We are in a school packed lunches RUT! -plz help

[samy23]

So my dd always has the same old thing for school lunches, -ham sandwiches or jam sandwiches. plus a carton of fruit juice.

She has started complaining she's sick of the same thing, but I don't know what else to give her.

She is dairy free, egg free, nut free....so boiled eggs are out -which I see a lot of people here having, as are handfuls of nuts.

She has soy yoghurts at home, but only likes them when they are really cold from the fridge, so I can't put them in her lunch box as by the time it's lunch time at school, they will have warmed up.

She has fruit as a snack during the morning at school, so she's reluctant to be having fruit again at lunch time.

The school don't allow the children to take in anything unhealthy for lunch such as candy, chocolate, chips, biscuits, or cakes. So they are all out, even if I make my own healthy cakes.

Granola bars she doesn't like, but I could try making some myself with different flavors maybe?

Cut up veggies she says "go all dry" like cucumber, carrots and tomatoes. I could give her whole baby tomatoes, but she bites into them and the juice goes everywhere on her clothes...

What else is there? Should I just be trying to mix up her sandwiches? Like do different fillings instead of the same cold meat and sauce/pickle? and maybe different breads? I do give her wholewheat roles instead of the bread sometimes...but things like baquettes and wraps I can only seem to find made of white flour not whole wheat.

She mentioned a friend takes a cold hot dog...(Ew) but she might like that since she does like cold sausages.

Plz any ideas? (nothing with dairy, egg or nuts)

[writteninkursive]

Oh the challenges.

I would switch up the bread. Instead of ham or jam on just a plain sandwich, put it on a wrap or pita. My kids love this and think it's a total treat, but it's really simple and actually cheaper since the flour tortilla wraps are like $2 for 20 of them at the store.

For the yogurt, freeze it! Put it in the freezer the night before, pull it out and pop it in the lunchbox and it should be thawed by lunch time.

With cut-up veggies, if you put them in a ziploc baggie with a little water in it, the veggies will absorb the water throughout the morning and should still be juicy for lunchtime.

Have you tried giving her unusual fruits that she doesn't typically eat? My daughters are so into apples, oranges, and bananas. So to mix it up, I give them kiwi or pineapple on occasion and they get really excited about it.

Could you maybe try a thermos of soup? (I'm not sure what you're school allows, so just guessing here).

For drinking, you could always give her rice milk or almond milk (she probably drinks those at home, right, since she doesn't eat dairy?).

There's a lot of options since she eats meat (mine don't and it creates a whole host of issues with food). Good luck!

[Alyantavid]

I try to switch up sandwich stuff too. My son has never been a huge fan of pb&J until he tried it on a toasted english muffin.

You could try new veggies and fruits at home and see if there's something she likes.

Leftovers in a thermos?

For all that my kid willl eat at home, he's perfectly happy with the same 2 lunches all year long. I think I'm more relieved than he is that today is his last day and a big part of that is that I'm so tired of packing his lunch!

[ammiga]

Here are some things dd's really enjoying lately that meet your requirements:

Pita triangles and hummus
Veggie wraps
Mini burger patties with dips (mustard, ketchup, etc.)
Rissoto cakes
Pasta salads (made with brown rice pasta and veggies)
Cut up fruit (I don't think she can eat too much)
Mini bean burritos (in a thermos to stay warm) and salsa/sour cream for dipping
Taquitos (homemade with chicken/beef/black beans)
Stir-fried chicken and veggies (in a thermos)
Grilled cheese with avocado
Oven baked chicken fingers
Rotisserie chicken salad with crackers
Leftovers from dinner

ETA: Whole Foods sells a whole wheat and organic tortilla, 6 in the bag for under $2. I think Trader Joe's also sells a whole wheat tortilla, but I think it's not organic.

[samy23]

Thanks for the ideas so far, can I ask what different sandwich fillings you use?

[kavamamakava]

My kids like things wrapped in tortillas too. You can put almost anything in a tortilla and roll it up. This probably isn't something most other kids like, but mine even like it if I put lentils, rice, and vegetables in a wrap.
Thing they like:
pasta salad, chickpea salad (in a sandwich or in a small container), fresh strawberries, tangerines, pineapple chunks, apple sauce, pretzel sticks, rice crackers, homemade mini cinnamon buns, cheese sandwich made with vegenaise (no eggs), a bag with a mix of their fav dry creal like gorilla munch mixed with annie's fruity bunnies, quesadillas, bean and cheese burritos...

[velochic]

You mentioned no nuts, so I'm assuming that's tree nuts. What about legumes (peanuts, navy beans, green beans, chickpeas, black beans, red beans, etc.)? I know a peanut allergy doesn't necessarily include all legumes, but the two friends that dd has with peanut allergy are also allergic to all legumes, so this will not work if there is a legume and tree nut allergy.

If not, I'd explore different things you can do with peanuts, soy nuts, black beans, navy beans, chickpeas and other legumes. There are a lot of very tasty bean spreads that are great for sandwiches or dips. They are particularly good with vegetables that "go dry". Dd loves to dip various veggies into them. If you google for legume recipes, you'll find a ton of different creative things you can do with them. Add some rice and you've got a complete meal.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else that others haven't already mentioned.

[neptunemama]

My girls prefer hot lunches, so I give them something in a thermos almost every day. This is their main meal, and sides like fruit, veggies get sent in smaller containers.

1. pasta with marinara, or olive oil and white beans
2. quinoa (red or gold) with edamame, peas and olive oil, oh and salt
3. homemade or Amy's soup if I'm in a hurry
4. whole or refried beans, then in smaller containers I send cheese, salsa, chips to add to, and or eat with the beans
5. warmed up cannellini beans w/olive oil and salt
6. warmed up garbanzo beans w/olive oil, salt and thyme
7. red gingered lentils

[Katielady]

I used to love zucchini bread with cream cheese in my lunches, and it's a way to get around the "no cake" thing, since it's called bread, but really it's more cake-like. So maybe healthy zuke (or carrot, banana, etc.) bread with a tofu cream cheese?

Thanks for starting the thread, as I'm looking for new ideas too. Not veg*n, but my son has a dairy allergy, the school is nut free, and he only likes very limited types of meat anyway.

[Teensy]

Laptop Lunches website has some good ideas.

I have also checked out books from my library on lunch box ideas. Perhaps you could get a few books for your DD and ask her to make a list of meals she would like packed. The ideas were usually too veggie heavy to appeal to my two boys.

We tend to get in a rut too. Here are the things I pack for the boys. Some are things the OP's DD can't eat, but I am listing them for any other viewers.

Meat cut in cubes - ham, turkey, chicken, etc. (I ask deli to slice very thick)
Cheeses - various sorts (Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Swiss, Colby) - in slices, cubes, or sticks
Crackers - Triscuits, Wheat Thins
Thermos of soup - Tomato, Chicken noodle, Vegetable
Thermos of chili or spaghetti (tried mac-n-cheese, but they said it got too dried out)
Tortilla roll-ups with meat and cheese (often roast beef)
Fresh fruit - strawberries, blueberries, cantaloup, banana, pineapple, grapes, apple slices
Applesauce
Yoghurt
Canned fruits - oranges, pears, peaches
Dried cereal (they either eat dry or buy milk to pour over - I pack in Rubbermaid bowl)
Sushi
Chicken strips (with catsup for dipping)
Pita chips with hummus
Bagel with cream cheese
and, of course, PB&J