What cool ideas to put in kids lunch boxes...

[ang]

Ok, school began....Trying to come up with new ideas.
sandwiches
roll ups
snacks
drinks

Has anyone frozen yogart?
What type of roll up sandwiches do you make?
How about apples? do slice them them soak them in lemon juices?
Dips?
Do you do pasta?

I do carrots with dip.
I make salsa and add chips.

I do add a note here and there....my DS is 10 now...I don't know how he would feel about it now...LOL

I loved to hear what you do. Need ideas.
thanks
ang

 

[mickeyboat]

My kids eat hot lunch most of the time, but I let them choose two days a week for cold lunch if they don't like what's on the menu.

We do lots of yogurt and fruit cups along with many of the things you have posted. My kids will eat almost anything that is dipped in ranch dressing.

I also try not to send too much stuff they need help with - ie opening containers.

Denae

 

[Disney.Ears]

I'm not a mom...but what you have already sounds good to me!
But my mom never used to write me notes but then like a couple years ago when I was like 11 my parents went on a cruise so my aunt and uncle watched us and it was so funny because my uncle sent us like a "weather" themed lunch. It was so corny but I loved it! He wrote a note telling what the weather is going to be like, what we're doing tonight, little doodles, and other stuff. He cut the sandwich in a sun pattern. It was cute LOL.
I'm easily made happy But it was fun. Sorry for the story, Haha, I'm sure it didn't help much but yeah.

 

[KariC]

Well, we started packing for our twins yesterday. Crazy, I feel like they were just babies....

The kids seem to like cream cheese and salami roll ups. Our school suggested things like using pancakes instead of bread, etc. We are also a peanut/treenut free school.

This is from our school's website:

Grains, Entrees, and Miscellaneous
mini waffles with hummus, cream cheese - top with fruit, jelly, sprinkles
left over pancake sandwiches - use a big cookie cutter to cut bread into a cute shape for their sandwich - it is all about presentation
cookie cutter whole wheat hamburger bun, but switch out top and bottom cookie cutter shapes without flipping over cut-outs for "two-tone" sandwich
left over pizza
stuff mini pitas with hummus and cucumber, lunch meat and/or and cheese
graham crackers with a tiny cup of cream cheese or hummus for dipping
an Oatmeal Square or breakfast bar or granola bar
a thermos isn't just for soup - use one for left over casseroles or mac and cheese
Hard boiled eggs
Cheese and crackers
Chicken salad
Cream cheese and jelly sandwiches
Anything (meat, cream cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, etc) rolled in a tortilla. Hold together with a toothpick—it’s about the presentation
Bagels
English muffins
Homemade muffins
Pasta salad
Yogurt covered pretzels and raisins

Fruits and Veggies
serve bite sized fruit with a little cocktail (olive) fork
arrange strawberries, banana slices, apple pieces, etc on a shish kabob
dried fruit (apples, bananas, mango, papaya, pineapple, plums)
baby carrots with a tiny cup of cream cheese, ranch dressing, or hummus for dipping
apple slices with a tiny cup of hummus for dipping
"Ants on a Log" - celery sticks with cream cheese topped with raisins
a Fruit Smooshie by Fruitabu - like a fruit rollup, but actually 100% fruit and nothing you can't pronounce
Archers fruit leather are all fruit and available at Target
mini boxes of raisins
individual no-sugar-added applesauce cups - you can get them in mixed fruit and organic versions and the cups are recyclable or you can pack your own in a leak proof container
Banana chips
Soy beans (edamame)
Sliced cucumbers and celery with dip
Pickles

Dairy
a yogurt cup (kept cool with an ice pack)
Stonyfield Farms or Horizon yogurt tubes - no artificial colors and no refined sugar
a small can of drinking yogurt
cheese cubes with a fancy toothpick or cocktail fork for stabbing the cubes
cheese squares and crackers
string cheese or colby-jack cheese sticks
square sandwich cheese slices - they like to fold and break these into smaller shapes

Containers
For a great American-style bento box lunch system check out Laptop Lunches.
Wrap-N-Mat is a great idea for a sandwich wrapper and placemat in one. A great way to cut down on plastic bags.
There is a new style of airtight and leakproof plastic container available that is easy and fun for small hands to open and close. Lock & Lock and Snapware MODS are two versions found at Target. Both are freezer and dishwasher safe.
Kroger carries a small 8.5oz Rubbermaid "Litterless Juice Box" drink container with a flip top sipping spout that you can use instead of buying the more expensive juice boxes that squirt all over when the child squeezes. It comes with a straw to attach on the inside but if needed it can be replaced by cutting a piece from a disposable drinking straw. You can fill with the drink of your choice and even add a few ice cubes. Freezer and dishwasher safe.

Anxious to see other creative ideas.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

My kids will eat almost anything that is dipped in ranch dressing.

That's my son too. I'll almost always include vegetables with ranch dressing in my son's lunches. He's 13 and it is getting harder rather than easier to pack enough food for him, but he's adamant that he wants to take his lunch this year. He takes because he doesn't want to waste valuable socializing time waiting in line for lunch.

My kid is a weirdo who doesn't eat bread, so that makes it extra hard to pack for him. I usually send pasta salad, cubed cheese, rolled up lunch meat, his veggie of the day, and any leftovers I find that will fit in his lunch container thingy.

 

[Cantw8]

I once wrapped up a dog bone in alluminum foil and packed it in my son's lunch when he was little Of course there was other stuff in there too that he could eat, I was just trying to make him laugh

 

[Luv'sTink]

I always buy those gel things you freeze and put in lunch box's so I feel like I can send things that need to be kept cool, usually the drink.

You can freeze Go-Gurts (sp) and by the time they are ready to eat they should be thawed but still cold.

DS loves hogie type sandwiches for lunch.

 

[SC Minnie]

I bought DD one of the small thermos'. She will heat up beanie weenies or mac & cheese, soup, or whatever. The other day she took jambayla we had the night before.

When she was younger and I would pack her lunch I would put 1 Hershey Kiss in there every couple of days. It was small and just a little something to make her day.

 

[Northstar]

I like the concept of putting cool ideas in kids' lunch boxes! But I just don't seem to have any cool ideas, according to DD....

As for food, our best beyond-the-boring-usual is hummous or baba ghanoush in a little plastic reuseable, along with a whole wheat tortilla.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Leftover takeout was a big hit for me during HS(subs and pizza work great cold)

 

[mamacatnv]

My DD loves cold chicken legs (fried, baked or BBQ) in her lunch. I try and BBQ some at the beginning of the week or if I am pressed for time I will hit the deli and get some.

She also likes a salad kit. I put in a bowl or a paper plate and then all the fixins(lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatos, cheese, turkey, bacon bits, carrots, egg etc...) for a chefs salad and some ranch in a small container. She makes her salad - she really likes this one.

 

[hydster]

With 3 kids we've found some great things. I did buy my 3 kids the small thermos with the spoon *cannot remember the name of it and they are all at school today* but I digress

We've done fajitas
Pasta Salad with chunks of chicken
Fried Chicken
Beef Stew
Mac N Cheese
Hot Dogs
Crackers and meats
Apples with caramel
Spaghetti
Lazagna
Ramen
Chili
Red Beans and Rice
Cottage Cheese with Veggies
Chef or Caesar Salad

For stuff to send hot get a thermos and heat it really really hot before they leave. For cold you can just get a cold pack and pack it in with them just as they leave or freeze a juice box/capri sun packet!

 

[ang]

I once wrapped up a dog bone in alluminum foil and packed it in my son's lunch when he was little Of course there was other stuff in there too that he could eat, I was just trying to make him laugh

I had to reread the first line . I am going do this tomorrow...DS will get a kick out of this.

Use cream cheese with dill and spread it on celery.

When you do pasta salad what kind of dressing... I usually use Itailain...I am think using something else...maybe poppyseed or sweet and sour....

 

[ang]

Well, we started packing for our twins yesterday. Crazy, I feel like they were just babies....

The kids seem to like cream cheese and salami roll ups. Our school suggested things like using pancakes instead of bread, etc. We are also a peanut/treenut free school.

This is from our school's website:


Anxious to see other creative ideas.

Have a ????
do you mix herbs or something with the cream cheese?
Great ideas....
I saw a recipe for a roll up in the newspaper yesterday...DH took it to work ... Now I have looking on the internet...

 

[ang]

With 3 kids we've found some great things. I did buy my 3 kids the small thermos with the spoon *cannot remember the name of it and they are all at school today* but I digress

We've done fajitas
Pasta Salad with chunks of chicken
Fried Chicken
Beef Stew
Mac N Cheese
Hot Dogs
Crackers and meats
Apples with caramel
Spaghetti
Lazagna
Ramen
Chili
Red Beans and Rice
Cottage Cheese with Veggies
Chef or Caesar Salad

For stuff to send hot get a thermos and heat it really really hot before they leave. For cold you can just get a cold pack and pack it in with them just as they leave or freeze a juice box/capri sun packet!

apple and dip...do you slice apple first? Kids in our school not aloud to take any kind of knife....so you soak your apples in lemon or sprite or 7 up?

 

[MosMom]

DD like cold grilled cheese, frozen go-gurts, mini fruit waters, fruit with jello,

I have done a little tupperware thing of grilled chicken, cheese, and veggies with ranch dip and she loves that. I buy the Disney individually wrapped cheeses at Kroger.

 

[ang]

LOOKING​

FOR SOMETHING
NEW TO PACK
​

​

Remember, it doesn't have to be
a trusty sandwich to be good
nutrition. And it's no nutrition at all
if it isn't eaten. Try putting one of these
kid-friendly options in the lunch box.​

•​

​

BEAN BURRITO: ​

Spread fat-free refried beans on a
whole-grain tortilla, sprinkle with reduced-fat cheese, roll
up and serve with salsa.​

•​

​

BAGEL SANDWICH: ​

Top a small bagel with peanut
butter and banana slices.​

•​

​

LUNCH KEBABS: ​

Stack chunks of lean ham, turkey or
cheese with melon or cucumber on a wooden skewer.​

•​

​

WRAP SANDWICHES: ​

Low-fat lunch meats and a slice
of cheese with lots of veggies wrapped up in a
whole-wheat tortilla.​

•​

​

PITA POCKETS: ​

Fill a whole-wheat pita with lunch
meat, cheese, tuna or hummus and top with fresh
veggies.​

•​

​

SOUP LUNCH: ​

Send a thermos of soup or stew with
whole-grain crackers and fruit.​

•​

​

SALADS: ​

Toss lettuce, cut veggies, cubes of low-fat
meats or cheese, and low-fat dressing and serve with a
whole grain roll and fruit.​

•​

​

CEREAL AND MILK: ​

Pack a single serving of cereal, a
bowl and a spoon, and add milk at school. It's proteinand
vitamin-packed, and even the most finicky kids will
usually eat cereal.​

•​

​

PASTA SALAD: ​

Mix a cup of cooked pasta with veggies
and low-fat dressing and serve with breadsticks.​

•​

​

DIPS AND FINGER FOODS: ​

Pack cheese chunks and
whole-grain crackers, pita bread triangles or veggie sticks
with hummus, or refried beans with low-fat tortilla chips.​

•​

​

LEFTOVERS: ​

Pack a slice of cold cheese or veggie
pizza or a leftover chicken leg. If it gets eaten at home, it
probably will get eaten at school, too.
​

I found this in the newpapers....well, on the internet....​

​

​

 

[curlybop]

I'm in love with the Bento box idea. Many many cool ideas...some are just way too much work for the presentation, but it looks neat anyway.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bentoboxes/pool/

I've started packing DD's lunch in a locking box similar to a bento, and putting all sorts of little things in there. Today was a wrap cut in circles, chips, fruit skewers, and cheese cubes. She loves the variety.

 

[MosMom]

I wonder how she does the boiled shaped eggs. Those look really cute. The pig and the cow.

ETA: Nevermind. Found this: http://lunchinabox.net/2006/06/22/williams-sonoma-for-egg-molds/

She did little ice cream sandwiches in those molds too. Too cute!

 

[ang]

I'm in love with the Bento box idea. Many many cool ideas...some are just way too much work for the presentation, but it looks neat anyway.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bentoboxes/pool/

I've started packing DD's lunch in a locking box similar to a bento, and putting all sorts of little things in there. Today was a wrap cut in circles, chips, fruit skewers, and cheese cubes. She loves the variety.

OMG>>>the website is unbelivabe!! It put my lunches to shame....were do you get Bento box? Never heard of them...are they expensive???

Ok what is pkg morningstar farms crumbles? It is part of a recipe.