What do you pack for your kids' lunches? Post your ideas here!

[mjantz]

I have to throw in another vote for the metal thermoses. Thermos makes 'Funtainers' that have everything from soccer balls to Batman to Bratz. They make a bottle with a straw for drinks, a wide-mouth jar for soups & such & a small 'Snak Jar' that's suppose to be for cold foods only (its non-microwaveable). My kids each have the straw Funtainers & they keep drinks cold very well. We took them to an outdoor family reunion (TX in August) & they kept their water cold.
I've had no problems with keeping food hot a/o cold. Keep in mind that with staggered lunch times, lunch can be as early as 11am & as late as 1pm. I usually pack the night before & put the lunchbox in the fridge. DH puts a cold pack in them in the AM (He takes the kids to school). I do try & cluster the hot & cold stuff so the cold pack is touching as many of the cold things as possible.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

I'm curious about this too. I'd love to find one in Epcot. If no one seems to know, I'll make sure I check when we're down later this month!

Leaving on Friday, back on Tuesday. I'll check while I'm there as I need a new sushi set anyway. LOVE that store!

Those boxes look terrific!

 

[AMaloy314]

I also boil water and 'preheat' a Thermos before filling it with hot food for DS's lunches. He likes Pizza Rolls, mac and cheese, and toaster waffles cut into pieces. (I send maple syrup in a small round gladware container for dipping). He also enjoys the "munchable days", when I send Ritz type crackers, pepperoni, cheese, and lunch meats cut into circles. I've made peanut butter wraps as a change-up from the regular peanut butter sandwiches.

I used someone else's idea of reusing the plastic milk bottles from fast food restaurants. DS prefers water to drink with his lunch, so I freeze about 1 inch of water in the bottom of the bottle then just fill it up in the morning before he leaves. I was freezing the full bottle, but he said that it was still almost all ice and he didn't get enough to drink at lunch time. I like the bottles that are bell shaped best....I think they come from McDonalds, but I could be wrong. The iced bottles also work great as a cold pack to keep the cold foods cold.

I'm intrigued with the laptop lunches and bento boxes, but am not sure how you are keeping things hot and cold in these. Can anyone enlighten me?

I'm also wondering how you keep the fruit slices from turning brown in the lunch boxes. I tried sprinkling slices with a little lemon juice, but DS said it made apples taste funny.

Another thing, how do the smaller children eat soup out of the thermos? Maybe it is because DS is only in kindergarten, but he can't seem to get it out using a regular spoon. Even the wide mouth doesn't seem wide enough for him to use it like a bowl. (I just know I'm going to cringe with embarrassment when I find out the simple thing I'm not getting)

Thanks!

 

[pezheadmeg]

I buy the pre-sliced individually packed apples. Cool Cuts and Chiquita both make them.

Ok, I don't pack for kids, but I do brown bag myself everyday. And most days I have a schoolish lunch. In a typical week I'll take Turkey Burgers sliced up cold with peppers or cucumbers; Peanut Butter on a whole wheat wrap; Cherry Tomatos with sliced chicken tenders; Cereal with milk on the side.

As for keeping things cold, I typically pop in both an ice pack and a cold can of soda. After the insulated bag is zipped up, most things stay perfectly cold. I am the wierd type that will eat almost anything cold, but when I was younger I used to take spagehtii-o's or a chef boy-ar-dee at least once a week in a thermos. The thermos just wouldn't go in the insulated bag with the cold pack.

 

[bethie]

My 8yo is a 1/2 sandwich woman-usually PBJ. She really loves string cheese, yogurt, and peanut butter crackers. I don't get too creative because she won't eat it. She likes fruit juice or little bottles of water, which frozen helps keep her food cool. I wish I could get her to eat a bigger variety of foods, but she is getting better. I loved all the great ideas!

 

[jwann]

I haven't read thru' the whole thread (I will tho'!) so forgive me if this has already been posted -
I freeze Gogurts and put them in my kids lunch bags. They keep things cold and thaw before lunch.

 

[MinnieMom]

My 6 yo dd is pretty picky too! She usually will have a 1/2 PB and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread or on a wrap. Sometimes she'll take in just chipped deli ham with cheese - she won't eat it on a sandwich! PB&J once in a while, but not too often. She loves wraps with just tomatoes, lettuce and cheese, but the tomatoes make everything soggy so she started eating "wrap salads" since it's too difficult for her to wrap them herself. We'll tear up the wrap and add the lettuce and cheese in a bowl and put the tomatoes in a separate bowl so she can just add them at lunch.

For her "side/snack" items we'll do Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers, yogurt, organic cereal bars, veggies with dip - something like that.

I'd love to find something else for her, but I want to keep it as nutritious as possible and with her being picky, packing her lunch becomes quite the challenge!

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I'm also wondering how you keep the fruit slices from turning brown in the lunch boxes. I tried sprinkling slices with a little lemon juice, but DS said it made apples taste funny.

Thanks!

You can toss the slices with citrus soda like Sprite, 7 Up, etc. for the same effect with less bite.

Thank all of you for your inventive lunch ideas- I'll be using them myself for DH and I!

 

[TEXASPRINCESSES]

keep the ideas coming!!!!

 

[Befferk]

If you want truly healthy alternatives, check out this site: http://www.yumyumsnacks.com/index.html

I buy most of my son's snacks from here

His favorites (mine too) are the Clodhoppers, Cheddar Cheese Crackers, Pirate's Booty , Toaster Pastries (Pop Tarts), and Sundrops.

Beth

 

[DreamDelta]

bump

 

[DawnM]

These are all awesome ideas. I am going to come back to this thread over and over I can tell.

Keep 'em coming!

Dawn

 

[RichNKatHolly]

Sorry that I don't remember who asked the question, but there were no Bento boxes for sale in Japan at Epcot. They did have kiddie chopsticks though - we just had to buy some ($2.50 a pair)!

 

[Piffle]

Thanks for letting me know! I will try to track down one of the very cool ones on ebay.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

Thanks for letting me know! I will try to track down one of the very cool ones on ebay.

Me too! I think this is the route we will be taking for next year. Looks like a very efficient way to pack lunches!

 

[elan]

You can toss the slices with citrus soda like Sprite, 7 Up, etc. for the same effect with less bite.

I'm going to try this! My kids LOVE sliced apples.

Mine like chips/salsa too.

The thermos is my best lunch buddy. We put pizza rolls, cheese sticks, spagetti-o's and chicken soup in them.

 

[Denise54]

Usually my kids and hubby get a lunchmeat (turkey) whole grain sandwich with romaine lettuce or spinach; celery and carrots or coleslaw; an apple, banana or kiwi; and a couple homemade wholegrain cookies if any are on hand. I sometimes include some homemade lemonade or some orange juice.

My teenage boys run from 9 to 16 miles daily, and on cross-country race days they ask for a PB & honey wholegrain sandwich for lunch. I've heard that rye increases endurance, and sometimes use pumpernickel (dark rye) bread for sandwiches. Since they have after-school activities, I'll put cheese sticks, extra fruit, or wholegrain muffins in their lunchboxes just in case they need something to snack on before they get home.

I try to get as much "real" food into my kids as I can. Junk food costs more, undermines our children's health, and promotes cavities. For strong immune systems, we eat a lot of onions and garlic. For strong bones, we eat celery, and for eyes, we eat a lot of carrots. We are rarely sick and hardly ever get cavities, so all these things pay off in the end.

I have also learned that eating very nutritious food not only helps our children get good grades, but also helps them to get along well with others and have more easygoing, pleasant personalities.

I was an exchange student in Japan 30+ years ago, and recall my Japanese mother boiling a glass bottle of milk to put in the lunchbox before I left, then by the time lunch rolled around it was lukewarm to the taste but still safe to drink. She also made balls of sticky rice with seaweed wrapped around them and something red in the middle. It looked strange but tasted good to me.