Parents of school aged children - HELP!

[KitchenWitch]

I am trying to come up with some ideas for lunches for my 6 year old, since the hot lunch program here is not very good.

PB+J are already on the list as are cheese sammiches.

I do not want to be a one trick pony when it comes to my daughter's lunches.

[AlCzervik]

1. When i make dinner i always make enough for my daughter to take to school the next day.

she has braces so sandwiches are out for her because the bread gets stuck in her grill. Chicken and rice, pasta or chili are some of her favorites.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. You know those "Lunchables" boxed meals that are horrifically expensive?

Buy the basic materials in bulk, and make your own. Crackers, taco sauce, shredded cheese, mini bagels, pepperoni, spaghetti sauce, cold cuts, and wraps can add variety to her lunch.

Have her help make it, and she'll enjoy it even more!

[KitchenWitch]

3. That is a great idea!

I actually have two little containers that have a fork and spoon attached, I could put that kind of stuff in there.

I bought her a thermos jug with Hello Kitty on it for soup too.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. That soup will be especially nice

when the weather gets cooler! :thumbsup:

[mzteris]

25. i use the lid of a "tea ball"

to cut the "lunchmeat" into little circles - just like the lunchables. . .

Hint on the thermos - have her practice opening it at home (while full of plain water) so she learns how to do it without "spilling".

Also - I zap some water in the microwave to boiling when we get up for breakfast. Pour it in the thermos and close. Just before we're ready to go, I heat up whatever he's taking, pour out the water and pour in the soup/whatever. It stays hotter that way.

[Shine]

4. My next door neighbor invented the Laptop Lunchbox. Check this out:

http://www.laptoplunches.com/

:hi: I'm really proud of her.

We've used these lunch boxes for years and there's some great ideas for lunches on this site, too.

[KitchenWitch]

5. Oh thank you!

You have given me this link before, but I lost it!

:woohoo:

[Shine]

6. Sure thing, darlin'. Happy to help. I'd forgotten I'd already given it to you.

:toast:

I really like the idea of giving them a waste-free lunch. The average American school kid produces about 65 lbs of waste per school year!!! Wow.

[KitchenWitch]

8. Incredible isn't it!

I have two little boxes complete with fork and spoon that I can put things in. I think I will buy one of those bento boxes though! Those are really cool.

Last school year I had bought some juice bottles with the little freezer thing in the cap, because I did not like packing a juice box every day (costs more and damn, all that packaging).

[Shine]

10. exactly, it's the packaging which really adds up

they've implemented a regular Waste-Free lunch day in our district and they'll give out little cutesy prizes to those who bring in waste-free lunches. Well, my kids and many others bring 'em in EVERY day, so it's nice to know we're making a difference, in our small little ways.

:thumbsup: I'm sure you won't be disappointed if you get a Laptop Lunchbox. They're pretty cool.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. That's a really neat site!

I love her lunch ideas!

[Shine]

12. Happy to help spread the word.

I'm really proud of Amy. She's done a LOT of hard work to get their business to this point. :thumbsup: And it's making a big difference, too! Very cool.

[KitchenWitch]

14. I just ordered the bento box and an extra set of inner containers

I already have an insulated lunch bag that will fit with the bento box!

:woohoo:

[Shine]

16. Great!!

they have great stuff! :thumbsup: :yourock:

[bicentennial_baby]

13. I think I'm going to order one for me!

I'm sick of eating BK on campus every day, or pizza...One of those might solve my problem! Thanks for the link! :hi:

[Shine]

15. Very cool!!!

I'm sure you won't be disappointed. :hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

20. I am ordering one of those for BabyMidlo! Thank you, Shine!

[DarkTirade]

21. That's genius right there.

[Beausoir]

24. That is a very cool product.

[mzteris]

26. cool website

Thanks.

My son takes his lunch EVERY DAY. ooops - I guess that'll be sonS now. :( Yikes. That means I have to make TWO lunches - which will probably be different - EVERY MORNING. aaarrrrgggghhhhh.

[InvisibleTouch]

27. What a great product!

I always took a lunch box or a brown bag to school, but this provides so many more possibilities than the boring old sandwich and thermos. If I were still working a conventional job, I'd certainly get one of these sets for myself, even now.

[BarenakedLady]

7. I like this link

She uses those Bento boxes too.

http://www.veganlunchbox.com/recipes.html

Lots of good ideas.

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. Watch "Eat Drink Man Woman" and learn how to make lunch from that.

That was one very lucky kid.

[laylah]

18. Well MaMa KW...

I once had children and some of the "hits" were "ants on a log". Celery "stuffed" with peanut butter and topped with raisins. Lunchables always worked. Of course, having earned the name of "Tofu Mama" at an early stage, string cheese, yoghurt and always, always fruit.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[Redstone]

19. From Mrs R:

Cheese & crackers. Fruits. Celery with peanut butter. Nuts. Yogurt.

You may want to check magazines such as "Better Homes & Gardens," because they always have articles about this specific subject this time of year.

Redstone

[MissMillie]

22. Make sure you check your school's policy on peanut butter

it may not be allowed.

[dropkickpa]

23. Dropkid, the world's pickiest eater,

Is a big fan of rollups, be they PB+J, turkey, bolonga, cheese, etc. I buy tortillas like they're going out of style anyhow (yummy) and sandwiches are extra good this way (and I can sneak in some good for her stuff occasionally, even *gasp* green stuff).

I also do a pizza rollup, but I send all of the ingredients separately (little bit of sauce, cheese, pepperoni, etc) and she loves to put it together at school. I admit to sending cold pizza a couple times, but since Dropkid is a FIEND for cold pizza, that's okay. I try not to send anything that's too complicated as they only get 20 minutes for luch, but I want her to have some variety.

If kitchenwitch kid isn't picky, you'll have a much easier time figuring things out for her/him. A lot of sites like Kraft etc have a bunch of ideas for school lunches posted, and some of their ideas are really cool.

[AllegroRondo]

28. some things my daughter liked

I HATED those lunchable thingies, as they are very high in fat and sodium, and dont give you that much to eat.

One of her faves was tuna and crackers. I'd make tuna salad, and put it tupperware cup. Add a separate baggie of saltine crachers and she was in heaven. I figure its about the same as a tuna sandwich, just more fun. You could probably do the same with chicken salad.

I always packed lots of baggies of fruits and veggies. baby carrots were very popular, so was brocolli for some reason. celery with peanut butter and raisins. grapes.

[Joe Fields]

29. Maybe this was the lazy way out, but it worked....

We bought our son 'Lunchables.' They come in a variety, and he loved them.