Major Frustration: I need new ideas for my kid's school lunches... please help!

[michvin]

GRLPWRD...its awesome to see another mom who is a health nut and lnot ooked upon as too strict. Mose of the processed foods have never passed through my kids mouths...and its much better for them too as they don't get the highs and lows associated with processed white starch, sugar and salt laden products that are quick but soooo unhealthy. Some of those premade lunches in the grocery store pack over 1200mg of salt ! Plus, my motto is if you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't be eating it...way to go on the healthy road!

 

[Zoemakes5]

My boys went to a pre-school that was "attached" to a private school that didn't do lunches.
A number of the posts have already covered many things, but here's my 2 cents:
We did cut up hot dogs with ketchup packets that I kept from McD or whatever, they were fine with them hot or cold if they weren't in the bun.
I invested in a high-tech thermous that we got a Target (a number of years ago.) You fill it with water and microwave it for a certain number of minutes, then dump out the water and put food in it. It has a special core that keeps things warm to hot. (The thicker the food, the hotter it keeps it, for some reason.) That expanded our horizons a lot. Did spaghetti, soups, taco meat in the thermous and then the fixings on the side. You get the idea.
The kids really like the KFC chicken drumsticks, and will eat them cold, but not other chicken.
Waffles/pancakes & sausage/bacon
Nachos (yes, it's one of the few lunchables they can have, but they love it.)
cut up meats w/bbq sauce
My older one loves scrambled eggs, seems to keep well in the thermous.
Oh, and the good ol' beanie weanies are a hit with one of my kids, not the other.

 

[the kabuki]

Thanks to everyone for posting their ideas. I've already printed out the ones I'm pretty sure they'll try. Ugh, only 13 more days till school starts...I'm not ready!!!!

 

[KKB]

Kept my dad't coffee hot all day.
Kept my mac & cheese, soup or hot dog hot until lunch when I was a kid!
Nice thing is that it is hot, but not HOT in a child's eye.
If you want to check, try it at home one day for yourself!
Most of those foods that you would put in there do not have huge temperature issues. Remember, food guidelines say 2 hours out on the counter at room temp, and should be put back in the fridge--even foods where temp is an issue. So in a thermos for several hours...pastas, soups & hot dogs aren't usually an issue.
Great ideas...DD will eat anything, usually chooses school lunch anyway...DS so picky, add braces & options are few! Lunches just went up to $1.90...that's nearly $80 a month if they both eat everyday (they don't), but Lunchables are nearly as much...so I am looking for a cheaper way!
THANKS!
Kris

 

[cascadecupcake]

Did someone mention muffins? They freeze great!

My daughter (11) is crazy about those quick bread mixes--especially the pumpkin bread. I bought a 4-pack of small bread tins at Walmart in the shape of hearts. (about 4X4") On the weekend we'll make a batch of the bread up in those little containers and pop them in the freezer. I call them love cakes. (awwwww! ) Then in the morning she'll pack her own lunch, which usually consists of a love cake, and 4-5 of the prepackaged things I keep stocked (peanuts, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, chips, sweets, fruits, etc.)

If you have the apple container from tupperware, that works great for apples and peanut butter. Use your slicer for the apple, throw a big glob of peanut butter in the bottom of the container and pop the apple (sliced and minus the core) in on top.

She also loves cereal for lunch. You can buy the milk at school, and get the cereal that comes packaged in the little bowls. I usually can't find them around here, but minimus.biz has tons of flavors so I just order a whole bunch of them every couple months.

 

[mum4jenn]

Most of those foods that you would put in there do not have huge temperature issues. Remember, food guidelines say 2 hours out on the counter at room temp, and should be put back in the fridge--even foods where temp is an issue. So in a thermos for several hours...pastas, soups & hot dogs aren't usually an issue.

Kris

Sorry but that info is not accurate. The food guidelines state that foods that are in the temperature zones of between 41o and 140o for more than 4 hours are dangerous. And that does not mean it starts getting dangerous at the 4 hour mark. The longer the food is either too hot or too cold the bacteria multiplies by the thousands and hundreds of thousands.If something is supposed to be hot then it needs to remain over 140o. If it is supposed to be cold it needs to be under 40o. Someone might get by for years eating lukewarm food but there is always the chance you can get sick. I am not trying to pick but as a lunchroom manager this is always a BIG concern of mine. I do not send any hot food with my dd and cold food gets 2 or 3 of the freezer "blue ice" things. Next year she will be at my school so if she wants something hot I will be able to help her heat it in the microwave.

 

[KCMiller]

Also, does anyone have any tricks on how to keep apple slices from turning brown without using lemon juice? My DS who is the pickiest eater on the face of the earth does not like the taste of the lemon juice - ugh!

A friend just told me this one - Sprite! I did a whole chocolate fondue thing for a bridal shower recently, and dipped the apple and banana slices in a bowl filled with Sprite - and they didn't brown at all.

Amazing . . . and a little scarey !


KC

 

[clh2]

A friend just told me this one - Sprite! I did a whole chocolate fondue thing for a bridal shower recently, and dipped the apple and banana slices in a bowl filled with Sprite - and they didn't brown at all.

Amazing . . . and a little scarey !


KC

That is such a cool tip! Thanks!

 

[Disneyrsh]

I'm going to go check out minimus.biz, that sounds so cool! We're major cheerio eaters!

 

[kandeebunny]

I used to do this pre food allergies:

Bagel (if plain scoop out the middle and just eat the shell) with either cream cheese, pb, pb&j

I often brought hummus to school

salads...topped with meats or chicken salad

cornbread/cornmuffins/muffins in general

Strings

Please keep the ideas coming. My DD is dairy allergic, and I found out the school is completely peanut free. I need all the help I can get.

Lactaid cottage cheese ROCKS with fruit or to top a salad!!! Oh and if she likes PB you may want to go to www.shopbydiet.com and look for soy butter its AWESOME dairy free and nut free =)

 

[MayButterfly]

i like this thread for myself!!! thanks for all the ideas and keep them coming!

 

[skyfaith]

I pack Mac and Cheese in a thermos. My dd loves it.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I posted these ideas on another forum, but now that I've found this thread I thought I'd cut and paste it here.

"Chili dog (chili and hot dog in a thermos - you can cut the dog to make it fit)

Frito chili pie (chili and cheese in thermos, small bag of fritos)

Fruit and cheese kabobs

Roll-ups (meat and cheese rolled up in flour tortillas)

Peanut butter and crackers

Cheese and crackers

Fruit with cream cheese/marshmallow creme dip

Pizza Sticks (bread sticks split lengthwise to resemble a hot dog bun, filled with pepperoni and string cheese and a bit of tomoto sauce and microwaved lightly)

Pigs in a blanket (canned biscuits flattened and wrapped around little smokies and baked)

Leftover pizza

Spaghetti or ravioli in a thermos with a slice of French bread

Leftover casserole in a thermos

Tuna salad in a thermos, served with crackers

I have a really good fruit salad that kids like. Let me know if you want me to post the recipe."

 

[chesirechik]

Merry Poppins I'd love to see your fruit salad recipe.

You guys I am getting ideas for my own lunches that I bring to work!

 

[briarberry]

My daughter is very picky too but someone gave me this tip last year. I microwave a pizza pop (I'm Canadian, it's a panzerottti type pizza which you buy frozen, don't know what it is called in the U.S.) and I wrap it in foil wrap and put it in her thermos. She says it's still hot when lunch time rolls around.
I hate making her lunches so this thread is great!!!!

 

[MerryPoppins]

Tropical Fruit Salad

2 apples, cut in chunks with peel
2 bananas
maybe 2 cups of halved grapes
1 lg can mandarin orange sections, drained
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 can pineapple chunks, drain but reserve juice
1/2 pkg of crystal lite type orange drink mix (I use the Walmart brand or several spoonfuls of Tang)

Mix pudding and drink mix. Add pineapple juice. Mix well. Stir in oranges, pineapple, grapes and apple chunks. Stir so the apples are coated. Before serving add sliced bananas. The orange drink and the pineapple make a great dressing. It's really good! I've wondered about adding coconut. Might be an interesting change. And it's super easy to make a larger bowl. Just double or triple. The pineapple juice seems to keep the apples from getting dark. This would keep well in a thermos and kids really like it.

 

[CheapMom]

Hey KCMiller- Thanks for the Sprite on apple slices trick. That is the best tip I have learned in ages!

 

[chesirechik]

Thanks MerryPoppins - that sounds yummy!

 

[MerryPoppins]

No problem. Hope you like it. I fixed it for a church potluck and had complete strangers searching me out to find out what the recipe was. It's really different and my kids love it!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

My favorite lunches as a kid were after my parents had a party- I'd have leftover spinach dip with crackers and crudites! Yum! Ooh! Another favorite was when mom would take a green apple, halve and core it and fill it with peanut butter and close it back up again. I still eat those! She also used to do sandwiches w/ one slice of white, one whole wheat, cut out a heart or a star in the middle and flip it over so that one side would be brown w a white heart and the other would be white with a brown heart. I loved that!

I also liked soup, chili, leftover stew or pasta or stir fry etc. in a thermos.

Cold grilled steak or chicken with steak sauce or bbq sauce to dip.

Yogurt with granola and fruit chunks on a drinking straw "kabob" (that won't poke someone) to dip in it would be good.

Peanut butter on a rice cake with banana slices is great.

This is a snack for me sometimes: Take a breadstick or pretzel rod, wrap with turkey or ham, cheese if you like, then a leaf of lettuce. You could add mustard or mayo, but I eat just the ham and lettuce on an onion-poppyseed breadstick. It's so good! A few might make a nice lunch.

You could pretty much pack anything your children like, from pizza to quiche to shrimp cocktail! - some might just take some finagling. Use thermoses, cold packs, etc.

I would also buy some plastic silverware or get a cheap set for kids. Kids lose things and good silver can be hard to replace.

Almost forgot this:
If you find that foods in a thermos cool down too much, simply fill the thermos with boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes or so, then dump out the water and fill with your soup, chili, whatever. It will stay hotter. This isn't a good tip for younger kids who need the "warm not hot" foods.