how about cold lunch ideas?

[lnitti]

How about a thread for lunch ideas that don't require kids to reheat food?

I feel like I am at a loss with ideas. It doesn't help that 1 of my kids is super picky and the other has allergies!

[mom2ponygirl]

I need help with this as well!

[Alyantavid]

There was a huge thread about this awhile back that I was looking for yesterday but couldn't find it. My kid has some issues with dairy so he doesn't get much of that.

My list so far:
pb&j
ham sandwich
bagel and salami sandwich
crackers, cream cheese and salami
crackers and ham
hard boiled eggs
any leftovers

[JD5351]

When I was in school, my grandma would pack my lunches.

Usually had:

A ham sandwich--She would toast the bread..It would be cold by the time I got to lunch, but it wouldn't be soggy.

Pretzels or cheese crackers...Or some other type of "snacky" food.

Something sweet-like pudding or yogurt.

And a drink...It was normally a juice box...She would freeze them and stick them in my lunch box in the morning. It kept everything in the box cold, but would melt enough by lunch to drink it, but it wouldn't be warm. (Sometimes it would stay a little frozen in the bottom and I'd eat it with a spoon like a slushie..)

[octobermom]

We only do cold lunches.. they include our most standard
1) sandwhich
2) fruit or cut veggies
3) chips/crackers/cookies (one choice)
4) juice or milk or water
not much thought most most well recieved

others
homemade "lunchable" cut cheese deli meats crackers side of ussally grapes a cookie and ice water

Salad green with cut raw veggies and cold buttered rolls and a cheese stick ussally strawberry milk or regular white with this combo
these are are most accepted and packed lunches

As a treat I'll do occasional thermos of mac N cheese its still hot when she eats it..

Deanna

[greenmom4]

Here is my list, not really complete meals, but just components of meals, if that makes sense:

Fruit leather
Ants on a log
Cheese and crackers/peanut butter crackers
Pasta salads
Applesauce
Yogurt
Chicken nuggets (he'll eat them cold)
Veggies and dip
Fruit and dip
Pickles
Mini meatballs (he'll eat them cold)
Beans and tortilla
Quesadillas
Muffins/scones, etc
Crispy nuts and seeds
Granola
Quiche
Sandwiches - we're not really sandwich people, but occasionally we'll eat them
Popcorn
Olives

I'm hoping we can make extra for dinner and use the leftovers for lunch. There's a lot of stuff he'll eat cold or hot. And I probably will get one of those wide mouth thermoses so he can bring soup and mashed potatoes and stuff, too.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

We send non-reheat lunches as well. The kid's favorite are actually a couple of things that work in a wide-mouthed thermos though. They are especially happy if there is leftover pasta from the night before. I warm thermos with boiling water, heat spaghetti, pour out water, add spagetti and then seal it up. It is still plenty warm by lunchtime. They also like soup, mac & cheese and potstickers this way.

For truly cold lunches they tend to get an entree, a "crunchy" (like chips/pretzels etc)., a fruit or finger veggies and a treat. Our school provides OJ or milk and doesn't allow candy or sodas.

For entrees we rotate between:
PB & J or SunButter & Jelly (1 child is in a nut-free classroom)
Ham sandwich (kids prefer ranch dip to mayo or mustard on their meat sandwiches)
Turkey sandwich
Cheese, salami, crackers in a lunchable-like arrangement

Interestingly enough, they like more veggies in their sandwich if its a wrap than flat. If its a regular sandwich they just want meat and cheese. If its a wrap I can add shredded lettuce and carrots. DD also likes sliced cucumbers on her sandwich.

For treats I use:
Fruit leather
Cookies
Jellor or pudding
Muffin

[spottiew]

Pita chips and hummus is our fav. Also not mentioned yet is cold pizza.

[mommy68]

When my DD was in kindergarten she would occasionally want to take something that needed to be heated so I bought a little insulated container/bowl thing at Target that had a spoon with it. I simply heated the food at home for her that morning and put it in the container, and her food would still be warm come lunch time. She didn't use it often but it worked very well.

[Valval]

We pack tuna salad and crackers (just tuna and mayo)
Anything seems to be better rolled up in a tortilla, especially ham, cream cheese and a dill pickle.
PB and a banana half rolls well also
Cold bean salads with vinegar
Nut butter on those little frozen french toast waffle things that come four to a piece. Toast them up and one piece makes two cute little sandwiches.
We do the previously mentioned homemade lunchable a lot also.

[Qbear'smama]

I'm surprised how many people have mentioned items that contain peanut butter; is DD's school the only one that is rabidly nut-free? Maybe it's a Canadian thing, her daycares were also very strict about it...

I like to do a veggie platter (cherry tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, whatever) with a few rolled up cold cuts. I include dip (spinach, ceasar, or ranch, etc) a little container inside the larger container holding the veggies. This has been rather popular. DD likes to eat the meat out of sandwiches and leave the bread, so I figure why bother including bread? I would like to try wraps, that might work.

Snacks are those already mentioned, also a container of fruit (strawberries, grapes, sliced up melon) that usually gets eaten.

Good ideas here, I'm liking this thread!

[karne]

My older child really likes cold stuffed grape leaves, which I buy packaged. I can also get california rolls and send those with a dipping sauce. The trick is to make sure I have a well insulated bag, and good freezer packs. These go well with a salad, or even sliced cukes and dressing. I often make mini muffins, so I'll send those and a fruit salad or apple.

[JacqNS]

In addition to what has already been mentioned, typical lunches around here include:

-pinwheel sandwiches (sandwich filling spread onto a tortilla, rolled up and sliced into smaller pieces. As fillings we often use nut butter and jelly or lunch meat and cheese)
-regular sandwiches cut into interesting shapes using cookie cutters (for younger children)
-cold chicken or veggie kabobs (with the sharp ends cut off for safety)
-cold grilled chicken sandwich or wrap
-hard boiled eggs
-garden salad (I pack the dressing in a separate container)
-Avocado Salad (cubed avocado, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and red onion in a salad dressing)
-homemade chicken tenders with dip (DD likes these cold)
-pasta salad
-if you want to pack something that needs to be eaten warm, you could heat it up in the morning and pack it in a thermos. We sometimes do this with soup, chili, etc. and it keeps warm until lunch time

For snacks, we often pack:

-Nut Thins with Spinach Artichoke Hummus
-Fresh Fruit
-Apple Cinnamon Rice Cakes
-Vegetables with dip
-Homemade fruit salad (mostly banana, strawberries, pineapple, and grapes)
-Carrot Sticks with Dip ( salad dressing or yogurt type dips)
-Corn chips with different kind of dips (black bean or refried bean usually)
-Raisins
-Cheese and crackers
-Pita bread with hummus
-dried fruit (but not too much at one time or loose stools will follow!)
-Pretzel sticks with PB
-Strips of red bell pepper, pea pods or carrots with some kind of dip
-Yogurt with cut up fruit in it

Hope that helps!

[octobermom]

I'm surprised how many people have mentioned items that contain peanut butter; is DD's school the only one that is rabidly nut-free? Maybe it's a Canadian thing, her daycares were also very strict about it...

No nut restrictions ot my dd school. Really no food restrictions at all candy and soda are discuraged and of course the school doesn't provide but if a parent sends it than they still allow it.

deanna

[JustClay]

More school lunch ideas

For the protein portion of school lunches....

PB & J
PB & Apples
PB with Waffles
Ants on a log -- with either pb or cream cheese on a celery stick, with raisins on top

Yogurt WITH crunchy granola cereal to pour in
Yogurt smoothies

Cottage cheese drizzled with honey & fresh fruit

Ham or Roast Beef Sandwiches

Almonds
Peanuts

Cream cheese & Pretzels or Bagels
Cream cheese & pickles on crackers

Humus with Crackers or Pretzels

Cheese & Crackers

Tuna with Crackers
Tuna sandwich
Beef Jerky

Chef Salad with boiled eggs & bacon

Chicken nuggets on salad with a couple crackers

Cold Pizza
Cold grilled cheese

Carrots / Celery / Broccoli to dip into Ranch dressing made with plain yogurt

Soup in a thermos with goldfish or crackers
Chili in a thermos with goldfish or crackers
Chicken with rice in a thermos
BBQ chicken with rice in a thermos

Bosco stick (bread stick filled with moz. cheese), cut up into pieces in thermos with marinara sauce to dip into

Left over spaghetti in thermos
Left over mac-n-cheese with steamed broccoli in a thermos
Pretty much ANY left over pasta in a thermos

And I ALWAYS add fresh fruit and or fresh veggies to EVERY lunch.

A little different: Frozen grapes, blueberries, etc., and frozen Gogurts are fun to eat (although I think you lose some of the nutritional value --the 'good' bacteria-- when you freeze it).

It's worth noting that kids' tastes WILL change as they are exposed to more and more foods. Our children MUST take at least one bite of food they dislike when we are serving it for dinner, (and the earlier this starts the easier it is), or there is a consequence. Amazingly, they learn to like things that they previously turned their nose up to.

[JustClay]

Oh, and I think the trend will be heading toward peanut-free lunches in schools, as the pb allergy is becoming more common and more severe/life-threatening, but there are plenty of options to peanut butter for those of us who do not want to put our friends with allergies at risk.

[RainbowTurtle]

Another Canadian here and there is a nut restriction at DD's school. The other restriction (which I ) is that both the morning and afternoon snacks must be fruit or veggies.

[rabrog]

Our schools aren't peanut free (thank goodness). I'm sure there are peanut free tables in the lunchrooms, though.

Jenn

[Bekka]

Our school isn't peanut free, but both my dd's have asked that their lunches be peanut free or they can't sit by their friends, who happen to have peanut allergies.

I just wanted to add an old and recently remembered favorite:

chicken biscuit cups: take biscuit dough of your choice, press each round into muffin tin cups, fill with shredded chicken and plain yogurt/melty cream cheese, and top with shredded cheese. Bake for around 20 or 30 minutes--can't remember. I'm planning on making a double batch and freezing so they can take them often.

Also, salmon patties are very popular, cold shrimp, etc.

[evermore82]

We are a vegetarian family, and DD's school is peanut free, and we are in the US. I guess there are some children in the school who cannot get anywhere near peanuts. Soda is also strictly forbidden, thank goodness!

DD's favorite cold lunches are:

-Veggie sushi or anything in a nori wrap
-Hummus in mini-pitas
-Mexican bean dip or guacamole and salsa with corn chips
-Leftover pizza
-Veggie sub sandwiches with cheese and mustard
-Fruit and yogurt smoothie (in a thermos) with granola or a muffin
-Greek or taco salad and bread sticks/garlic bread

I always pack a side of fruit and occasionally a piece of chocolate or a mini muffin, and ice water to drink, her preference.