Any Great Lunch Ideas?

M., I live by my crockpot. If you dont mind leftovers, try throwing something in it the night before and by lunchtime the next day you have a meal that is healthy. Try chicken breasts with cream of mushroom soup and some carrots and potatoes. This is nice for kids of all ages as the chicken comes out soft enough for the younger ones. The meals dont have to be elaborate just throw in anything and it comes out hot and nutritious. Look for a good crockpots recipe book it you need to. My 21 month old loves veggies out of the crockpot better than chicken nuggets and PBJ anyday. I know it is lunch not dinner but you can make the crockpot meals less expensive by finding very simple recipies that are only one or two ingredients.

Try typical foods in odd presentations. Kids like that type of stuff. Like use cookie cutters on the sandwiches... my daughter loves butterfly sandwiches. For some reason, they taste better than a normal sandwich. :-)

Lunch-on-a-stick is also a big hit around here. I put stuff like grapes, strawberries, chunks of cheese, cold cuts (ham, turkey, etc) on toothpicks for mini-kabobs. The kids love 'em and even stuff they normally wouldn't like cherry tomatoes and olives. You can also cook pasta like ravioli and tortolini to skewer on.

Try making homemade mini pizzas. Use English muffins or canned biscuit dough to make the crusts and then add healthy toppings. Let the older ones pick their own toppings but only give them healthy options. This way lunch is fun for them and nutritious enough to be good for them. Also since they like chicken nuggets try switching it up with fish. That's good for them too and would be something different to try. Basically just start switching their meals around and don't give in when they ask for the other stuff. Tell them that what you made is what they are eating that day. By allowing THEM to dictate what they eat for lunch every day you will never be out of that slump. Good luck!

toasted cheese
fish sticks or sandwiches
deviled eggs, hard-boiled eggs
meatloaf sandwiches
When I get in a slump I get out a cook book or go on line, you can get lots of ideas from them!

what about other sandwiches? grilled cheese, egg salad, tuna, turkey, etc?

we love quesadillas-- cheese on a tortilla, folded in half, cooked in a sandwich maker/george forman/microwave

nachos are simple too-- just sprinkle cheese (and beans?) on top of some chips and broil them for a few minutes

don't forget fruit. my kids LOVE blueberries, oranges, apple slices with peanut butter, strawberries...

pasta is good, there are lots of options besides mac n cheese!

I like to have a healthy tortilla lunch and my boy has fun making it! I take a whole grain tortilla, chicken strips, sour cream, salsa and cheese and put it all together. It can be messy but he loves it and like I said has fun making his own. My boy is 3.

My kids love breakfast for lunch! We make scrambled eggs and create our own breakfast burritos. Eggs, cheese, bacon, ham, sausage, rice. Any filling you want, all wrapped in a warm tortilla. Or an English muffin with sausage, egg, and cheese for a sandwich. Sometimes we have pancakes and sausage, or cereal, juice, and toast. Have you tried grilled peanut butter sandwiches? Yum! Don't stress too much about it, have fun with it!

I just bought a sandwich maker for $10 and I use it everyday. Yesterday I made cookies in it! But i have noticed alot of good receipes online that dont require much work online, and it cooks realy fast too (grilled cheese in 3 min). I wish you the best.

My daughter loves perogies. They're very easy to cook and we just make some veggies to go with it.

My old dentist said his kids LOVED chicken quesedillas from Taco Bell, but it shouldn't be too hard to make something like that at home with leftover baked chicken, cheese, and maybe some diced tomatoes?

My kids love PBJ's, mac-n-cheese, applesauce too. My 5 year old actually asked me to make spaghetti the other day, and when my husband said, "Okay, let's get some spaghettio's...." She said, "No daddy....NOT pasgettio's out of a can...I want SPAGHETTI!"

Good luck!

Hi M.,
I feel like you're at my house! My 8 y/o & 2 y/o like different kinds of soup, corn dogs, & hot dogs. Our 2 y/o is in the 3rd % for weight & will scarf down 2 hot dogs or a whole can of Progresso soup! She eats well for our sitter too ~ who told me she at 2 grilled cheese sandwiches last week. My kids also like egg salad, anti-pasta, tuna, fish sticks, pizza rolls, spaghettio's & any type of pasta with red sauce (messy) or butter with cheese. Good luck!

I'm not due till December but I do have a 10yr. old step-daughter. A few recommendations I liked as a kid that she enjoys too are:
~tuna salad on either toast or even see if they'll eat it on a romaine lettuce leaf.
~Throw in some sloppy joes from time-2-time (made w/ ground turkey for less fat then hamburg).
~A variation w/ mac & Cheese is slicing some hot dog chunks, ground beef or turkey or even putting tuna in it for a different flavor w/ added protein, have a side of ants on a log w/ it which is simply celery w/ peanut butter spread inside the "ditch" and place some raisins along the PB as the "ants".
~you can even slice potatoes long lengthwise, toss them in beaten eggwhite w/ salt & ppr and bake in the oven for "guiltless" fries. have a dip of cream of mush condensed soup heated w/ drained and squeezed canned or frozen spinach mixed together add some milk or cream for dip-ability.
~ or go wild and have some hamburg helper which is also pretty cheap and very easy.

those r a few off the top of my head.

What about grilled cheese sandwiches with a bowl of soup? Spagetti is a great lunch for children and not hard to make. Macaroni salad with chicken or tuna in it is easy and can be served cold. Hot dogs and tater tots or chips, and believe it or not pizza (a couple of slices with a salad or veggie sticks and fruit is enough and frozen pizzas aren't that expensive). Try jello squares for a change for dessert or jello salad (jello with canned fruit in it). Chicken salad is great because it is macaroni, boned chicken, a can of peas (you can add celery, green pepper and onions if you want to) and mixed with miracle whip.

My 3 and 2 year old like chicken cheeseburgers made from ground chn and a little bit of italian style bread crumbs, seasoned salt and pepper. Me and my hubby love them, too. Also, I made apple tacos the other day by grating apple and adding a few tablespoons of pb and then serving them in a whole wheat tortilla.

Here are a few quick meal ideas. You can add all the ingredients or leave a few out for different meals.

Mac & Cheese, add spaghetti sauce, hamburger, diced tomatoes (drained), kidney beans. --kind of like goulash

Spaghetti noodles (or any type of noodle), add mayo, tuna, can of mixed veggies (favorite canned veggie-drained).

Hamburger helper or tuna helper, reduce amount of liquid by 1/2-1 cup per box. Sometimes I leave out the hamburger and/or add a can of veggies (drained).

Anything in a crock pot cooks itself. The time is in the prep. Buy meat without skin or with very little fat, canned veggies, already skinned veggies. I usually buy meat in bulk and freeze it. Add them all to the pot to simmer 8 hours or over-night. I've let it cook 6 hours and 12 hours. It still tastes great. Sometimes I add some of my favorite seasonings such as dill, thyme and salt for chicken and usually just all-purpose seasoning for beef.
Skinned chicken breast, pork chops, pork roast, beef roast, skewer pieces of beef,
Canned veggies (drain): potatoes (skinned), green beans,
Fresh mini carrots, onions (require a slice down middle and removing outter shell)

It's a pretty quick meal, but very hearty. Lasts several days. You can remove the leftover meat and add BBQ sauce to make it into a sort of sloppy joe or pulled meat mixture, add to bread, put leftover veggies on the side. You can also quick fry the (couple min) in hot vegetable oil and add seasoning for a different taste.

There's nothing very inspiring in my little list here but it may remind you of some simple things out there for lunch. Here are our stand-bys:

cheese and crackers with fruit
yogurt
cheese quesadillas or cheese roll-ups (30 seconds in the micro with a whole wheat tortilla and sometimes pepperoni) with fruit
Lean Pockets with fruit
hummus and pita with fruit (we're big on fruit, can you tell?)

Though we don't eat it much at lunch, our kids like edamame (soy beans) steamed in the micro for a few minutes.
I cook for dinner most nights so I try to make lunch as simple as possible.

Keep it simple and follow a PROTEIN/VEGETABLE and/or FRUIT guideline. THe kids are old enough to start making choices. Do you want green beans or peas? Have them pick out something new in the produce section and EVERYONE takes at least 3 "courtesy bites" before you make any decisions.

How about adding a FRUIT to the peanut butter, such as apple or banana. Whole grain or oatbran bread vs. white. The two oldest one - EVEN the 2 year old - CAN help. I had my nephew in the kitchen helping BEFORE he was two. They love to explore and learn. Make it FUN.

Find some kids cookbooks. Let them make a bunny from a pear half and some raisins, etc. Now, my rule is......whatever you make, YOU HAVE TO EAT, so choose wisely. We don't waste food. Talk about what flavors go togher, ie. apple & walnut, or apple and cranberry,

String cheese and some raw veggies like carrots and/or cauliflower w/ dip. Maybe some berries for dessert. If you follow this "rule", you'll have NO problems getting in adequate fiber, proper amounts of fruits & vegetables, little or no constipation issues and less illness, plenty of energy and more informed kids about nutrition.

Apples and almonds are one of my favorite mini meals/snacks. Cottage cheese & fruit is another one of my favorites. I LOVE cottage cheese w/ green beans. Chicken sausages are GREAT. Costco and Trader Joe's have great ones.

KEEP FROZEN VEGGIES on hand. They take practically NO time at all whether you do them on top of the stove or microwave. How about making some things ahead the night before, too. One of Abbie's favorites is a stuffed manicotti with spinach. PLENTY of protein and veggie too.

My kids like any kind of pasta. I go Marc's. Do you have one near you. Anyway they always carry cheap and different pasta. Some easy cheap sauces I make are:

Alfredo sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c milk or (1 c milk and 1 cup chick broth)
1 8 oz package lowfat cream cheese (neufchatel)
salt and pepper and parmesan to taste

Melt buter in saucepan. Add flour and stir to blend, cook while constantly stirring for a minute. Add mild and cook while constantly stirring until thick. Add cream cheese and whisk or stir until smooth. Pour over hot pasta. I have the sauce ready before the pasta so I can pour it over immediately. I also do not drain pasta completely, leaving about 1 cup pasta water in pan. This is a mild sauce. We like mafalda pasta or a short curly pasta.

Broccoli sauce
1 head broc chopped
1 can chick broth, add a little boullion and more water if necessary to barely cover broc
milk
velveeta cheese to taste, at least 2oz

Boil chick broth and broc until very tender. Blend until smooth. I have an immersion blender and this works well. Add milk to make consistency you like. Add velveeta until melted. Put sauce on top of pasta. We like barilla campanelle for this. You can also add carrots to the broth.

I also just boil any pasta and drain it and add a can of chicken broth until absorbed. My kids like alphabet pasta for this.

My kids also like pita, tortillas, naan, lawash, flat bread and often these are high in fiber. You can add whatever toppings like: refried beans, hummus, cheese, salsa, meat, veggies, pizza sauce, pb, jelly, honey, salads, chicken nuggets, bacon. The list is infinite.