kids - time and convenient lunches

scmom2boyz

My teen always takes dinner leftovers. Funny thing is the kids comment about how lucky he is that his mom cooks dinner....several have fast food or what they can make themselves. I know many families are busy these days but family dinner time is a must in our house. Makes me want to invite them over for a family dinner!! Last week I bought fresh strawberries from a local farm. They were so ripe & yummy. He took some in his lunch and the other kids wanted to trade out their food for his strawberries, like they were gold. Some kids never have fresh fruit & veggies in the house

jemhh

Once a year, on average, I will break down and buy a lunchable because my daughter begs me for it. Every single time, she reports that it was gross and she threw it out. A year later, she'll see a new flavor/variety and we'll do it again with the same results.

My daughter usually gets some fruit, some veggies, a granola bar or crackers, either sandwich pepperoni and cheese or a yogurt, and something like a fruit rollup in her lunch bag. She has to take a snack so she just picks one of those as her snack for the day.

buffveganme

kgeyser wrote: »

buffveganme wrote: »

I'm glad to hear many of you don't partake in sending those questionable items (in my view anyway) with your children.
Unfortunately, the majority of kids in my classroom eat 'convenience' foods for snacks and lunches everyday!

Most of you are health conscience, so that's probably why most of you send healthy things...

Or we have the time and resources available to us to focus on packing lunches and thinking about what to put in them. I'm very fortunate to have a computer in my home that allows me to search for different lunch and snack ideas on a high-speed internet connection. I can also afford enough reusable containers that packing those things in our sturdy insulated lunch bag is easy and I don't have to worry about things getting smashed or trying to figure out how I could possible send veggies and dip (because I can afford the fancy container with the separate section for dips). I have an awesome minivan that takes me to the various high-end grocery stores that populate my area where you can buy a variety of produce (including truffles at $999.00 a lb) and we have a weekly farmer's market that comes right to my neighborhood of Stepford within walking distance (also have a full grocery store within walking distance). Many other people in this world don't have those things.

Good points to consider for sure!

However, the kids in my classroom that have the prepackaged questionable items are sent from families that have many stay at home mothers and seemingly are doing very well for themselves (financially).

It is so sad, however, to see many cities/districts stricken with extreme poverty -lack of resources-jobs, etc., and are lucky to have find fresh food at their 'grocery' stores...

natalie3505

RebeccaChemmy wrote: »

awesomejdad wrote: »

I never send my kids out the door. We homeschool and for lunch they help make there healthy food.

*Their. I do hope your teaching your children correct grammar.

I have no children but my sister (10 years old) always has her lunch made in the mornings. She never has Lunchables or anything like that - such a waste of money for very little nutritional content. And they taste pretty bad.

I do hope you're teaching your children correct grammar.

Francl27

Gosh the judgement is strong with this one.

I don't question what other parents send with their kids. Some people send 'junk' like lunchables because they want to be sure that their kids will eat. I don't see what's wrong with that. Better have the kid eat lunchables than nothing.

bcruz313

http://www.lunchbots.com/

Lunchbots has some really excellent containers. I have a soup container also for mac and cheese or soup. There is another brand I also have as I got it in a monthly Citrus Lane box and loved it. It fits in my daughter's lunch box perfectly except one is a little bigger so I have to let the handle hang out. I just can't remember the name of it! Zulily has them often also.

I like using the bento type boxes because I can put a variety of foods for her. She cannot have peanuts at her preschool and I have been scared up to now (she just turned 4) to actually give her nuts, but as she gets older and when she starts public school I will probably have fun sending nuts and such. In addition, for the almond butter and jelly, I will sometimes do waffles instead of bread. She likes it when I change it up. If you are a nut free school you could do jelly and cream cheese. I also freeze stoneyfield yogurt tubes (like Gogurt) and it defrosts by lunch. The lunchblox you can get at any grocery store or Target, probably Walmart as well, actually comes with an ice pack. So convenient!

kgeyser

buffveganme wrote: »

kgeyser wrote: »

buffveganme wrote: »

I'm glad to hear many of you don't partake in sending those questionable items (in my view anyway) with your children.
Unfortunately, the majority of kids in my classroom eat 'convenience' foods for snacks and lunches everyday!

Most of you are health conscience, so that's probably why most of you send healthy things...

Or we have the time and resources available to us to focus on packing lunches and thinking about what to put in them. I'm very fortunate to have a computer in my home that allows me to search for different lunch and snack ideas on a high-speed internet connection. I can also afford enough reusable containers that packing those things in our sturdy insulated lunch bag is easy and I don't have to worry about things getting smashed or trying to figure out how I could possible send veggies and dip (because I can afford the fancy container with the separate section for dips). I have an awesome minivan that takes me to the various high-end grocery stores that populate my area where you can buy a variety of produce (including truffles at $999.00 a lb) and we have a weekly farmer's market that comes right to my neighborhood of Stepford within walking distance (also have a full grocery store within walking distance). Many other people in this world don't have those things.

Good points to consider for sure!

However, the kids in my classroom that have the prepackaged questionable items are sent from families that have many stay at home mothers and seemingly are doing very well for themselves (financially).

It is so sad, however, to see many cities/districts stricken with extreme poverty -lack of resources-jobs, etc., and are lucky to have find fresh food at their 'grocery' stores...

I live in one of the wealthiest counties in the US, and I'm a stay at home mom. I can tell you firsthand, that doesn't mean we're doing well. I don't stay home because we're rolling in dough, I stay home because I would literally be working to pay for my kids to go to daycare. Many of the families in the area we live in are renting those big fancy houses, or live with multiple generations under one roof just to be able to look like they can afford the lifestyle they have. I do understand what you are saying, and a part of me wonders how much of it could be wanting the kids to have what's "cool."

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I make my son's lunch the night before so I don't have to deal with it in the morning. Plus, his school has strict rules about what can be sent in his lunch. Every once in a while though I send him with something he likes that fits into the school rules (he loves bear paws).