Shocked at what parents send kids for lunch!

[poohandwendy]

I packed my brother's lunch once and sent him to school with pop tarts.

LOL, that would be something I would have done when I was a kid...you have your fruit, you have your grains...add a glass of milk and you have your dairy!

 

[Planogirl]

lemon juice or orange juice will help with that. That's how I packed my apples when I was in school (I had a bite problem that wasn't corrected until college).

I put my son's apple slices in a zip loc and they hold up OK. It might be because they eat lunch very early though.

 

[FreshTressa]

I cut my kids fruit, leaving the bottom still attached and then kind of put it back together with a touch of lemon in between the slices.

I cut the oranges in slices instead of quarters, the like them better that way.

They LOVE strawberries, cherries, raspberries, etc.

Canteloupe is easy to cut up.

Bananas come prepackaged...(do they count as a prepackaged food?)

They also like sliced peppers, carrots, tomatoes and garden peas. They don't like cold brocolli or celery though.

 

[poohandwendy]

What I always did with apples is peel and slice them and then sprinkle some orange juice over them and cinnamon (in a ziplock)...the kids loved them.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

Just go ahead and shoot me. It's hard enough to get my kids to eat. I'm not going to send stuff they won't eat anyway...especially when I'm not around.

I guess there will always be parents around who will look down their noses at me for letting my kids drink a Coke once a day and allowing them to have a snack with their meal.

It's okay, really. I look down on parents with badly behaved kids. And I look down on parents who think their kids can do no wrong.

I'm not saying that pointed at anyone around here...I just think that most moms do the best they can every day. If the child doesn't get his/her tomatos and whole grain in at lunch, he'll get it another way.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I put my son's apple slices in a zip loc and they hold up OK. It might be because they eat lunch very early though.

maybe-it is the air that causes it.

I just didn't like any brown on my apples--so now even if I am slicing and it is for me and there is any delay in me eating them--I rinse them in citric acid (aka lemon/lime/apple).


I never thought I was apicky eater until I met my husband. He pointed out how really picky I am.

 

[Planogirl]

Mine gets a soft drink once a day too but only after school. He gets even more on the weekend.

Oh well, just sign me up for the bad parents squad.

 

[poohandwendy]

Just go ahead and shoot me. It's hard enough to get my kids to eat. I'm not going to send stuff they won't eat anyway...especially when I'm not around.

I guess there will always be parents around who will look down their noses at me for letting my kids drink a Coke once a day and allowing them to have a snack with their meal.

It's okay, really. I look down on parents with badly behaved kids. And I look down on parents who think their kids can do no wrong.

I'm not saying that pointed at anyone around here...I just think that most moms do the best they can every day. If the child doesn't get his/her tomatos and whole grain in at lunch, he'll get it another way.

Amen, preach it sister!

 

[shortbun]

Field trip lunches are supposed to be totally disposable. Lots of parents use this occassion to be a little fast and loose with nutrition.

When I sent a lunchable, I slipped in some carrots and substituted the pop for water. Nothing wrong with peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We pack everyday. Our son gets carrots, water, pbj, chips, an apple or grapes and a breakfast bar. He gets a snak at latchkey and comes home ravenous! Lol! After school snak is a banana or pear and more peanut butter or cheese. Sometimes I even nuke a little broccoli(he loves it!) or make him cheese and refried bean nachos. Breakfast is eggs and toast or bagel and cream cheese. Oatmeal is often served as well with raisins.

 

[sara74]

Ok, so you are all talking about school aged kids, right? My little ones are in daycare 3 days a week and eat mostly leftovers. If there is a leftover pork chop, veggies and rice I put it in a Gladware container and freeze it and send it to school for lunch. I am spoiled now since there won't be a microwave in kindergarten. I guess I should get DD used to cold cuts now, shouldn't I? Kids in her class eat all sorts of things! (We go in sometimes on our stay-at-home days to participate in special activities) Lots of Chef Boyardee, Lunchables, fruit snacks, sugar in general. Soda and candy are banned, but some fruit drinks and all the fruit snacks are just as bad, IMHO.

As a special treat the neighbor picked up a Lunchable for my DD to take the other day. One thing is that her 13 yo son declared it gross and couldn't believe he'd ever eaten one! And another is that DD's teacher commented on how excited DD was for the special treat! (and that was even after I pulled the dessert out of it before I sent it with her)

 

[Keli]

I always took pure junk for lunch on field trip days! It was a part of what made the day so special. My sister and I would give careful consideration as to exactly what type of junk we wanted and would tell mom before she went to the grocery store that week, lol. Oh, and we ALWAYS had soda. I drank so little soda during my childhood that my eyes still watered when I would drink a coke when I was on dates! Believe me, I looked forward to that soda.

I basically allowed my dd to do the same thing too. She spent time in careful consideration too, lol. Can't make important decisions like this on a whim.

 

[poohandwendy]

I guess I should get DD used to cold cuts now, shouldn't I?

Not necessarily. My kids often eat tuna salad (turkey/chicken) wrapped in pita with lettuce and cheese. There are many alternatives to deli meat.

A sandwich isn't even a requirement anyways, sometimes my DD (12) will just take fruit, veges and ranch dressing, and a drink. That is what she wants. My son (16) likes to take in cold fried chicken left overs. And even cold spaghetti...eww. Great for me that he is the human left-over disposer. He eats me out of house and home, to be honest. My grocery bill will drop substantially when he goes to college.

Basically, if you don't mind eating it cold, it can be packed for lunch. Although, with little ones, you want things that can be easy to handle and easily wrapped.

 

[FreshTressa]

Hehe, my kids won't touch tuna!

 

[Planogirl]

My son eats a ham sandwich every school day and that's the only bread or ham he'll eat. I buy the leanest, lowest sodium deli ham I can find but all bets are off on the bread.

 

[poohandwendy]

LOL...you are a very bad mommy Planogirl.

 

[poohandwendy]

But, you reminded me of something. Isn't it wierd how they will sometimes go on a kick where they want to eat the same exact thing every day for a while? It would bore me to death.

 

[jodifla]

Not necessarily. My kids often eat tuna salad (turkey/chicken) wrapped in pita with lettuce and cheese. There are many alternatives to deli meat.

A sandwich isn't even a requirement anyways, sometimes my DD (12) will just take fruit, veges and ranch dressing, and a drink. That is what she wants. My son (16) likes to take in cold fried chicken left overs. And even cold spaghetti...eww. Great for me that he is the human left-over disposer. He eats me out of house and home, to be honest. My grocery bill will drop substantially when he goes to college.

Basically, if you don't mind eating it cold, it can be packed for lunch. Although, with little ones, you want things that can be easy to handle and easily wrapped.

I've tried to get my DS interested in fresh fruit and vegetables, but he's wholly uninterested. He'd rather starve. He's offered them every day.

So I'll be sending lunchables and whatever else I can get him to eat next year when I send him to a pre-K that doesn't serve hot meals.

 

[poohandwendy]

So I'll be sending lunchables and whatever else I can get him to eat next year

well then, I will get you a handbasket for your trip....

 

[Aidensmom]

I've tried to get my DS interested in fresh fruit and vegetables, but he's wholly uninterested. He'd rather starve. He's offered them every day.

So I'll be sending lunchables and whatever else I can get him to eat next year when I send him to a pre-K that doesn't serve hot meals.

You will probably have better luck getting him to eat with the cold lunch anyways.

My son's pre-K serves hot lunch, and his teacher says most of the kids eat their bread and drink their milk everyday....but much of the other stuff goes untouched even though they are encouraged to eat it.

When DS went somewhere we had to send in a lunch, yogurt and fruit cups were big hits, as well as PB&J.

And I just wanted to note, you can buy lots of healthy pre-packaged food for those who think you cannot. You can get individual servings of baby carrots, fruit cups, cottage cheese, lowfat and sugar free yogurt, etc......all of which are probably more healthy than that PB&J on enriched wheat flour bread with PB and jelly that is half sugar.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

My dd's favorite lunch is a jelly sandwich...but at least I put it on whole wheat bread! lol. I would add peanut butter, but nut products of any kind aren't allowed at her school. They also don't allow sugary snacks, so I usually pack a yogurt or orange slices with her sandwich...along with either milk or a juice box. I remember always bringing a can of soda and a sweet treat to school field trips...I never brought them to school any other day though.