My daughter has the option of buying lunch at school or brown-bagging it. After a few days of bringing in her own lunch she asked if she could buy her lunch there. Feeling like I wasn't provividing her with enough of a variety, I was excited she wanted to try this option. She's in kindergarten and although she hasn't missed a lunch, she says it takes too long and that by the time she gets it, she doesn't have many choices as to where to sit nor does she have enough time to finish. Parent/Teacher night is on the 29th so I'll find out the ins and outs of the lunch procedures then but, in the meantime, can anyone PLEASE give me some ideas for lunch???
So far, all she's had is either ham & cheese or turkey & cheese. I "spiced" things up with the sides, but is there anything besides cold-cuts??? FYI: She's not a fan of PB&J and I'd rather stay away from lunchables (plus she doesn't like them anyway).
Help!
These are all GREAT ideas! I cannot believe I didn't come up with some of them myself. And where were those laptop lunches back when I was working in the city? LOL!
I plan on investing in a good thermos and can't wait to get started. Thanks everyone! ~ M.
What about hummus on a pita? or avocado, tomato and sprouts...maybe some black bean spread... I'm having the same problem with my pre-k child. These are some things I'm thinking of... but I'm in the same boat!
I found the little individual packs of Italian dressing and my daughter LOVED bringing salads when she was in kindergarten. Or she also loved to bring tuna. We put it in one of the small Ziploc containers and she got to make her own sandwich once she got there. Or get a thermos and send her with some soup or chili. my kids LOVE ham so they just bring that in a bag and pick their own sides, but yea...sometimes it can be hard to offer variety!! And they do not have enough time to eat if htey are the last one out of the line.
how about cheese and crackers? some finger fruits are good too!!
So far (it's only week 2), I've done a cheese quesadilla (he didn't mind eating it cold!), a tortilla rolled up filled with polaner all fruit (like jelly) and cream cheese, cold pizza (served this twice--one day I used cookie cutters to make shapes), a mini cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese. I try to vary the sides--grapes, those applesauce squeezable pouches, craisins, banana chips, string cheese, raisins, fruit, even those freeze-dried fruit "chips". One day I even gave him string cheese and whole wheat crackers as his "main" course. I need to get my hands on a thermos so I can do ravioli, mac n' cheese, pasta, etc. The coolest idea I saw on a website was for a "banana hotdog" -- you peel the banana, put it on a hotdog bun, then use peanut butter & jelly instead of ketchup & mustard. This is one I'll probably try at home though, as I think it's too much "prep" for my son. Good luck!
Skip bready sandwiches. Go for dips (hummus which is protein and delicious). Dip it with carrot, bell pepper and celery sticks, or pita bread triangles or interesting little crackers tightly wrapped in wax paper so they stay crisp - or in the case of pita bread, soft. That takes the place of sandwiches. Or, REAL chicken pieces--small strips, baked or fried, or even occasionally a fried or baked whole chicken drumstick. If she eats ham, cut up little cubes of ham and cheese and include crackers. Yogurt and a small peanut butter cookie or small non-iced chocolate cupcake for dessert. Avoid greasy chips and gooey icings. Just don't send the same thing daily...add a surprise occasionally like fresh figs, raisins with sunflower seeds, or something she doesn't have at home every day. Try to send pure fruit juice rather than juice blends with lots of sweetening as first or second ingredient. A small square of dark chocolate is good, also. If you do send an occasional sandwich, go for a different bread (rye, onion, potato bread or a half sesame or whole wheat bagel with cream cheese with finely chopped carrots, olives, celery mixed in it). Put spread on both sides of half-sandwich an she can open it up and eat each side separately. Also, container of fresh fruit salad (melon, papaya,banana, grapes, strawberries,blueberries) in a tight plasic container occasionally, when these fruits are in season. Include plastic fork.
Get a thermos and do a pasta or soup. Also my kids enjoy the chips and salsa, avocado dips a very veggie lunch, or insulated lunch box a ice pack for yogurt, cold pizza. Hope this helps.
J.
I feel like a commercial for this website because I've recommended it to people so much lately, but check out weelicious.com. If you are on facebook you can also find her there and she posts pictures of her son's lunch everyday. She has tons of creative ideas.
Check out www.laptoplunches.com. They have tons of ideas. Definitely invest in a thermos. When I was a little girl I loved bringing soups and canned ravioli--you can get lower sodium kind. Does she like peanut butter at all? Maybe some PB and celery? I always liked that too. You can make up your own version of a lunchable without the extra salt that is in the store bought kind. Does she like tuna or chicken salad? You could try that on whole grain bread or in a wrap. Salad? Lots of options. Definitely check out that website! Good luck!
My kids aren't really old enough yet, so I don't have alot of personal advice. But I do come across quite a few blogs that discuss school food. There are a couple dozen "bento" blogs out there of moms taking pics of what their kids are eating. Google Bento Lunch Box Blogs and I bet you'll find the most popular ones.
Best!
Here are some ideas that I have seen my students bring in: cold pizza, cold pasta or pasta salad, soup or macaroni and cheese in a thermos. Would any of these work for your daughter?
Hi M., What your daughter says is true. I worked in a public school and the lunch line was very slow. My grand daughter does not like sandwiches so her mom packs in little containers. Some cut up chicken cutlet. Some carrots or cucumbers and ranch dressing. Cut up fruit etc. There is always a dessert like cupcake or ring ding. When it gets cold she has a thermos with either mac and cheese, ravioli, soup or pasta of any kind. If she likes beans, pasta fragioli is very healthy and filling. By best, Grandma Mary
Salads, Wraps, Cold Pizza, change up the sandwiches by changing the cheese, and or topping from mayo, to mustard to dressing, to ketchup. and change the bread from white to wheat to pita.
My kids like having bagels. My daughter used to like having cold chicken nuggets. I throw grapes in. Carrot stix with ranch dressing. I make sandwiches on wraps on some days for variety. They like pretzel stix and my son sometimes just likes having crackers with cracker barrel cheese cuts or cheese stix and some fruit.
Good luck!
My kids took all kinds of things for lunches. They loved leftovers. Grilled chicken, potato or macaroni salads, they liked pita pockets with tuna fish, cheese and crackers, olives, pickles. They loved wraps. I bought the flavored flour tortillas, spread some sour cream and put leftover herb rice and rolled it up. They liked them even cold. Go figure.
You can get those little Glad containers and put peanut butter or ranch dressing for dipping apples, celery and other veggies.
My kids sometimes got hot lunch once or twice a week, depending on what was on the menu. They both had their favorites and thought it was a treat to get a "hot" lunch.
My kids' schools never minded a parent visiting for lunch so you can ask about that if you want to see for yourself how the line and seating, etc work.
I'm sure you'll get some great ideas.
Best wishes!
