school lunch packers, looking for different ideas.

[megthewonderful]

Started using a thermos this year and my sons loves it! He gets soup, mac and cheese, pasta and sometimes he asks for hot dogs. Personally, I'm not into the thermos hot dogs, but my son loves them. Sometimes, he just wants cold cuts rolled up as opposed to a sandwich. We have to pack snack and lunch in one lunch bag this year and it's challenging. The thermos does not fit in his lunch bag of course, but it works out well. He only forgot to bring it to lunch once this year.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I have the Totoro bento box on that site. Hello Kitty is a favorite, too.

 

[perfectparanoia]

My kids get the same thing everyday, too.

Sandwich (tuna or sliced meat with cheese and mustard)
Carrots & ranch
Juice Box
Milk (given at school)
Two fruits
Chocolate chip All Bran bars (they like them )
Yogurt

They like it because they know what to expect. They get lots of food because dinner tends to be late and they get two 'nutritional breaks' a day (one at 11 and one at 1:45).

We aren't allowed to send PB&J in case someone at the school has an allergy. My kids would love it if you could (me, too since we tend to have it on weekends to make up for it and I hate peanut butter but have to eat it since the rule about only making one thing for a meal applies to me, too).

 

[Ericandjenng]

My son will not eat sandwiches--yes, he's very picky. He usually eats the school lunch but on days he wants to take his lunch, it's almost always a lunchable. It's the small ones with meat, cheese and crackers only. The rest depends on his mood. Yesterday it was go-gurt with the lunchable. Sometimes he takes a drink (Capri Sun's Ragin' Waters) or he buys milk at school.

 

[SarahKate]

We don't yet own a bento box but definitely one is in our future - I'm hoping to start packing more lunches for dd7. I've researched these quite a bit.....here are some other good sites.

I do like the look of the laptop lunches too....but because DD's daddy is 1/2 Japanese, we love the idea of her having a Japanese bento box!

www.jbox.com
www.lunchinabox.com
http://stores.ebay.com/Bento-Obento-Shop

Does anyone know if Mitsukoshi in Epcot has bento boxes? In our three trips there, I don't think Iv'e ever looked there!

 

[PrincessParty]

Just wanted to chime in with my DD lunch favorite: Nutella on graham crackers, snap peas or carrots, juice box. Sometimes I pack dry cereal and a banana. She buys milk at school.

 

[nmmom95]

My boys take a lot of sandwiches. We just rotate the meat, cheese and bread to keep it different. They only eat ham, turkey or buffalo chicken, so we vary the American, Cheddar, and Swiss cheeses with a roll, wheat bread, rye bread or tortilla wraps. We can't eat meat on Fridays right now, so they take either a bagel and cream cheese or mini bagel chips with cream cheese.

 

[3_disprincesses]

The one thing my DD6 likes to take that I haven't seen listed is grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts I cut into "nuggets" and she takes lite ranch dressing to dip it in. She chooses different sides each day: goldfish snack crackers, apple slices, jello, pudding, yogurt.

 

[santa's surpriz]

I have not seen anyone mention, Nutella. My daughter hates peanut butter so I make nutella with strawberry jam sandwiches. It also makes a great spread with vanilla wafers. I make vanilla wafer sandwiches for her often too.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

We don't yet own a bento box but definitely one is in our future - I'm hoping to start packing more lunches for dd7. I've researched these quite a bit.....here are some other good sites.

I do like the look of the laptop lunches too....but because DD's daddy is 1/2 Japanese, we love the idea of her having a Japanese bento box!

www.jbox.com
www.lunchinabox.com
http://stores.ebay.com/Bento-Obento-Shop

Does anyone know if Mitsukoshi in Epcot has bento boxes? In our three trips there, I don't think Iv'e ever looked there!

They didn't in January.

 

[tjmw2727]

Post 11 & 26 recommend Nutella.

LOVE the vanilla wafer idea for a treat, - my dd loves both nutella and vanilla wafers

I have not seen anyone mention, Nutella. My daughter hates peanut butter so I make nutella with strawberry jam sandwiches. It also makes a great spread with vanilla wafers. I make vanilla wafer sandwiches for her often too.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

Some of DD13 favorites are

Grilled chicken w/ salad
Roasted chicken leg ($1 at El Pollo Loco)
Teriaki chicken and rice bowl (in a thermos) (plan ahead leftover)
Apple with peanut butter
Chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast
"subway" style sandwich Ham and lettuce on a wheat sub roll/
Ham or turkey sliders, mini sandwiches on Hawiian sweet rolls
Trade Joes organic shells and white cheese ( in a thermos)
Peseant lunch- Fruit (apples and grapes) cheese and a baguette, yogurt
Cold pizza.
Cold chicken fingers w/ ranch
Campbell's chicken noodle soup (thermos)

For drinks usually - choc. milk, Capri Sun Water, or Sugar Free Hawaiian Punch to mix into her bottle of water.

 

[tink1969]

WOW! I can't believe kids are still allowed to bring anything with peanut butter in it to school. I wish we could here.
Luckily, most snack products are now processed in peanut free factories.

Here are a few of my ideas,

Baked chicken nuggets, wrapped in foil then placed in Thermos.
Baked chicken breast, chopped with mayo/lettuce/diced apple/ in torilla wrap
soups in Thermos
leftover pizza, heated and wrapped in foil
deli meat sandwiches
hotdogs, wrapped in foil and put in Thermos
(wrapping in foil before placing in Thermos keeps them warmer and they don't
shrivel up)

 

[humboldthny]

Sorry for any repeats, I didn't read through all the posts...here's some things I put in dd's lunches:

- edamame
- cottage cheese and beets (she likes beets, I personally prefer pineapple)
- pb&honey
- hard boiled eggs
- pasta and sauce
- soups
- winter squash or sweet potato (warmed, in thermos)
- left over pizza
- sliced apples and pb
- rice and beans
- quesadilla (dd doesn't mind it cold)
- variety of veggies: peas, broccoli, green beans, fresh tomato

 

[Kat&Dom]

I love this thread - my son is 4 and starts kindergarten in September so I am already starting to stress over his lunches. There are so many great suggestions on here - thanks.

Here in Alberta, we are not allowed to send anything with peanuts in the school lunches due to the peanut allergy so it is great to see so many great ideas that do not involve peanuts. My son loves PB&J but I totally understand why the schools have put the peanut free rule into place - I can not imagine how difficult and what a worry it must be for parents to have a child with the peanut allergy - you never know what one child will share or trade with another and the results could be fatal so although it makes lunch planning more difficult, I support the peanut free rule.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

As many others have mentioned, the thermos added another dimension for us!! My DS loves the organic macaroni and cheese, spaghetti o's, tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, etc. I try and put at least half organic items in his lunch and he loves them just the same. I love the "real fruit" from Earth Fare of the banana chips, apple chips, and pineapples and luckily he does too!

Now, back to read and save some of the other ideas!!

Heather

 

[lucyem]

I will send just about anything I can. Both my children are in nut free classes and my oldest cannot eat any dairy. We do a lot of chicken salad with celery. Nachos are a favorite dipped in salsa. Veggies and dip. Pasta in a thermos. Soup. Homemade cookies, breads, etc. Leftovers. I love the bento boxes and I have been thinking about getting some egg molds for hard boiled eggs.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I will send just about anything I can. Both my children are in nut free classes and my oldest cannot eat any dairy. We do a lot of chicken salad with celery. Nachos are a favorite dipped in salsa. Veggies and dip. Pasta in a thermos. Soup. Homemade cookies, breads, etc. Leftovers. I love the bento boxes and I have been thinking about getting some egg molds for hard boiled eggs.

i love the shaped eggs.

 

[erikawolf2004]

I just found out about the adorable bento boxes yesturday, going to have to be on the look out for those!

How do you do the hard boiled egg molds?

Erika

 

[alwaysmom]

My 6th grader has never purchased the school lunch.

Chicken Breast or Roast Beef sandwich (occasionally PB&J)
100 calorie snack (different varieties)
drink (Different types)
yogurt or sugar free pudding
Cheese stick

We have done the mac & cheese, etc in the thermos, but not his fav.