School lunch ideas for real kids

[Klayfish]

Speaking of, wow have school lunches changed over the years.

<----grumpy old man voice.... "In my day" school lunch was frozen pizza and canned green beans. I remember the snack they would offer would be left over taco shells and they were $.05 each. Drink choice was regular milk or chocolate milk. Now they have Chick-Fil-A, not to mention all kinds of vending machines.

 

[etoiles]

I just have a kindergartener so I'm relatively new to this but he likes snacky type lunches.

He loves fruit so he usually gets two types of fruit; kiwi, orange, melon, berries, etc...
One type of vegetable. Sometimes he eats it. Carrots, cucumber slices or pepper slices
A carb; bread with butter, goldfish, pretzels or tortilla chips
A fat/protein; cheese cubes, cashew nuts, peanuts

He's definitely pickier at home than at school so it's hard and he doesn't get much time to eat.

 

[scrapquitler]

Kids tastes and preferences change often.
What they liked yesterday doesn’t mean they’ll like it tomorrow.

What are some lunches that you pack for your kids? So much of the ideas on the inter-web-googles is so unrealistic for most kids. Sliced bell peppers, hummus and a boiled egg might work for some kids, but that’s a very small group. My middle kid loves veggies and hummus. The other two wouldn’t touch it with a 39-1/2 foot pole.

Don’t be embarrassed if your lunch is fancy or if it’s a lunchable. I’m looking for ideas, and I bet other parents could use them too, as we approach the final months of the school year.

Thanks!

My kids don't do sandwiches. One of them will occasionally eat a PBJ.
DD usually took a bagel and cream cheese for lunch at school. Sometimes she took a plastic bowl, a spoon and some cereal and would buy a milk. If we had leftover pizza, she'd take that and eat it cold.

 

[wgeo]

Am I the only one that lets their kids have potato chips every day? lol. The kids get some sort of sandwich, one usually prefers pbj, the other meat/cheese and they grab a bag of chips, a bag of snack - like pretzels, goldfish, some kind of carby snack - fruit - which for reasons I don't understand they are on a steady applesauce kick for months now, I keep offering to switch it to something better but they say no. And a tiny treat, that's how they eat their halloween/christmas/easter candy they get it one piece at a time in their school lunch.

It's by far the least healthy meal of the day for them, but I figure school is hard and they may actually eat most of it so I just focus on healthy stuff at home.

 

[Klayfish]

Am I the only one that lets their kids have potato chips every day? lol. chips, a bag of snack - like pretzels, goldfish, some kind of carby snack

Nope, you're not alone. Our kids like the giant basket of snacks we prepare for the week. They get to grab two each day, one for lunch and one for a snack. They're portion size, so it's not overkill. Besides, they're kids. We definitely teach them healthy eating habits, and that can include snacks.

 

[wilbret]

My kids don't do sandwiches. One of them will occasionally eat a PBJ.
DD usually took a bagel and cream cheese for lunch at school. Sometimes she took a plastic bowl, a spoon and some cereal and would buy a milk. If we had leftover pizza, she'd take that and eat it cold.

My kids currently won't do sandwiches, either. This month.

 

[wilbret]

I’m surprised at all the mentions of PB&J. Around here, kids are not permitted to bring foods with any sort of nuts in them. Is that not a common thing? (we live near Toronto)

I'm glad we don't attend one of those schools. Peanut butter is such a great food. I'm in the camp that lack of exposure is doing more harm than good. The less kids are exposed to them, the more intolerant they become. I live in Georgia, peanuts are a part of life here. I can't think of anyone I ever knew with a peanut allergy. We now live in metro ATL area, and the only kids I know with allergies are transplants to the area.

 

[Runnergal]

Three of my kids get hot lunch (we pay for the entire year). My oldest (13) is incredibly picky and insists I make his lunch. No nuts allowed, so I either do turkey on a roll or rolled in a tortilla. Some type of fruit -grapes or an orange. Can’t do an apple since he got braces, and he would never eat apple slices that I cut several hours earlier. Something salty like goldfish, pirate booty or cheez it’s. Then something sweet like granola bar or teddy grahams. He won’t eat cheese sticks or yogurt. It’s so boring but he’s happy. The only variation I might do if I don’t have cold cuts is make a cheese quesadilla and send a single serving guacamole with chips. I have friends that work at the school and they actually eat the school lunch and say it’s really good. Oh well.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

My 4th grader takes his lunch every day. Most of the time it’s a sandwich, a small bag of chips and a Little Debbie Snack cake.

The days he doesn’t take that, it is pepperoni slices, string cheese, a yogurt and a few saltine crackers.

He takes a juice box or Capri-sun every day.

 

[bigbabyblues]

LOL. Real Parents tell Real Kids......"eat what I put in your lunch bag".

The first time my son said, "You packed XYZ in my lunch and I wanted ABC", I told him he could pack his own lunch if he didn't like what I packed. And he has, from that day on, as has his younger brother. Of course, we cut up and bag fruit/veggies for them when they were younger, and they knew what they were supposed to take and what wasn't really lunch (can't take 12 cookies and a brownie).

We keep sandwich stuff in the fridges for lunches, we always have a big bowl of salad in the fridge they can take some of, but they mostly take leftovers.

 

[wowsmom]

My kids packed their own lunches from about 4th grade on.

My mom packed my lunch (and all my siblings' lunches) all the way through high school. I liked that so much, I did the same for both of my kids.

As far as what my kids used to get in their lunches:

Sandwich (pbj, pb/banana, fluffernutter, meat/cheese) or homemade lunchables
Chips
Fruit
Dessert of some kind (cookies, cake, cupcake, candy, etc)
Drink (usually lemonade or juice)

Senior year, my younger son would sometimes take leftovers for lunch, as there was a microwave he could use in the music room.

 

[EveDallas]

I'm glad we don't attend one of those schools. Peanut butter is such a great food. I'm in the camp that lack of exposure is doing more harm than good. The less kids are exposed to them, the more intolerant they become. I live in Georgia, peanuts are a part of life here. I can't think of anyone I ever knew with a peanut allergy. We now live in metro ATL area, and the only kids I know with allergies are transplants to the area.

Totally agree. Some pediatricians are actually now recommending giving babies small amounts of peanut butter to prevent allergies.

 

[wenrob]

Am I the only one that lets their kids have potato chips every day? lol. The kids get some sort of sandwich, one usually prefers pbj, the other meat/cheese and they grab a bag of chips, a bag of snack - like pretzels, goldfish, some kind of carby snack - fruit - which for reasons I don't understand they are on a steady applesauce kick for months now, I keep offering to switch it to something better but they say no. And a tiny treat, that's how they eat their halloween/christmas/easter candy they get it one piece at a time in their school lunch.

It's by far the least healthy meal of the day for them, but I figure school is hard and they may actually eat most of it so I just focus on healthy stuff at home.

My kids get to choose one “snacky” thing for lunch. Sometimes it’s chips, sometimes cookies. Like klayfish, they can also have one when they come home. They pack their lunches like they’d have a meal at home: carb, protein, fat, fruit or veggies.

Three of my kids get hot lunch (we pay for the entire year). My oldest (13) is incredibly picky and insists I make his lunch. No nuts allowed, so I either do turkey on a roll or rolled in a tortilla. Some type of fruit -grapes or an orange. Can’t do an apple since he got braces, and he would never eat apple slices that I cut several hours earlier. Something salty like goldfish, pirate booty or cheez it’s. Then something sweet like granola bar or teddy grahams. He won’t eat cheese sticks or yogurt. It’s so boring but he’s happy. The only variation I might do if I don’t have cold cuts is make a cheese quesadilla and send a single serving guacamole with chips. I have friends that work at the school and they actually eat the school lunch and say it’s really good. Oh well.

My DS didn’t like cut apples because they’d turn brown and the pre sliced ones from the grocery store have a chemical taste. I discovered the pre sliced organic apples at Trader Joe’s. They don’t turn brown and no chemical taste. Not sure what kind of wizardry they use but I can’t buy them fast enough because they love them so much.

 

[amberpi]

Am I the only one that lets their kids have potato chips every day? lol.

The kids think chips are too "pointy" or I'd give them to them sometimes. There are days that making that late afternoon snack while starting or considering dinner is such a chore. I'd love to throw them some chips! They will eat peanut butter and crackers at least, thank god.

@wenrob - that info on the Trader Joe's pre-sliced apples just made my life a whole lot easier. The kids love apples with caramel sauce for dessert or snack, and not having to cut up apples every day we have them for some portion of at least 1 meal would be amazing. Here's some apples, here's some dip, go at it!

ETA: thanks to the OP for the thread topic. This is giving me lots of great ideas when the girl starts kindergarden in August. I hadn't really thought about making her lunches, but if she doesn't like the school lunch, I certainly will.

 

[DLgal]

My kids get to choose one “snacky” thing for lunch. Sometimes it’s chips, sometimes cookies. Like klayfish, they can also have one when they come home. They pack their lunches like they’d have a meal at home: carb, protein, fat, fruit or veggies.


My DS didn’t like cut apples because they’d turn brown and the pre sliced ones from the grocery store have a chemical taste. I discovered the pre sliced organic apples at Trader Joe’s. They don’t turn brown and no chemical taste. Not sure what kind of wizardry they use but I can’t buy them fast enough because they love them so much.

They use powdered vitamin C(ascorbic acid) and citric acid. You can buy it in the supermarket near the baking supplies. It it used in canning a lot. The one I have is Ball brand "Fruit Fresh." You just sprinkle some directly onto fruit or into some water, dip the cut up apples in it, and voila. No brown apples.

There is also a variety of apple that TJs sells in bags (whole) that do not turn brown when you cut them. Opal apples. I've tried them and they definitely don't turn brown and mushy after cutting.

 

[Colleen27]

The only kid I still make lunches for (DD10) doesn't eat sandwiches, so lunches are creative. Sometimes I'm motivated and make homemade lunchables. Sometimes I'm not and she takes a heat-and-serve soup cup or easy mac or a hot pocket. Sometimes I'm really unprepared and she takes leftovers from the previous night's dinner. She does take some sort of fruit or veggie every day, so at least I can feel like it isn't totally nutritionless even on the worst days.

Older DD (17) is obsessed with Japanese-style lunches, so she packs her own bento or soba noodles or other things like that, and sometimes she'll make bunny-shaped onigiri (rice ball w/seaweed) for younger DD as well.

 

[tvguy]

fluffernutter.

Thank you DIS for educating me on fluffernutter is! That would be kind of sweet. I remember 3 girls that lived two doors down. They used to bring sugar sandwiches. A little butter and sugar. Their parents had filed bankruptcy, had very little money, and no free school lunches (1962-1970ish) and sugar was cheap. The school nurse was going to counsel their mother on nutrition, until she learned she was a nurse too!

 

[wowsmom]

My DS didn’t like cut apples because they’d turn brown and the pre sliced ones from the grocery store have a chemical taste. I discovered the pre sliced organic apples at Trader Joe’s. They don’t turn brown and no chemical taste. Not sure what kind of wizardry they use but I can’t buy them fast enough because they love them so much.

I used to dip the sliced apples in lemon lime soda (sprite before we stopped eating high fructose corn syrup, whole foods brand after). No funny taste and no brown apples.

 

[leebee]

Thank you DIS for educating me on fluffernutter is! That would be kind of sweet. I remember 3 girls that lived two doors down. They used to bring sugar sandwiches. A little butter and sugar. Their parents had filed bankruptcy, had very little money, and no free school lunches (1962-1970ish) and sugar was cheap. The school nurse was going to counsel their mother on nutrition, until she learned she was a nurse too!

Fluffernutters are HUGE here in New England. Peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff. It's delicious!!! Oh heck, now I have the Marshmallow Fluff jingle from the 1960s running through my head!

We used to eat butter and sugar sandwiches at camp in the mid-60s. Such a treat, right? I guess until your family didn't have much, then it stretched the budget. I also knew kids who brought sandwich spread- that's mayo and dill pickle relish (or probably chopped dill pickles), kind-of like tartar sauce. When there's no money, ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

 

[amberpi]

When there's no money, ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

We used to beg as kids for butter sandwiches (seriously, spreadable butter, a ton of it too, between 2 pieces of Bunny bread). My mom was not feeding us that and she didn't even buy those products...but my Nana did and we ate them all the time at her house. She was not then and not now poor, but she knew that butter sandwiches was one thing all the grandkids would eat and we loved them. Now I want a totally nutritious butter sandwich. I might have to put Bunny bread in my Instacart now.