Inexpensive ideas for school lunches?

[snuggly mama]

We now have 3 children attending full-day school, and I am drawing a total blank on trying to come up with nutritious lunches that don't cost a fortune. The older ones are sick of sandwiches, and littlest dd can't really eat them anyway.

Any suggestions or book recommendations?

[Lil'M]

Well, my kids will eat leftovers cold, so I often send that to school. I also buy the big containers of yogurt and put small amounts into screw top containers. Hard boiled eggs. Whole wheat waffles. Edamame. Whole wheat crackers. Fruit. Vegis. I send sandwiches too, but really almost anything will make it into their lunches if they say they will eat it.

[USAmma]

My dd LOVES mac and cheese. After getting tired of her coming home with a sandwich with 3 bites out of it, I invested in a stainless steel insulated jar that keeps food hot for hours. I just filled it with mac and cheese and it's still warm by lunch time. She started coming home with a jar that had about 3 noodles stuck to the side instead of a picked-at lunch. She could probably eat it every day and be happy.

She also likes to eat those Trader Joe's fruit filled cereal bars. They are not very expensive. I fill an insulated stainless steel straw cup with milk and she really likes that during snack time. The milk stays cold all day. I know it's an investment for the stainless steel containers but if we are lucky they will last several years.

Hmm . . you could probably do cheese slices with crackers and if you eat meat, slices of pepperoni. Kinda like a home-made lunchable. Add some sliced apples and some olives and it will make a nice lunch.

[msjd123]

I just finished a two-week stock-the-freezer project for my dd's lunches, so I'll tell you what I have ready and what I pack. My dd is nearly 18 months, though, and she's allergic to milk so my choices are probably more limited than yours.

First, my standard lunch "formula": 1 sandwich (usually peanut or almond butter), 1 other bread-like snack, 1 plastic container of cut-up fruit, 1 soy yogurt, 1 soy smoothie, and then a fun snack.

My variations:

sandwich: usually (80% of the time) peanut or almond butter on wheat, but sometimes a bagel with peanut butter, or crackers and hummus

bread-like snack: muffin (cranberry muffins are in the freezer), fruity pancake (I have blueberry and apple pancakes in the freezer), potato pancake (also in the freezer) with ketchup, or an apple-oat bar (these don't freeze well, so they're a rare treat)

fruit: I do that every night, but dd loves cut-up peaches, kiwis, melons, grapes, pears, and oranges

soy yogurt and smoothie: store-bought and NOT afrugal choice, but otherwise she drinks water all day and I don't feel like that's enough protein

fun snack: she looooooves just plain dry cereal so she gets that a lot, but I've also given a little container of peas and corn, a box of raisins, or a baggie of mixed dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, and freeze-dried strawberries and bananas from Just Tomatoes) I can't wait until she starts accepting crunchier and chewier things so I can give more nuts and veggies!

BTW, this is a GREAT resource: http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/e...ches.html#todd

[AtomicOcean]

There was just a show about this on the CBC. Here are some of the more notable suggestions:
- kids will eat anything if it's in small chunks put on a shishkebob stick
- pack things like samosas, pizza, and other stuff that you wouldn't normally give them for dinner so that it feels like a treat
- if you HAVE to send a sandwich, toast the bread first, then wrap the sandwich in waxed paper instead of plastic wrap
- save your fights for when you are present. If you want them to eat veggies, serve them at supper and send some kind of neat fruit for lunch
- don't send whole apples, peaches, pears. Cut them up and put them in a container. Then it's a snack, not a fruit. Sprinkle the pieces with brown sugar and cinnamon to hide the fact that they've gone brown (sneaky!!)
- for little ones, draw a face on a banana or write a silly message on the skin
- wraps are cool, so instead of putting your fillings in a sandwich, put them in a tortilla shell and make sure that it won't get mushy. If the filling is more "wet", pack it separately from the tortilla and let the kids assemble them at school

I think that just about summarizes what I heard. I hope I remember some of it for later when I need it

[MOM2ANSLEY]

nak
ditto on wraps,you can use leftovers too, and spinich instead of lettuce is healthier, and dressing changes the taste completly
dd lives offpb&j on whole wheat though
we do lots of carrot sticks too
pasta salad with neat shaped pasta, leftover meats, and veggies...just make a pot of pasta at begining of week and ech night stir in leftovers...or cook a little extra meat just for the pasta salad....and its fine cold
raisins, granola bars, nutragrain bars, popcorn are good snacks

[numom499]

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

awesome site...scroll through the archives - you could easily devegan nmost of her recipes...

[snuggly mama]

These are great ideas. In fact, I think I'll print this thread and stick it to the fridge!

[MomToKandE]

Originally Posted by Lil'M

Well, my kids will eat leftovers cold, so I often send that to school. I also buy the big containers of yogurt and put small amounts into screw top containers. Hard boiled eggs. Whole wheat waffles. Edamame. Whole wheat crackers. Fruit. Vegis. I send sandwiches too, but really almost anything will make it into their lunches if they say they will eat it.

Where do you find small screw top containers? I'm trying to use reusable containers wherever I can but I'm new to packing lunches.

Thanks!

[USAmma]

I use an insulated Thermos that I found in the camping section. It holds about 1 cup of food. It keeps food warm or cold for hours.

Oh, one other idea. I will often milk down vanilla yogurt into a yogurt drink for her insulated straw cup. It has more protein/calories that way (she's thin and needs it).

[Lil'M]

honestly, I found plastic ones at kmart in their food storage container section. I would rather not use plastic, but I haven't seen anything else the right size that would work well with yogurt.

I definitely am looking to get stainless steel keep it hot/cold containers for leftovers because my kids would I'm sure prefer warm if it is an option.

[oldgirl,newtricks]

Our school lunches are terrible, so I've been sending lunches for years. My kids do like typical sandwiches, but they also like meat salads, such as chicken salad or tuna with some crackers. Don't forget beef jerky for a change. You don't have to buy the expensive stuff. I make it.

I make Jello almost every night and put fruit in it. I'll send pudding. Much cheaper to make it and put in small reusable containers. They like string cheese. Cut up carrots with some ranch dip in a container is a favorite. I'll even send salads. I just put the dressing in a separate container so things don't get soggy. Pasta salads go over well. My kids like all types of yogurt. I use freezer gel packs to keep things cold.

I'll occasionally use tortillas, although my kids aren't crazy about wraps. I love them with turkey and cranberry sauce. My kids don't like plain hard boiled eggs, but they enjoy them deviled. That's a nice change.

Good quality Thermos containers are worth the money for sending hot leftovers. I've not found a plastic type which would keep the food warm enough. I've used the same small containers for years and my kids know to always bring home the forks and spoons. I think Rubbermaid has the best small containers. I wouldn't want to send glass with kids. Even the Glad reusable stuff lasts for at least a year, even in the dishwasher. And they have a great small size I use for the dip and pudding.

It's a bit expensive to buy the supplies, but having them makes it so easy to send leftovers. I always dip some out and put in the fridge or my
DH will polish everything off.

Gloria

[velochic]

Some great suggestions here!

I've been contemplating about getting a Bento jar for dd for leftovers. Has anyone used one? The problem I'm running into is that I'd like to send a warm entree and side dish and I can't find a good container to keep two things warm without mixing them. Unlike me as a child, dd doesn't care if her food touches so that is not the problem. It's more that she has only 20 minutes to eat and she is the MOST DISTRACTED eater I have ever met. A 3 minute snack takes her 15 minutes to eat, YKWIM? So, putting two things in the same Thermos jar is a recipe for disaster (that is, she would try to distribute the foods onto a plate and then eat... that alone would take her entire lunch break and she'd never get around to eating!)

So if you use a Bento jar, how do you like it? If you don't, how do you send more than 1 warm food item?

[~Megan~]

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com has some great ideas you can adapt if you aren't vegan

[aywilkes]

Why don't you try pasta salad for the kids that don't like sandwiches and maybe tuna in a bowl plus crackers, or almond butter in a bowl, plus graham crackers on the side. My dilemma is getting my kid to eat more than tofurky sandwiches, grapes/apple. He refuses to eat pb and raw honey or ab and raw honey.

[kerc]

dips .... did anyone mention dips?
as in crackers and hummus
peanut butter and celery
ranchy type salad dressing and veggies
yogurt and fruit


My dd (almost 4) will eat just about anything with sprinkles. so if I am concerned she won't eat yogurt (that I put into a container) I put with it a little baggie of granola and a few sprinkles.

----

Don't forget that sandwiches are more interesting on pita bread. Or when they are cut into neat shapes with a cookie cutter. I make myself a PBJ sandwich, cut a star out of it, pack the star for dd and the remainder for myself. Well I usually make 2 sandwiches when I do that.


----

second the kabob idea.

--- forgot to add:
My dd's treats are almonds and yogurt covered raisins or pretzels. As in she loves them. Both are reasonable foods for lunch. Even trail mix with a few M and Ms mixed in go a long way.


and finally:
don't forget to ask your kids what they want. My mom packed me a icky sandwich every day of my school life. I threw it away because I HATED it. If she'd asked me I would have told her to put lettuce on it and I would have loved it.

[chel]

thermos makes a nice stainless steel container that keeps food hot/cold for hours. It's 10oz so perfect for dc, kinda small for adults.
My dd would rather talk than eat at lunch. Though as soon as she's off the bus she has to eat within minutes or she has a complete meltdown. She's not a big breakfast eater. Always been a snacker. While we don't drink dairy at home, she loves the chocolate milk at school. I've tried sending some soy stuff from home but dd reports it doesn't stay as cold as she would like, so I'm still working on how to keep it ice cold.

some hits have been
peanutbutter on crackers
PB&J
hummus and naan
Annie's O's
Annie's cheese crackers
pretzels
grapes
cheetios (baked):

[oldgirl,newtricks]

What I've done is mixed up the choc milk and put part of it in the freezer. The next morning, I pour the rest in the container. The kids tell me that the frozen part is mostly melted by lunch and it doesn't water it down like ice would. Should work for soy.

Gloria

[LaughingHyena]

Where do you find small screw top containers? I'm trying to use reusable containers wherever I can but I'm new to packing lunches.

I've used the small Avent feeding bottles for youghurt regulary when I was working (with the sealing disk not the nipple ). Perhaps not the coolest container for a school lunch though. FWIW I found that the ice packs designed for cooling beer fitted perfectly.