Tuesday, August 18, 2009

School Lunches

I just heard a bit on the radio on the way home about what to send your child for lunch once school starts up again. Our school is a peanut free zone (are there any that aren't?), but she does have access to a microwave, so it's not as big of a problem as some people face.

Usually, I will send supper leftovers 2 or 3 times a week which cuts down on the need to be too creative.

Sandwiches are good (I remember I did NOT like sandwiches - sorry Mom!) - she likes canned meat (ham, chicken or turkey), so I keep a few of those on hand to mix up for a sandwich. I'll get lunch meat once in a while, if we're out for dinner and I know Sean will need a lunch too (he pretty much always takes leftovers). She also likes lettuce and cheese sandwiches - found that out one day trying to figure out a lunch:
me: "we've got everything for sandwiches except meat..."
her: "that's okay, I can take it without the meat."
me: "lettuce and cheese???"
her (after school): "it was great!"

Sometimes I'll send half a can of soup - we always have that around, and it'll still be warm if I heat it then stick it in a thermos.

I think I've sent a muffin with cheese as the main part before, and crackers and cheese, but she needs more filler then.

What are your kids favorites? Share some tips with the rest of us! Also, what extras do you put in? I do fresh veggies or fruit when we have them, canned fruit when we don't, applesauce, pudding, cookies, 'fruit snacks', granola bars... I'd love to hear some other suggestions to stock the pantry with.

8 comments:

Alexis said...

I hated sandwhiches as a kid, except for egg salad and tuna when I got to high school.

I was a big fan of chocolate milk with lunch.

Carolyn Ward said...

Mmmmm... Chocolate milk... :)

Levi said...

I like jello, sandwiches, muffins, kraft dinner in a thermos, and love notes from my aunt!

Levi

Solomon said...

My favorite thing to take for lunch is granola bars, pita pockets, and why are you making me think about going back to school?

Jessica said...

I like to make the kids muffins and pita pockets. I put tuna and apple and grated cheese with mayo in the pitas, sooo good. Or cheese and crackers and summer sausage.

For extras I make cookies, or put in dried fruit, yogurt covered raisens or pretzles. I make jello and put it in little containers sometimes I even make jello with ice cream.

That's all I can think of for now. If I think of something else I'll post again!

Heather said...

I don't know about lunches for kids, but one of my personal favourite lunch to take to school is pasta salad. I make a up big batch with tomatoes, peppers and whatever else I feel like, and then each morning I put one serving worth in a container and add a salad dressing and spices I feel like having that day. That way I can have pasta salad whenever there aren't leftovers but it doesn't have to taste the same each time!

Silas said...

pita pockets, sandwitches (whatever kind), mac and cheese, candy (that NEVER happens), well I like basicly anything mom sends me.

lanagummeson said...

I realized that I can change the whole history of the blog by posting on this particular posting and making the number of comments rise to 8. The sheer power of that drew me in.

I like nuts. They are good for you, you can pack them in anything, and they are packed with protein and other good stuff. I also like dried fruits with raisins and Mangos and berries being my favorite. I am also a fan of peeled pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I know it sounds like i like trailmix, but truthfully, I pick it apart and only eat what I feel like out of each bag - so I kind of make my own except I don't mix them and I don't take them on trails BUT Kids like it too, especially if you throw in some chocolate chips and other irresistable snacks and perhaps they are not as neurotic as I and can just eat whatever comes into their hand from the mixed bag... or maybe they can pick out what THEY want and let them make their own trail mix each day. :)