Tossing Their School Lunch

Thank you for posting this :) My son starts Kindergarten in the fall, and I, too, am a little worried about the lunch aspect. And we don't have the option of buying lunch at school. There's no cafeteria, so no lunches provided.

Thanks for the ideas!!

My daughter always enjoys a tupperware cup of meat for lunch, any left over meat from dinner the night before or a top sirloin steak panfried and sliced. It is not more costly than processed lunch meat, but it is real meat. It is good for a mid-day protein boost. She does have a fruit or a string cheese, and a cashew nut butter sandwich for snack.

I work at my kids' school, for lunchtime supervision etc.

EVERYDAY, kids who either buy school lunch or have home lunch... do not eat. Why? They don't like what is served or what is in their lunch box.

If a kid does not eat... then, ALL day, (since their last meal at breakfast), they will not have had anything in their body and this affects their performance/concentration/moods and attention spans. And it makes them tired. A kid, cannot just survive in school all day, just from the breakfast they had earlier in the morning.

So, the point is: just give your kids, something that they WILL eat. EVEN if that means, them having the same thing, everyday. Because, IF they will eat it, then that is good. My son, wanted the same ol' sandwich everyday. Fine. That is what he got. He did not get bored of it. He ATE it.
That is just 1 meal.... and at home you can make other things for them.
But at school, it is important to eat, lunch. Their day is long.

Your kids are not unusual. I see this all the time at school in the cafeteria.
Even if a kid is HUNGRY... if they do not like what is served or what is in their home lunch bag... they.will.not.eat.

I know... because I ASK the kids all the time how come they are not eating? And they tell me.

SO, simply ask your kids what they want or what you KNOW.... they will eat. And pack that for them.

I have seen all forms of home lunches... from cutesy to fancy to gourmet to creative to simple. Still, if a kid does not like what they are given, they will not eat it. And at school lunch time, it is not the time to battle about making them eat or making it a point. A kid will not eat, if they don't like what is there. Even if hungry.

Home lunches are not the time to experiment with presentation or variety. Just make, what you know your kids will eat. Even if that is the same thing everyday.

A kid, needs to eat lunch, otherwise it affects their school day. Having an empty stomach.... can even cause hypoglycemia and dizziness and headaches. Kids are in school from anywhere from 7:30am everyday, until school lets out. That being anywhere from 2:00pm onward. And some kids do not get home until after their parents can pick them up at after school care, after work. That is a LONG time... to go without a meal.

My kids, if/when they bring home lunch... I pack what I know they will eat.
And they do.

Being creative about home lunches, will not guarantee that they will eat it.

Use insulated lunch bags with a blue-ice pack in it.
For warm items, use a thermos.

what do they want to eat?
khairete
S.

The sandwiches can't be so bad that they'd rather eat nothing all day.
Perhaps you are trying too hard and packing too many things.
I went through this with my son. His dad took him to school two mornings a week and my son wouldn't throw the food away, he brought it home. His dad was sending him enough food for 5 kids, afraid that he wouldn't have enough to eat.
For example, he would send him with leftover bbq chicken, salad, yogurt, fruit, a granola bar, juice. Holy cow. They don't get an hour to eat all that.

If they are throwing things away, it would seem to me that they aren't that hungry or can't eat all that you are sending.
As a kid, I only ever threw a sandwich away one time and I felt so guilty. I could think of my mom making that sandwich for me and how it would hurt her feelings. When I got home, I told her I did it, but I said that when I bit into it, I saw some black stuff and I didn't know what it was. It was just coursely ground pepper in the egg salad. She wasn't mad and I felt bad for wasting a sandwich over pepper, which I liked. I just wasn't used to seeing such big pieces of it.
Your kids might not be crazy about traditional sandwiches, but how about mixing it up by using pita bread or flour tortillas to make wraps?

One thing my kids loved was when I used leftover flavored rice, put some cream cheese and lettuce on a tortilla, rolled it up and cut it in slices. You can do the same thing with sliced turkey breast. My kids also liked "sandwiches" made on biscuits instead of bread. My kids would eat green beans with Italian dressing on them. They ate pretty much anything I sent, but if it was too much, they couldn't finish. I didnt' pack nearly as much as dad did. Good Lord, you'd think the kid had to have enough provisions for a week.

It's NOT good to waste food. Not at all. Like I said, my son brought the leftovers from his dad home. He didn't need and apple AND an orange, so I'd send the orange the next day and the granola bar and the juice we just kept at home because my son drank milk with his lunch every day.
I just always told my kids to bring home whatever they didn't eat.
That way, I knew what they were eating and what they weren't. If they didn't eat their apple, fine, they could eat it another day. Or I would eat it.
Some of the time, when the kids got home from school, they would have what they didn't eat in their lunch for a snack. The juice, the fruit, a granola bar.

Just tell your kids no more throwing food away. If they don't want to eat it, fine, bring it back home. That's the only way you'll really know what, if anything they are really eating.
Also, talk to their teachers. Is it a matter of them just hurrying so they can play at lunch time as opposed to eating? I've known kids who've done that.
My sister worked for the schools for 14 years and she knew the kids who weren't eating because they wanted recess instead. She would encourage them to eat, especially if they were good, healthy lunches. Then there were kids who had nothing but jello cups and potato chips every day.
That's another story.

Try to get your kids interested in helping pack their lunches the night before. It may help them be more inclined to actually eat them.

Best wishes.

Well, I have O. who won't take sandwiches. Too boring for him.
So we do wraps, cheese, pepperoni & crackers, cold chicken, meatballs, warm stuff in a Thermos (mac & cheese, BBQ meatballs), etc. Mostly he buys his lunch.

Check out www.thislunchrox.com

Sandwiches get soggy. The only way my daughter will eat one is if I pack all the ingredients separately. Pain in the butt. I usually make a salad for her with other things like yogurt, cheese sticks (which can get too warm if they have a late lunch), pretzels, raisins/craisins, apples, bananas, oranges, carrots and celery and dip. I also do black beans in a thermos, with a tortilla wrap in a separate ziploc. Then she can put the beans on the wrap so it's not soggy. She loves soup as well, so she does that a lot.

Good luck! I remember how frustrated I was too when my daughter went through the throwing away stage in kindergarten.

I could use some creative lunch ideas too. My kids eat some variation of peanut butter sandwich almost every day and say they love it, but I just know one day they'll turn around and be tired of it.

But, on the days they don't have a sandwich they take either soup in a thermos, or a mom-made crackers and cheese 'lunchable' (it's pretty easy to put some crackers and cheese and sandwich meat pieces in a divided container--gotta love the pre-sliced cheeses). I always throw in a bunch of snacks too like a piece of fruit, trail mix, applesauce, granola bar, raisins, etc....

They are always hungry on the ride home, so our rule is that anything the kids don't eat at lunch stays in their lunch box for after school snacks or to eat another day (assuming it's not perishable).

Does the school serve lunch?

Our daughter also did not mind a sandwich if she could make it herself.

Bread or roll. Ham, turkey or cheese

She liked a bag with lettuce, celery sticks and carrot sticks or some cucumbers. Cherry tomatoes were a treat.

She did like salad.. So I would send a small bowl on mixed greens and a small bag of grilled or cooked chicken pieces.

Ants on a log.

Pretzels and peanut butter.

Sometimes a cold slice of pizza

Pot stickers

Fried rice

Leftovers

A bowl of dry cereal and they by a carton of milk

Fruit

What I did with my kids was looked at what they eat at home and figured out how to send it for lunch in the same condition. I have to say the hardest was ramen noodles but if you separate the noodles and the hot soup when they put them back together it is perfect. :)

These are a few things that I did. I sent my son the first week with Lunchables. (I know, overpriced and not all good) but....the second week, I just duplicated the lunch-a-bles with my own version, (pizza on an english muffin, fat free cheese, pep or salami, or ham) Crackers and turkey or ham and I packaged them in a similar manner etc. If you are creative with the presentation and the meals they will love it and eat everything. You can do Chicken nuggets your own way, thermos with ravioli etc. Luckily you found out because I used to do the same thing when I was little and feel soo bad that my mom never knew-smile.

They don't get lunch at their school? They may be more inclined to eat if they are eating the same things the other kids are sitting and eating. Kids don't like to be different.

It comes down to this. They are not eating what you are sending so all the work and money you are spending is the same as setting a match to it. SO why not go ahead and just pay for their lunch at school and use the extra time doing something for yourself or for them.

Try a "sandwich-on-a-stick" - cubes of meat, cheese, grape tomatoes, etc. on little skewers. Also, a variety of snacky, yet healthy, items - whole wheat crackers with peanut butter, fruits, veggies, cheese sticks, yogurt, granola bars.

You didn't mention what kind of sandwiches you are making, but when I was a kid, the only 2 options (apparently, because it was all my mom bothered to make) were baloney, and PB&J. I could not stand baloney, so it was PB&J for me every day. My mom could not understand how I could eat the same thing every day, but I loved them, and never got tired of them. I don't know too many kids that won't do peanut butter, with or without jelly. Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff is popular too - the "Fluffernutter". Probably not super-healthy, but jelly contains sugar too. At least the peanut butter provides protein and it can be served on whole-wheat bread.

My daughter does not like sandwhiches much either. What I found at an early age with her is that finger foods worked better. Crackers with peanut butter. Carrots. Little containers of tomatoes, fruits like strawberries, cantaloupes, cucomber squares. Also on sandwhiches if you make a little sandwhich finger sandwhiches that are only a few bites. What concerns me though his my daughter even when she had sandwhiches use to bring it home what was left over they didnt know anybetter. Why is that not happening with you.. Is someone messing with your kids lunch?

Sit down with them. Discuss that 1. it's wasting your money and time and that alone is disrespectful and 2. that they will get involved in their lunches so that less of this happens.

If they don't like sandwiches, what about fruit, yogurt, bagels, cheese, crackers, lunchmeat with no bread, waffles (toast before school - they'll be room temp but not soggy)? When SD was making lunch at 11 yrs old, we had to make sure it wasn't all chips and cookies. Later we realized she was supposed to be making a lunch and didn't so we had to again revisit the lunch idea. Her diet is not terrific, but in recent years she's done things like make mac and cheese or soup for breakfast and eat it on the bus. She has a little thermos/soup thing. She also does carrots and hummus, apples and other fruit, granola bars, pretzels, crackers, string cheese, gogurt (frozen will thaw by lunch).

Carrot sticks
Nutrigrain fruit bars
Fruit cups
soup in a thermos
salami & crackers
burrito (pre-made & wrapped in 2 sheets of foil)
cheese & crackers
grapes
fruit sticks
fruit juice box

Yes, my five year old was just eating the snacky type stuff in his lunch and not eating the rest. Luckily, his school provides a free lunch for everyone, so that is exactly what he eats now, and he eats everything they serve.

if they absolutley wont eat any kind of sandwich what soever (not even coldcuts?) its hard to pack other things because its not like those lunches are in a refigerator all day.. id say send them a bunch of snacks to make up for it but not all junky snacks mayb just one of them... goldfish crackers are good.. or those little handysnack things with the crackers or pretzels n cheese u dip them in.. dunkaroos are always a good junky snack ... how bout poptarts do they eat those? or some kind of fruit that they like .. i figure its better they eat something than nothing as long as its not too junky

Why not just ask them what they would rather have. We can make suggestions all day long, but we don't know your kids or what they like or what they want. Ask them.

One of my girls doesn't do sandwiches either....I make her turkey or ham & cheese roll ups and make sure to send some fruit, yogurt and a little snack. The other thing I do is send leftovers from dinner...pizza is a favorite.
Hope you find things that the kids will eat!

Involve them in the decisions about what they take.... starting at the grocery store! Let them help you choose the items they want. Then at home, have a place in the refrigerator for the cold items and one in the cupboard for other items that is set aside just for the lunch things. Let the kids start packing their lunches the night before with what doesn't need refrigeration, and finish off with the cold stuff in the morning. That way, they'll have something they like and no excuses not to eat. Of course this will take a bit of monitoring to be sure they choose at least some healthy items, but for most kids I don't think that's too huge a problem.