HELP! Need school lunch ideas

[coach's wife]

OK! I need some ideas. My son starts school soon and I need some ideas on what to pack for lunch. Are there foods that are easier then others to pack? Are there foods I shouldn't even consider due to mess?
My son has a sensory issue with vegetables..(He gets physically ill even with the smell of them...it's a long story) so vegies are out. He loves fruit so we are safe there.
He likes PB sandwiches but it's a PB free school. SOOOOOOO......what ideas do all you have. Any ideas you can give would be great.

Thanks for the help

 

[julsmom]

My DD is very particular about her lunch. She takes a bologna sandwich (crusts cut off), sunchips, a juice box, and a snack (which varies: brownie, rice krispie treat, pudding with spoon, a piece of chocolate,etc.). I also include a small note everyday. I use different disney clipart and include a little sentence or whatever. She loves it. And I throw in a napkin because I never really trust that she will get one from the school if she needed one.

Make it fun. Thats all it really is. Fun.

 

[hidmickey:myantidrug]

Wow, the anti PB school makes it tough. I would cry if I couldn't have my PB everyday! I'm currently a sophomore in hs and I've had basically the same thing every day (and eat it in the same order ). Rolled up bologna (the only 'main' thing w/o PB), cold pizza or some other food like that which he is allowed to eat that doesn't need to be heated), rye bread and butter, carrots have always been in mine but there's anti vegie so perhaps one of the single serve applesauce (don't forget a spoon!), fruit (apple is great; banana, pear, and softer fruits may get squished, maybe not. They do make great tupperware containers for fruits that work great for lunch and nothing is subject to the wrath of the full backpack! I've always had a snack similar to what the PP has already said, rice krispy treat, brownie, cookies, jello, pudding packs, etc. I'm sure after experimentation you and your son will realize exactly what he likes! I wish him (and you!) the best of luck with school!

 

[ToyStory#1fan'sMom]

I have a Pampered Chef "pocket-sandwich-maker-thing". Apparently everything taste better in a pocket! We do sunflower butter (instead of peanut butter) and jelly, pizza pocket (pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, cheese), ham/mustard/pickle, shredded chicken, cheese, salsa. You get the idea...

Other choices,
*Chicken noodle soup w/cheese crackers
*Spaghetti O's, ravioli, etc.
*Pizza rolls (I know, real healthy)
*Tomato soup and grilled cheese
*Veggie dip (various cut up veggies and a couple of dips, could do subbing fruit
*Fruit cut with the tiny metal cookie cutters from Pampered Chef
*Bagel and cream cheese sandwich
*Leftover from dinner (chicken casserole, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs)

These all work for us. But honestly, ds fav is the sunflower nut butter and jelly...
Kate

 

[coach's wife]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll take more if anyone has them.

 

[coach's wife]

I have a Pampered Chef "pocket-sandwich-maker-thing". Apparently everything taste better in a pocket! We do sunflower butter (instead of peanut butter) and jelly, pizza pocket (pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, cheese), ham/mustard/pickle, shredded chicken, cheese, salsa. You get the idea...

Other choices,
*Chicken noodle soup w/cheese crackers
*Spaghetti O's, ravioli, etc.
*Pizza rolls (I know, real healthy)
*Tomato soup and grilled cheese
*Veggie dip (various cut up veggies and a couple of dips, could do subbing fruit
*Fruit cut with the tiny metal cookie cutters from Pampered Chef
*Bagel and cream cheese sandwich
*Leftover from dinner (chicken casserole, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs)

These all work for us. But honestly, ds fav is the sunflower nut butter and jelly...
Kate

Never heard of sunflower butter. Where do you get it? What does it taste like?

 

[Stephres]

I know you said he doesn't like veggies, but mine loves carrot sticks slathered in spicy ranch dressing (include a fork). My grocery stores sells apple slices that don't brown and he likes those as well. He also likes the yogurt tubes, which I freeze so they are very cold but thawed by lunch time. I also do ham and cheese roll ups, secured by a tooth pick. Good luck!

 

[robinb]

When my DD is not eating PB&Js, she also eats:

* Spaghettios in a wide mouth thermos
* Butter noodles in a thermos
* Cream cheese and jelly on rice cakes, bagels or tortilla roll-ups.

I will also send fruit (cut up apples, grapes, applesauce, etc), frozen go-gurts (which melt by the time she eats them) with her as well as junk food like fruit roll ups, fruit snacks, brownies, etc.

 

[amarberry]

You can get sunflower butter at Trader Joe's, pretty much any health food store, and some larger grocery stores. Another PB alternative is soynut butter, which I seem to like better than the sunflower butter.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

OK this sounds gross to anyone over the age of 12, but my son's favorite lunch is cold tofu chicken nuggets with ketchup (I pack the ketchup separately so he can dip it in), a butter sandwich and 2 different kinds of fruit -- either prepared like those little containers of canned mandarin oranges, or applesauce or whatever's in season, and orange juice juice box.

Other things I include a lot -- drinkable yogurts, bagel and cream cheese, cheese and crackers, pepperoni sandwich, or turkey and cheese sandwich.

He also likes treats like mini rice cakes, crackers, popcorn etc . . .

 

[minkydog]

My DD13 has never liked PBJ so packing her lunch was a challenge, until I learned to think outside the box--I asked her what she wanted. She doens't like raw veggies either, except salad with Feta cheese on it(yeah, show up with that in 6th grade and watch your popularity plummet!) She will take a cheese sandwich or a small dish of tuna salad. And she likes to make a couple "hammie rollups"--a 1oz stick of cheese wrapped in a square piece of ham. She takes pretzels, wheat thins or stoned wheat crackers, and a baggie of grapes, cut up pineapple, a peeled apple, pear, or blueberries, and she's set. Sometimes for a treat I'll put in a container of blue jello(her favorite) or a granola bar. I know it sounds like I'm a health food nazi, but really, i'm not. This is entirely HER menu. My idea was chips and bologna but she said no.

Here are some other ideas:
*cream cheese & sliced olives on dark bread or crackers
*Dry cereal(buy milk at school)
*granola bars & yogurt
*assorted cheese & cut up meat with crackers
*Leftover pizza or chicken legs
*corn dog, heated before school and wrapped in foil
*corn bread & butter(with milk )
*instant oatmeal(get some hot water from the lunch lady)
*soup in a thermos
*leftover spagetti or stroganoff in a thermos
*CHinese food in a thermos!

No Peanut Butter! Good Nutrition!

 

[Honeymooner04]

Probably dumb, new mom question....why would a school be no PB?

 

[lovesmurfs]

Probably dumb, new mom question....why would a school be no PB?

There's probably a number of children with peanut allergies.

For my kids, everything tastes better rolled up in a soft taco or burrito flour.

 

[Nanu57v]

Yes, its due to allergies. Some kids get a reaction just at the smell of peanut butter...


Are all nut butters banned or just peanut butter? I gave DD almond butter and jelly sandwiches. Tastes the same, just costs 2x as much. Got it at the local grocery store.

I also give her string cheese, fruit cups, little pizzas from bread, sauce, cheese and vegs in the sandwich maker, rolled up no preservative lunchmeat, cold spaghetti (with italian dressing), and cheese sandwiches.

 

[coach's wife]

Yes, its due to allergies. Some kids get a reaction just at the smell of peanut butter...


Are all nut butters banned or just peanut butter? I gave DD almond butter and jelly sandwiches. Tastes the same, just costs 2x as much. Got it at the local grocery store.

I also give her string cheese, fruit cups, little pizzas from bread, sauce, cheese and vegs in the sandwich maker, rolled up no preservative lunchmeat, cold spaghetti (with italian dressing), and cheese sandwiches.

Ya know I don't know.... The school just said they were a PB free school. I'm thinking it's ok to try the others.

I must lead a sheltered life. I've never heard of any of those butters...Soynut, sunflower or almond. How boring am I?! I guess I'm off to Trader Joe's tomorrow to buy all of the above and hope he likes one of them.


Thanks and keep the ideas flowing!

 

[ribbot]

Wow, I didn't know there were schools that are pb free. I know about the food allergy, but didn't realize it wasn't allowed into a school. Thankfully, my sons school is allowed it, but I did find it funny that there has never been anything sent home stating that you shouldn't bring in anything for parties that contain peanuts, wheat, red juice, etc. How do children that are allergic to these items ever eat cafeteria food, restaurant food or party food---or don't they?

It must be very tough for parents that have children allergic to items--but just to breathe the smell of them makes them ill? I had no idea.

 

[java]

Almond butter would be out... In a similar nut family as the peanut so most won't take the chance- our school was going to go nut free- but then the one child with the allergy moved away... So we are back on with the PB&J's!

 

[Natalya]

Yeah, peanut allergies can be REALLY severe for some children...to the point that they can get deathly ill just from coming in ANY contact with peanuts (not even eating them...just touching a toy that a child who had peanut butter touched could send them to the hospital)

So to be safe, some schools implement a no peanut policy.

At my younger son's preschool orientation his teacher mentioned that we have a child who has severe allergies to many things in the class so we are NOT to bring any food in from home to share. For birthdays we can bring in pencils or small toys for the class if we chose to bring something in but NO FOOD. Better safe than sorry. So, far my son's school allows you to bring your own child a PB&J sandwich but I'd be willing to bet that if a child at the school had a severe allergy to peanuts that they would implement a no PB rule as well.


Unfortunately, my older son has been a PB&J lover for his entire life and when making his lunch, that is always what he requests so I can't help you there. But my younger son loves cheese sandwiches.

 

[coach's wife]

Going to get rest of stuff for school this weekend. Last minute ideas are helpful!

 

[emma'smom]

Oh...this was our shopping trip last week-end. Here's what we came up with for my dd's lunches (school highly encourages <read requires> healthy lunches that represent all four food groups):

hummus/pita
carrots/dip
cheese sandwiches
cheese rounds (the Bonnebell kind)
cheese cubes
mandarin orange cups
pineapple cups
blueberries
cottage cheese (snack size)
yogurt (snack size)
wee brie cheese triangles/crackers
whole wheat pretzels
fruit leather
trail mix
apples
grapes (cut up in a small rubbermaid container)
strawberries (cut up in a small rubbermaid container)
leftovers in a thermos (like soup, chicken and rice, etc)

This summer when the kids went to a non-school sponsored camp, the parents all went a little wild and started adding a few cookies or snack size puddings here and there! Crazy I tell you! =) One day I even threw in a Kool-Aid (whoohoo!)

They sell little flowered ice packs at Target. We bought two and just trade them off, one each day. The school provides milk or water.