School Lunches

[Mickfarland4]

DS7 has taken since age 5 every day: sandwich pepperoni ( no bread) frozen Gogurt, apple or mandarin oranges, juice pouch, and usually I give him a "junky" thing. For his snack he will take an apple if not in his lunch, cheese crackers, fig newtons, or fruit snacks. He has never asked for different foods. What I love is he is still at the honest age and hrings home what he doesnt eat so, I know he didnt eat his fruit today. Lol.

 

[potterfanatic]

Thanks everyone! I really love the taco idea. I've gone back and forth about getting those small thermos things. I don't know if my kids are as bored with their lunches as I am! I also love the idea of letting them pick a few days for school lunches. Then it seems like a special treat.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I forgot another lunch I send...I marinate some chicken thighs with soy sauce and garlic then put them in the crockpot 4 hrs on high. Then make some rice. I shred the chicken and mix with rice and put it in a container for their lunch.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Our son hasn't bought a school lunch since 6th grade, he's a junior now. After joining him a few times, I see why. He takes 2 bottled waters from home, then usually a ham sandwich/fruit/baked chips. On Fridays, a large group chips in $2 and they have pizza delivered for their lunch. $2 covers 2 slices. I guess since most of the students chip in, the pizzas are $6 each. I have been known to drop off lunch during a lunch break too, but I stopped that due to the mob of kids swarming me begging for edible food.

 

[Katy Belle]

DS15 has always bought lunch, until now. He decided to lose weight, and school lunch does not help with that at all! He does take sandwiches most days, but varying the bread helps it feel different. Whole grain .... Tortillas, buns, flats, flat outs, mini bagels, light bread. Lots of veggies on the sandwich with meat , and varying condiments. Fruit and veggies....berries, cucumbers, pepper strips, grapes, apples, clementines and on and on, what ever is on sale. Sometimes Hummous or guacamole. Today he took some baked tortilla chips and salsa. We have a thermos, but he's not excited about that right now.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

$48.00 a week for three kids is not bad at all. We live in California, everything is expensive here. My daughter's hot lunches cost $6 per day. But she does not get hot lunch everyday. Only on occasion and things she really likes. However, on top of that, school has a program for a local pizza to come to school every once a week which is an additional $6 and another day (this one once a month) for BBQ which is another additional $6 (per month). The days I pack her lunch (and a snack) she usually gets some fruit and veggies, pasta, sometimes left overs from dinner the night before and right now (though I know it's not the best thing to give) she's liking the ABC's 123's microwave things.

 

[tvguy]

$48.00 a week for three kids is not bad at all. We live in California, everything is expensive here. My daughter's hot lunches cost $6 per day. But she does not get hot lunch everyday. Only on occasion and things she really likes. However, on top of that, school has a program for a local pizza to come to school every once a week which is an additional $6 and another day (this one once a month) for BBQ which is another additional $6 (per month). The days I pack her lunch (and a snack) she usually gets some fruit and veggies, pasta, sometimes left overs from dinner the night before and right now (though I know it's not the best thing to give) she's liking the ABC's 123's microwave things.

Yikes, well Monterey is expensive. That is almost as much as a guest at the Otter Express at CSU Monterey Bay. Sacramento school lunches are about half that. Kind of funny since the produce should be cheap since it's just grown down the road from you in Salinas.

 

[dizzy daisy]

I moved to the New England a couple years ago from Florida, and I am still in shock over how much food costs up here. We are a family of 5 and my food costs nearly doubled from what I was spending in Florida. All three of my kids take packed lunches and in a moment of defeat from sending the same types of things every day for lunch, I looked up what it would cost to buy school lunches. It would cost us $48.00 a week to feed all three of my kids school lunches. I am just in shock. So I won't be doing that. Does anyone have any good ideas for economically priced lunches that deviate from the traditional soup/sandwich route?

I don't have any good idea for economically priced lunches so I am sure glad to be reading this thread, lol. Well, that might not be entirely true. My kids like cheese quesadillas in their lunch boxes (cold), they are fairly cheap to make and a nice break from sandwiches. My girls like a simple pasta salad - just pasta, dressing and some veggies like diced peppers, onions, celery, tomatoes, and maybe some cheese or salami if i have it handy.

Here it would cost only $32.50/week for my 3 kids to buy lunch at school, I think that's pretty cheap. I pack lunches though, but mainly out of habit - hot lunch wasn't an option were we used to live.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

It's a private school. Public schools in my area are the worst of the worst. Not only is school lunches expensive, but everything, including food. Salinas is called the "Salad Bowl" but iceberg lettuce costs $3.00 at the grocery store and yet you see it growing everywhere out here!

 

[marmalade]

I love the Thermos's, my kids eat out of them multiple times a week. Both my kids take a lunch everyday and have since they started school. Sometimes I would rather have them buy, but they like homemade lunches better. Here is a handful of things they take:

Cheese quesadilla's (just a few minutes in the morning to make. A cast iron skillet is necessary, at least I think it is)
pasta salad in the thermos
everything bagels with cream cheese
leftover spaghetti, stew, or whatever we had for dinner the night before
tacos (usually leftover)
salad with the dressing in those little plastic disposable cups
cut up veggies and ranch dressing to dip
Ham or turkey sandwiches - not so much lately since the price of deli meat is ridiculous
Chicken nuggets, I get the big bag from the grocery store (shh don't tell the food police I feed my kids processed chicken)

On a side note, my kids are OK with cold or room temperature food so some of these things might not work for everyone.

 

[tvguy]

It's a private school. Public schools in my area are the worst of the worst. Not only is school lunches expensive, but everything, including food. Salinas is called the "Salad Bowl" but iceberg lettuce costs $3.00 at the grocery store and yet you see it growing everywhere out here!

Double ouch. My kids went to Private school and lunch was included in the tuition K-8. It wasn't until they hit High School that lunch wasn't included.......but the year book was! K-8 you had to pay extra for the yearbook.

 

[bababear_50]

I am in a grade 1,2,3,4 classrooms over the lunch hour and this is what seems to get eaten
I see ALOT thrown in the garbage.

Things that get eaten:
grapes
strawberries
sliced pears and apples/ caramel dip
yogurt with a side baggie of granola
cheese cubes
mini bagels/jam preserves
mini croissants
pillsbury cheese croissants/sometimes with hotdogs inside of them
kobasa meat cubed
Humus and crackers to dip
cucumbers,celery,peppers,carrots and dip
left over pizza slices
mini bread sticks and dip
pasta in a "Thermos" wide mouth type
cold tuna pasta salad
cold bean salad
plain tostitos and salsa dip
rice and chicken in a "Thermos" wide mouth type
small bags of popcorn
mandarin oranges--easy to peel or the type in a plastic container
Many parents freeze the juice boxes and yogurt..kids seem to love this



Hugs Mel

 

[dizzy daisy]

I am in a grade 1,2,3,4 classrooms over the lunch hour and this is what seems to get eaten
I see ALOT thrown in the garbage.

Things that get eaten:
grapes
strawberries
sliced pears and apples/ caramel dip
yogurt with a side baggie of granola
cheese cubes
mini bagels/jam preserves
mini croissants
pillsbury cheese croissants/sometimes with hotdogs inside of them
kobasa meat cubed
Humus and crackers to dip
cucumbers,celery,peppers,carrots and dip
left over pizza slices
mini bread sticks and dip
pasta in a "Thermos" wide mouth type
cold tuna pasta salad
cold bean salad
plain tostitos and salsa dip
rice and chicken in a "Thermos" wide mouth type
small bags of popcorn
mandarin oranges--easy to peel or the type in a plastic container


Hugs Mel

I love this insider information! Thanks bababear_50

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Her school is K-8 too. She's been there since Kinder. Their yearbook is included but honestly my daughter has little interest in it. I already know that the private high schools in the area does not have lunch included. It's a HUGE ouch considering cost of tuition (and they're always asking for more money).

 

[barkley]

It's a private school. Public schools in my area are the worst of the worst. Not only is school lunches expensive, but everything, including food. Salinas is called the "Salad Bowl" but iceberg lettuce costs $3.00 at the grocery store and yet you see it growing everywhere out here!

I wondered about that-the only time hot lunches cost that much for my kids (actually we paid $7) was when my kids got it at private school-granted it was a strictly vegetarian school and I know produce is expensive but it was a rare treat for them to buy.

 

[Mickfarland4]

I will never forget how awful I felt when my son came home from his first day of Kindergarten. I had no idea what he would eat since he is a picky eater. At the time, he ate a lot of cereal. I sent him with one of those "bowls" of fruit loops and a thermos of milk....he couldn't open it. And he was too shy to ask for help You don't realize all the little things you do for your kids every single day! I felt so, so bad when he came home and ate nothing all day.

 

[PatsGirl]

I packed both kids lunches every day except a few times a month when school was offering pizza/salad or something else that they would really enjoy. My son preferred tuna sandwiches (on bulky or pita so not to get soggy), thermos of soup or leftovers. My daughter loved spaghettios, beans on hot dog rolls (packed separately of course), or mixtures of fruit, crackers and cheese, that sort of thing, and leftovers. The lifesaver is the wide mouth thermos bowls that keep food pretty warm. For soup I used a real thermos. Both took a bottle of water and a small dessert like a cookie. There is no way their lunches cost me $3/day, probably more like half that.

 

[My3Princez]

Reading this thread, I realize I got off really easy when my kids were going to school. (We are doing virtual school at home this year, so it's a moot point.) Every day they took either a pb&j or salami and cheese sandwich, some pretzels, a piece of fruit, a couple of cookies, a granola bar and a bottle of water. EVERY DAY. They never seemed to get tired of it, which amazed me, but it was SO EASY!!!

 

[bababear_50]

Eating lunch at school,,a few thoughts

Remember the cutlery, I can't tell you how many spoons,and forks I supply each day.

Practise the thermos opening/closing at home. Not all children will ask for help.

Ask your school how much time is allotted for the actual eating part of lunch,pack accordingly--our kids get 20 eating 40 min outside.

Practise opening plastic containers, if you are struggling then maybe they are too.

Secure tops--many lunches end up covered in dips and yogurt.

Carbonated drinks will probably explode at some point.

My rule--eating is a social time but you can't talk with food in your mouth.

Kids LOVE lunch notes.

Cut your child's sandwich with a cookie cutter.

Always include water,think about how much they drink if they were home for the day.

Hand wipes (individual packs) are great.

Take time to talk to your kids about their lunch needs, and wants.

Hugs Mel

 

[Tiffylv]

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