Kids Lunch Ideas

[totoro]

Now that we are heading back to School or already back.
What are some good lunch idea for our oh so picky kids!

For us N is super picky. She will eat something for a couple of days and then nope, nada, I don't like that.
She does not like sandwiches and lots of textures. She does not like anything that may change colors during the day i.e; apples or bananas.
She is a very difficult one to feed. I can send her with roasted chicken once in awhile and then crackers and maybe cheese... if it doesn't get warm! I have ice packs and I freeze a little motts juice box.
I can send fruit like blueberries and raspberries if they are perfect.


K on the other hand: salami sandwich, or something warm like noodles, rice and beans with tortillas, home made pizza, Tofu scrambles- she is pretty easy. But she doesn't like much fruit.
I have actually found those squeeze tubes at Trader Joe's of Apple/Carrot Sauce that they both like. Also the yogurt tubes from Trader Joe's.

K is easier.
I like to keep it healthy and I don't let them eat the School lunches very often.
Any things that your kids love that are quick healthy or easy?
What can you get your kids to eat. LOL

 

[klmno]

We did yougart (sometimes frozen or the drinkable type), fresh vegies, cheese & crackers, rice crispie treats, strawberries, dry cereal, peanut butter crackers, cantaloupe, grapes, beanie weenies, fruit roll ups, and protein bars along with sandwiches and I mixed and matched to try to make it well-rounded but still a variety so difficult child didn't feel like he was always getting the same thing. He didn't have access to a MW to reheat anything so that limited the options.

 

[totoro]

Good reminder- N is eating grapes and cantaloupe again! I will pick some up and put that in the rotation.

 

[tiredmommy]

Duckie used to like it when I rolled up sliced turkey or ham and I added cubed cheese. She also likes garbanzo beans, carrots, tossed salad. Mac-n-cheese or rice pilaf in a thermos. Plain pita or tortilla. Clementine oranges. Vanilla fat free yogurt with-sliced strawberries.

 

[trinityroyal]

I was just going to suggest strawberries with vanilla yogurt as a dip.

Little easy child likes things that can be assembled. Some of the things I make for him are:
- build-your-own-pizzas: small pita rounds, grated mozzarella, sliced pepperoni, a bit of tomato sauce or reduced sugar ketchup in a little container.
- cheese and crackers
- strawberries with vanilla yogurt for dip
- baby carrots and broccoli florets with ranch dressing as a dip
- edamame (Little easy child doesn't mind if it's cold)
- red and green seedless grapes with stems pulled
- string cheese

 

[totoro]

Good ideas! I had a lot of these in our rotation last year. But you know how it is you rack your brain to remember what the heck to put in their lunches.
K wont eat edamame anymore and N stopped last year only at lunch!!??!? I may put them back into the rotation though just to see.

N is funny- she hates mac-n-cheese, only eats certain brown rices- like wild rice and quinoa! Lunch is so hard for her due to her anxieties and sensory issues. She is afraid of asking for help to open things, wont heat anything up because she might need help... doesn't want anything to weird or complicated.
She IS complicated! LOL
But she was heaven when i brought her crepes last year! But I also sat with her... I will do this again every other week or so once we get back in the swing of things. Her and K like this.

THe dips might work now also, they just started dipping things.

 

[gcvmom]

Have you considered taking them to the store to help pick out stuff from different food groups that they will try? Or looked for some kid recipe books at the library that they could thumb through to find something that looks appealing? The the goal could be a carb, a protein, a dairy and a fruit or vegetable -- they get to learn the food groups and get to have some say in what gets sent each day, and maybe even participate in the preparation process. Of course, this all takes a lot of time and patience on your part, and I know that's not something I have in abundant supply very often! Good luck!

 

[Marguerite]

I had kids with unusual tastes. easy child's favourite lunch pack was Greek style meze. I put in separate little containers (with a frozen juice popper, or box, to keep it all fridge cold): Kalamata olives; tzaziki (yogurt, garlic and cucumber dip eaten with bread or vegetable sticks); a piece of continental bread; carrot sticks and/or celery sticks; maybe a little Greek salad (cucumber, tomato, red capsicum and feta salad with oil/red wine vinegar dressing). Her favourite was Greek-style pickled baby octopus. This is fried in a dry pan (it sort of stews in the liquid that comes out of it) and then while it is hot, I pour over a marinade made of lemon juice, a little red wine vinegar, a lot of olive oil, some salt and garlic, all pureed in the blender. Pour it onto the hot octopus and it absorbs the flavours well. I keep the octopus and marinade in the fridge and sometimes chop it up into a Greek salad. easy child and the other kids loved to take this to school for lunch because watching her eat it would gross out the other kids. You can let the ends of the legs stick out of your mouth and wiggle it with your tongue, so the meal looks like what the aliens eat, in "V".

Also - once we served this up for easy child, nobody ever, ever, stole her lunch again.

Marg

 

[klmno]

I just remembered- we also did pasta salad or chicken or tuna salad sometimes, too . difficult child loved deveiled eggs and I'd make those if I thought his cooler would be kept cold enough for them not to spoil.

 

[tiredmommy]

Duckie also likes hard-boiled eggs.

 

[totoro]

Marg I love that idea!!! K was just asking me about Octopus.
She loves crab, shrimp, scallops etc...

GCV- I can't take them to the store any more- big sigh-they do not helping pick out their food any more. N ends up spinning and clinging to me. The lights the sounds...
K wanders off and starts touching everything. We even try the letting them "help" gather items... a 15 minute trip turns into an hour trip and tears!!! LOL

We do the cook book and Ms. Susie sent the girls the Family Fun Mag which has recipes.
I actually just got a link to Eating Well's lunch idea which included kids lunches- they had some good ones.

Here it is:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_m...lthy_lunch_recipes_for_kids?utm_source=EWTWNL

THanks for all of the ideas! I am good for a couple of weeks! LOL