Frugal, healthy breakfasts and lunchea?

[OnEarth]

When people discuss meal plans they usually talk about dinners, which oddly is the thing I have the least problem with. What do you do for lunch and dinner? Especially vegetarian ideas (we do eggs and dairy). Oh, and to make it more challenging my daughter won't eat bread (or cookies, or pastry). I'm struggling to get some variety in our diet, as she rejects most new things. I think her nutritional needs are being met, but I'm going crazy living off of whole wheat pasta with pesto or tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, yogurt, steamed zuchinni/yellow squash, strawberries and the occasional bit of tofu. Unfortunately I don't have the energy to regularly cook two meals! Maybe this is two threads, but seriously, what do you eat, how do you shop for it etc. Thanks in advance!

Can you not edit the subject anymore?! Of course, that's where I leave a typo :P

[Alyantavid]

For breakfasts, we usually stick to the same few items during the week.  Bagels, oatmeal, cereal.  So I keep that on hand at all times.  Weekends, I'll do more involved breakfasts when I have more time.  I make huge batches of waffles and pancakes and freeze them.  And eggs are huge at my house, in any form.

Lunches are usually leftovers.  When I'm cleaning up from dinner, I pack some up in a reusable container so I can grab it.  My kids are usually in school and daycare so I'm only packing one lunch, but it's almost every day.  As long as there is some fruit, veggie, protein in there, I'm happy.  So I leave that up to him. 

I love having smoothies for breakfast (and you can put anything in them), will she drink one of those?  I make breakfast casseroles pretty often that I can just take to work and reheat.  Potatoes, eggs, whatever veggie is around and cheese.  You can add veggies and cheese to scrambled eggs to make them taste better.

[honeybunmom]

Our staples are similar to the above poster: oatmeal, eggs and waffles.  I make the waffles in huge batches as well and freeze them.  My daughter also likes grits, so those are offerred as well.  And we include fruit with breakfast.  Oatmeal is a great way to use up fruit that is not being eaten (like apples or pears thrown in while it is cooking; bananas can be added once cooking is done).  I also occasionally make cranberry buttermilk scones, but that's more of a mid-morning snack in my book.

[jeslynn]

Breakfast is always oatmeal and a lot of fruit - whatever is on sale. I make sure I get the high fiber oatmeal to help fill us up.

Lunch tends to be sandwiches, rice and beans, chicken/egg salad, peanut butter/almond butter sandwiches on whole grain wheat bread, etc. I try to serve cherry tomatoes or some frozen veg with it.