Lunchbox ideas???

[TXFamily]

My daughters take their lunch to school and are very bored with peanut butter or ham sandwiches. I would love to give them some variety but am not sure what will "stay" until lunchtime. What do you guys pack in your kids' lunches other than sandwiches? They always take fruit and either chips or crackers, but it's the main course that I'm having trouble with.

Thanks!

 

[piratesmate]

When I see "Texas" I think HOT! . . . so I don't know if these things will work for you. We're from outside Philadelphia & in the summer it does get hot here & I use them then.

First, when it's hot I always freeze their juice box to keep things extra cold. DD complains that it doesn't always melt, though, so I started giving her a plastic spoon. Then she can open the box & "eat" it like a slushy.

Second, all year round I do put in one of the frozen blue things, but I guess you already do that. Anyway, their lunches are usually kept cold enough to give them:

egg or tuna salad on pita
hoagie - I think it's the lack of mayo, but for some reason I think of these as "keeping" better in the heat
chicken salad (the kind w/mayo)
grilled chicken on a lettuce salad
DD's favorite (her idea, not mine ) "lettuce, mayo, pickle & cheese"
cold, left-over pizza or stromboli
meatloaf sandwich (usually w/ketchup not mayo)
sliced baked ham on a roll
ham salad
yogurt
2 hard boiled or red-beet (pickled) eggs with a side of pasta salad
Pepperoni pasta salad (has mozzarella, pepperoni & veggies)

I have to admit, I'm always glad when they want to buy. Coming up with different stuff for lunches gets to be a drag.

Deb

 

[Baboo]

Both of my kids have a thermos that I put the food in, stick it in the microwave and heat it. By heating it in the container, the food stays warm longer. This is a special thermos made for doing this. They take soup, left over pasta or whatever we had the night before. I've also sent a hot dog heated this way. I send the bun separately with whatever they like on it (ketchup, mustard...) When lunchtime comes, they take the hot dog out of the thermos and put it in the bun and eat, but no soggy bun.
I also sometimes send a bagel or hot cross bun with slices of cheese.

 

[Krissalee]

I was also going to suggest using a thermos. Great for soups, stews, and chili. Just don't forget to pack a spoon!

 

[MerryPoppins]

Mine like wraps made from flour tortillas, tuna sandwiches, melted cheese on tortillas, pigs in a blanket, and what they call pizza sticks. I've heard of putting a hot dog in a thermos of soup (they eat the soup and then put the dog in the bun).

To make the pizza sticks I buy bagged breadsticks and slice them like a hot dog bun. Then I put a little squeeze pizza sauce or ketchup and some pepperoni slices. Finally, I top it with a piece of string cheese. I microwave it until it melts a little and wrap in foil. They say it's yummy. I suppose you could make other flavors, too.

 

[yummy72]

My DD likes to take leftovers in her lunch, taco mac, mac and cheese, rice, whatever. Sometimes instead of a sandwich, she likes to take leftover dinner rolls with slices of turkey or have packed separately. Today it was cold pizza

I like the pizza stick idea MerryPoppins! We'll have to try those.


Candi

 

[DVCindy]

Baboo -

What is the name of the thermos you can put in the micro ... and do you know where they are sold ? My daughter loves taking her thermos, but we have the traditional kind that I have to fill with hot water to preheat so the food will stay warmer longer. This kind sounds clever - it would save me a step in the morning !

Thanks

TXFamily -

A current favorte in our house is anything rolled up in a tortilla - it seems that my kids will eat a larger variety of sandwiches when fixed on tortillas or pita bread than sandwich bread. Another thing they like to bring is vanilla or cinnamon yogurt with fruit (cut up to dip in the yogurt or to eat on the side) - we also do this with peanut butter in a little Tupperware container (to dip fruit in or spread on things).

A little tip I just learned about sliced apples: my 6 year old is losing her front teeth and was having trouble biting into apples ... a friend just told me to dip them into Sprite so they don't turn brown in the lunch box! Works Great !!! Cindy

 

[inky dinky doo]

Gosh! You all have some terrific ideas! Forget the kids! I'm going to use some of these ideas for myself. I would also LOVE info on the microwaveable thermos. Sounds like a pretty slick idea!

Inky

 

[MerryPoppins]

I never heard of dipping apples in Sprite. That is a cool tip! I knew lemon juice worked, but it also makes it sour. My daughter is getting ready to get braces soon, so that will come in handy. Thanks.