What to Pack in Lunched

Does she eat apples and/or peanut butter? Spread peanut butter on a tortilla, top with smashed up granola bar bit and chunks of apple and drizzle of honey and roll up.

You've had a lot of good suggestions...one thing I would suggest is freezing the gogurt if you decide to go that route...it makes sure it's still cold when she eats it, and if it's still a little frozen it makes it a special treat and a little less messy!

Another trick I use with my daughter is buying Polaner All Fruit jelly...it's a little more expensive, but it's only fruit (no other additives except fruit juice) so I feel like she gets some fruit on her PB & J or her toast in the morning.

Roll ups are another fun lunch I use for my 2 year old...ham/cheese rolled up in a tortilla and cut into bite size chunks...she seems to think this is more fun than a sandwich.

You could also have her help you make a "trail mix" with different healthy cereals and maybe some dried fruit or raisins as a snack.

Good Luck!

Hi,

My daughter has gone to daycare/preschool for the last couple of years and I have always struggled with her lunches. She is 4 and a very picky eater and they are not able to refriderate or microwave either. Here is one that I didn't see in the responses and I thought I would throw it out there to you.

I make a batch of pancakes. Send a pancake with a small bowl (with a lid of course) of syrup. (Save the rest of the batch in the fridge for the rest of the week). The pancake is room temp, but she doesn't seem to mind. She loves it and thinks dipping her pancakes in the syrup is fun. I also buy the apple dippers from McDonalds occasionally when we get dinner from there and put them in her lunch the next day.

Don't be worried about them eating the same thing every day. I also have a 14 yr. old that used to be a picky eater and now she'll eat just about anything. Just keep trying to get her to try new things. We also own a couple of pizza places and I take a cup of some of the toppings (ie, Ham) and she loves that too because it's bite size. All the rest of the suggestions are great too. She may even give you new ideas when she sees what other kids are eating. Hope this helps.

Good Luck

Hi L.!
I work at a preschool in the public school system and a lot of parents seem to ask the same thing. For those kids who don't tend to like fruits and veggies for snacks most parents send things like individually wrapped string cheese, yogurts,quaker chewy bars, dry cereal like fruit loops or honey nut cheerios. Things like that seem to intrest them but don't come to healthy from the kids point of view. For their lunch you would be surprised how many kids bring PB&J! They also have those Lunchables at the grocery store with a complete meal,and they make a million different kinds of them. As for how often to switch up lunch choices, most kids I see bring a mix of the same foods all week. One day may be a lunchable with juice and cheese and a cereal bar for a snack and the next day the only thing thats changed is cereal bar to yogurt! The only other thing I would recomend is if your daughter is going to all day preschool to pack a third snack, it's a longer day for them than most parents realize and they get hungry later. Hope this helped. good luck!

Cheese sticks and gogurts are always good in a lunch. If there is any fruit she'll eat like grapes or apples send that. I ask my son what he wants like a sandwich or chicken nuggets. Not sure if she'll have access to a microwave. Good luck

My sons have packed the EXACT same lunch since pre-school. I try to change it but they won't have it. The only upside is that they started experimenting with the hot lunch and that gives some variety although I'm not crazy about it.

I just try to manage it by sticking with the healthy snacks they will eat and keep all the unhealthy stuff out of the house so they won't have a choice. I pretty much rotate the follwoing for snacks - pretzel sticks, frozen gogurt, apples, grapes, and nutrigrain bars. For lunch, I've given up on trying to change until they ask.

I also have pickey eaters who have to take a lunch to school and 2 snacks a day.

Here are some of the foods I pack:
Homemade muffins or the 100 calorie store muffins
Frozen go-gurt (it will unthaw by lunch) - a favorite
yogurt smoothies
Peanut butter and crackers
Applesauce
Fruit salad
Pretzels
granola bars
cheese and crackers

Good luck

If you can send peanutbutter my girls love peanut butter balls. If you want the recipe let me know.
K.

My daughter is also picky. She started preschool in January. So I gave her a bunch of options. As it turns out, she just wants the same thing every day--sunbutter sandwich (peanut free school), fruit snacks, and cheese (I also use ice packs). They get crackers and milk there. But I have a whole list of stuff for ideas if you want them just in case she changes her mind--just email me. :)

The bane of my existence for YEARS was lunch... I hated making it because all the things I really liked for lunches (because they're quick and simple) my kids hated, starting with soup, sandwiches and last night's dinner leftovers. I had to be really creative, which I often resented. However...

One of the lunches my kids did LOVE, though, was Ice-cube Tray Lunch (that was the name of it, because it was served in an ice cube tray -- we had a bunch of them, I don't know why)... only a very, very small amount of each item, and a big variety I think is why they liked it so much. It included things like:

a bit of ranch dressing (my kids' fave) as dip
a few small carrot sticks, or celery or sweet pepper or radish or cucumber or jicama or whatever, but never tomato (both hated raw tomatoes until they were over 16, no idea why)
a few raisins
a few nuts or seeds
a few chocolate chips
a few banana chips (before I found out they're not dried, they're deep fried!!)
a bit of peanut butter, as dip
a couple of bread & butter pickles
a few small cubes of cheese
a blob of yogurt
a few small crackers
a few small fingers of buttered or dry toast
a mini-muffin, or a small part of a bigger one
a few triangles of pita bread
a few cheezy noodles (like 10 pieces of macaroni)
thawed frozen peas or corn (one of their favourite vegetable choices which they prefered served cold)
slices of apple, pear, plum, some berries or fruit salad

I think the 'joy' in this was the very, very small portions and the big variety. I'd give them one thing in each of the 12 squares... select from (and add to) the list based on your child's preferences. You can pack these into little snack bags or little tupperware or rubbermaid containers, or whatever you have around.

I hope this helps -- I know exactly where you are with this. Brain cramp!

There are some great recipe resources on the EasyLunchbox website here: http://www.easylunchboxes.com/neat_ideas/recipes/index.htm. And check out EasyLunchboxes at www.easylunchboxes.com. This clever solution to the lunch-packing chore is the simple two piece EasyLunchbox container: The bottom has three compartments to hold an entree or sandwich and two side dishes. The fitted lid covers all three compartments in a snap. No more mismatched plastic container pieces to keep track of or wasteful baggies. Fits perfectly inside the roomy EasyLunchbox custom carrying bag. And there is still space for a drink, ice pack, extra snacks, and more. This is the most affordable lunch-packing solution on the market. You'll be amazed at how much faster, 'greener' and easier lunch box packing will be! FDA approved. No BPA, phthalates, lead, vinyl, or PVC. Safe for dishwasher and microwave. Visit www.easylunchboxes.com. Press release here: http://tinyurl.com/yjwk4c4

first you dont need ice packs. freeze juice boxes and they will keep the food cold and by the time she is ready to eat it will be thawed.
without knowing what she likes; crackers and cheese, pretzels, popcorn

My daughter loves yogurt. She also loves it when I give her lots of options. So I give her some cheese, some meat, some carrots, a few grapes, a half an apple. Even better.... let her help you!! When my daughter is helping cook she will eat darn near anything (that she didn't like yesterday).

L.

Hi,

I just found these!!! very tricky way to incorporate fruits and veggies on our little ones!!! go to www.togobrands.com
and of course what ever else she will eat!
good luck and hope this helps!
kim

I usually give my kids some choices between parent approved items. Right now they are into jelly sandwiches... go figure. Other things we do to change it up once in a while is cereal - not sugary kinds, but like Cheerios, or Kix, or some other like that. They buy their milk at school and enjoy. We've done cheese and crackers with fruit. No one has ever said lunch HAD to be a sandwich or soup. Whatever you child will eat that is good for her will work just fine. Hope you get some great ideas!

L.,

All good solutions given- pack her lots of healthy options in small servings so she can pick. And let her help pack her lunch. You don't have to worry so much if she has a traditional "sandwich" as her main dish, as long as she has healthy choices. Cheese and crackers are good, my kids have always liked cold pizza, and even cold chicken nuggets.

If this is her first time at pre-school- she may become more adventuous in her eating by seeing what other kids are eating. Also, Gogurts can be frozen so they stay colder longer in a lunch bag. Whole wheat graham crackers, granola bars (I like Trader Joe's brand. Good price and not all the junk in commercial brands). Good Luck!

T.