School Lunch Ideas - Sheboygan,WI

My kids are not yet in school but the best thing I've found for picnics is hummus in a pita sandwich. Pita makes it less messy and you can even put cheese in there and/or avocado. Instead of peanut butter and jelly, you can do Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches. Also, cooked penne noodles (plain) are easy to pick up and eat...they make some with ground flax sold in the organic section at Cub. Good luck!

I found some fantastic lunch ideas online. I just typed in "kids lunches", "nutritional kids lunches, " etc. and got like 500 ideas. Try it. THe "YMCA" also has a section on nutritious kids lunches on their website.

Hi P.,

Took this off my weight management site:

Planning ahead involves making a list of nutrient-dense foods each week that are fit for the lunch box or brown bag.

“The essentials of a packed lunch are protein (meat), crunchy (fruit and vegetable), and something to drink,” said Judy Dodd, registered dietitian and Giant Eagle food and nutrition adviser based in Pittsburgh.

She recommends sending salads, hummus with raw vegetables, and salsa and cheese or turkey and whole grain crackers.

“Have at least three food groups, and a beverage is a fourth food group” if you send milk for vitamin D and calcium, or if your child buys milk at school. Packing milk means you absolutely need a cold pack or cold bottle. If you are sending juice, use 100 percent juice.
ALSO
READ: Schooled in budgeting: area parents, students pare spending
READ: Fashion rocks the Classroom
READ: Must-have accessories round out the look

“This [plan] works for adults, too, for nutrition and food safety,” she said. You can make the sandwich the night before and freeze it. In the morning put the frozen sandwich in the lunch box and it will keep other foods cold. By lunch time it will be defrosted.

She also suggested putting a frozen water bottle in the lunch to keep the food cold

An average sandwich becomes more nutritious if it is made with 100 percent whole-wheat bread or white whole-wheat bread. You can also use rolls or mini honey whole-wheat bagels for mini-bites, Ms. Weiss said.

“Romaine lettuce leaves are higher in vitamin A than iceberg lettuce,” she said. “Use low-fat cheese with turkey. Add shredded carrot to roll-ups or tuna or salmon salad.”

They recommend a black bean dip to eat with tortilla chips or such veggies as baby carrots. They pack plastic containers with cut-up fresh fruit such as strawberries, melon, and grapes. If you cut up apples, use a little lemon juice so the slices don’t turn brown.

Take advantage of farmers’ markets at this time of the year. Ms. Bissex and Ms. Weiss even puts fresh green beans and sugar snap peas (washed and drained) in their kids’ lunch boxes. These veggies are crunchy and can be dipped in ranch dressing.

For dessert, they recommend homemade muffins and desserts, which can also be a snack. “It’s portion control, but enough for a few bites,” Ms. Weiss said

J.

P.; what about hard boiled eggs, or egg salad sandwhiches, or tuna sandwhiches, or lunch meat , with crackers, carrots, cheese and crackers, pudding, just have fun with their lunches , i used to buy the brown paper sacks for my kids, still do, hahaha and then i write their names on it, and use all throw away stuff, or make pictures on it, and smiley faces, to make lunch time a happy time, any way , just have fun and enjouy life, D. s

P., I'm so glad that you asked this. My son will be going to all day school starting this year and I need ideas.

We are going to make some practice lunches this week and let him try some.

I think we will try mac'n'cheese in a thermos and lots of sandwiches. My son actually loves lentil soup but I'm afraid that if I send it to school he'll learn that most kids don't eat it. We call it "knight soup" since it looks like the mush that medieval knights ate.

I might premake hotdogs, quesadilla's, lunch meat sandwiches, or pasta. Hopefully the school makes them eat before going out to play. I'm just worried that he'll skip lunch so that he can play on the playground longer. lol

My daughter Emily has severe peanut allergies (some other less serious food allergies as well). Make sure the school has a plan in place to keep your son safe from cross contamination - we used to have a lot of trips to the emergency room for anaphylactic reactions from school (susie sits next to Em at lunch table and eats peanut butter crackers, crumbs fly when she gestures or laughs, get on Em an/or her food, Em reacts - lunch lady wipes peanut butter smears off table with towel, uses same towel to wipe off Em's table, Em sets sandwich on table, takes bite, reacts - Johnny eats peanut butter sandwich at lunch, has PB on fingers, does not wash, plays with blocks, shares blocks with Em, Em reacts - I could go on and on and on and on and on...) until we switched to a peanut free school. If you have not yet done so, sit down with the school nurse, your son's teacher, the principal, and the people in charge of the lunch room to discuss protocol, plans, and your son's needs. When Em started school, I was shocked to learn that their idea of a "plan for her safety" was to have her eat lunch alone in the nurses office each day. Needless to say, isolation was not acceptable to us, and we fought for a better plan (which they are legally required to create and follow).

For lunch ideas, we used an insulated lunch box, and did a lot of "fun foods" like cubes of turkey or ham, cubed cheese, cut up fruit, baby carrots, cut up veggies, etc. and also included tiny tupperware cups of "dips" (ketchup, sweet and sour sauce, fruit dip, ranch dressing, etc). She also loved it when I would use cookie cutters to make her sandwiches into fun shapes. We did homemade lunchables, too, with cut up lunch meats, cheese and crackers, or used a small thermos container to send warm soup, stews or pastas sometimes. I always included a paper towel for her to put on the table to eat on and a wet nap, too, so she could wipe off her hands before touching her food.

Another thing I did (she is in eigth grade and I still do it) is put a little note in her lunchbox every day - a little saying or doodle or something to let her know I love her and am proud of her, a note of encouragment, etc. She has always loved it, and has kept quite a few of them.

I know people with nut allergies that eat sunbutter. I've tried it and its actually really good. Check it out at sunbutter.com. There is a section on allergies that will explain it all to you.

Best of Luck
M.

Hi P.,

I really don't have a lot of suggestions for actual food for school lunches, but I have ideas for lunch at school.

I am a lunch lady, I have seen it all.

The first piece of advice is talk to the person at school who is in charge of the cafeteria, they have title's like Cafeteria Managers, Head of Cafeteria, ect. Nine times out of ten they have their own phone lines, leave a clear message about your child's allergy, and be prepared to back it up with a note from a Medical Doctor. We have to follow proper steps if your child has a allergy. (Even me, my son can have no dairy products and it is on record at the school) We do see it all and approaching the lunch program (even if you plan to bring lunch from home every day) is the first step.

Next pack lunch in containers that are easy to open. If your child has to wait to get help opening his thermos that is time cutting into his lunch eating. The law at some schools is they only have to be in the cafeteria for 20 minutes. They need the time to eat. Which we all agree is horrible for little ones.

Realize that your child may not have enough time to eat everything that you send, don't ask why not or tell him to eat it all that really puts more pressure on what can be a very stressful time.

The first week or two of school the lunch room can be overwhelming, lots of people, noise, bright lights, ect. Ask your child how it was, if it was overwhelming talk to him about it. I promise for most children it will become nothing.

If after the second week he is still having a problem call the school cafeteria and explain, we are nice people who really want this to be a positive experience. A private tour, or just meeting the lunchroom staff really does help.
(We had one girl who was so scared that she was not eating at all at school, she came in met us, and we made a point of just waving to her once a day and she was fine and invited us to her sixth grade graduation)

Do not go to lunch every day with your child. It is wonderful when we get parents in to visit but if you plan to be there every Friday guess what happens when you can't be. Visit for a special occasion, or surprise your child but not constantly. (Make sure to check with the school on your schools visitor policy, you may need to notify in advance, or just check in.)

Finally, find out if your child has access to snacks for sale in the cafeteria. We sell goldfish, yogurt, milk and juice. If you want to limit the amount your child buys let the manager of the cafeteria know. I personally allowed my child to spend 50 cents a week (excluding milk).

Opps here is the last part... My daughters sample lunch:
Milk, hard boiled egg, crackers, cubed cheese, cubed meat, half an apple, carrot sticks, piece of bread, water, grapes, raw green beans. What ever she does not eat for lunch she has after school for a snack. (She's 14)
Good luck!

With the insultated small lunch bags and a small ice pack, you can really pack anything. I've packed yogart, soup in a thermos, chicken sandwiches, fruit, carrots etc. When my youngest son was in 3rd grade he had a teacher that would grade lunches. He always received A's on his lunch for the great nutrition! These days with children being overweight and developing adult diseases, I think teachers should go back to teaching nutrition in grade school. Also, when kids are picky eaters, they really should be on a superior supplement loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. --R. H.

My kid hates sandwiches, so we do chicken nuggets or hot dogs. They are okay if not hot. I cook them in the morning of and send them off with her. She likes them.

P.,
Go on the website Food & Family it is part of Kraft. They have some really good recipes for the lunch box. Really fun food ideas. Good luck
A.

Lunches are always fun. My kids eat school lunch, but in the summer we do all day kidstop and they need to bring there lunch. We have done taco salad in a bag, make the salad prior put it in a small bowl, send a small bag of doritos and a fork. My kids love it. That is their favorite.

Most schools now days do not allow for peanut butter sandwhiches any more due to allergies, so really that is not an option, even if you did not have the allergies.

Good Luck

Here's some stuff i give my daughter..Sweet peas & fruit cups are easy. Noodles in a container. Seasoned and baked tofu diced up, edamame with soy sauce, cherry tomatos, sliced cheese with crackers, string cheese, yogurt, applesauce, little pickles, a banana, tempe, or any leftovers that i know she likes.

This was stuff she has been eating in preschool. She is also starting kindergarten this year. My biggest fear is that she won't eat her lunch in time because she is such a slow eater! I hate to rush her but an hour for dinner is a bit excessive.

My oldest will be starting 3 grade this year. He takes his lunch almost everyday. While he is a big fan of peanut butter and jelly or honey we also do ham, turkey and cheese. I pack the sandwich in one of the Rubbermaid take along sandwich containers and put a cold pack under it. He also usally takes fruit or applesause. I buy the natural applesause and use a small take along from Rubbermaid (they make one that is the same size as the throwaway applesause cups). He brings home his containers and we wash and use them again. He also like string cheese, granola bars, banana bread, muffins.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

My baby is also going to be off to school this year and is very picky! With my oldest he eats school lunches but when I join him I have seen lots of kids with cold pizza. Also I got my son this really cool lunch bag at walmart that is actually a back pack so that he is hands free to wash his hands and get his milk. Good luck, J.

My daughter started kindergarten last year. We basically did all finger foods or small cups to make it simple for her. I always over packed so she had choices and then she would eat the rest right after school for her snack.

baby carrots
baby dill pickles
pretzel sticks
sliced salami
string cheese
goldfish crackers
grapes
raisins
applesauce
pudding
mixed fruit cup
banana
orange wedges
yogurt

Hey P.,

I'm M. and though I don't have any children school age yet...I do have a Husband that works a lot of hours and we pack him lunch and dinner most days. Have you tried making quassedias (I know I cant spell, but you get the drift). You can ask him to help you make them so that he gets the things he likes.
I happen to make my hubbys chicken and cheese and send a little sour cream for dip. They don't need to be heated which is a nice plus. Good luck sending ur baby off to school.

If you use cold packs you can send almost anything that needs to be cold...My daughter is going into 2nd grade this year but she's always eatin lunch before 12, the little guys usually are the first to eat so it wasn't like her lunch sat around all day. They also usually get a snack before lunch because the state mandates all kindergarteners to have milk time. By the time lunch time came around my daughter wasn't even very hungry. Although she was starvin when school got out. Here's some quick ideas...

Lunch Meat sandwhiches
Tortilla Rollups
lunchables or make your own
Yogurt
Pudding
Fruit Cups

Alot of parents do the thermos with mac/cheese or spaghetti o's, leftovers from dinner etc...

I use to "monitor" the lunch room when my daughter was in all day K if you have any specific questions message me privately. Kindergarteners are notorious slow eaters and never finish their lunches, they're very busy talking.

We also have a peanut allergic kid and isn't it hard. He's still a toddler, but here are some ideas:

Soy Nut Butter and Jam (Alot like peanut butter and made in a peanut free facility). I find the soy nut butter either next to the peanut butters or in the organic aisle, depending on the store.

Cream cheese and jelly sandwich

spread sweet potatoes on bread like a spread

Cold pasta (w/ red sauce, mac N cheese etc)

Good Luck!

One of our easy to pack lunches is sliced cheese and lunch meat rolled up in a tortilla. Another one we do regularly is crackers and sliced cheese and/or meat.

extra stuff: yogurt, apple and orange slices, banana, carrots, applesauce, dried fruit, pudding, etc. We also make a trail mix with all our favorite crackers, pretzels, dried fruit(our favorites are cherries and craisins), small cookies, almonds, and a little bit of candy of some sort. My children help me pick out the ingredients and then help me assemble and mix it all together. I would not put popcorn or candy corn - the popcorn gets stail too quickly and candy corn softens all the crackers and pretzels. If your son is picking what goes in the trail mix then he will probably eat it - especially if he gets to help make it.

I hope that helps.