What do you pack your children for lunch need help!!!

[jamimb]

My children are sick of PB&J and I need some lunch ideas pronto!! Here is my problem though. How do you keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. I have purchased a nice thermos for them both but they say by the time lunch rolls around its stone cold.They leave the house around 7 and have lunch around 12. I dont like putting things in their lunch boxes that need to stay cold unless I can actually keep them cold. (I have food safety issues ) anyway some ideas would be appreciated!!!!

 

[Creativebeth]

I always 'pre-heat' their thermos with boiling water before putting their hot lunch in there. My kids say that the stuff is comfortably warm by lunch time.

Try some wraps.....ham and cheese wraps, cut them in pieces and they are swirly. They can eat them easily. You can make your own 'lunchable' with meat, cheese and crackers. Soup always works for some too.

Beth

 

[clh2]

When you use the thermos, do you preheat it with boiling hot water? That makes a big difference in hot foods keeping hot, or at least warm. Also - do you just have the thermos's that come with the lunchbox, or do you have an actual thermos? I have found that this makes a big difference too.

Occasionally, my DD likes chicken noodle soup in a thermos.

My DD currently takes hot lunch most days, as she really likes the school salad bar. So I don't pack too many lunches.

When she did take cold lunches, I would always pack in an ice pack to keep things cool.

 

[Rachie0507]

When you use the thermos, do you preheat it with boiling hot water? That makes a big difference in hot foods keeping hot, or at least warm. Also - do you just have the thermos's that come with the lunchbox, or do you have an actual thermos? I have found that this makes a big difference too.

Occasionally, my DD likes chicken noodle soup in a thermos.

My DD currently takes hot lunch most days, as she really likes the school salad bar. So I don't pack too many lunches.

When she did take cold lunches, I would always pack in an ice pack to keep things cool.

I agree about pre-heating the thermos. I bought a nice junior size thermos for DS from the thermos website at the beginning of the school year. I don't use boiling water anymore because he complained that his spaghetti-o's were too hot and he couldn't eat them! Now I just warm it up with hot tap water. I send soup, spaghetti-o's, or hot (boiled) baby carrots in that with him. You could put just about anything in it though, not just liquids.

My DD is tough to pack lunches for--she doesn't eat meat or soups I send cheese wraps, sliced peppers, fruit and yogurt. Sometimes I feel like we get stuck in a rut, but I try add variety to both of their lunches. Otherwise, I find they are bringing more and more home at the end of the day.

 

[jamimb]

I do always preheat the thermos before filling it and it is a thermos brand food storage thing but they still both say its cold. I just thought someone had some really great ideas about lunches I am totally at a loss and need your great ideas!!!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

My DS took either a turkey sandwich or fluffernutter everyday for 12 years of school. He never wanted to branch out.

DD wouldn't eat sandwiches so lots of veggie sticks, cheese, crackers, etc until she started to buy lunch.

 

[MareQ]

I used a Stainless Steel Thermos for my son when he was on Gluten Free diet and every day he had a hot lunch and it was still warm by lunch time. I used an insulated lunch bag so not sure if that made any difference. I also did not pack a cold drink in there- I sent in money for milk.

Now the kids are off that diet so they buy every day - thank goodness - lol

 

[MosMom]

I do a lot of leftovers. We had beef vegetable soup tonight so tomorrow I will put the soup in her thermos, crackers, peaches, bottle of water with drink packet, and some yogurt cranberries.

 

[aprilgail2]

I stick an ice pack in her lunch box to keep her drinks and yogurt cool. My daughter goes in cycles. Since the first day of school this year she has taken either peanut butter on ritz crackers or peanut butter on saltines. There is ALWAYS something peanut butter in there. This week she is switching to Trix yogurt. All of 1st grade she took that yogurt with the oreo pieces on top. She is VERY boring to pack lunch for!

 

[momof2inPA]

Get a new thermos. My son's thermos food stays warm until he comes home at the end of the day. I think I bought it at Target.

My kids take food with ice packs, constantly, and neither has ever gotten sick. One takes bagels with cream cheese, cottage cheese, and pudding all the time.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

3 kids with 3 very different likes

10 y/o dd she is a vegetarian yougurt or pb&j with fresh fruit and a drink

8 y/o dd salad( those salad holders that keep the dressing) or italian salami & a cheese bar with crackers fruit & drink

6 y/o ds (cannot have pb because of his classroom allergies) so he takes either a yogurt or turkey or a bagel, fruit and drink

My kids will only buy on breakfast day or dominoes day which are not often enough for me. I hate making lunches.

 

[CEDmom]

I pack a lot of stuff in DD8's thermos. While I'm heating the food I fill the thermos with boiling water to heat that up. She takes soup and lots of different leftovers (pasta, periogies, pot roast, lo mein, mashed potatoes). I even sent scrambled eggs in it and she said they were good.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If it is "stone cold" you need a new Thermos. Something isn't right there.

DD brings soup in her Thermos, turkey sandwich in which I use these ice pack things, or PB.

 

[becka]

I sometimes pack leftovers in a thermos for DS - he likes pasta in particular and he has never complained about it being too cold.

I use an insulated bag and put an ice pack in his lunch box each day so I don't have to worry about cold stuff staying cold. Most days DS either takes a peanut butter sandwich or a bagel with non-dairy cream cheese (due to allergies). He always takes a 100% juice capri sun. I usually try to include at least one fruit. He also rotates through taking items like yogurt, crackers, fruit roll ups, chips, etc..

 

[hlbtimes2]

To keep cold foods cold I freeze capri sun and use them as an "ice pack" and use an insulated lunch bag. The juice thaws enough by lunch time, and it keeps other items cold enough. My 9 year old LOVES tuna sandwiches and would eat them every day if I let her. She also loves the little tuna or chicken salad and cracker snack packs (they dont need to be cold).

 

[BabyPiglet]

Just stick an ice pack in there and the things will be fine.

Don't have kids, but I used to take a sandwich, chips and a cookie almost every single day for lunch. I was so bored.

I say, buy a new thermos cause it sounds like your's isn't working right.

 

[spalady]

Some different stuff my DD's like are bagel with cream cheese, chips and salsa, and cheese and pepperoni. Thats all I can think of right now.

 

[OlderMan]

I didn't see how old your kids are....

My DD's--9 & (almost) 11--make their own lunches. Sometimes they even make their mother's.

If their lunch is too cold or too warm, they can't complain if they made it and packed it themselves.

 

[HollyJoy]

I have a bowl like Campbell's soup thermos that I send Spaghetti O's in.. I'll heat the SO's for 3 min in the microwave, then put them in the thermos. DD says they are the perfect temperature to eat by lunchtime. I also freeze Capri Sun drinks, and they are thawed by the time lunch rolls around. I also try to keep a variety of Lunchables in the fridge for something different now and then.. but we also do Turkey Sandwiches, and try to change up the bread from reg. slices to rolls, bagels, or croissants.

 

[JVL1018]

In my daughter's Thermos(I also pre heat with boiling water for 10 minutes and leftover food is still very slightly warm at the end of the day even though she's had it open while eating lunch-I agree, get a new Thermos) I pack soup or mac and cheese.

She gets a snack and lunch. Her lunch box has 2 sections, one is always the "cold" section. I have a little ice pack and it keeps her juice and/or dairy cool.

Typical days:
Snack: almost always yogurt or granola bar or cheese stick or fruit cup

Lunch:ham and cheese rolled up(no bread) or PB&J or cream cheese on mini bagel or cheddar & monterey jack cheese, sliced, along with Ritz crackers.. mac & cheese...soup..leftover pasta..

along with usually a fruit cup, if she didn;t have ti for snack and a dessert like a couple of cookies or a brownie.