School lunches
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We had a hard time getting the right combination of foods for my daughter to eat in first grade. So, as a solution, I looked up kids bento boxes on Flickr, and she pointed out things that looked good to her. Together, we made a list of things she was willing to try, some of which surprised me. It was trial and error, but we were able to come up with several lunch items she loves to eat. You don't have to go all fancy like a lot of the photos do, but it was a fun activity to do together, and we had a good result from it.0
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For my own cold lunches I tend to take a sandwich, some kind of fruit, water and an extra, with the extra being low sodium chips, a serving of Homekist cookies, banana chips or more fruit.0
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Sides:
Small cups of cold Quinoa or Pasta salads
Hummus with pretzels or carrots is a good addition if she'll eat it.
Veggie Packs with Dip (Tomatos/Carrots/Celery/etc)
Tortilla Chips with Salsa
Fresh Fruit
Flavored Applesauce
Hard Boiled Eggs
Cheese Sticks
Entrees:
Cucumber Sandwiches
Tuna or Salmon Mixes
Premade Salads (Chicken, Chef, etc)
The only limitations is what she will eat! Good luck!0 -
Instead of a sandwich my daughter likes a flour tortilla with a tiny bit of cream cheese spread on it rolled up with ham or turkey. Fruit & cut veggies are nice. An apple cored & sliced into rounds with pb spread between two round is my favorite.0
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I like to browse Pinterest for inspiration, look up School Lunches and you'll get a ton of ideas. Also this blogger I follow recently mentioned a subscription site called Momables.com, which I liked so much I actually forked over the money to sign up. So far I've made pizza rolls (admittedly not that healthy), Broccoli & Cheese in a Blanket, Broccoli & Cheese Mini Quiches, Corn Dog Muffins, Spinach & Feta Crescents - and my kids have liked most of it. On weekends I make a small trial batch of anything I don't know for sure that they'll eat so that they can try it before I send it!0
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Really? She's in First Grade! What's unhealthy?
I see excuses forminig already!
As much as you'd like to think your kid is the brightest in the world, their decisions are based on your influence!0 -
I bought a bunch of those ziploc divided lunch containers.
Typically I pack:
cold leftovers (cheese tortelini, pizza, chicken strips, etc)
cold pasta dishes
rotisserie chicken chunks
spiral sliced ham
deli meats and cheeses rolled up and cut
pita wedges
whole wheat tortillas, ham and cheese "sandwich"
vanilla yogurt
homemade muffins and cookies
fruit rollups (made in my dehydrator)
dried fruit
sliced cucumbers
pretzel thins
grapes, berries, cut up fruit
I need to get some of those silicone cupcake liners to keep foods separate too.............0 -
My kids get the same lunches everyday at this point:
First grader:
- 2-3 baby carrots
- Fruit - half an apple, grapes, or berries usually
- Either a blueberry bagel w/ cream cheese or a turkey sandwich
- Organic yogurt tube
Fourth grader:
- Same, except she does either (natural) PB & Honey or a turkey sandwich (no bagels for her), and she will eat other raw veggies, esp. grape tomatoes
Personally, I would rather them do Greek yogurt than the tubes based on the protein and sugar content, but its a compromise. They have a fruit and a veggie every day. They get school lunch once a week, just to give us a break from making lunches. We use a divided tray so they only have one container and lid to deal with.0 -
My son is in 6th grade and has food allergies, so I have always packed his lunch. For the most part I do sandwiches. Other options are yogurt, string cheese, cheese and crackers, rolled tortilla with meat.
This year I came across an article on sandwich-less lunches. I did a search and came up with several sights and ideas. I had him show me which ones he would like to try.
Corn dog mini muffins
Ham and cheese pockets
pizza quesadillas
We have not made them yet but, I will have him help me make them which will encourage his liking of them!
I was thinking of chopping up broccoli super small or grating a carrot to add to them :-)0 -
Really? She's in First Grade! What's unhealthy?
I see excuses forminig already!
As much as you'd like to think your kid is the brightest in the world, their decisions are based on your influence!
Huh? Obviously the kiddo has learned about healthy foods, that they're important, and she wants to eat that way. Good for her. A *lot* of food marketed towards kids is total crap. I've taught my kids since they were toddlers about the things they need from food, and taught them to make healthy choices. So, when they ask for snacks, we often have convos along the lines of "You had crackers earlier - and that's a "bready" snack. Your next snack should be a protein or a fruit. What would you like?" They know why their bodies need protein and carbs, etc b/c we've talked about it. They make great choices now - although they always want sugar, b/c sugar, they have learned self-control because they understand *why* and b/c we as parents model it.
My 8-year-old is super sporty - competitive gymnast, soccer for fun and she's run a few 5 ks - we talk a lot about fueling our bodies responsibly. She gets it.0 -
My kids eat the school lunch, the lunches are measured to meet the nutritional value. My kids are happy with the school lunch and so am I. At school the kids are given yogurts, wheat bread and protein. And most of all, it saves me time from having to pack lunches.0
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My kids eat the school lunch, the lunches are measured to meet the nutritional value. My kids are happy with the school lunch and so am I. At school the kids are given yogurts, wheat bread and protein. And most of all, it saves me time from having to pack lunches.
It's a whole lot cheaper, too.
My daughter gets the school lunch, but when she was in private school, packing was mandatory. She would take non-fish protein leftovers from the night before, a yogurt, and some fruit. It is pretty easy to make an extra bit of protein (chicken, steak, pork) at dinner and put it in a container for her to eat the next day for lunch. If I made rice in the rice cooker that morning, she'd also get some rice to go with the meat. If there was no rice, she got a tortilla.0 -
You can do things like fruit; I like to skewer peices of melon ( honeydew cantelope ) then add some grapes and pineapple. ( put it in a tupperware. Sandwhiches are always a go to when short on time ( I reccomend rainbow 40cal wheat bread) Instead of buying packaged meat, I like to get it from the deli or make meat myself then slice it thin and put it in the sandwhich. You can do almonds, carrot sticks, jicama sticks with hummus. You can make a healthy pesto pasta salad, add veggies to it. You can even send salad. Put an Ice pack at the bottom ( i find butter lettuce works best ) bag some butter lettuce, tupperware some cherry tomatoes and carrots julienne and add any thing else she likes. Add a tupperware of salad dressing. You can do wraps or finger foods like turkey and cheese rolled with a tooth pick. In place of chips you can send pirates booty or ricecakes. For dessert you can send apple chips or yogurt. There are great ideas on google. Oh and I would pack at least 3-4 items because usually they have recess/snack, so that way she can have a little snack if shes hungry.0
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You can do things like fruit; I like to skewer peices of melon ( honeydew cantelope ) then add some grapes and pineapple. ( put it in a tupperware. Sandwhiches are always a go to when short on time ( I reccomend rainbow 40cal wheat bread) Instead of buying packaged meat, I like to get it from the deli or make meat myself then slice it thin and put it in the sandwhich. You can do almonds, carrot sticks, jicama sticks with hummus. You can make a healthy pesto pasta salad, add veggies to it. You can even send salad. Put an Ice pack at the bottom ( i find butter lettuce works best ) bag some butter lettuce, tupperware some cherry tomatoes and carrots julienne and add any thing else she likes. Add a tupperware of salad dressing. You can do wraps or finger foods like turkey and cheese rolled with a tooth pick. In place of chips you can send pirates booty or ricecakes. For dessert you can send apple chips or yogurt. There are great ideas on google. Oh and I would pack at least 3-4 items because usually they have recess/snack, so that way she can have a little snack if shes hungry.0
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Soup in a thermos - homemade, or low sodium organic, if you haven't got the time - is great in winter. Chicken breasts, home cooked and breaded with ground flaxseed, bran, and whole grain bread crumbs, are delicious with a salad and an apple.
A sandwich on sprouted bread with lean meats or homecooked meats, fresh veggies, and minimal to no sauces and spreads is also great.
A baked apple sprinkled with cinnamon is a delicious snack.
Even pasta can go to school with your kid.0 -
Sorry for the double post my phone glitched and wont let me delete it...0
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What excuses? theres a ton of unhealthy things? i never said shes the brightest in the world. i said she asked me for a "super healthy" lunch.Really? She's in First Grade! What's unhealthy?
I see excuses forminig already!
As much as you'd like to think your kid is the brightest in the world, their decisions are based on your influence!
what the hell is YOUR problem?0 -
Thanks for all the ideas everyone! I never thought to send soups!0
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Really? She's in First Grade! What's unhealthy?
I see excuses forminig already!
As much as you'd like to think your kid is the brightest in the world, their decisions are based on your influence!
Bad food habits formed as a child are so difficult to break. Kudos to OP for teaching your kids healthy ideas about food.0 -
When I was a nanny, I packed the boys' lunches for school. The older one loved chef salad, basically spinach salad with some lean meat and cheese, with ranch dressing. The little one loved pb&j, yogurt, and fruit. We would also try different fruits and veggies with different dips, like carrots with ranch, apple with pb or cheese, berries with cool whip; just to try some different things.0
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