Healthy Lunch for School

I have found inspiration from this fun blog: http://lunchinabox.net/
There's some info there also about "edible ice packs"

DD is in pre-K and here's what she usually takes (not all in one day LOL!)

- sandwich on soft brown bread with lettuce and margarine
- sandwich with "triangle cheese" - Laughing Cow cheese spread
- leftovers from dinner the night before that don't have to be kept cold eg:
- rice and tofu
- pasta with sauce (I keep a jar of sauce in the fridge to add to leftover pasta)
- mac & cheese (we buy the individual portions from Trader Joe's that come 5 in a box)
- hummus and flatbread/pita bread
- pinto or kidney beans with tortilla
- quesadilla
- couscous with veggie "meat"balls

For snacks:
- fig/blueberry/strawberry/apple bars from Trader Joe's for snack
- baby carrots
- small apples

I'll be watching the responses, as I'm always looking for new ideas on what to give her. If it were up to her she would eat a tortilla with butter every day for every meal with ice cream for desert...

:)

This is the first year I've let my kids buy lunch at school regularly, and I feel I need to get back to making lunches, so maybe this reply will help both of us. It certainly helps to have a good eater, but here are a few things my oldest has always enjoyed (and I wish my 7 yr old would eat!):
*Mini bagles w/cream cheese and jelly.
*Peanut butter crackers.
*Cheesy tortilla or bean and cheese tortilla (my little one likes them rolled up).
*Hummus and pita or naan bread or pita chips(.
*Mac n' Cheese.
*Hot Pockets (bleck!)
*Grilled cheese (they like it even if it's cold).
*Olive sandwich. My oldest LOVES this, and it was one of my favorites growing up. Mash up black olives and add mayo, put it on some bread w/ lettuce.)
*Yogert or Go-Gert (I freeze it).
*Chicken salad or tuna salad w/crackers.
*Leftover spaghetti.
For recess or after school I send them a ZBar (kids Cliff bar/protein bar).

Hope that helps some. =)

Hi, a friend of mine just wrote a great cookbook called Mom-a-licious. The recipes are simple and healthy. I highly recommend it. Check it out at www.mom-a-licious.com (there are recipes on the website.
Best wishes!

Hi D.,
I have children in 3rd and 4th grade, and i know what it's like to try to make somethind different for lunch everyday.
Like you, i try to make sure it's something healthy. My kids are healthy eaters, so i can pretty much give them anything without a problem. I'll make salads (i buy packaged salad mix) and will add chopped turkey ham (or shredded chicken), cheese, and bacon bits. I include low fat ranch dressing on the side. I also make "wraps". I'll heat up a flour tortilla, spread mayo, add either ham or chicken, lettuce, and shredded cheese. i roll it and put it on foil. The tortilla will be cold by the time they eat it, but because everything else is cold too, it tastes good. My boys love it! I hope this gives you a couple of ideas.

You can send an icepack in his lunch everyday. That way he can have tuna in his lunch box and it will still be good by lunchtime. I send, hummus, and pita, carrot sticks, grilled cheese, quesadillas and salsa. Carrots and dip. Apples and peanut butter. In a thrmos ($10 at Target) I send spaghetti, chili, soup, rice and beans, mac and cheese- leftovers. You can also send cold chicken legs, salads etc.

First, I want to ask why you give your child 100 calorie packs. You may want to do some research on giving children reduced calorie food. First of all, kids need the fat and calories that us adults try to avoid. Second, if they get into the habit of eatting the low calorie stuff now they will have a more difficult time moderating the full calorie stuff later in life. Just a thought.

In regards to lunch ideas, check out parents.com and in the search type in "lunch box ideas." They have had a few really good articles listing ideas recently, and I just checked the site and most are on there. Pinwheels are always fun- roll up some lunch meat and veggies with a little mayo or cream cheese so it sticks, the cut it into slices. I actually ate one myself yesterday (my daughter didn't dig them because she's too young to pick them up, but I thought it way yummy!) with some deli chicken, grated carrot, shredded cheddar, and some raw spinach. But the ideas are limitless. Also, an interesting thing I saw in parents, they experimented with putting hot items (not just soup) into a thermos, and found that they all stayed hot and yummy until lunch time. There are a lot of ideas, though. Check it out.

D.,
I have a couple picky eaters and I pack lunch everyday. I get DOLE fruit cups(they dont have to be kept cold)& Trader Joes Peanut Butter pretzels. Big hit lunch as an alternate to sandwiches. Protein, fruit & fiber and simple. They can eat quickly, fill up and get out to play!
good luck

Hello D.!
I read the responses you received and it gave me some new ideas as well! I've been packing my daughters school lunch for 3 yrs. now and she generally loves sandwiches! Peanut butter & Jelly, Turkey w/ cheese, Grilled cheese... Might I suggest a wonderful sprouted, whole wheat bread: Ezekiel bread is sold at Trader Joes ( best price )
and at many grocery stores... This is such an awesome source of HEALTHY fiber, if you take a look at any given brand of bread you'll notice they contain high fructose corn syrup or sugar which are terrible for anyone, especially our children! Also, I think the 100 calorie snack bags make up for the calories with extra sugar and possibly hydrogenated oils (yuck)!!
Here are some snacks I add:
carrots, tomatoes, or cucumber slices
pineapple, strawberries, mango (frozen versions are economical, easily stored in a jar and act as an ice pack)
nuts like cashews (peanuts are banned from some schools for allergy reasons)
string cheese, apple sauce, or raisins
I also some times freeze a small bottle of water which acts as an ice pack during school time and then a drink for lunch! On Fridays, after drinking healthy water all week, I treat my daughter to a 100% juice box.

All the Best,
M.
Redondo Beach, CA.

I go through this drama/trauma on a daily basis for two of my children. Lately we've been doing yogurt, mandarin oranges, and apples. I realized that I was offering them too much in their lunch so now it's just sandwich (Bagel & Cream cheese, salami and cheese or peanut butter --that's all they'll eat), fruit (oranges, apples, grapes) and popcorn, pirates booty, pretzels or fig newtons. Good Luck. We also do the school lunch twice a week. I'm not happy about it but chicken nuggets and pizza aren't bad options for them.

Hi....I have always packed my kid's school lunches with 100% fruit snacks, gold fish crackers or granola bars or granola bites. That usually helps change it up! Good luck!

Here are some of my suggestions my kids like...
PB&J sandwich
turkey & cheese sandwich
bagel with whatever they like on it (cream cheese peanut butter)
crackers & cheese
string cheese
yogurt
carrots, apples, tangerines, banana
pretzels
tortilla rolled up with peanut butter or turkey & cheese
I always have to think about what will keep. I know the ice pack is a good idea but for some reason my kids always seem to lose them or forget to put them back in the freezer.

Dear D.:

I have 6 grandchildren and 18 nieces and nephews....
I was also a nanny for a number of years.

Healthy lunches are a snap! Here are a few ideas:
In tupperware:
Chicken leg and rice
Grn. salad with half an egg and vegetables and a little
grated cheese.
Potato Salad with egg and ham or bacon bits
Coleslaw
Antipasto made with cooked macaroni noodles, vegetables,
Itaian dressing, cheese cubes, and meat chunks.
(make enough for dinner)
Leftover Sushi (not the raw stuff)
When you are out get some Yakitori (chicken)
on a skewer to pop into his lunch.
Baked Yam chunks with a dipping sauce (really good).
Carrot and Raisin salad (make enough for dinner)
Leftover Spaghetti
Leftover Pizza
Veggie Cheese Kebobs (stack up cherry tomato, chunk of
cheddar, cucumber, carrot, celery, egg)
Fruit Cheese Kebobs (Same deal)

Sit down with him and make the menu together.
Let him help you make the lunch.

Let me know how it all comes out.
____@____.com

Hi D.;

Lunchable can be one of my suggestion. It is packed and easy. Or once a week with peanut butter/jelly sandwich,egg sandwich or make your own health with lettuce,ham or bologna sandwich. Even chicken left over can be a lunch for children together with their fruits and vegetable.

Good luck,
A.

Hi D.!
I've 3 kids and have packed lunch from home since they started school. Now they're in 4th and 5th and no longer want me to. I used to send them peanut butter sandwiches which have good protein and keep them filled up, boxes of raisins, and those little fruit snacks that are like gummies. If you get ice-packs you have more options.
I used to make them wraps. We bought those cold ice-packs that you can refrigerate to maintain the food cold. I'd put the packs in the freezer and the insulated lunch box in the fridge the night before. We'd put the ice packs in the lunch box on the morning they would take them. We'd make the wraps with whole wheat tortillas, Neufchatel cheese, spinach, one slice of ham and a sprinke of dried cranberries (to give it a sweet kick). I could also pack them baby carrots and asked them not to throw away the plastic baggies so I could reuse them the next day.
Best of luck!
A. L

try raw cashews or almonds, my 1st grader loves them!

Aloha D.-

I know this is a day later and you have probably had a million lunch ideas. As I didn't see the responses I will most likely repeat others, but anyway...my boys took lunch to school for a couple of years until the cafeteria stopped with all the high cal junk. Both of them seem to prefer anything that was wrapped in a tortilla and then sliced, like lean luncheon meats such as turkey of turkey ham, avocado, lettuce, etc. or they liked things in a pita pocket. They loved left-over diced chicken with diced apples & celery in a pita.I did add a little mayo to hold it together, but nowadays they have insolated lunch bags so I don't worry about it getting too warm and the lettuce stays crispy. The 100 cal. packs sounds good. Also fruit like bananas, grapes, tangerines or dried fruit also work well and are easy to eat without too much of a mess. Neither of my boys, now grown, care much for desserts or snacks. They both still eat healthy. It's amazing how creative you can get and still have a healthy lunch. Have fun.

I just purchased 3 books on this topic and I love them! Great suggestions! I bought them all at Amazon.com and they weren't expensive:
Brown Bag Success by Sandra K. Nissenberg, MS,RD
The Laptop Lunch by Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring
The Healthy Lunchbox by Marie McClendon, MEd, and Cristy Shauck

There are just too many great ideas for me to mention them here, get one of these books if you can, maybe your local library has them?

Our son loves edamame. We buy the frozen and shelled beans and put them in a ziplock bag. They defrost over the course of the day and are perfect for eating and lunch. A dry option is soy beans lightly salted. Both provide that protein boost that is so important for kids during an active day.