Summer Lunches

[Becc1]

With my kids getting out of school for summer break in 2 days I am faced with the problem I encounter every year, what to feed them for lunch. I have 4 kids, 3 who are in school and buy their lunches most everyday at school. So they are used to having hot lunches but I just don't want to be cooking big meals twice a day. Plus the expense of that can get costly. I have 2 pretty good eaters and 2 horrible eaters (1 being my 15 yr old). Can anyone offer up some quick, easy, fairly inspensive meals that they do for ther children? TIA

 

[sookie]

if they are that old make them fend for themselves

 

[cassandrap83]

Lunchmeat, PB & J, Ramen, ravioli, pierogies, pizza

 

[arthur06]

We have a 10, 4, 2 so not the ages of yours. And they go to daycare at times during the week.

However, many of the lunches that we have are:

Frozen Pizza
Tacos
Cold Meat sandwiches
Chicken Patties/Strips/Nuggets
Cereal
Leftovers

 

[fakereadhed]

I have a twist on the same problem. We do lots of day trips to the park or library and I want to stay away from fast food. Looking for summer lunch ideas too!

To the PP, I think some kids can fend for themselves, but that is a budget disaster and they can make really unhealthy choices. Bad idea IMO.

 

[university]

The 15 year old should be making his own lunch by now. He can make lunches for everyone and save you the hassle. The easiest thing is sandwiches. No cooking involved. They don't need to have a fancy "hot" lunch either. Sandwiches, fruit, milk, DONE.

 

[Mom_Rides]

Grilled cheese
Ravioli
Mac & Cheese
Chicken Nugs or Chicken Patty Sandwiches
Cold Cut Sandwiches with cheese (get wraps and they can warm them in the microwave)
Cubed meat or sausage with cheeses
Egg/Chicken/Tuna Salad sandwiches
Frozen Pizza

I'd ask for their input on what they'd like and then add lunches to your weekly menu planning. This gives you a head start and lets them know what is for lunch. My boys are fine with sandwiches everyday but I have micro cups of Chef Boyardee and the easy mac packets for them available in case they get bored with sandwiches. I also limit the amount of snacks that I have here so that they aren't eating us out of house and home while we're at work.

 

[luvmy3]

hot dogs
hamburgers
cold cuts wrapped around cheese sticks
cold cut sandwiches/wraps
pb & j, pb & banana, pb & honey sandwiches/wraps
tuna/egg salad sandwiches/wraps
mac & cheese
ramen
pizza rolls
bagels w/cream cheese
chicken nuggets
raviolies/ spaghettios
homemade pizza or pizza bagels/english muffins
homemade lunchables (using deli meat and crackers)

 

[averysmom]

We do:
pasta salad - use an oil-based dressing and lots of veggies - will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days.
cold sandwiches/subs
hot subs / bunwiches:

meatball -heat frozen meatballs with spagetti sauce and top with cheese

pizza - pizza sauce, pepperoni and salami, onions and green peppers if you like, and top with cheese

tuna

bacon and bean (open-faced sandwich - top with baked beans, 2-3 slices of cooked bacon, top with cheese)
English muffin pizzas
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/make-ahead-muffin-melts/
cheese and crackers with salami or sliced sausage
hot dogs
mac n cheese
soups
leftovers! I often cook a little extra the night before so we'll have leftovers for the next day's lunch. Also, if I have a little extra cooked, but not enough for everybody, I'll freeze it in a container and have an individual serving of something that is easy to heat up for lunch.

 

[Becc1]

Thanks everyone for all of the great ideas! I guess the thing that stresses me out is now on the weekends we either grab something fast food in between kids sprorting events or I feel like I'm cooking in a diner, where everyone wants something different. My goal is to plan out their lunches like I do our dinners. Also going to have to hide the snacks, with 4 kids and lots of friends coming in and out of the house throughout the summer, the snack cabinet gets raided WAY too often!

 

[Becc1]

I have a twist on the same problem. We do lots of day trips to the park or library and I want to stay away from fast food. Looking for summer lunch ideas too!

To the PP, I think some kids can fend for themselves, but that is a budget disaster and they can make really unhealthy choices. Bad idea IMO.

We do lots of day trips too, like the zoo, museums, the pool. I like to pack the mini cooler up for those days and have a picnic. I will splurge on a treat like ice cream so they usually don have a problem not getting the fast food.

ANd yes, I could and most days do let my DS15 fend for himself but if anyone knows how a teenager eats that can easily turn into a budget buster!

 

[Poohforyou]

How about starting with something inexpensive and filling like a whole grain pasta and have different things the kids can add to it to make it their own. You could have sauce, chopped veggies, cubed cheese, diced chicken, italian dressing, beans etc. The kids could heat it in the microwave if they want a hot meal or eat it cold like a pasta salad.

 

[semo233]

if they are that old make them fend for themselves

You would still need to have to have an idea of what to pick up at the grocery store! I agree, some kinds can fend for themselves, but they still don't do the shopping!

 

[mhsjax]

The 15 year old should be making his own lunch by now. He can make lunches for everyone and save you the hassle. The easiest thing is sandwiches. No cooking involved. They don't need to have a fancy "hot" lunch either. Sandwiches, fruit, milk, DONE.

Gag, my kids would boycott that lunch. I don't think the 15 year old should have to make lunch for the others either, isn't his job. However, I do agree with the, hot lunch thing, although schools don't serve fancy. Th kids can eat sandwiches. I do give them chips, but only 2 or the 3 eat them, and the other two only eat a small hand full. Yogurt is also something most kids like, 2 of mine can't eat it though, and 2 can't tolerate anything dairy, so I am so not in line with the milk. Sorry, but I think giving kids milk is just beyond disgusting. I do cut up fruit and make a fruit salad. How about pasta salad, subs or left overs?

 

[StephMK]

Great thread! I am dealing with that too & there are some good ideas here.

DD11 asked for taquitos and they all like sandwich stuff or cheese on tortillas or heated up into quesadillas.

How about English muffin "pizzas", pita pockets & sandwich thins to mix things up? Hard boiled eggs, tuna salad or hot dogs would be other options. There are some healthier choices than others but ok for summer treats.

 

[21yankees]

My kids like pretty much everything listed above and these things I didn't see:

Quesadillas
Veggies w/ Peanut Butter, Ranch or Vanilla Yogurt
Fresh Fruit with Yogurt

And the 15 yo is old enough to help with what they'd like to eat/make for lunch. I also think the 15 yo should be able to help get lunch on the table. Everything is situation based of course. I was working when I was 15 so I occasionally went out to eat (local Sub shop) or was working and brought leftovers to eat there.


steph

 

[sookie]

I have a twist on the same problem. We do lots of day trips to the park or library and I want to stay away from fast food. Looking for summer lunch ideas too!

To the PP, I think some kids can fend for themselves, but that is a budget disaster and they can make really unhealthy choices. Bad idea IMO.

keep only healthy or healthier stuff in the house. that is what we do and my kids are too little to fend for themselves. i will tell you though that by the time i was 15 i was taking care of lunch for myself and usually my younger siblings - and i wasn't asked to do it, it was just what i did. a 15 year old should be able to go to the cabinets and pick out a sensible meal.

 

[sookie]

Thanks everyone for all of the great ideas! I guess the thing that stresses me out is now on the weekends we either grab something fast food in between kids sprorting events or I feel like I'm cooking in a diner, where everyone wants something different. My goal is to plan out their lunches like I do our dinners. Also going to have to hide the snacks, with 4 kids and lots of friends coming in and out of the house throughout the summer, the snack cabinet gets raided WAY too often!

don't give into the "four different meals".

everyone gets the same thing. enlist the 15 year old to help you and enforce it. i can't help you with the snack thing except to keep things that are healthy in the house. i feel that teens should snack (often they skip meals), so i am pro-snacking. teens who are breakfast skippers and who also don't snack tend to overeat at regular meals and also gain weight.... snacking can be healthy. just keep the good stuff (apples, fruit, veggies, lean proteins) available in the house for snacking.

 

[bethy]

keep only healthy or healthier stuff in the house. that is what we do and my kids are too little to fend for themselves. i will tell you though that by the time i was 15 i was taking care of lunch for myself and usually my younger siblings - and i wasn't asked to do it, it was just what i did. a 15 year old should be able to go to the cabinets and pick out a sensible meal.

Um yeah, my 8 year old can and does do those things. She can also cook things like grilled cheese and breakfast foods on the stove (with me supervising for safety reasons).

 

[sookie]

Gag, my kids would boycott that lunch. I don't think the 15 year old should have to make lunch for the others either, isn't his job. However, I do agree with the, hot lunch thing, although schools don't serve fancy. Th kids can eat sandwiches. I do give them chips, but only 2 or the 3 eat them, and the other two only eat a small hand full. Yogurt is also something most kids like, 2 of mine can't eat it though, and 2 can't tolerate anything dairy, so I am so not in line with the milk. Sorry, but I think giving kids milk is just beyond disgusting. I do cut up fruit and make a fruit salad. How about pasta salad, subs or left overs?

this is not asking him or her to do all the household cooking prep and meal planning, its called helping out for one meal a day and also its a learning experience for when he or she is out of the house and has to "fend" for themselves. i'm not suggesting that you forbid the teen from leaving the house at lunchtime this summer so you can have slave labor, but i am suggesting that if he or she is home that you involve him or her in this activity.

my ex's mother never used to make him do anything - he was the boy and therefore, he shouldn't have to. he would go "home" to her house for lunch every day so he could get a hot meal. he couldn't cook for himself! or do the laundry. and i've worked with several females who couldn't cook for themselves or do laundry - they were at a loss and ended up just doing fast food over and over again. they hated it but didn't feel like they knew how to do it and didn't have "time" to learn.

late adolescence is the time to learn those skills. this is the perfect opportunity to do so. this is why we have families - to help each other out. you get help, he or she gets a great learning experience for the future.