School lunch menus!

SplitPea

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 9:54 am

The dinner menu thread got me thinking the one thing I hate most in my day, more than making dinner is making school/ preschool lunches!

I follow a few blogs on it but those moms go nuts and have waaaaay more time than me ( and really their kids eat carot oatmeal, flax seed muffins for lunch?!?!- good for then but not my kids.)

I like to give my kids a decent amount of choices and a variety of foods and need more ideas.

When I get a minute today I will type up what I typically send my kids.
I would LOVE to hear your ideas and what you pack. Snacks, sides, mains etc!!!

(No I am not making a cookbook "lunch ideas for a year lmao" I just need help Tongue Out

momX4

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:23 am

I would love to see what others do as well.

On sunday my kids pick their lunches for the week. I have picky eaters and I want them to eat the lunch I send. I keep the fruits a veggies for after school since they wont eat it in school.

One DS only eats waffles with syrup or plain pasta with cocoa in a separate container.
Another DC will eat an open grill cheese with a yogurt.
My oldest is more creative. Pasta, eggs and salad and crackers, yogurt and crackers.

Once a week they all get a deli sandwich with pickles.

My dh's lunch is a soup or salad with a sandwich.

busydev

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:30 am

Right now DS2yo takes pita with PB inside. (I cut a pita into thirds and he still doesnt always finish it) He is in playgroup till 1 and I also send a sippy cup with water, ww animal crackers, pretzels, cheese (string or slice) and/or veggie straws.

Hes not so reliable with eating fruits and veggies (depends on the way the wind is blowing LOL

) so I save those for at home. I also dont send anything he needs a spoon to eat (like applesauce or yogurt) cause he still cant eat it without dropping some on himself, the table or the floor and I dont think thats fair to his morah.

Im also open to more ideas....

SplitPea

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:30 am

We do currently:
Yogurt
Dr pragers "littles"
Chicken nuggets
Fish sticks (I can't imagine they are good cold but the kids eat them)
Pasta & hard boiled egg
Hard boiled egg and cheese stick

All with some combo of apple, banana, grapes, pear, tomatoes, cucumber,

And then some junk, bamba, pretzels, popcorn, cookies, thin wheats, etc

We need a lunch and two snacks so I tend to try and pack a lot

watergirl

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:40 am

I am amused reading what you are all sending. Beware, parents of little kids still going to play group - your babma and pb on pita days are coming to an end.

My 10 year old dd has announced that she doesnt want sandwiches anymore. So, I invested in really great thermoses from target (about $17 each! but worth it) and send soup most days. DD likes the novelty of having home made food. Ill send leftover chicken from the night before which she didnt even touch, and for lunch, hot, she likes it. Its a real pain at dinner time, but what can ya do.

And since my kids dont tell me what to do and what not to do, I also send a sandwich a few days a week (melted cheese or cold cuts). She can eat it or be hungry.

busydev

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 11:56 am

watergirl wrote:

I am amused reading what you are all sending. Beware, parents of little kids still going to play group - your babma and pb on pita days are coming to an end.

not nec. it depends on his class ime. all my siblings are able to take pb, except for the one who is allergic to it (but her classmates can bring, she just cant eat it). but a couple neighbors (in the same school) do have kids in pb free classes. but other kids can and do take pb.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 12:08 pm

I have a list on the fridge of different mains and different sides.

Various bagel sandwiches, wrap options, bread options, rice cake sandwiches, chickpeas, yogurt, noodles, hard boiled eggs, can't remember what else. I will NOT patchka. If my kid wants a wrap, I'm happy to mix up the tuna salad and he wraps it up...
I will happily make a pizza bagel, though.
Instead of peanut butter, I get soybutter. Some of my kids are ok with that, but not all. I have one kid who doesn't like it, doesn't like jelly, doesn't like yogurt or string cheese. She's a huge veggie eater, though. Putting cream cheese on bread is pretty junky, but whatever. Sometimes I'll make her a grilled cheese or pizza sandwich. Or give her leftovers...

I do one big baking on Sunday of muffins, healthy cookies (pumpkin flaxseed ones this week, yes, and my kids WILL eat them even though they do not like flaxseed in smoothies), or granola bars. I send in one baked good if my child wants (I have one kid who asks me to save it for home and she eats it as an after school snack).

And then I add in a fruit/vegetable thing like a pickle, cucumber, pepper sliced, grape tomatoes, baby carrots (sometimes with chumus), apple, clementine, banana, raisins, applesauce...

For a nosh bag, I put in a bag some tortilla chips (never potato chips) or rice chips or multigrain chips or veggie straws or pretzels (could be spelt) or veggie chips, or I make a trail mix with nuts (not peanuts!), etc...

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 12:10 pm

I do have to say making lunches is one of my most dreaded chores. I have 7 bags to pack each night. There was a time my oldest was doing his own, and it worked out beautifully. His life got busier though, and it was not worth insisting on it. I do make a few sandwiches at a time, and save in the fridge for future days.

suzyq

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 12:24 pm

I have a super picky son. His playgroup serves lunch and snacks but I have to send food anyway, because he won't touch anything they serve unless it's one of the things he already eats (which means he'll sometimes eat the snacks, but never the lunch). I send yogurt, crackers and pretzels. At home, he'll also eat applesauce, cereal and cookies, but very little else. It amazes me that he survives on so little, but Thank G-d, he's healthy and growing and VERY active. His pickiness actually makes packing lunch easy, since he doesn't mind having the same thing day after day.

RachelEve14

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 12:27 pm

We also have thermoses. The kids usually take
Sandwich (aruchat eser) with fruit or veg if they want (this they do themselves)

For lunch there is a rotation of hot dogs, chicken snitzel, mac & cheese, soup, cereal & milk, leftovers, etc. I serve with p'titim or couscous (unless it's pasta) or rice if I have leftover. I let them pick in the morning what they want, and Thursday is usually cereal & milk day because I am *done* with school lunch by then.

granolamom

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 2:09 pm

busydev wrote:

watergirl wrote:

I am amused reading what you are all sending. Beware, parents of little kids still going to play group - your babma and pb on pita days are coming to an end.

I guess it depends on where you live. all of our local schools are 'nut free schools' regardless of whether or not there are any kids with allergies in the class.

granolamom

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 2:13 pm

I have very picky eaters and they hate variety. my homeschoolers are on their own, my first grader takes a cheese sandwich every single day. my 4 yo takes either mac & cheese or plain bread cut in triangles and two string cheese on the side. every day.
my ninth grader is a bit spoiled Smile

her school has a different vendor sell lunch each day. I give her money on mon for pizza and on wed for soup/salad. tues and thurs she brings either pasta or bagel and cream cheese, fri she is home and takes whatever she finds.
snacks are apples, cookies, popcorn, cucumber sticks, raisins, etc. with the occasional fruit-roll-up when I sense somebody needs a pick-me-up in their bag.

mha3484

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 2:40 pm

I have one in playgroup until 12:45. He is given a snack by his morah and for lunch it is usually cracker sandwiches of almond butter, cream cheese or tehina. I cut up a veggie and a third item depending on what I have in the house. Bread sandwitches were coming back uneaten. I may try container food again one of these days since hes getting better with utensils. If he is still hungry DH gives him something to eat when he gets home.

Reality

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 8:31 pm

Nothing too fancy. Usually a grilled cheese or cream cheese sandwich. Sometimes a yogurt or leben. Leftovers from the night before. Rice and sautéed veggies or plain noodles or mac n cheese. I've microwaved a baked potato. I cut up veggies. I used to make salads more often but they were coming home too often.

I always send 2 snacks. Always a fruit, whatever is in season. I will work hard to make it appealing. So I will cut up melon, pomegranate seeds etc. For a mezonos snack, either homemade cupcake, cookies (I try to make healthier whole grain options.) or whole grain pretzels, popcorn etc.

Only as a rare treat will my kids bring in the typical snack bag. I really detest those.

goodmorning

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 8:54 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Can you share the recipes for your pumpkin flaxseed and other healthy cookies?

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 9:16 pm

Pumpkin Flaxseed Cookies
1/2 C coconut oil
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C honey
1 C canned pumpkin
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 C spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon or pumpin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C flaxseed

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes after mixing it all together, dropping by the tablespoon on parchment paper lined baking sheets, and slightly flattening them.

They're pretty mushy, not typical cookie consistency.

I don't have time to type up any more right now, sorry Sad

pause

Thu, Dec 26 2013, 9:29 pm

I send:
Sunday - avocado sandwich with cucumber slices or French toast
Monday - homemade focaccia (I make a few whenever I bake challos)
Tuesday - plain bread with leftover salad
Wednesday - leftover beans spread onto the bread or in a container with plain bread, sometimes we have leftover homemade applesauce and that also goes over well here
Thursday - egg sandwich

Snacks are harder than lunches! I have oatmeal cookies, pretzels, apple slices...