*ATTENTION PARENTS* Help Needed!!

AlisaToth

So, my (almost) 5 year old starts kindergarden next week! My husband and I have decided to save money and to have more control over our son's nutrition that we are going to pack his lunch rather then let him buy. However! I need ideas for yummy healthy ideas of what to pack for him! He's excited and will pretty much love whatever I pack him (he eats just about anything!) but i really want to stay away from super sugary-super over processed foods!

tara3103

I pack my son things like yogurt with less sugar (sometimes gogurt so he doesn't need a spoon), goldfish crackers, carrots, grapes, small apples, etc. Sometimes I throw in a 100 cal pack of chocolate covered pretzels and he thinks that is such a treat! He will be in first grade and eats pretty much anything I give him, as long as it isn't green! Good luck!

klmmoore

I usually pack my daughter's lunch with a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, some kind of fruit, string cheese, and a snack size bag of pretzels or baked chips. I also send a refillable bottle of water with her.

astarte09

Lots of fruit, and celery with peanut butter. Also my soon to be kindergartner LOVES edamame... I give her a yogurt every day. I am pretty lucky..Because I only eat good food, that is what she was raised on..so thats all she really likes.

xarrium

Kudos to you for choosing this way!! I think it so important that we take care of our kids as much as possible, including nutrition. Some of the stuff they serve in schools under the guise of being healthy is astounding... as if "potato wedges" are really better than fries. And who needs to be giving a kid three servings of fruit juice at once from a vending machine bottle?

I don't have kids, but from what I hear they love to play with their food. I read an article about school lunches that suggested buying a lunch box with compartments (she used bento boxes... I'm sure if you Google them you can find an online retailer), and put different foods in each compartment--sort of a healthy, fresh version of lunchables, so they can assemble their lunch at school, which even I think is pretty fun. If they don't have a fridge, I would recommend easy things that keep well with an ice pack like carrots, apples, and mini pitas and I would definitely stay away from deli meat (don't want that sitting out of the fridge for too long!).

Good luck to you guys!

misaksen

Another thing you can add if you like is a special note on some fun paper.....I got heart shaped paper for the girls...U can find cute paper pads at the learning/supply store. They enjoy finding a personal note in their lunch or even occasionally under their dinner plate at home. This is one of my ways of trying to give special attention since we have 5 little ones in our home. Good luck!

MsElphaba

I pack Jake a sandwich (PBJ, turkey and cheese, ham and cheese on light wheat) and then put in a bag of baked chips and fruit. For the fruit I use fresh if it packs easy or I break down a can of fruit in light syrup in a small Glad container. He's 9 and so far it has usually been more than he can eat, but what he doesn't eat he has for a snack on the way home. For a drink, we keep an account open for him because he will either grab water or milk.

L

kralston1

pb&j in a tortilla, or pb& banana in a hot dog bun, turkey rollups, if i put spinach, carrot & ranch in the food processor and use that instead of mayo, she doesnt realize she's getting spinach and loves it!, apple sauce is good, grapes can be frozen overnight and are thawed by lunch time. somedays i let my 6 year old pack her own lunch, i put ingredients on the counter and then let her decide. i know that whatever she puts in there she'll eat. and sometimes just by putting a sandwich in a bun instead of sliced bread is enough of a change to keep it interesting.

AlisaToth

You guys are great! My poor kid would have ended up with a turkey sandwich and a bag of chips everyday! :-) He loves edemame and pretty much any fruit! That would be something he would enjoy for sure! Looks like i need to stock up on tupperware and icepacks! :-D
For a drink i will probably pack him a Capri Sun "Roarin' Waters" - We call them juice boxes in our house when really they're just flavored water...He'd take water over Juice anyway. With as healthy as juice is, Fruit juice AND fresh fruit in the lunch box i think would be a little intense on the sugar level...as he is already a very..."active" child :-)

tara3103

I forgot to add that for drinks, I bought some water bottles and reuse them all the time. I fill them sometimes with Crystal Light flavored water and he thinks its like drinking koolaid or gatorade.

KarenECunningham

I packed my grandson lunch all year for Pre-K and I usually made a sandwich on whole wheat bread with lean turkey and cheese, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, fresh fruit or natural applesauce. Sometimes I packed lean turkey pepperoni, cheese slices and whole grain crackers instead of the sandwich. His school supplied milk and water. They did not allow candy or sweets but I did sometimes sneak in a few mini vanilla wafers or graham crackers. His 4th grade brother bought the school lunch but we watched the menu and if it was something he didn't like I packed him the same lunch as his little brother. Fortunately we live in an area that is very organic and health concision so meals tend to be healthier in our schools.

Precious_Nissa

According to my kids dr, kids need high in protein foods such as peanut butter, packs of peanuts, banana's etc.....I would pack things like peanut butter sandwiches on wheat bread if he'll eat wheat....a banana and you can do chips just do baked or light chips....and a juice is wonderful with apple bites etc.

Precious_Nissa

and I wouldnt deprive my kids from a snack so if you want to add a snack just to applaud him for eating a healthy lunch, throw some gold fish, a fruit roll up or a pudding in there....

I got complimented in texas about my daughters lunches when I sent her to school with lunch lol and thats when i didnt care about being healthy but I did care about their lunches at school because I didnt want them to be hungry all day....

Mary_Burris

I am going to be packing her lunch too, she loves sandwiches, grapes, baked chips, carrots with ranch, ill probably put like a yogurt or one of those sugar free puddings in there for her she loves them, she loves those mandrian oranges too. O.M.G I cant believe our kids are going to be in real school!!!! p.s. I miss you!

gottaluvboyz

My oldest will be going into 1st and I packed his lunch every day (except for a handful of pizza days) last year. One of my BEST purchases was a Thermos Brand FUNtainer ("Splurge" and go for the actual Thermos brand)...they come in a large array of characters and will last for years. While he packed, he still got a hot lunch some days...I put homemade mac-n-cheese in there, scrambled eggs, homemade (low sodium) soup, leftovers (think spaghetti, even chick brst and green beans).

http://www.thermos.com/product_catalog.aspx?CatCode=FOOD

I did the water bottle thing as well, but occasionally he got a juice box...the ones from Apple&Eve.

http://www.appleandeve.com/

godblessourhome

tagging this to reply to later.

dumb_blondes_rock

sanwhich is always a winner, make sure its on whole wheat.....carrots and sugar snap peas are good for kids, because they taste sweet. You can make your own cookies or desserts, so you know exactly what's in them and put one in his lunchbox....and a little thing of milk or juicy juice. String cheese is also a winner

kdiamond

They get a sandwich (pb & j or pb & banana or turkey and swiss w/ mustard) or they each have thermoses where sometimes I'll pack whatever we had the night before like soup or chili or pasta. Water bottles for drink (the small ones made for kids are great), pretzels, crackers, cheese cubes or string cheese, puddings, fruit, dried fruit, trail mix, applesauce, gogurt or regular yogurt, Luna for Kids granola bars, baggies of cereal (like Cheerios or Kix), yogurt raisins, carrot dippers, celery w/ cream cheese, Whole Foods has these fruit snacks that are like Fruit Roll Ups but are all natural, frozen grapes...the list goes on and on.

Great for you for packing a lunch...I know its a pain but school lunch is NASTY!

Joscelle

My girls eat everything as well but they really get a kick out of bringing leftover dinner from home (pasta, chicken, salads, etc.) On a busy day, I will pack sandwiches and baby carrots, edamame, and whatever fruit is handy. They do get a bit busy during lunch, so yours may not eat as much especially in the beginning. My girls also love the secret lunchbox notes... Having him pack his own lunch also makes it fun and might encourage him to eat all of it. Have a good time!

abyt42

I bought tiffin tins and hot/cold thermos jugs for my twins. Beginning in kindergarten, lunches have been salads or cut veggies and dip, sometimes a peeled hardboiled egg, a roll and fruit in the tiffin tins, soup/chili/left over spaghetti/ tortellini with whole olives and cherry tomatoes in the thermos. However, they had a snack and lunch during the day.

The hot portion I heat up in the morning while making breakfast; the cold portion I assemble while making dinner the night before.

Their school has a strict "no nuts" policy that took some thought to work around, and we've been vegetarians (though I've had a couple of meaty weeks this summer....)

godblessourhome

maybe my kids are weirdos, but they like alot of leftovers cold. homemade pizza, baked 'fried' chicken, spaghetti/goulash, grilled cheese, meatloaf, etc.

on a day i am feeling ambitious, i make about 50 individual pasties and freeze them. my kids eat them about once a week for lunch. a pasty is like a meat-and-potato calzone - pie crust, hamburger, potatoes, carrots, onion, salt and pepper. i also change it up by adding egg, bacon, cheese and peppers (breakfast pasty). you could make a alfredo, chicken and broccoli turn-overs using the same idea or pepperoni, cheese and spaghetti sauce.

my boys get sick of sandwiches, so sometimes i just send sliced deli meat, cheese singles and wheat crackers and they make their own 'lunchable'. speaking of sandwiches, there is nothing worse than a soggy one, so i send the bread packed seperately and they can assemble it themselves, especially blts. they also like bagel sandwiches (using the minis). their favorite is when i send taco meat, cheese and a wrap for tacos.

hummus and pita bread is another idea.

cherry tomotoes, baby carrots, zucchini sticks, cucumber slices, half a corn on the cob, ect are great 'finger food'. my boys don't like ranch, but you could send some. steamed veggies like broccoli and cauliflower disappear, especially in a cheese sauce (mine don't like them raw).

blueberries, grapes, cherries, etc are good because they don't bruise. my boys do not like it when i send peaches, plums or bananas, etc. they also don't want anything they have to peel, like oranges or clementines. they love pre-cut apple slices (use a touch of lemon juice so they don't turn brown). they like when i send yogurt or peanut butter as a dipping sauce. also, melons in a plastic container gets top reviews. when i send strawberry shortcake, i am the best mom ever.

they pretty much get a string cheese everyday.

i usually include a homemade trailmix with nuts, m&ms, dried fruit, cheerios, etc for their chips/dessert. an occasional pudding cup or 'fruit pizza' (wrap with cream cheese and sliced fruit) makes the cut.

an ice pack and an insulated lunchbag is a must. hope this helps.
dawn

gpies

my kids aren't allowed peanut butter in our schools due to allergies so I often have to improvise with other things and lunch being a bit tricky (easily bored with the same stuff). We try things like ham and cheese wraps, bagel thins - newer lighter versions of bagels - with cream cheese or melted cheese, etc. I typically do one light type of sandwich, 1 fruit, and 1 treat like item such as 100 cal snack. My soon to be 3rd grader has only purchased lunch 2 times since starting kindergarten. Good for you for wanting to provide your child with a healthier alternative - I find the school lunches very poor for the cost you pay and the nutrients they should be getting.

laura11248

Wow,...did everybody give you some really good food ideas. Please allow me to add just one point as a plea from a Kindergarten teacher. Whatever you pack, make sure your child can open it by themselves. Those gogurts and fruit cups can be a challenge to a kindergarten friend...have them practice before hand. It will make everyone's life so much easier!

BTW...don't forget snack time too!

sandra80

my kids always get packed lunch and i i have done a bunch of sandwiches like pb&j, pb& banana, turkey, ham, chicken or cheese sandwiches. i've made them wraps and cut them so they have pinwheels. i've packed them pasta salads with grilled chicken. pizza sandwiches on pizza day at school was our compromise (they wanted the pizza from the caf but i can't afford them buying school lunch every pizza day since they do it here atleast 2x a week.) i've also just given them a bunch of veggies with cut up chicken to dip in something or other. i give them yogurts, applesauce, fruit, veg, popcorn, etc for snack and wwe only do water bottles here. i bought them reusable ones and they are very good about bringing them home. my youngest starts preschool this year so let's see if she brings hers home too.

sdwdickson

My daughter will be starting kindergarten this year also so I broke down and got the thermos funtainer as well. I tested it out one day and it does keep the food warm so she can enjoy a hot lunch some days.