School Lunches -- Ideas?

have him help you make his lunch and tell you what he wants that way if he doesnt like it he has some sense of responsibility. i remember all the soggy bread sandwiches i had as a kid and now can barely stand to eat a sandwich. my son was a very picky eater so he chose the the things he wanted. he hated school food up until he graduated and he started making hsi own lunches since first grade and in high school he came home for lunch.

cheese and crackers and grapes, grilled cheese sandwhich (tastes good even at lunch if you make it in the morning), quesadilla (my daughter loves them for lunches--just shredded cheese between tortillas or you can add chicken/deli-style ham/mushrooms/etc...)

The finger foods always go over well because you can have a variety of foods you put in the lunch box. Some of our staples are: sliced apples, grapes, orange slices, canned fruit, baby carrots, broccoli, chicken strips, ham, turkey, tortillas, bread/toast, club crackers, wheat thins, pretzels (which are great with a little container of peanut butter), peanut butter and banana sandwiches, bananas, and my daughter even loves to take left over pasta with parmesan cheese. These are all great even if not warmed in a microwave--and not too messy either!

I used to give the little pepperoni and salami slices along with some cheese slicesin a little plastic container. then sme crackers in a baggie. They could make little cracker sandwiches like the lunchables. Also my kids LOVED the tuna lunches. it comes with tuna, mayo and crackers so they can make thier own. And lots of fruits and veggies in plascic cups. Hope that helps a little.

We went through a rough patch with lunches so I took a cookie cutter and cut out tortillas and lunch meat and sliced cheese and sent a small stack of each to school for him to assemble his own mini sandwiches. He was a happy lunch eater when I did that. (I would like a little less waste though.)
Try and vary it up with crackers and pepperoni or lunchmeats, sliced cheese cut into cracker sized pieces, etc. My son's in 1st grade so hearts and stars and other cool shapes make it fun for him, not sure if that's still "cool" in 3rd grade. If not cool, it's easier to just cut into quarters anyway!

My husband said his family let the kid pick 4 school lunches a month growing up, the rest of the time was sandwiches (he will NOT eat bologna to this day! and doesnt care for sandwiches in general). So it is a treat to my son to pick out 4 school lunches to eat. However in Dec and again this month, he only found 2 he wanted (which is fine with me.)

I saw something online a while ago called Bento lunch boxes (I think that's what they're called) - pretty cool ideas but it's all about packaging and variety. (I think they were also called laptop lunches?) Basically be creative. some kind of dip and dipper (PB or dressing with celery/veggie or bread sticks, hard boiled eggs, tortilla wraps, etc.

Personally, I can't send desserts with my son's lunches because he doesnt eat his lunch! I dont want him filling up on just sugar and getting all wound up in the afternoon. He is *always* eating his lunches on the way home, and I truly wonder if he even eats at lunch!! A couple slices of an apple, a couple bites out of his sandwich (maybe!) and probably a few chips or pretzels or whatever I send, is what he usually has.

One thing I like to do is ask for extra condiments when we are at the restaurant/drive-thru. The packets are perfect for lunchboxes....especially the ranch dressing, which we use for carrot sticks.

Also, string cheese with crackers, pudding, yogurt, trail-mix (you can make your own), soy nuts (very high in protein - you can find them in the bulk foods at Sunflower Market).

Best,
C.

My daughter loves a turkey tortilla. Spread sour cream on tortilla (small amt), topped with turkey or favorite lunch meat, sliced cucumbers and celery it is very refreshing. You can add cilantro, tomatoes, etc. whatever they like. Roll it like a burrito and enjoy!

As they get older it is hard to find creative ideas.
Take care,
K.

How about a thermos of hot soup? Or hot dogs in water (in the thermos) with the "fixins" on the side?

We struggle with this too, as my son is allergic to wheat/gluten. We also try to limit meat. Here's what's on the menu this week:
Gluten-free mac and cheese in a thermos
Rice cakes and hard boiled eggs
Yogurt and trail mix
Quesadillas
Stir fry in a thermos
We always add fresh fruit...my only lunch-taker won't do veggies...

Hey L., you have lots you can do (fist I agree school lunches are YUCKY) my son's also call them microscopic. Here are some ideas, get a thermos and add mac and cheese to his lunch, try to google "lunch box ideas" ( I liked Disney and Campbells, but there are lots others) that is what I did then had the boys sit with me and we designed lunches, I made a chart and the "helped" me put together healthy lunches they would eat. We also put in omne "trade" every day that they could eat or trade, but if they traded they had to tell me what they traded and if they wanted that again. We also made cookies and jello and other things instead of buying them, That was maybe rthe most fun. One of my guys is thinking about becoming a chef. They both know about cooking and what they should (not always do) eat to stay on a healthy earting program. Good luck to you and your little man... Also look for cookie cutters to make fun shapes, and puzzles out of bread. I also got a bunch of those sample cups for vegi dips, and make your own dippables.. any question E mail ____@____.com

Hi, L. -
My kids love Lunchables - primarily the meat/cracker/drink/dessert type. Because Lunchables are high fat, high sodium, most of the time instead of buying the Lunchable, I just do it myself. It allows me to buy whatever lower fat meat and cheese I'd like. I use whole grain crackers, fresh fruit, and substitute a flavored water. They love their "cold lunch".
Good luck!

We do homemade soups, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad as well as ham and cheese, and any other meat. Sometimes I'll send a bagel and cream cheese or instead of a sandwich, we'll make a wrap on a whole wheat or spinach tortilla with any of their favorite options listed above. My kids don't care for school lunches either -- so I agree that it can be tough to keep it interesting on a daily basis. Maybe since your son likes pepperoni but not pizza, you can make him a home-made version of a "lunchable" and pack some whole grain crackers and pepperoni and cheese slices that he can put together himself at school.

My daughter likes chicken salad sandwich, turkey or ham in a pita or on whole wheat, PB & J with banana slices, cottage doubles. She even likes just a container of garbanzo beans with some other sides. Or, how about a salad with whatever veggies he likes. We put it in the square ziplock containers, and it fits well in the lunchbox. We get the little containers of Ranch that fit in the lunch box too. I've even seen some small packets of italian. I made a list of "main dishes", and "sides" and let her decide what she'd want when she gets bored of her usual stuff. Those cuties are great for the lunch - easy to peel, and just the right amount.

My kids are not gradeschool age, but they do get lunch at school. Have you tried taquitos? They come in corn or flour tortillas. They also like chicken noodle soup with the juice drained (and actually rinsed a little - so it's not so salty); hot pockets (which they have ham/cheese). And we really like those mini red/orange/yellow peppers (grocery stores & Walmart both sell them now) They're not spicy & have very few seeds at the top, so you don't have to cut them up - EASY for us parents too. Cutie oranges are nice too - they're always really easy to peel & not messy.

I've always had to be creative because I have a grade schooler who is allergic to peanut butter. She loves chicken salad. I buy it at costco in the deli section and it is so good. Also, I heat up corn dogs in the morning and wrap them in alluminum foil and it stays warm until lunch time. Make sure you wrap it in a paper towel first because the first time she said it was all sweaty. We also do chicken quesadillas wrapped in foil. Good luck!

I see your son like pepperoni. I buy the turkey pepperoni is is less fat and grease too. Do slice cheese and crackers to go with it.

I have an 11th grade boy that finally moved to plain peanut butter sandwiches to peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches! He ate the former for over 11 years straight and still grew to over 6 feet tall, so don't worry.
My daughter likes her peanut butter sandwiches with honey and white chocolate chips, and of course the crust cut off.and another son likes nutela spread as a treat instead of peanut butter. try using tortillas to roll the ham instead of bread. Veggies and dip. apple slices with a little container of peanut butter. thin cheese cut in squares with crackers. i make little containers with lettuce, pickles and olives with some ranch dressing in a tiny container. some of those fun yogurts are also good frozen (the squeeze kind) and are semi thawed by lunchtime. To keep food cold i use those little (8 oz) water bottles in my freezer, refill them as they melt and get drunk toward the end of the day. cereal in ziploc is always a fun snack. they also like plain noodles in a ziploc (sunflower seeds too).
Yes, i wish mine (teenagers) would buy lunches too but they also save time not standing in the line (we don't do meat, so their options are limited). It is a bit of a pain, and i still groan when it is late at night and the lunches aren't made yet. Many parents have their kids help make their lunch which is a really good idea.

Both my school kids have little thermoses that I pack leftovers in. They also love the Beefaroni in the can (yuck, i say, but they love it). We rotate these with sandwiches. I invested in small tupperware bowls to send fruit slices (cantalopes, grapes, peaches, etc) or applesauce. Sometimes for a treat, I'll buy those jello packs that don't need to be refrigerated (if you do your own, it's likely to "melt" before lunch...learned that the hard way.)

You could always spoil him and make him sub sandwiches with veggies. You can use all of the kinds of meat he will eat that way. You can also buy a thermos and send him with soup. I did this for a long time in school,If you have a good thernos it will stay hot.

My daughter is the same way. I now give her carrots & ranch, bagels, & crackers with ham & cheese, slices of apples with peanut butter.

If your child likes pickles, wrap pickle spears in ham lunch meat and secure w/ a toothpick. You might also spread some cream cheese on the ham first. If you do, I recommend you pat dry the ham before trying to spread the cheese.