School Lunches for kids

Mine have gotten kinda stuck on PB&J.
I keep trying to come up with new stuff.
I even went to lunch one day to see what other moms were sending.
Mostly PB&J! So I guess we are all having issues. I do pack alot of fruit and veggies.
Our problem is the main course. LOL

 

My daughter is not big on sandwiches either. She does not eat peanut butter at all. We make mini pizzas, Ramen noodle soup, Vienna sausages in the can (I try not to let her have those too often), and ham and cheese on crackers. Spaghetti also travels well.

 

Mine likes hummus and chips, mac and cheese or soup in thermos- she doesnt mind lukewarm. I also do apples with peanut butter and wraps. She wont eat bread but likes the flavored tortillas, of course she eats all ingrediants in wrap seperately. Cold chicken is also a hit. Happy School Year!!

 

Quote:GUILTY, I let them eat those little viennas too!
Plus also I enjoy them occasionally myself!

 

When DS#2 was a little boy, he didn't like sandwiches very much either. I would fix him mini kabobs of his favorite lunchmeat and cheese: cubes of ham, bologna, turkey, Colby, M. Jack, etc. on toothpicks, alternating the meat and cheese. With some veggie sticks, fruit, cookie and milk, this lunch usually was sufficient. He was 5-6 when I packed these kabobs, old enough to handle the toothpicks without hurting himself.

 

* Wraps -- Turkey, Chicken, Ham, Roast Beef. You can spice them up with the veggies and dressings you add. Add avocado, tomato, black beans and corn to the chicken or turkey and you've got a southwest wrap. Add mayo, grapes and nuts to chicken and put it in a spinach tortilla and you've got a waldorf salad wrap. Make a "Philly Cheese Steak" wrap with a whole wheat wrap, roast beef, cheese, etc. Put fish and slaw in a wrap and you've got a whole meal in your hand.

* "Lunchables" -- Roll up a couple slices of lunch meat, add cheese slices, crackers, cherry tomatoes and a bottle of water or juice.

* Salads -- Just pack the dressing separate.

* Thermos Meals -- Chili, Soups, Lasagna, Stew, Mac and Cheese, Cabbage Home Fries, Shepherd's Pie, Spaghetti, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, etc.

* Antipasto -- Ravioli, Salami or Pastrami, Olives, Banana Peppers and crunchy breadsticks on the side. A green apple goes well as a side dish, too.

* "Walking" Sloppy Joes -- Pack the meat in a thermos, send crackers (we like triscuits) on the side. Kids can scoop the meat up on the crackers instead of having a bun. Fruit works well as a side dish.

* Bagel Sandwiches -- If your daughter doesn't like bread, but does like bagels this may be an option.

* Mini Pizzas -- Mini-homemade, pre-baked pizza crusts, cheese, sauce, pepperoni.

 

My son went on a jag where he would only eat burritos, so I would make up about 2 weeks worth and put them in the freezer. By the time it was lunch time, they were thawed and he ate them cold.

Not as bad as it sounds, think bean dip and cheese.

When he was young enough to carry lunches to school, we lived where it was warm, so I had to worry about food spoiling. Sending only things that don't need to be refrigerated really cuts down on what you can send. Yogurt was frozen and was thawed by lunch time.

At that time I had a recipe for a cookie that was called Wheels of Steel. It was basically a health food bar. Wish I could find that recipe again. Anyway, those were great in the lunch box.

Now, I make breakfast bars out of home made granola. Those would be good to send to school.

Things like chili and soup can be sent in those little wide mouth thermoses made for soup.

My opinion: children who don't like bread should be checked for Celiac disease. I am Celiac and spent a miserable constantly sick childhood because it was eat wheat bread or starve in my family. No concessions to things you didn't like or that made you sick to eat them.