together to make little fruit bugs!