School Lunch Ideas - Denton,TX

I used to make my little one mini pizza's. I would buy the pizza dough mix and cut the dough with a small mouth glass, and buy some pepperoni and add to it. She did not really want the pizza sauce at the time so it was great. When she decided she wanted sauce I would use the snack bags and she could squeeze it out that way. The really great thing is that 1 pizza mix would make a lot of mini pizzas so I would freeze a pack of pizza and meat and pull it out of the freezer. I also would rotate her lunch like she would not have pizza everyday.

A good peanut butter substitute is Sun Butter. It's made with sunflower seeds, so no nuts at all. We have a family history of nut allergies, so that's what my daughter eats. I eat it quite a bit now, too and find that it tastes quite a bit like the real thing. It's even available in crunchy or smooth. I know Whole Foods has it, but I've also found it at Target and some other stores. You'd want to tell the teacher/lunch monitor so they don't think you goofed and sent the scary stuff!

One thing I do is make spaghetti and freeze individual amounts. Use a muffin tin and the amount is perfect. The night before I take it out to defrost and I cook noodles. The small macarroni noodles are the best. In the morning I heat it all up and put it in her thermos. Add a side of bread or cheese. She loves it and eats all of it. I also send her with left-overs from dinner. I will cook enough at night to pack for my daughter and my husband the next day.

Coolest website- SOO many great ideas- click on the pictures of the lunches & it tells you what everything is. I also bought a container like this at Container Store.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mslil65/sets/72157601755804789/

www.laptoplunches.com is the best imo for lunch ideas :)

You know, there is this blog that I used to look at all the time, it is so cool--it is a Mom listing what she packed for her son's lunch everyday and what he thought of it! She would also list her and her husband's lunches and when they would go on a picnic. She always has these adorable lunch boxes, too, which are not only compartmentalized for ease of food division, but also earth friendly--because you don't ever throw them away!

It's called veganlunchbox.blogspot.com

Yes, it's a vegan blog--no meat, no dairy, etc. BUT don't throw the baby out with the bathwater if that's not your thing--the ideas are fabulous on their own or at least give you mega inspiration to adapt your own--I am not vegan and I love her blog!!

The other site I frequented has images of lunchboxes for inspiration:
laptoplunches.com/laptoplunchphotos.html

Good luck!! Have fun!!

Fortunately, Kindergarteners generally eat lunch at 10:30 or 11:00, so it doesn't have to be kept cold for too long. I would invest in some nice ice packs for the school year, just to keep everything as fresh as possible.

Some ideas (especially for proteins) include: cheese and yogurt. If you child doesn't mind eating traditionally hot foods when they're cold, you might consider left over pizza, baked chicken, pork chops, chicken strips, etc. We use the thermos for soups, ravioli, pastas, etc. My youngest LOVES cereal (mini-wheats, raisin bran, etc.) You can pack a bowl and either pack milk or have your son purchase a container of milk from the cafeteria.

We've also got a section on our Camps page (about 1/4 way down on the left hand side) where we have recommendations for Summer Camp Lunches http://familyeguide.com/index5.php?id=5&sid=63. You might get other ideas there.

Finally, no matter how much I try to be creative, I always feel like I'm packing the same stuff and the kids are getting bored. We let the kids have one meal a week from the cafeteria to mix it up. They send home a menu once a month and I let my girls choose one selection each week... then I know in advance when not to pack them a lunch.

Good luck!
www.familyeguide.com Free guide to affordable family activities in Flower Mound, Lewisville, Highland Village and the surrounding communities.

My son likes a wide range of things so that helps. My number one suggestion is to get a food thermos. We have used the same one for three years. Here are suggestions on what my son has actually taken to school.

Spaghetti
Spaghetti O's
chicken legs heated and wrapped in tinfoil
hot dogs (toast the bun so it does not get soggy & wrap in tinfoil)
lunchables
meatloaf crumbled in thermos w/ bbq sauce
wraps (meat & cheese wrapped in flour tortilla)
chicken nuggets or chicken strips
tuna or meat sandwich
soups
baked potato (with fixings in little throw away cups)
pizza heated and wrapped in tinfoil
beans and rice
enchiladas and rice
mac N cheese

He has taken so many things, that I don't remember half of them. He takes a lot of leftovers to school and does not mind, he says it tastes better then the school lunches he buys about twice a month. This year I am going to try something different like a potato bowl & maybe try some tacos.

Couple of suggetions:
keep packets of condiments, it is real easy to throw in lunchboxes.

Keep a list of stuff you find he likes for the first year.

kids like those prepackaged meat, cheese and crackers. But you could do that yourself. Instead of a standwich, cut up the meat and cheese and send ritz crackers.

Sunflower butter and jelly, like Lynn T suggested. It's a huge hit in our family and honestly, I think it tastes better than peanut butter. It's very creamy. We buy SUNBUTTER brand with the YELLOW top (there are others but we like the yellow top best). It's a nutritional powerhouse too --with over 25% of the DV for vitamin E, magnesium, and copper -- also has a good amount of iron, zinc, and niacin. SUNBUTTER is made in a peanut-free and tree nut-free environment. You can buy it at Whole Foods and at Newflower Market (but not Sprouts). My son will eat almond and cashew butter too, but this is definitely his top choice. I second the "Laptop Lunchbox" idea -- we own one and their website and newsletter have lots of great lunch ideas. The compartments really do hold a lot and the mix of colors and sizes helps me balance lunches well. I pack the sunflower butter in the large covered container and then jelly in the small container with a lid, add a rice cake and some fruit and veggies and I've got a complete and nutritious meal for my 5 year old.

www.marthastewart.com

www.lhj.com ladies home journal

surf the net for "packing a lunch for school".

heat up soup, pour in a thermos, and place in an inselated lunch box. pimento cheese sandwiches...

I think if you check familyfun.com, they may have a section on school lunches. Here are some of the things I do. A few pieces of turkey/ham, some crackers, cheese cubes, fruit, yogurt and a drink. A bagel with cream cheese or a blueberry bagel, carrots and dip, mac and cheese in a thermos, you can cut a hot dog up and put it in a warm thermos for them to have hot dogs at school. You can either keep the bread separate or have him make it himself by taking the weiner out and putting it on the bread. Include a ketchup package or they usually have ketchup at school. You can also put nuggets in a thermos. I read about putting mini bagles, pizza sauce and cheese (like a lunchable) and letting them make it themselves. You can adapt almost anything to a lunchbox if you think hard enough...oh, and my kids like when I put soup in a thermos for them.

Try soy butter. I have nut allergies so we are peanut free in our home. From what others tell me, soy butter tastes just like peanut butter. I buy my soy butter at Walmart.

And be EVER SO CAREFUL with the mayo on those turkey sandwiches. Individual fruit and pudding cups are handy. Chef Boy-ar-dee individual heat-'em-in the microwave dinners in a cup are good. (Most schools have MW's available. Add fresh fruits or cheese crackers. Just some ideas...

J.,

THANK YOU for asking this question! I too have a 5 yo, 3 yo, and 1 yo....all girls though. I've been having anxiety over this all summer. Well this and the other aspects of growing up! I'm going to keep checking back for ideas!!! :O)

I think I would search Amazon for a cookbook for healthy ideas for packed lunches. It should help you get past sandwich-only lunches to things like chicken salad with bits of apple and celery or hearty soups in thermoses when it is cooler. I do best when I include a protein to keep the blood sugar level so I won't feel as hungry later. If your school allows it, things like cheese sticks for a between meal snack can help out too, especially if the child's lunch period is too early or late.

We are not allowed peanut butter either, but there are alternatives to peanut butter out there. We have not tried them, but I know lots of kids at the school do use them.

Mostly, I pack lunch meats without the bread. Also applesauce, and fruits in the cuts (oranges,pineappples), raisins, cheese sticks, and grapes. I drop in a little bag of gummies as a treat.

-L.

yellow-white cheese cubes, sting cheese, yogurt cups, yogurt stix (I send little scissors b/c hard to open), other nuts in a little bag (if allowed), apple sauce, fruit pieces, ham cubes, turkey cubes, crackers, jelly sandwich, a slice of ham with cream cheese spread rolled up, cereal bars, whole grain gold fish, and things that they see other kids eating and request from you!

Are tree nuts banned as well? Ask the school if almonds and cashews are part of the ban. If not almond butter or cashew nut butter are yummy alternatives and more healthful too. Remember, peanuts aren't nuts, they are a legume like peas, so they are in an entirely different category than tree nuts.

You could try cream cheese and jelly sandwiches, tuna/chicken sandwiches with cut up fruit in it for sweetness, turkey and cheese with basil mayo sandwiches, using different types of breads (english muffin, bagel), use turkey or ham to make pinwheels, bean burritos, hotdogs,(in the thermos container) beenie weenies, soup, spaghetti o's, pasta salad, bean dip with veggie chips, mac-n-cheese with hotdogs or ham chunks and chili mac.

Check with your school ahead of time to get the time for lunch.

I know at the school where I sub, the K's eat last at 12:30. When all day K started, there were some issues because we all know how long it can take for the little ones to choose whatever they want in the cafeteria line. Due to that and time constraints with feeding all the children in all grade levels, the decision was made to feed K last and by that time some choices were more limited.

Our school does not tell you NOT to bring pb/j and the cafeteria serves it...HOWEVER....there are a couple of tables set aside that are peanut free and for anyone with allergies. The children who sit there get to choose a friend to lunch with them daily as long as that child's lunch does not contain whatever the allergic child is allergic to.

As for lunches, I see all kinds of lunches, thermos with soup, spagettios, other pastas, breakfast cereals (milk either brought from home or purchased at cafeteria ), veggies/dips, fruits/dips,

Because of this late lunch, they have a break between 10:30 -11 or so when they have a healthy snack time and recess.

I second the Sun Butter idea. My son can't have PB, and I like it better.

No nut butters at all? If its just peanuts, you can try almond or cashew butters.

My dd loves hummus and avocado sandwiches. What about pimento cheese?

Turkey pinwheels, homemade lunchables, tuna/chicken/egg salad, quesedillas, bean burritos.....

My son has a peanut allergy and most other nut butters are not safe due to cross contamination issues, so we live on Sunbutter. It is made from sunflower seeds which few people are allergic too. I think it tastes much better than soynut butter. I was a PB addict so I was thrilled to find it. I know you can get it a Central Market and sometimes Kroger has it in the natural foods section. I have recently seen it at Target too. Since the salmonella scares, it seeems to be more available as people are looking for alternatives.

Hi J.,

Good for you for planning to pack nutritious lunches for your son, rather than relying on what the school district considers nutritious (sugar, transfats and overcooked veggies). I've got a whole sheet full of great lunch and snack ideas. Email me at ____@____.com and I will send you a copy!

So will you be yahooing or boohooing on the big day? :-)

M.
P.S. I am building a team of 5 financially free champions over the next 2-5 years. Would you like to be one of them? Contact me through Mamasource if you are ready for change!

My kids were not big on sandwiches at all when they were that age, so I really had a challenge. I would put cheese and crackers or just the lunch meat without the bread, cut up fruit, granola bars, yogurt, and string cheese.

My oldest would never buy his lunch in the cafeteria, but my youngest could not find his lunch box on the first day of school and so the teacher bought his lunch. Luckily they had grilled cheese sandwiches (one of his favorite) and he was hooked. He was a very picky eater and he really likes to have a hot lunch, so I have allowed him to buy his lunch as often as he wants. Every year, he trys more and more new things and now in 5th grade, he buys his lunch every day. They have a thing called PayPams, where you can pay into their account online, so you don't have to send money each day. Through the PayPams website you can log on and see what they are purchasing each day. This is nice, because I was able to see that my son was buying a dessert every day and I told him he could not do that and that I could check what he was buying. It helps me to monitor what he is eating. At most schools, they can have a plate lunch with drink for less than $3 a day. You can barely pack a lunch for that little and it really saves time in the morning, if you don't have to pack a lunch.

I have a few suggestions that no one else has offered. My kids do NOT eat in the cafeterias. They have always taken their own. I buy frozen corn dogs and cook them in my toaster oven in the morning (give them a chance to cool before you wrap them or they will be soggy). Also, frozen chicken nuggets are good, too. My kids LOVE Schwan's chicken tenders. They are a little pricey but they are really good. My daughter likes yogurt but it can get gross if lunch is late.

My kids are old enough they don't take a lunch box, they just use lunch sacks so they can throw everything away and not have to keep up with something the rest of the day. If he takes a lunch box, get one of those freezer things you can put in their lunch to keep things cold.

Good luck!

How about involving him in deciding what he would like to take? Maybe he could help you packing it into the baggies. I found my girls always ate better if they helped choose!

Try an alternative to PB like almond, cashew, etc. and you can blend it yourself in the bulk foods aisle at a central market or other natural foods store.

My 4-year old LOVES Chicken Salad. I put about 1/4 cup of it in a small container (tupperware, ziplock, etc.), a spoon, and a baggie full of wheat thins.

The other favorite for my girls - there is a new kind of apple sauce out, called GOGO Squeeze. It's in a pouch, kind of like Caprisun and they unscrew the top, then drink/suck it out. I keep them in the freezer, so when I drop it in their lunch, a) it helps to keep anything else cold (chicken salad, turkey sandwich, etc.), and it's defrosted by the time lunch rolls around.

My 7-year old also likes to take pasta for lunch (Chef-Boy-R-Dee makes whole wheat Beefaroni, so I let her have that once a week). I got this Thermos from Target, and LOVE it (I've had other moms ask me about it). It has a folding spoon that fits into the top, so it's really pretty cool:

http://www.target.com/Stainless-Steel-King-Food-Jar/dp/B0...

M.

I invested in one of these:
http://www.thermos.com/Product_detail.aspx?CatCode=LUNC&a...
I love it! It's the perfect size to hold a full lunch-size serving of spaghetti, mac and cheese, left over casserole, soup, or anything you want to keep hot or cold. If you don't already have one, I'd definitely recommend it. It'll help expand the variety of foods you can send in your son's lunch!

I'm just curious as to why none of the moms suggest eating the cafeteria lunch? That is what I did through all my years of public school in North Carolina growing up and had a hot meal most days with vegetables and fruit and milk. It was a well-balanced meal every day at lunch. Are the schools no longer providing low cost good lunches?

You could also make those sandwiches into tortilla wraps. That is a hard one. If you don't want to spend the money for lunchables, you could always use cookie cutters to make shapes out of the cheese, and turkey/ham, and put crackers in there for his lunch. I used to make different shapes for my son's sandwiches and he loved it!