What Do You Pack in Your Childs Lunch Bag??

After years of packing sandwiches, my kids now refuse them and insist on hot lunches. They like chicken noodle soup, clam chowder, pasta, or even bagels with cream cheese. I also give them crackers, fruit and fruit cups and apple sauce. For drinks, I pack a chocolate milk (the organic kind from Costco) or Capri suns or water and they're happy.

Honestly, we do a lot of leftovers. There are usually not enough for another whole family meal, so it goes with my second grader for lunch. We've done spegetti, fried chicken, buiscuts and gravy, leftover pizza, veggi soup, chicken noodle soup, tuna fish and crackers, homade 'Lunchables', pigs in a blanket (that's always a BIG hit!), veggies and dip, the list can go on! Just get an insulated lunch box that you can add a hot/cold pack to as needed.

Leftovers, love the thermos! Carrots & ranch, pickles, wraps, string cheese, gogurt, cereal bars, applesauce, grapes, cold pizza, hot dogs (microwaved in the morning, put in the bun and wrapped in foil), nutella & banana tortilla roll-up, pb&j.

Today my son had a bag of chex mix, bologna sandwich, gogurt, carrots & ranch, cereal bar, and capri sun.

I heat up chicken noodle soup to practically boiling before school then toss it in a small thermos, which keeps it warm enough until lunch. I also make pinwheel sandwiches... your basic sandwich ingredients (turkey or ham w/ cheese & lettuce) rolled up in a whole wheat tortilla, sliced in 1" rolls and speared with a toothpick! Every Wednesday he gets egg salad... and I always pack fresh fruit or a fruit strip. He gobbles them up!

Hope that helps!!!

My 7th grader takes a sandwich (turkey, bologna/cheese, salami/cheese, peanut butter), a piece of fruit, a dessert item (cookies, brownies, twinkie, chips - only one per day) and a water bottle (we dont' give the kids any diet drinks like crystal light with artiificial sweeteners). If your son does not always eat his lunch, ask him what he'd prefer. If he's eating the goodies instead of the sandwich, I wouldn't send the goodies. YOur post doesn't mention your son's age, but could it be that you are sendng more food than his appetitite requires? I think our natural tendency is to make sure that they don't go hungry, that we don't pack too little. If you think he's bored with the same lunch much of the time, ask him what he'd like to eat.

Fruit cups, granola bars, fresh fruit, PB&J sandwich (she prefers that), chips, go-gurt (portable yogurts), cheese and crackers..usually a capri sun for a drink. they have the "roaring waters" (flavored water) and also the reduced sugar capri suns. PS - I wouldn't worry about him not eating it some days. If he is hungry, he will eat :)

A Thermos is great for soups, ravioli, spagetti, etc. I have seen kids take hot dogs wrapped in foil (don't know how safe that is). My daughter likes for me to pack a salad sometimes. Loves fruit! Think about things your child likes and how you can package it for lunch.

My boys are my last two still in school. I pack what they like. We try to eat mostly healthy foods at home so both my boys eat a healthy but yummy lunch. My oldest is a runner on his cross-country team and his coach promotes healthy eating so his lunches usually consist of a turkey, ham, pb&j, or salami sandwich on wheat bread, fresh fruits and vegetables and a bottle of water (they each have personal water bottles). When it's cooler outside they also have the option of canned pastas or soups, reheated leftovers. I'm not a total health food nut so I buy things like fruit treats, rice krispies treats, etc... and they have the option of their choice of 1 for the day.

I don't have the money to waste on food they won't eat so I've always asked for their input. I don't give them anything with artificial sweeteners in it. Artificial sweeteners are horrible for humans that's why my kids have almost always taken water for lunch.

Ask your son what he likes....don't give him too much food. It took me awhile to find the fine line between too little and too much food but once I got there my boys very rarely bring leftovers home from lunch.

My daughter loves her sun butter and jelly sandwich. It is nut free as it is made from sunflower seeds.

Fresh veggies (her fav. Is broccoli)

A fruit cup

And milk from school.

I try to switch the breads of the Sandwiches to make it fun. Use those little pita breads or Turkey roll up, wheat wraps, Make a little pizza on an English Muffin or Digorno, or cut up chicken pieces with no bread. Give Cucumbers with lemon & herb seasoning, cut up peaches, Celery or banana's cut up with Peanut Butter. That cereal with granola and raisons in a little ziplock baggie is a great snack. Propel waters are good. Just try to add Variety to make it fun!

My son's preschool just went nut free so I am starting to look for main dish ideas. Before it went nut free I put a PB&J, a choice of fruit, a choice between gogurt or cheese stick, a juice, and bag of craisins or a fruit snack. I'm thinking of sending cheese, meat, and crackers as a replacement for the PB&J but I want him to eat what I send so I'll have him help with the decision too.

Any kind of fruit (apple slices, a banana, strawberries, grapes), mini carrots, celery sticks with peanut butter, grape tomatoes, granola bars, string cheese/cheese stick, Wheat Thin crackers. Spinach dip or hummus or ranch for dipping the veggies. Maybe try the sandwich as a wrap instead.

Well, you should of course always pack what they like :)
My kids' favs have been:
sandwiches: PB & J, turkey, salami, cheese, chicken (chicken salad)
cheese sticks/slices, crackers, grapes, apple slices, bananas, diced peaches and mandarin oranges
bagels & cream cheese, and yogurt with granola
pretzels, pita chips, cheez its, gold fish
leftovers, especially pasta, like spaghetti, tortellini, etc. in a thermos
leftover pizza!

my 7 year olds get 1 healthy snack (morning), lunch, and 'unhealthy/dessert-type' snack for after lunch.
ideas for morning snacks:
cut up strawberries.
grapes
carrots
yoghurt (with granola)
cheese stick
boiled egg
sliced cucumbers
for lunch:
heated soup in thermos
sandwich (butter, ham and cheese, PB and J)
chicken nuggets (tysons from costco), heat them up, then wrap in foil then in thermos(i can fit in about 7 of those nuggets)
for afternoon snack
veggie chips
mini pop tarts
fruit rollup
fruit chips
pudding

My little one likes vanilla wafer cookies. I put peanut butter on them and make her some cookie sandwiches! Also, cut up pieces of canalope, jello, and fresh fruit!

Well Lynn basically packs the same things I do, lol.

Few additions though, instead of sandwhiches we do a lot of pitas and wraps, with ham or turkey or both. pudding cups, carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli, I put dip on the side for veggies. trail mix is fun, if your school does not have rules against nuts. I also bake a lot so things like choc chip zucchini muffins, mini banana breads. string cheese is good too. I am guilty of sending sugary drinks, since generally I pack very little junk food.

I always ask for my daughter's input - I don't want to be packing her something she won't eat. I give her the options *I'm* good with, and let her choose. Some of her favs are: cheese sandwhich, orange, apple, yogurt, raisins, bits and bites, granola bar and water.

The school that my daughter attends is nut-free and meat free so we do lots of fruits/veggies/dairy products:

Carrots/celery sticks with ranch dressing, red/yellow/green bell peppers with hummus, strawberries and blueberries, clementines or mandarin oranges (easy for her to peel), bagels, applesauce/fruit cups, boiled eggs, cheese sandwiches, cheese, yogurt, raisins.