Need QUICK lunch ideas!!!

[MommyInTraining]

I would love to hear your suggestions for quick lunch ideas!

 

Please share!!!! :001_smile:

 

Thanks!

[*Jessica*]

I'm subscribing to this thread so I don't miss any good ideas. Lunch has become such a boring chore since we started school. Some of our recent lunches have been:

 

leftovers from dinner the night before if there are any left

pb&j sandwich, apple, orange

deli meat sandwich, grapes, carrot sticks

tuna fish sandwich (with chopped celery mixed in and lettuce on top) on an Arnold sandwich thin, carrot sticks and apple slices

cheese quesadilla with bell peppers and onions, pears

 

Basically, anything I can reheat or make into a sandwich really quickly and add some fresh fruits and veggies alongside.

[Michelle My Bell]

One thing I tried this past week was to come up with ideas for lunch that required no cooking. We had a variety of sandwiches & fruit. Another idea is to get reusable lunch bags and "pack" everyones lunch the night before or even a couple days worth to save on prep time.

 

Also, if you want something hot, try either reheating purposeful leftovers or assemble meals prior to lunch hour so you can just toss them in the oven while you do school.

 

Michelle

[bamagirl]

Mine are still somewhat picky, so one thing I've started is serving several of their meals in muffin tins....makes eating so much more fun for them, since it's different and visually appealing. I get some of my ideas here http://http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/search/label/Muffin%20Tin%20Monday

 

Here's some of our favorites to mix and match:

 

ham rolled around cheese and speared with a pretzel stick

 

Whole wheat waffle "sandwiches" with Nutella or pb and raisins or sliced bananas

 

Raw veggies with hummus or ranch

 

Cheese quesadillas

 

Pasta salad, use fun shapes of WW pasta with some Italian or ranch dressing

 

Fruit kebabs with yogurt for dipping, applesauce

 

Hard boiled eggs

[NavyWifeandMommy]

I could use some ideas too because stopping to make a meal and getting back intothe grove it just grring. I like the lunch bag idea. PB&Js are getting old. Thinking also maybe some quicker small crockpot meals may work.ones that only take four/fives hours instead of 6/8 hours.

Tried the link but didn't go thru for me.

[Dawn in OH]

My kids refer to this lunch as "snack plate" and it's really made my life easier especially given all that is often going on in our house.

 

I keep a variety of foods on hand and cut up. Many of the items the older 2 kids (7 & 8) can gather or assemble themselves. The "snack plate" consists of any combination of the following:

 

apples

oranges

grapes

melons (when in season)

pears

black olives

cubed cheeses

carrot sticks

celery sticks

cucumber slices

grape or cherry tomatoes

lunch meat

sliced pepperoni

whole wheat crackers (purchased or homemade)

nuts

ranch dressing

peanut butter

applesauce

 

 

Of course this is limited to items my children are actually willing to eat. There are more things that could be added if your children like them:

sliced green peppers

fresh broccoli

other fruits

hard boiled eggs

tuna, chicken or egg salad

hummus

etc.

 

This also travels well when we need to pack lunches and be out of the house for the day, but we are usually home.

 

Sometimes we will make cheese quesadillas, and pizza (I always have refrigerated bread dough on hand).

[lori in tx]

My kids refer to this lunch as "snack plate" and it's really made my life easier especially given all that is often going on in our house.

 

Sometimes we will make cheese quesadillas, and pizza (I always have refrigerated bread dough on hand).

 

Do you make the pizza out of the bread dough?

[iquilt]

Mine are a bit less homemade if we want quick - we love cheese tortellinis (Bertolli brand is very nice), frozen pizza, we do leftovers at least once a week, cheese sandwiches, tuna melts, etc. We've also been known to have a large lunch if we are going to be busy at night with sports/choir/etc. and will have dinner for lunch and lunch/snacky foods at dinner.

[meet me in paris]

We do lots of bean & cheese roll-ups (soft tacos). Can of refried beans, cheese & salsa thrown into whatever tortillas or flatbread we have around. Takes less than a minute and my kids love it.

 

I also make hummus every week. We slice up pita bread or use whatever chips, pretzels or crackers we have on hand for dipping and serve it with fruit. Filling and yummy!

[Cera]

I feel like a much better parent now that I know there are lots of other moms offering up a snack plate for lunch.

 

We also do smoothies for lunch sometimes which the kids love. I usually use vanilla yogurt, a handful of fruit and a splash of milk and/or orange juice. Add a plate of cut veggies and dip and it's a complete meal.

 

eta: We are having salad bar for lunch today (it's generally a dinner around here) and it's fast and easy. I usually prep a bunch of choices on Sunday (pasta, tuna or chicken salad, diced or shredded veggies, etc) then we pull them out with extras for a meal when we have a late night.

 

Today my oldest has pasta, craisins, shredded carrots and cooked peas mixed with ranch and the younger has croutons, chopped turkey, lettuce, grapes and peas mixed with italian.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Cera

[Truscifi]

We also do snack plates - ds loves them with fruit and crackers with ham and cheese. We do tortilla roll ups as a substitute for sandwiches sometimes too. You can use sandwich filling or make it more like a quesodilla. Also, to make sandwiches more interesting we got some sandwich cutters in different shapes. I don't generally cook for lunch because we have a pretty tight afternoon schedule and I wouldn't have time to clean the kitchen.

 

Sometimes I even open a can of Chef Boy R Dee (shhhh, don't tell!) :D

[claire up north]

baked beans & toast. surprisingly, my kids love it!

[StaceyinLA]

I tend to make homemade pizza a good bit so I generally have homemade sauce in the fridge (but you can use a jar). Each kid gets a pita, I pull out the sauce/cheese and any toppings on hand (pepperonis or leftover sausage or ground meat, veggies, olives, etc). We throw them all on a baking sheet (lined with foil for easy cleanup) and bake at 400 or so til cheese bubbles.

 

We do wraps and stuff too with tortillas, quesadillas, sandwiches, etc.

[NancyNellen]

leftovers - honestly

 

I love making extra of dinner the night before (soups, enchiladas, pasta) and just reheating it.

 

If there are no leftovers we frequently do pasta w/ butter and shredded cheese, peanut butter or Nutella roll-ups on whole wheat tortillas, or snack-plates w/ cheese & crackers, popcorn, veggies, and fruit.

[Dawn in OH]

Do you make the pizza out of the bread dough?

 

Yes. I'm actually using a different recipe from the same book for the pizza dough. I've worked in more wheat flour to make a healthier crust. But yes, you use the bread dough to make the pizza crust.

 

I keep a batch of dough in the fridge at all times, then I just pull off a hunk, roll it out, top it for pizza and bake. It takes all of 15-20 minutes for a delicious homemade pizza.

[Dawn in OH]

I feel like a much better parent now that I know there are lots of other moms offering up a snack plate for lunch.

 

 

 

My mom always acts like my "snack plate" isn't a real meal. But when you look at it, I've always covered ALL the food groups. They are eating it willingly rather me having to yell "Eat your vegetables!" and half of the stuff is pre-cut up and waiting in the fridge so the kids can help themselves anytime they are hungry or I'm busy with something else.

 

I don't see why anyone wouldn't consider it a proper lunch.

[ChristusG]

I haven't read all of the other responses, but here's our quick staples.

 

Cheese sandwich (melt in microwave)

Velveeta shells, individual size (microwaveable)

microwaveable chicken nuggets (shaped as dinosaurs no doubt lol)

fruit spread (cut up bananas, grapes, watermelon, etc.)

Sandwiches (either PB&J or deli meat)

deli meat by itself with some fruit or something else on the side

pizza quesadillas

organic personal pan pizza (throw in the oven)

[MommyInTraining]

Thanks all!

 

Would love to hear more if someone wants to chime in :001_smile:!

[gandpsmommy]

I haven't had a chance to read all the other replies, so I hope I'm not being redundant, but here are a few things my kids have liked:

 

1. I buy loaves of french bread from the bakery sections of the grocery store that you take home and bake yourself. It only takes about 10 minutes. Along with the crusty bread I serve cheese, maybe some deli meat, fresh fruit, and sometimes salad. My kids love it.

 

2. Pour a jar of salsa, a can of corn, and a cup of dried black beans over some skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the crock pot and cook for several hours on high. When it's done, set out tortilla chips, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. Let the kids make their own taco salads. Or serve on taco shells or tortillas for chicken tacos or burritos.

 

3. Make homemade pizza dough and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight or buy pre-made crusts at the grocery to make pizza for lunch. We like Ragu's homestyle pizza sauce.

 

4. We often have lunch meat sandwiches with fruit and veggies.

 

5. My kids like boiled eggs as a main dish/protein. (Well, they really just like the egg whites.)

 

6. Baked subs is something we have done for dinner, but it would also work for lunch. We just buy hoagie rolls at the grocery store, add several kinds of deli meat and cheese, bake in the oven, add veggies and condiments afterwards.

[simka2]

Really struggling with this today!!! So bring on the ideas. What about quick "hot" lunches?