Lunches.....

[Kjersti]

What do you pack in the lunches for your kids? My daugher (age 11) came home with almost everything STILL in her lunch box....it was untouched!! I think she ate the chips! What are some things they just love? Do you pack fruits and vegies? Storebought items? Do you make everything? Lunchables? I'd love some suggestions.

[SweetMelissa]

My kids aren't in school yet so I don't pack lunches but I make a meal plan with them every weekend of what they want for lunch the next week. Maybe something like that would help?

My oldest is 4 so I have pictures of the food and separate them into different categories (entree, side, fruits/veggies and dessert). They can pick 1 entree, 1 side, 1 fruit/veggie and 1 dessert (usually fruit snacks or a puddling cup that they share).

[lauren grier]

generally ce gets a pb & j sammich & 2 apples (one for snack, one for lunch).

If there's leftovers from dinner he gets that instead. we don't go crazy fancy shmancy with lunches here lol i realized a while ago, that if i gave him MORE than that, he ended up wasting it bc they dont have enough time to eat more .. and he comes home and eats practically another full meal afterschool anyway

[ayaandjudah]

I didn't realize until my daughter started 1st grade this year that kids are given almost no time for lunch. It's horrendous. I believe they have about ten minutes to eat.

[BrattyMeg]

mine like wraps, apple slices (I buy the prepkged kind with dip), snack size pringles, I don't buy a lot of store bought stuff but they do like dunkaroos so that's a treat for them.

[DawnMarch]

We usually do PB&J or turkey sandwiches plus fruit, juice, a small yogurt and a couple cookies. My kids are allowed to buy one day/week (pizza day) and they do a lunchable one day/week but we supplement it with fruit and yogurt to try to keep it healthier.

[Giseli Freitas]

I'm with the same problem here, but I already realized it's a time issue: they don't have much time given to eat (15-20 minutes) plus the snack time (10am) is VERY close to the lunch time (noon) IMO. There's no way DD will eat her lunch like I think it should be. DD only eats well if there's a 3-4 hours between meals. She eats a "late lunch" at home after school. But I don't like this b/c turns dinner time into a mess. I don't know what to do...

[kristijoy]

My kid doesn't eat sandwiches. (he's 5)

I always pack him hot soup in the thermos (noodles and vegetable broth). Eats that right up. The rest is chips or pretzels, fruit, and a piece of cheese.

Other hot things he will eat: fettucini alfredo, asian noodles and tofu, or tortellini.

He also loves those mini lunchable microwavable pizzas. (plain cheese) When he's in first grade, I think he'll be able to heat up a lunch. Yippy!

[ryliesmom]

DD gets lots of left overs. She fixes her own lunches and if she doesn't want leftovers she'll have a sandwich. DS doesn't get that many leftovers because they only have one microwave for lots of kids so we don't do warm up meals but about once a week. Both kids always have fruit and usually a vegetable like carrot sticks or sliced cucumber too.

[pewtertm]

Well, our rule is Rachel has to have a protein, a fruit, and a veggie. She's really picky and won't eat any lunch meat...she's not a big meat eater, period.

She usually has one of the following:
pb-honey sandwich
pb-jelly sandwich
pb crackers
cheese crackers

fruit cup or fresh fruit

carrot sticks, broccoli slaw, cucumber, broccoli...something that she can crunch on

Sometimes I'll stick in a piece of fruit leather (the real stuff, not fruit roll-ups or fruit snacks) or, if I'm feeling extra generous, a small serving of chips. On special days, I might pack a LITTLE treat, but that's pretty rare.

She usually gets V-8 Splash Lite (fruit/veg juice) in her thermos.

[dana]

my kids usually get:

"entree" - one of the following:
turkey sandwich
cheese, salami & crackers
rice cake w/ sunflower butter (my DD is allergic to nuts)
boiled egg
pasta
chicken noodle soup
pita chips w/ hummus
cheese quesadilla

fruit: all kinds - whatever i have that day, i mix it up
veggie: carrots + broccoli w/ a little dip

extras: goldfish, pita chips, pretzels, etc ...

sometimes a yogurt, cereal bar, etc ...

when i was about your daughter's age i remember not eating much either - i wanted to socialize more than eat - maybe something small and easy like half a sandwich, a piece of fruit, some chips, some carrots and a small cookie? i remember that being what one of my friends ate every day in high school ...

[mariewilcox]

Cheyanne (11 also) packs her lunch every day because she hates the school food plus we're vegetarian so that limits her as far as cafeteria food. She will pack a combination of things, depending on what she finds in the fridge. Every Sunday we go to the market and she picks her fruit and veggies for the week. She gets about 20 minutes for lunch and a mid morning snack time at about 9:00. She also is a big eater so it probably sounds like a lot! Most days what she eats at 12:30 needs to get her through either a practice or game later in the day and most days she doesn't eat again untli 6-6:30 at night. Oh, and she's not a sandwich person either.

Typically she packs:
Soup or leftovers (we usually have some kind of homemade soup in the fridge for my lunches since I work from home)
2 pieces of fruit
Yogurt
Veggies and hummus
whole wheat crackers with PB or cheese
a clean sweet treat

[Lindsay]

It's insane but Parker has been taking the exact same lunch every day since school started and (I've asked) he eats it all: PB&J, Doritos, banana, gatorade, and a snack cake. Devlin on the other hand is embarrassing. I've come to terms that if he's eating, that's a good thing. Right now, he's into Ritz crackers, three slices of pastrami, a snack cake, and about half a gatorade. The boy eats like a bird!

[emmasmommy]

emma doesn't have a lot of time either (15 min) so i generally give her a sammie (pb/j or bologna and cheese usu), a few chips or pretzels, a gogurt and a fruit. all the stuff is like mini servings since they have like zero time. sometimes if i have them i'll give her a lunchable.

[brooke22]

Rylee doesnt have allot of time to eat either, its so different from when we were at school.
I usually give her a sandwich, a yogurt and some lunch meat and cheese, then she'll have a packet of chips, a granola bar and some dunkaroo's. She can choose what she wants to eat for morning tea and lunch, as long as the cold stuff gets eaten, she can choose which of the non perishables she wants to eat if she is still hungry and the rest comes home and she will eat it after school for a snack.

I dont give fruit at school because it either gets ditched in the trash or brought home. So she gets fruit strait after school.

[Keely~B]

My kids make their lunches, the oldest takes a lot of leftovers. They love salads and wraps, yogurt etc. They always take fruits and/or veggies. I don't like them to have junk food at school but they can pretty much take whatever as long as there's a variety. The youngest buys once a week on pizza day.

[rach3975]

We have enough time for lunch here; I don't know exactly how long, but I've been there for lunch a few times and most of the kids are finished and talking even if they went through the lunch line.

My kindergartener isn't picky and loves to buy lunch, so I let him. Our options are fairly healthy with lots of fruit and veggie sides.

My 2nd grader always takes from home. Some days he eats a lot, other days he doesn't touch any of it. But it doesn't matter what I pack, just how hungry he is that day. Between breakfast, a morning snack time (10 am) and an early lunch (11:30), some days he just doesn't want to eat anything.

I send one "entree," a side if the entree is small, and a fruit every day. I don't bother sending veggies because he won't eat them. About once a week he gets some cookies or pudding. Here are some of our most common lunches.

-Peanut butter and whole wheat bread (I have to send the pb in a separate container because he won't eat a pb sanwich that has been sitting around for a few hours. Some days he makes the sandwich, some days he just eats the pb on a spoon)
-Hard boiled eggs, crackers, and string cheese
-Cold chicken nuggets with ketchup
-Deli slices, string cheese, and bread and butter
-Yogurt and popcorn
-Leftovers
-Bean and pasta soup with a yogurt tube
-Black beans, corn, cheese, and crackers or rice cakes

Fruits: Apple, grapes, dried fruit leather, fruit dices, applesauce, peeled orange, peaches (in season)
He's picky about food, and there are a lot of fruits he won't eat.

[k23m]

My dd is not in school yet, so thanks for all the ideas. I am not looking forward to packing a lunch!

[sprauncey1]

Sigh. I was just thinking I'm packing the.same.thing every day here for DS's lunch. I'm tired (we meet the bus at 6:45) so I know that is part of it. Oh and we/school are nut free, and he is allergic to eggs and soy.

So far I've sent:
bagel with cream cheese
yogurt
crackers
raisins
fruit
drink

I like the idea of a bean burrito maybe, just not sure he'll eat cold. We CANNOT send chips, cookies, or candy. And since we are overseas...there are no lunchables here.

I just need to make a list and get more ideas.

I would consult your daughter and see what she thinks is more desirable. Maybe on Sundays you both can come up with a game plan. I do remember at that age surviving on two rolls and a milk at lunchtime and I played sports.

[rach3975]

One more idea-cold cereal and a little box/carton of milk she can pour in at lunch time

[lovely1m]

Oh, goodness, my son starts kindergarten this fall. Lots of great ideas here, but the lack of time to eat worries me. My son is a slow eater because he's constantly talking.

[Kjersti]

Wow! You ladies are awesome. Thank you for all of the ideas. I never thought of pasta!!! My oldest woud LOVE that.

[knlchevys]

My oldest won't TOUCH bread. Pain in the butt! He gets Ritz with sliced cheese and pepperoni. I usually do carrots with dip. I found the perfect little disposal containers at Wal-mart. That or celery and pb. I make them choose at least one veggie or fruit. Love the fruit cups but they don't!!

[SeattleSheri]

I feel so fortunately that our school district always offers a wonderful selection for hot lunches, so we just opt for that. I suspect it's roughly the same price as packing a lunch and so convenient! I'm really pleased with their offerings. I have terrible planning skills when it comes to packing lunches!

For example, here was the offering today. A vegetarian option is always available.

Option 1: Whole wheat hoagie with turkey, cheese and lettuce
Option 2: Homemade hummus with pita bread

Everyday offering: peanut butter (or sun butter) and jelly sandwich or organic yogurt and muffin

Sides:
Garden salad with fresh spinach
Baby carrots
Fresh tomatoes
Seedless grapes
Pudding cup

[dgreenshield]

My son is 12 and packs his own lunches. On Sundays, we bread for sandwiches and he will make himself a couple of different versions for the week. He also packs up a couple of wraps. His favorite is grilled chicken cesar- we leave the dressing in a snack size sandwich bag so that he can just open the tip and drizzle on the dry wrap before eating. In addition to his main item, he will pack a few of the following:
Carrots
celery and pb
bagel chips
applesauce, dried fruit or cut fruit- he portions these out on sundays for the week
1 sweet- licorice, cookie, slice of pumpkin bread

He hates prepackaged foods and after watching Super Size Me and Jamie Oliver's food revolution, he is even more reluctant to try school food.

[kristijoy]

Originally Posted by Kjersti

Wow! You ladies are awesome. Thank you for all of the ideas. I never thought of pasta!!! My oldest woud LOVE that.

The laptop lunch box I have for my son has an itty bitty container to put 'dipping sauce' in. I've used that for marinara sauce to 'dip' the penne noodles into.

[Lyd]

I have a questions for those of you that send leftovers in your kids' lunches . . . Do they have access to a microwave or something at school so that they can heat things up? I think my Sean would really like leftovers from time to time, but I don't think he would like them cold. I guess I need to investigate whether or not he would have a way to heat it up.

Right now, he takes a sandwich of some kind (PBJ or Ham/Cheese), a yogurt or string cheese, veggies or fruit (usually baby carrots, celery, or an apple/applesauce), and usually some kind of cracker (graham or fishy).

Some days are better than others as far as how much get eaten. But, I think he has plenty of time. He's just a social, talkative kid, so he sometimes wastes the time he has. On the days he doesn't finish everything, he usually eats the rest of his lunch as soon as he gets home, cause he's hungry.

[TeriBeary]

I'm jealous of those who can send PB&J. Our school stopped that recently. We used to be able to send it if there wasn't allergies in the class. Now it's a peanut-free school, which I get, but my kids want PB&J some days.

My kids take a sandwich, yogurt, cheese, apple, carrots, pretzels, easy to eat stuff cause their lunch is short too.

[mariewilcox]

Lydia - Cheyanne heats her leftovers up at home and puts them in a thermos. It's still nice and hot when she eats lunch almost 6 hours after it's packed I bought a nice Thermos brand one that's short and squat, so it's eat easy to eat from and fits in her lunch bag easily.

[sprauncey1]

Originally Posted by TeriBeary

I'm jealous of those who can send PB&J. Our school stopped that recently. We used to be able to send it if there wasn't allergies in the class. Now it's a peanut-free school, which I get, but my kids want PB&J some days.

My kids take a sandwich, yogurt, cheese, apple, carrots, pretzels, easy to eat stuff cause their lunch is short too.

Can you send sunbutter? Sunflower seed butter is actually quite good and similar salty creamy as PB. That is what my oldest loves now and its a treat I give him over here (we have to have shipped from the USA). It is more expensive than PB, but for a "treat" now and then at school. Ask the school first of course!

[dana]

Originally Posted by sprauncey1

Can you send sunbutter? Sunflower seed butter is actually quite good and similar salty creamy as PB. That is what my oldest loves now and its a treat I give him over here (we have to have shipped from the USA). It is more expensive than PB, but for a "treat" now and then at school. Ask the school first of course!

i second the sunflower seed butter - it's really good! i tried soy nut butter and didn't really like it at all - the sunflower seed butter is MUCH better and more PB-like. my sister had some at our place over christmas and said she even prefers it to PB now

[ayaandjudah]

While on the subject let me tell you how annoyed I am at my school.

They sell snacks...SLUSHIES, doritos, ice cream. Why on earth do those need to be options in an elementary school? Every day my daughter begs me for them.

[nikkiARNGwife]

PB&J, fruit, cheese, sometimes a few chips, fruit bar. Mostly if I put a variety of fruit in he'll eat most of it. Many days he comes home with a lot of it left but I know it's b/c he eats SLOW and they only get about 15 minutes. I just let him eat what's left for snack after school.

[Kara]

Since my oldest DS is in 1st grade, this is my first year of packing lunches. He gets PB&J everyday - his choice. It's the one thing he ALWAYS eats. I also usually send a piece of fruit and/or a vegetable. Those sometimes get eaten, sometimes not. Once in awhile, he'll get some crackers, cheese or a cookie - but that all depends on what I have at home. He doesn't care for milk, so he gets a water bottle and occasionally, a juice box.

I am not impressed with the school lunches - they're almost always a variation of pizza or breaded chicken - and am glad that he prefers bringing his lunch from home. Even on days when I have almost nothing in the house to send him, he'd rather take a hodge podge of stuff rather than eat school lunch!

[kendallt]

Well, my kiddo LOVES sandwiches and pretty much requests either a turkey or PB&J sandwich every day. Every now and again, I will buy her Lunchables as a treat, but she's picky about which ones she likes.

For "sides," I will send things like hummus and pita chips, apple sauce, bananas, chips and salsa, string cheese, grapes, granola bars, crackers, yogurt, etc. She has recently started taking a water bottle and using one of those little Crystal Lite flavor packets.

At her school, they don't have access to a microwave to heat up leftovers, so we try to stick to "colder" foods.

[rach3975]

No access to a microwave at our school. My DS will eat some things cold (chicken of all kinds, soup) but the things I've tried to send hot in a thermos he didn't eat.

My district's hot lunch choices sound a lot like Sheri's. Every day we have 2-3 day-specific entrees (things like topped baked potatoes, baked chicken nuggets, spaghetti, fish tacos, pizza, and hot sandwiches) and 3 every day options (pb&j, hummus with pita chips, or yogurt with crackers). Then there are 4 fruit and vegetable sides, and they can choose 2. I love how convenient it is, and there's more variety and more fruits and vegetables than they'd eat in a lunch I sent. I wish both of them would take from school, but for now it's only my younger DS. My older one would rather have the time to socialize than stand in line, even though the lines are pretty quick.

[shastahun]

I don't have kids to pack lunches for but I seen this thread and wanted to suggest this website for lunch ideas.

http://easylunchboxes.smugmug.com/Th...337718&k=c82kD

Found it through Pinterest and I thought there were some great ideas on there.

[nanienamou]

We have access to a microwave, so they usually get leftover, or, on special days, Chef Boyardee's raviolis or Alpha-Gettis (they looooove the stuff)... They don't really like sandwiches, so I'll send crackers, ham cubes, cheese cubes, fruit cups, an occasionnal pudding, muffins, bananas, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes.

We cannot send peanut butter, or even any nut butter, no nut, nut products, chips, candy, chocolate. Once I sent soy nuts (the kids like them), but they sent them back with a note, thinking it was a nut product...

They also get a pizza slice on Thursday. There is a catering service on Wednesday, my older one loved it, but at 6$ a meal, it's just to expensive, since I have two boys at school right now.

[DaniW]

I'm in Canada like some of the other posters and we can't send nuts but my son has really grown to love pea butter, which is made from golden peas. So he gets a pea butter sandwich some of the time and sometimes as a snack on mini Breton crackers. Our school has hot lunches two days a week so we've taken advantage of that though my son often chooses a not-so-hot option: Caesar salad!! We have pizza one day a week so that leaves us with two days of making a full lunch. He's not really big on sandwiches (other than the pea butter ones) but he loves taking soup or chili in a thermos so I always have some in the freezer in small portions ready to go. I have tried pasta but I found that he didn't eat it - maybe it wasn't saucy enough to stay hot in the thermos? Another thing I always have on hand in the freezer is banana bread for his snack. He also loves fruit so that is always in there and he'll also take red pepper slices, cucumbers or carrots. I find it stressful to get lunches done in the evening - I don't even want to think about the fall when my daughter starts JK!!

[DaniW]

Meant to mention - I have also been concerned about the time allowed for eating. My son frequently brings food home and says he didn't have time to eat it. And his lunch isn't until 1pm - he must be absolutely starving!!!

[Kjersti]

My daughter didn't have access to a microwave until this year in 6th grade. I guess there is one in the classroom they can use! Woo-Hoo!! Pasta....here we come!