School Lunch Ideas

[Dancemomof3]

Out of the blue today my kids informed me that they hate the new school lunches and they don't get enough food in them so they leave lunch hungry. My two youngest are in 3rd grade and go almost 6 hours between breakfast and lunch so that may be part of it. After posting this on Facebook I'm learning that this is a complaint amongst many of their classmates. I've decided to start packing their lunches every day but don't want them to get bored so am looking for ideas.

I only have one picky eater and she is actually ok with a pb sandwich, an apple, some sort of dessert and a bottle of water every single day. An example of what they like, my oldest is taking 2 hardboiled eggs, celery and pb, baby carrots and ranch dressing, Saltine crackers, grapes and a brownie. She will buy milk at school. I have a hard time filling this one up as she really, really likes fruits and vegetables so I'm hoping that she has enough to eat here. We'll see after tomorrow. My son is taking chicken nuggets, kept warm in a thermos, I read this online somewhere and hope it works, celery and carrots with ranch dressing, a brownie and applesauce.

This came out of the blue as I said so I wasn't prepared with a lot of packable foods but I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and can stock up. I don't really want to do a lot of pre packaged stuff but pretty much anything else goes. TIA for any help.

 

[tarheel618]

In cooler months, I will do soup in thermos. You could do your own lunchables. Cut up meat, cheese and crackers. You could do some wrap sandwiches and cut them into pieces. Maybe a salad of some sort that has protein in it.

My oldest prefers p&j sandwich everyday (she says this is filling and last the longest for her). I vary the fruits and vegetables and I always include something crunchy. Like chips, crackers, etc.

 

[JessicaW1234]

Hi,
A few things I pack for my son include Chobani yogurts (12+ grams of protein in each one!), string cheese, granola bars (Kashi makes ones with lots of protein), Goldfish, pretzel sticks, apple slices, and grapes.
They also like the sandwich thins (Pepperidge farms and Arnolds make them) rather than rolls/bread for sandwiches.
I'll be interested in answers you get; I'm also always looking for ideas.

 

[poohfriend77]

Out of the blue today my kids informed me that they hate the new school lunches and they don't get enough food in them so they leave lunch hungry. My two youngest are in 3rd grade and go almost 6 hours between breakfast and lunch so that may be part of it. After posting this on Facebook I'm learning that this is a complaint amongst many of their classmates. I've decided to start packing their lunches every day but don't want them to get bored so am looking for ideas.

I only have one picky eater and she is actually ok with a pb sandwich, an apple, some sort of dessert and a bottle of water every single day. An example of what they like, my oldest is taking 2 hardboiled eggs, celery and pb, baby carrots and ranch dressing, Saltine crackers, grapes and a brownie. She will buy milk at school. I have a hard time filling this one up as she really, really likes fruits and vegetables so I'm hoping that she has enough to eat here. We'll see after tomorrow. My son is taking chicken nuggets, kept warm in a thermos, I read this online somewhere and hope it works, celery and carrots with ranch dressing, a brownie and applesauce.

This came out of the blue as I said so I wasn't prepared with a lot of packable foods but I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and can stock up. I don't really want to do a lot of pre packaged stuff but pretty much anything else goes. TIA for any help.

My kids go to a private school with no daily hot lunch, so their lunch boxes get a workout. I always overpack, because I don't want them to be hungry. Oldest DD get PBJ, goldfish, fruit (melon or apple), and a small "treat." Younger DD doesn't really like sandwiches, so she'll get a bagel, usually two different types of fruit, cucumbers or carrots, and goldfish or other crackers, plus a treat. Whatever is leftover after lunch usually gets eaten in the car on the way home after school.

Lunch gets packed at 7 a.m., and eaten at 12:15. They complain cheese, yogurt, etc. aren't cold enough by lunch time, even with an ice pack, so I stopped sending that stuff.

OP-- maybe you've already seen this, but if you put boiling water in the thermos for 10 minutes, then empty and dry it before putting in your hot food, it stays warm until lunch. I've done this with DD2 for soup and pasta before.

 

[NYCDiane]

My kids go to a private school with no daily hot lunch, so their lunch boxes get a workout. I always overpack, because I don't want them to be hungry. Oldest DD get PBJ, goldfish, fruit (melon or apple), and a small "treat." Younger DD doesn't really like sandwiches, so she'll get a bagel, usually two different types of fruit, cucumbers or carrots, and goldfish or other crackers, plus a treat. Whatever is leftover after lunch usually gets eaten in the car on the way home after school.

Lunch gets packed at 7 a.m., and eaten at 12:15. They complain cheese, yogurt, etc. aren't cold enough by lunch time, even with an ice pack, so I stopped sending that stuff.

OP-- maybe you've already seen this, but if you put boiling water in the thermos for 10 minutes, then empty and dry it before putting in your hot food, it stays warm until lunch. I've done this with DD2 for soup and pasta before.

You have to use more than one ice pack. I have ones called "Frees Pac: The Alaskan". I'll put one in the bottom of my DDs lunch bag and one on top. They will still be ICE COLD when she gets home (leaves at 653am and gets home at 225pm)

The Thermos thing is not true. Your items will be room temp, not warm. I've tried the boiling water thing and it has never worked --- and it was with a "Thermos" brand thermal container. I've tossed all my thermal containers and just don't send food that needs to be warm.

 

[Alexle2007]

Can you ask the school about letting the kids have a snack before lunch? My DS6's school just sent out an authorization form for us to pack a mid morning snack since their day starts so early and their lunch is late.

My DS isn't a sandwich eater so he gets pasta or cereal in his lunch along with the other items- fruit, carrots, pretzels, fruit snacks and a dessert. Plus he usually buys an ice cream at lunch.

 

[kkandaj]

Just wanted to add--if you freeze string cheese and squeeze type yogurts and put them straight in their lunch boxes, they will be thawed out but still cold at lunch time. Acts like a freezer pack for the other stuff.

 

[lauradis]

We pack lunch at night right after dinner. dd 5th grade picks her own items, sandwich pj or nuttella (sp?) one veg one fruit, carb, junk food, drink which mostly is water. The only rule is she has to want to eat it.

Some times she takes left overs from dinner, or can of spagettos.

The thermos trick works really well, and its great for keeping coffee hot at football games too.

 

[lauradis]

You have to use more than one ice pack. I have ones called "Frees Pac: The Alaskan". I'll put one in the bottom of my DDs lunch bag and one on top. They will still be ICE COLD when she gets home (leaves at 653am and gets home at 225pm)

The Thermos thing is not true. Your items will be room temp, not warm. I've tried the boiling water thing and it has never worked --- and it was with a "Thermos" brand thermal container. I've tossed all my thermal containers and just don't send food that needs to be warm.

I have the old metal type that are supper old lol maybe thats the difference?

 

[abcboys]

I use a thermos and my kids say the stuff is still piping hot at lunchtime. Like they even have to blow on it. Packed by 730 and eat at noon or after. I also but boiling water in it to heat it up.

i do leftover soup like chili or chicken noodle, spaghetti or spaghettios, taco meat packed with taco toppings and a bag of fritos or soft shells. I've wanted to try chicken nuggets but didn't know if they'd get soggy.

Also the usual sandwich but usually it's PBJ with sides like chips, applesauce, string cheese, some sort of fruit. My kids won't eat salads but I'd pack that if they did

 

[Lees3rwe]

If you have a Walgreen's, they sell a small metal thermos that keeps food SUPER hot. Better than any other one we have tried.

My son is 13 and has not eaten school lunch since kindergarten (not enough time, lines too long and food was gross), so I have gotten very creative with packing his lunch.

He has leftovers from dinner a couple of days a week. When I cook meals at night, I always make sure to cook a little extra for this purpose. Grilled boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped with some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce is a favorite!

Pastas, soups, chicken and rice, he loves all of that. Sometimes he takes turkey, cheese and triscuits. I always pack a fruit and a veggie (celery, carrots or pepper strips usually), and some kind of chips or crackers OR a 100 calorie pack of cookies of some type.

Leftover pizza works well too!

Another piece of advice.. make sure they are eating some protein at breakfast. That is a LONG time without a snack!

Good luck!

 

[Sagginit]

i got a stainless steel lined thermos at target. i found the secret is to heat the food on the stove, not the microwave. i put soup/chili/etc on the stove in a small saucepan at least 15 min before i leave. when i see it boiling and sputtering i turn off and put inside immediately. it stays piping hot for much longer, (i did this the other day and it was boiling hot 3.5 hours later).

i do need a rubber band that i put around the top to get it off, otherwise it is so tight i cant get it open again.

for pb and j try mixing up the j, raspberry, strawberry, grape, some days nutella.

also try this blog for ideas. i found it and my coworkers and i have been browsing it for lunch ideas, they have so many cute ones!!! http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

 

[Colleen27]

We don't do hot foods, but I bought DD12 a bento box style lunch kit and she packs it herself. We freeze things like yogurt, string cheese, blueberries, etc. to help the ice pack keep the rest cool, and she packs a lot of snack foods rather than an entree/side/drink type of meal. Hard boiled eggs, jerky, fruit, veggies and dip, pita chips and hummus, etc. Sometimes she'll make a sort of deconstructed chef's salad, with meats and cheeses in the smaller containers and lettuce/salad mix in the biggest.

 

[ilovepete]

There are a ton of ideas on this Pinterest board... I think you can see it even if you don't have Pinterest.
http://www.pinterest.com/easylunchboxes/

 

[NYCDiane]

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[jmb912]

For years my son wouldn't buy a lunch and did not really like any sandwiches so I would fill his thermos with milk, fill up a sandwich bag with Cheerios or cereal of choice and he just dumps it in! I also give him a yogurt and snack. We still do this once a week, but thankfully he has finally decided to have pizza once a week at school and now likes a ham and cheese sub I make!

I also do the boiling water in the thermos and make easy Mac really hot in the microwave for my DD. It usually stays warm!

 

[kiramay]

Pasta in the thermos, chicken nuggets (although now they complain they get soggy), pancakes, lunchables are the Friday treat, turkey/lunch meat rolls, applesauce, yogurt, crackers/chips/carb, dessert (cookie, granola bar$. They buy milk at school.

 

[It'sOffToDisneyWeGo]

I tend to make my own lunchables, chicken nuggets in a thermos, and wraps. I serve these with yogurt, applesauce, and fresh fruits.

I get very frustrated hearing about other people getting to send nut products. Our school is nut free. It makes sending lunches in for my picky child very hard. He would eat a peanut butter sandwich every day. Unfortunately that is not even an option.

 

[msmama]

My son and several of his friends eat room temp chicken nuggets with no problem, though I do tend to put them in the thermos. (I put extra knowing he wouldn't eat them all so I could see what they were like at the end of the day - they were not perfect, but edible).

Ziplock makes compartment containers that helped me a lot when I was first making lunches. It helped me to make sure that I was getting the appropriate amount from each food group and not overdoing it (moreso then baggies and individual tupperwears).

 

[pannm]

Yes, freezing yogurt works well! My middle schooler takes her lunch every day. She leaves the house at 7 and eats at 12:30 (and we live in the south). Her yogurt is still very cold when she eats it, but not frozen. We also send hot food in a thermos. I've done a lot of research and we've tried it on days at home...my daughter sometimes complains to me that the food is too hot when she eats it at lunch! We've never had the problem with it not staying warm long enough. We have a fogo thermos. I make a lot of food from scratch- we do mac and cheese, spaghetti, hot dishes, she'll eat left overs and loves when I make chicken or turkey with potatoes and gravy. Putting all that in a thermos makes her day!
We do sandwiches of all sorts, roll ups (using tortilla shells) and her favorite 'sandwich' type thing is when I make bread (or use the canned crescent rolls) and roll up meat and cheese, bake it and send it to school with her. I've done pizza roll-ups, ham and cheese, small fruit pieces with cream cheese, veggies and cream cheese or reg. cheese...she also likes bagles with cream cheese.
Sides- she loves veggies- cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, sliced up green pepper, raw greenbeans. Also, almost any fruit works-
We have a pantry with a box containing her lunch side and treat options. I let her choose one thing out of that box every day...it contains single serving bags of chips, pre-portioned bags of mini-cookies, pita chips, dried fruits, home made fruit roll-ups, granola bars. I put about a months worth of snacks in it. I don't refill it until the end of the month.
We are a 'peanut free' school district, so we have to be careful with that. We cannot send PB&J's and there is a kid in her first hour class that can't even smell a whiff of it or his throat swells. They've even been asked to brush their teeth and wash their hands after consuming p.nut butter before school in the morning. I follow those rules happily, as we've seen the kids reaction first hand and it was terrifying.