What is in your kid's lunch box?

[churchpilot]

I apologize if this has been asked before. It is my 7 year old's preference to take his lunch to school 4 out of 5 days. My 3 yo will be in MDO 3 days a week. Another year of PB&J and turkey sandwiches sounds depressing. What do you pack for your kids?

 

[JWollman]

Parents magazine this month had a little article about lunches.. and these cute little storage containers....with little compartments to store fruit/veggies and sandwhich or lunch meat.
I have had a hard time too. Lunch Meat Rollups, pasta salads, fruit, crackers and cheese and ham cut into squares. its hard to find appropriate things

 

[shane&jakesmom]

It's that time of year again huh. My youngest son will be starting kindergarten he is a very picky eater. He does not eat any kind of sandwich. I am going to give him things like yogurt and crackers. He does not eat cheese unless it's melted. Dry cereal, and pop tarts, basically nothing healthy except yogurt. I am wracking my brain of things to give him.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

well to start we have the soup like thermos' and the sandwich containers so generally anything I can put in these. Fortunately my dd is not a picky eater but the same thing can be boring.

mandarin oranges, mixed fruit, mixed tropical fruit, peaches, pineapple chuncks, apple slices, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, kiwi, avacado, asparagus, beets, pickles, salad, leftover pizza, ham, turkey, roast beef, tuna fish, chicken salad, bologna, spaghettio's, leftover hamburgers or turkey burgers, chicken nuggets, soup, pb&j crackers, her choice of chips cookies or fruit snack, leftovers depending on what it is as long as it is reasonable, as for drinks either she brings jiuce or tea in her thermos or she brings capri sun or honest kids drinks

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

I need ideas too!

My DD is allergic to peanuts, so PBJs are out for her. But I really don't know what to send either!

 

[december]

There are several threads on this-lots of great ideas.

My dd8 just got braces, and they have no choice at school, so she is taking her lunch most days (I paid for 2 days for the whole month of August). I bought her the Funtainers thermos and thermos bowl at Target (Hannah Montana), and some Hannah Montana plastic sandwich containers and bowls, too. She has taken/will take grits, chicken noodle soup, spaghetti, and rice in the thermos bowl (heat up that morning). She takes chocolate milk in her thermos. I've also sent/ will send quesadillas (melted cheese between 2 tortillas, cut into 4 pieces with pizza cutter) in foil, leftover chicken, turkey and cheese to roll up, or PB&J sandwich. With that I pack a frozen gogurt or pudding cup. She also gets a juice (just switched from Capri Sun to 100% juice) and snack cake for recess.

 

[PinkBudgie]

As a pre-k teacher I see lots of lunches. If you have a small child, please don't just drop a whole apple in the lunch box. It is hard for them to bite and most of the time they can't finish it anyway. Small slices are much better. Same for a whole orange. They can't peel it, so guess who gets that job? The teachers. Those little "Cuties" are the perfect size and are much easier to peel. Put only one cookie in. Some of these four year olds get 4 to 5 cookies! That's more than I would eat.

Try to get some protein in there somehow- chicken, turkey sand., peanut butter. It gives them energy that stays with them.

Popular items are cheese sticks, Go Gurt, cold chicken cut into small pieces, left over pizza slice, some sort of crackers for snack, sandwhiches. My boys like a turkey slice with cream cheese rolled up inside.

I always make the kids put unfinished items back into their lunch boxes so that the parents can see how much they ate. Ask your child not to throw away what he can't eat if your school doesn't or can't watch this. Tell them they will not get in trouble for not finishing you just want to see. With small children ask their teacher to remind them not to throw it way.

Anyway, those are some suggestions from a teacher's point of view. Hope that helps!

 

[proteus]

Usually leftovers from last night's dinner, though I sometimes make stuff fresh in the mornings. Foods like Szechwan chicken, fajitas, shrimp etoufee (her new favorite), oven crisp chicken, etc. I used to know zero about cooking but had to teach myself after I became a single Dad, now I really enjoy it.

 

[JUJU814]

My little ones go to a Montessori school and they are very strict about what we can send for lunch..to the point that it's difficult!

My youngest LOVES soup so I'll make a pot of soup with all sorts of stuff in it and I got one of those campbell soup thermos bowls. I'll send her soup, rolled up pieces of ham or turkey (she doesn't want the bread), fruit, fruit cups, gogurt squeeze yogurt, danimals, motts for tots juice boxes, cheese sticks, carrot sticks.

They are absolutely NOT allowed (by the school) to bring ANY cookies, cakes, brownies, sweets of any kind, crackers etc. They don't even like the juice boxes but I said tough, ya gotta give somewhere!

I think the yummy soup is what she loves the most.

OH! also, sometimes I put hot macaroni and cheese in those bowls.

Julie

 

[CastleCreations]

When we went to meet the teacher day, there were school employees handing out CANDY at 9am to the kids...I was like, WHAT!!! ARE YOU NUTS???? I don't allow them to eat candy unless it's Halloween, or a special occasion, and that just floored me, to see the little ones eating M&M's at 9am...great way to start the year...

 

[momtomatthew]

I HATE packing lunch- I get in such a rut. I try to send him new and fun things. I like to send cheese and grape (or banana) kebobs on plastic cocktail stirrers. He gets a kick out of those. I also found a new magazine on newsstands- Fun Food (it has the people on the front) and there are some cute ideas in there- PB&J biscuit cups, corn dog muffins, etc.

I also saw the neat containers in Parents magazine- Target has similar things for MUCH less!

 

[MJAJmom]

We have a fairly limited lunch selection for my boys. PBJ or chicken nuggets are the main item. Then a fruit/cheese (grapes, watermelon, apples, raisons, mand orange slices, or banana). Then some dry snack (crackers, dry cereal, cheetos, teddie graham, or goldfish). No dessert or candies.

Occasionally I'll throw in an applesauce cup or yogart cup. They seem very happy with the same boring lunches every day, and they eat it fairly well

 

[jennifer293]

Today DD is having Ravioli O's in her thermos, a capri sun and Jello butterscotch pudding.

Tomorrow will be a PB, J, and banana sandwich, cut up apples and cheese cubes, and a capri sun.

Haven't thought about the rest of the week..LOL

 

[wifey1220]

Do the thermoses really work??
My son has wanted to take milk and spaghetti to school but I wasn't sure if a thermos would really keep his food warm or cold for 4hrs. Have they worked for you? Also they only ones I found cost $10, and my son has a habit of running to recess and throwing everything away instead of putting it in is bookbag before he goes out to play. Last year I used the glad containers so the loss wasn't I alot of money.
Any ideas??

 

[shane&jakesmom]

Usually leftovers from last night's dinner, though I sometimes make stuff fresh in the mornings. Foods like Szechwan chicken, fajitas, shrimp etoufee (her new favorite), oven crisp chicken, etc. I used to know zero about cooking but had to teach myself after I became a single Dad, now I really enjoy it.

Good for you, I think it is great that you took up cooking. You sure do make some good food.

 

[disneygal2007]

Do the thermoses really work??
My son has wanted to take milk and spaghetti to school but I wasn't sure if a thermos would really keep his food warm or cold for 4hrs. Have they worked for you? Also they only ones I found cost $10, and my son has a habit of running to recess and throwing everything away instead of putting it in is bookbag before he goes out to play. Last year I used the glad containers so the loss wasn't I alot of money.
Any ideas??

I to want to know this. It would be really good for the winter months.