Kids Lunch Ideas

[anxious]

For those who pack warm pasta for kids lunch. Does it stay warm by the time they eat lunch? Looking for alternatives to sending sandwhiches. First year making lunches so so far just the typical boring sandwhich for my son.

[hezzier]

I don't pack warm items so can't answer your question, but I will back different types of sandwiches (ham, turkey, salami and any combination of the 3) and change up the bread if you have multiple safe brands.  My kids are into mustard and pickles on them.  If packing sunbutter, it's usually paired with honey for DS.  I will also do sunbutter on both sides of bread and put sliced bananas or strawberries in the middle.  Home made lunchables with crackers that are safe for your kids.  Home made muffins and then pack some lunch meat separately.  Leftover cold pizza (doesn't happen very often). 

[rebekahc]

Fill a thermos with very hot water and let it sit while you heat the pasta.  Then, pour out the water and put the hot pasta into the warmed thermos.  It will stay hot that way for a long time.  If you don't do the water first, it will still stay warm, just not nice and hot.

If you send any messy stuff in containers, I suggest sending a large enough ziplock bag to put the used containers in.  I've learned from experience that little hands often don't put the lids back on well.  The ziplock bag will save you from having to buy a new lunchbox.

[YouKnowWho]

Thank you for that tip about the baggie Rebekah.  I have all but given up on sending in juice in our containers because the kids are forever leaving them open on the return trip.  I can wash one lunch box in the dishwasher and the other bag goes through the washing machine and dryer but I don't always have the ability to do it before returning to school the next day.

DS1 after three years of wanting the same stinking lunch now wants to branch out (hallelujah).  His new bread is more stable for lunch packing (he eats gluten/egg free bread and prior brands would mold by lunch time or disintegrate). 

He doesn't like mustard or faux mayo but we have discovered he likes cream cheese and ham on bread.  I have also done cream cheese spread on ham, rolled up and cut into spirals.

Both boys like cold leftover pizza so I try to make Thursdays our pizza nights so they can have for lunch on Friday (pizza day at school).

DS1 loves plain yogurt with fresh fruit.  Both boys love cheese of all kinds (sticks, shapes - I use cookie cutters, slices). 

[rebekahc]

Cream cheese with roast beef is really good, too.  There's a little sandwich shop that I've gone to for years and it's my go-to sandwich there .

[hezzier]

Cream cheese with roast beef is really good, too.  There's a little sandwich shop that I've gone to for years and it's my go-to sandwich there .

It's even better with boursin or aloutte spreadable cheese.  We had these amazing roast beef sandwiches once in Fla. and we used to attempt to copy them at home.  It was on a croissant, with roast beef, swiss cheese, alfalfa sprouts, boursin and served warm. 

[hk]

These are in my lunchbox rotation.  Always looking for new ideas!

Pasta with butter, pancakes cut into strips to dip in maple syrup, cold grilled cheese, ham and ketchup sandwich, cold pizza, cold cereal with milk, homemade chicken fingers, homemade mac and cheese, nachos or burrito (if I have time to run something to school that needs to be served hot)...

[YouKnowWho]

hk - you are a much better mother than me LOL

I would love to do that for the boys but I know they would never be on board with that.  Part of the familiarity issue is that DS1 feels it keeps him safe.  He has been branching out some this year but he would be a nervous wreck if I did that to him.