Lunch Ideas - Menlo Park,CA

http://www.5dollardinners.com/2011/08/packing-lunches.html

I sometimes cut lunchmeat into pieces and add cheese and crackers for a homemade lunchable, pbj sandwich cut with a cookie cutter, any kind of sandwich rolled up in a tortilla and sliced (we call them "snails"), on cool days we have done soup, spaghetti or even spaghetti-o's in a small thermos. I know nothing here is all that original, lol...but maybe it will help make you come up with something new :)

Those cracker and cheese packets
Fruit snacks
Fruit cups
Fruit roll up
Trail Mix
Protein bars
Juice box
Water bottle
Ritz & peanut butter

Annie just turned 4 last week and I pack her lunch 4 days a week. (she likes to "eat off the tray" at school but the meals they serve are amazingly unhealthy, so we pick 1 day a week when they are having something she likes and let her eat school lunch that day. I have found that if I pack most of it the night before and let her help, she eats it much better, even if it is the same old thing. I try to vary her fruit, strawberries and blueberries are a big hit, also cheese cubes and crackers are a good substitution for sandwiches. When the weather was cold a week or 2 ago i sent soup. You can make homemade vegetable and freeze it in small servings (ice cube trays work great) then just heat up as you need. Raw veggies and dip work well, for some reason different shapes make them more appealing! LOL! I use small cookie cutters to cut up zucchini and cucumbers, and use a lemon zester to make "string" carrots. I also do the same for fruits. (apples, pears, plums are harder, star fruit is a big hit) I put little bags of crackers in some times depending on what all she has, cheese or Graham for a sweet item. I have sent yogurt but you might want to put it in a smaller container. She has come home more than once with left over yogurt all over the inside of her box because she didn,t eat it all and someone put the rest of it back in! I am sure i have more ideas but it is very late and I just can,t think of any. Hope this helps some and feel free to contact me with more ideas if you need them.

A small cup of meat for a protein boost!
I panfried Top Sirloin steak which is quite lean, then slice them in pieces and put about 4 oz. in the cup container. Sometimes I have other meats like chicken, pork or fish. My daughter loves it and finishes it every lunch ever since she was in kindergarten.

Make it yourself chicken nuggets. Buy chicken fillet, cut into small bite size pieces, marinate for a few hours the night before in olive oil,salt, mustard, and lemon. After, get a box of bread crumbs (the plain ones) add grated parmesean cheese on crumbs, add the nuggets, put in pan and place in oven for 15 minutes. Don't over dry in oven, and don't mix while in oven or bread crumbs will come off. Just leave in to cook. It takes about a half hour to get it all done. But best to do this by night before. Side dish, my kids love Romain lettuce. Just wash it put beside the nuggets. Food goes down easier.
-turkey hotdog
-bite size pasta, or pasta al pesto
I had coffee, and I'm on a roll. I'll stop here.