Lunch Ideas - Orland Park,IL

This might sound boring, but we do cereal and milk with some kind of sliced fruit for a LOT of lunches, even when that repeats breakfast. Kids like it and as long as you stick with relatively healthy cereals, they're getting some good vitamins. We like Total Cinnamon Crunch and Multigrain Cheerios best.

I am in a similar boat for my school aged child who brings lunch to school. I'm out of ideas! They don't have access to a fridge or microwave.

Think "God's packaging". That what I try to teach my kids. We try to have a fruit and veggie at every meal. Also there are great kids cookbooks or try the Family Fun website for some ideas.

We like nitrite free lunch meats, string cheese, any veggies with dip...the dips are peanut butter, ranch dressing, cream cheese, etc. Cottage cheese and yogurt are great and quick. Applesauce, applebutter on toast, bagels, soup and smoothies.

My kids will eat most anything THEY get to help make. I was surprised they love tuna salad, hummus, pesto, V8 and homemade pizzas are always a hit too.

When I make a "big" dinner, like a ham, whole chicken, etc. I make sub sandwiches the next day. The kids love stacking all the meats. We also do "roll ups" - just one piece of meat rolled up into a tube. No bread. Little mess. Great lunch outside on our kids picnic table.

I hope this helps!

get some really thinly sliced meat at the deli, turkey, ham etc.... and some flour tortilla's let them make wraps also veggies cut up with dip is good. my grandkids eat a lot of veggies raw that they won't touch cooked. good luck

My kids love yogurt and granola bars for lunch with a fruit. If granola bars are not a hit, my kids love to have crackers with different types of cheese (Brie, cheddar etc) with the yogurt. Bologna and cheese rolled together with no bread. Peanut butter on a tortilla, then add some apple and banana with a splash of honey and roll it up. My son loves a bowl of black olives mixed with ranch dressing. Grilled cheese sandwich or just a cheese sandwich ungrilled, then use a cookie cutter to cut the sandwich into different shapes. If you do the cookie cutter shapes you can add raising or cranberries (or any dried fruit) for the characters eyes or buttons. English muffin pizzas. Hope that helps.

Honestly, pbj and nuggets aren't so bad in the long run. Try to pair them with some fresh chopped raw veggies (carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, whatever) and some fruit and you are fine. It seems boring to me and you, but they won't be anything but happy and healthy.

We do homemade lunchables with Triscuit crackers, sandwich meat and cheese. Quesodillas are also a big hit - sometimes I make them with pepporoni and mozz cheese and call them Pizzadiallas! Homemade spaghetti O's with whole wheat elbow noodles and a big can of Tomoto Juice. Let them make their own sandwich, or at least pick out what they want on it. My kids used to never like meat and cheese sandwich, only pb&j, until I let them choose their own stuff - they put on pickles and everything!! We eat lots of leftovers for lunch when we are home. I try to "repurpose" them by putting leftover meat into tortilla wraps and with pasta etc. We go heavy on the fruit at lunch time too.

My son is loving wraps right now Flatout Flatbread with chicken/lettuce/veggies. He's 7 and today he just tried out taking some leftover meatballs kept warm in a small Thermos. He loved it!

tuna salad sandwich beans and wienies(sp), ravioli, burritioes, beef n mac. mac and cheese and tuna mixed in. frozen pizza, pot pies, fish sandwiches. egg rolls, corn dogs, salad, (if your kids do vegies) chili, frozen quesidillas, fried chicken cooked in micro I buy frozen alot. meatballs and ramen noodles or meatball sandwiches, egg sandwiches, eggs, eggs in any combination on burritioe shells or buiscuits. with sausage or bacon with or with out cheese. These are ideas I could think of.