How much effort do you expend on lunch

[Danestress]

and what does your family eat?

 

It seems like lunch planning always gets shoved to the back burner here, and everyone just "scrounges" for what they want.

 

I'd like a list of things that are easy to prepare, filling, healthy, (vegetarian would be good but not essential), that I could have for lunch. Do you all actually plan lunch schedules? Do your children (and you and DH if applicable) all eat the same thing or is it according to the desires of the eater?

[Jennifer in MI]

Open fridge, get out leftovers from the night before, open microwave, stick leftovers in, push buttons, serve.

 

So, I guess not much effort!! LOL

 

If there aren't leftovers, I always have tuna or pb&j with carrot sticks.

 

No time to worry much about lunch!

[Country Mouse]

My ds has a peanut butter and honey sandwich for lunch. Every day.

 

If he's extra hungry it will be accompanied by a bowl of fruit or yogurt.

[Sharon in SC]

No time to worry much about lunch!

 

:iagree: Leftovers are always my first line of defense as well. If we happen to not have any, then we aim for anything from PB&J, tuna, egg salad, or the like, generally. Everyone does not always necessarily eat the same as they can all fend for themselves but these are the types of things we usually have to choose from.

[Sharon in SC]

Ha! That was just my 1000th post! :-D

[JFSinIL]

As long as there is bread, bagels, leftovers, peanut butter, eggs - kids can get their own lunch. Knowing how to feed oneself is a life skill. ;)

[Sharon in SC]

Knowing how to feed oneself is a life skill. ;)

 

:iagree:

[Parrothead]

I've got a breakfast/lunch menu that has 30 days worth of meals on it. That way we don't eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch over and over.

[momofkhm]

Everyone is pretty much on their own here. I fix a good dinner so I enjoy time off at breakfast and lunch. There is usually stuff for sandwiches, soup and mac and cheese (homemade) and spaghettios. I will make the mac and cheese, everything else is up to the eater.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Effort: very little.

 

Sandwiches, quesadillas, leftovers, and fruit. Everybody gets what they want. Once a week I make pizza.

[Quiver0f10]

Lunch is usually something simple and I start thinking @ it @ 11:30ish when one of the kids asks me whats for lunch.

[Punkinelly]

I cook enough for supper each night to furnish us with leftovers for dh's lunch and for lunch for the kids and me, too. If we don't have enough, we fill in with pb&j, egg salad sandwiches, etc.

 

Sometimes I make things special for lunch, like homemade pizza, if I have the time. But I always have things because I don't care for the "scrounging" event. :o)

 

Because of budget concerns, I plan out every bite of food, so this works well and means I do not have to cook twice a day.

[Ellie]

Not much. Sandwiches, mostly, or other easy-to-prepare food.

[Wendy In KS]

I'm not sure of the ages of your kids, but mine are 19mos-10yo. They were eating sandwiches, crackers and cheese, goldfish, apples, chips (if we had any), and whatever ever else they could find. They would basically open the cabinets and grab a little bit of everything. They were eating way too much and not staying full, and I was tired of hearing "When's dinner?" or "Can I have a snack?" all day long.

 

This week are lunches are: pasta primavera (very easy-pasta and some fresh veggies with oil and cheese), a salad, bagels, tortellini, and chicken nuggets with applesauce. It has released the stress already just having them know what is available for lunch. My 8yo dd (who always seems to be scrounging), even said to me, "Wow, this does work, I'm not so hungry today!" They are also allowed to eat leftovers from dinner or the previous day's lunch. My dh packs his lunch everyday (usually pb&j with an apple and some crackers).

 

I'm hoping to keep this up, and when the weather cools, start doing soups. I've noticed (like with most things), that a little bit more effort reaps greater returns.

[laylamcb]

Lunch is our main meal here, but I don't "cook" for it. We generally have what DH calls The Sandwich (good bread, hummus, tabouleh, Laughing Cow light, and DH throws turkey or ham on his if he's home; I toast these, and they are AWESOME) with a bowl of yogurt-topped fruit (usually apples, grapes, berries, kiwi, maybe some banana). Every now and then I'll throw the fruit bowl and the yogurt into the blender with a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach and some baby carrots and call it a smoothie instead. ;)

 

The kids also get an extra slab of cheddar cheese and a glass of chocolate milk. My son LIVES for lunch! :001_smile:

[WTMindy]

Honestly? Almost none. My kids now fix their own lunches. They make sandwiches or pasta or bagels. They know they have to have fruits & veggies, but I don't moniter. In fact, I jokingly refer to it as my "duty-free lunch period." (You always hear teachers in the public schools talking about the duty-free lunch that is in their contract!)

[Tina]

My kids usually raid the fridge for leftovers. I really hate it when they say there's nothing there. This is an area I need to plan for a bit, I think. Sometimes they make fried egg or tuna salad sandwiches, nachos or quesadillas. I've made black beans and rice, and we've gotten real good at refried beans and cheese in a tortilla. Dd will make a pbj sandwich when she's hungry. Sometimes I break down and buy a box of premade burritos or chicken nuggets for a treat. Oldest ds usually will bring me a plate of something while I'm having my WTM break. ;)

 

Dh when he comes home for lunch is a problem. I don't buy lunchmeat or canned soups, and that's what he wants on the rare occasion he does come home! So, I'm planning to make several pots of soup a week this year, and freeze them in small serving containers for him. I'd also like to keep some precooked meat (turkey or roast) cooked and sliced for the same reason.

 

Hey Parrothead! Could we see or could you send me a copy of your lunch menu, please? I could use some new ideas.

 

I have thought of making vegetarian meals such as colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage) or some others. I earmarked a vegetarian cookbook one day for this reason, but never quite got back to it. Too busy planning the dinner menu I guess. :001_smile:

[RoughCollie]

Until this week, my kids ate whatever they fancied for lunch.

 

Now they have choices: a sandwich, macaroni & cheese, or pizza (if I'm in the mood to make it). They also have a piece of fruit and either milk, water, or fruit juice to drink. If I can get anyone to eat raw carrots or a salad, I encourage it.

 

They have to fix their own lunches, though, and I fix mine. We eat together.

[Nicole not in CA]

Lunch here is usually leftovers or simple food. My older dd is 12, so she usually fixes her own lunch. My younger dd is 19 months, and food is a bit complicated for her because she has a dairy allergy and is also incredibly picky. So I usually have meals that I cook ahead of time in the freezer for her.

[Amy loves Bud]

I"m in the leftover camp, too. The kids also like buttered noodles, tuna sandwiches, pb &j or pb and butter sandwiches, tons of fresh fruit, baby carrots.

 

I try to make a concentrated effort to have enough leftovers for tomorrow's lunch though.

[mom31257]

We don't usually have leftovers. When we do have something left, dh usually takes it for his lunch. We keep lunch simple. Dd is helping prepare lunch now on some days. We always have fresh fruits/veggies (my kids prefer fresh to cooked), then add in an entree like sandwiches, quessadillas, pizzas made on tortillas. We also love grilled cheese and tomato soup. I will sometimes buy them something frozen that they like such as corn dogs or chicken nuggets. We will be attending clubs 2 Fridays a month starting in September, so we will probably eat out on those days. That will be a nice treat for them and me!

[Jami]

We're VERY low effort here. :001_smile: The kids usually have sandwiches (turkey, tuna, PB), fruit, carrot sticks, maybe pretzels or goldfish if I have them around. Sometimes we go crazy and I make quesadillas and/or smoothies. I tend to have a salad or sandwich at some point. They seem happy enough with those options, though every once in awhile I get PBJ rebellion and then they get chicken strips or some non-sandwich fare.

[gandpsmommy]

We don't really plan out lunches very much. Dh eats out at work. The dc and I usually eat leftovers, lunch meat or pb&j sandwiches with fresh fruit & veggies, mac & cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches with soup. Sometimes we'll have pizza (frozen or made with store-bought crust, jar of sauce, grated cheese, & pepperoni), or frozen fish or shrimp.

[JudoMom]

Lunch is usually something simple and I start thinking @ it @ 11:30ish when one of the kids asks me whats for lunch.

 

This is how it goes here. And it's never anything fancy. Cold cuts, fruit, crackers, leftovers, etc.

[Cheryl in NM]

Leftovers or frozen pizza, corn dogs or fish sticks if we have them. Lunch is usually a fend for yourself type deal around here, unless I want ds to eat specific leftovers then I heat them up for him. Sometime ds makes up mac & ch (from scratch). It's always up in the air until lunchtime.

[Matryoshka]

I'm lunch-lazy. As much as possible I have them make it themselves. Chesse sandwiches, mostly. Occasionally pb&j. Maybe some fruit or tomatoes or carrots on the side. Hummus and chips. Yogurt. Yes, and leftovers, but often I cook enough for two nights and the leftovers are being saved for a second dinner!

 

If it's a cold day and they nag me enough I'll make grilled cheese with tomato soup. I've also recently introduced pea soup - I've been feeling guilty that their lunches might not have enough veggies.

 

My mother tries to make me feel guilty for not making them lunch. This is the same woman who in 12 years of schooling never *once* packed me a lunch- always handed me lunch money. She may be remembering what she did on weekends? Yeah, I feel guilty - NOT.

[cin]

Lunch here is low key. Apple or banana and peanut butter, graham crackers and veggies. Or a pb sandwich and veggies. Cheese, almonds, hardboiled egg. These are all components of lunch. OBviously not all at the same tiem.

 

Spaghetti O's, mac & cheese, and pizza are NOT acceptable. :glare: DD7 hates tomato based items and melted cheese. She also hates any condiments on her sandwhiches and her favorite sandwich is a peanut butter on whole wheat. Sounds like a choking hazard to me, but she loves it!

[Jennefer@SSA]

For our lunches we rotate:

 

PBJ, Turkey/Cheese Sandwiches, Bean and Cheese Nachos (I just dump vegetarian refried beans in a bowl, sprinkle cheese on top and heat in microwave. They dip baked chips into the beans to make their "nacho"), hummus and crackers, homemade pizza using ww english muffins or bagels, baked chicken nuggets and fries, and tons of homemade soups (one of my kids favorite foods - chicken noodle, wonton, tortilla, baked potato...). I sit with my kids and read a book while they eat. It helps them stay seated (my adhder) and it's become a really special treat for them. So much of our day is so scheduled out that reading at lunch is a sweet time for us!

[Tammyla]

Sandwiches or french bread pizzas are ready in minutes. I like to keep the lunch meal quick and simple. If I send them in to fend for themselves lunch could take forever. ;)

[H.S. Burrow]

We have a menu plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert that we fill out each week as a family. I even created a Mom's Diner restraunt-style menu with healthy choices for most items (Chocolate cake from scratch with buttermilk is better than a processed snack...right?!;)) and I use this menu to plan my grocery list. I have found that the kidlets are not as hungry when we follow this format--and it saves money on groceries.

I also save the menus for a couple of weeks to make sure that we don't just keep eating the same things over and over. I have found that too much of one thing increases the amount of snacking the kids want/need to do.

We do NOT stick to it exactly. I mean, if chicken nuggets are down for Wednesday, we may actually eat them on Tuesday. BUT I only purchase what is needed for that menu.

Some of the lunch choices include these with fruit and/or yogurt:

Homemade Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Peanut Butter Sandwich

Chicken Nuggets or Strips (Baked)

Pizza

Nachoes

Tuna Salad

Chicken Salad

Ham Sandwich

Hotdogs

Hope this helps you!:)

[Marie in Oh]

Sunday: Bean and Cheese Burritos after church

Mondays: Ravioli or Tortelini and Salad

Tuesdays: Sandwhiches- tuna, pb&j or turnkey

Wednesday: Pita Pizzas (Pizzas made on whole wheat pitas)

Thusday: Quesadilles

Fridays: Homemade Mac and Cheese, carrots and ranch

Saturdays: Grilled Hotdogs and Brats in the Summer/ Soup and bread in the winter

[sdWTMer]

It seems like lunch planning always gets shoved to the back burner here, and everyone just "scrounges" for what they want.

 

That's the way it is here.

 

Do your children all eat the same thing or is it according to the desires of the eater?

 

The kiddos eat differently from me.

[LaMere Academy]

leftovers, sandwiches, baked potatoes, bagels are our main lunches. The kids usually get their own, sometimes I do it.

[Crissy]

Lunch is pretty effortless on my part these days.

The boys have been making lunch together (and cleaning up their mess!).

 

I just make sure there are plenty of healthy foods in the fridge for them to choose from.

 

The most common pick in recent weeks has been a turkey sandwich and a piece of fruit.

[mysticamethyst]

Lunch is whatever they can make themselves that doesn't involve the stove. Sometimes I open a can of something for them but most days it is all on them. This does fall under the Life Skills catagory in my book too.:001_smile:

[dcjlkplus3]

Mine are all still little, so I have to make lunch, but I refuse to make them each something different. We sometimes do sandwiches, spaghettios, top ramen and chicken dinos (way too much), hot dogs, usually fruit to go along with whatever.

I really like the leftover idea, it mostly works at our house with spaghetti, since that is one of the few things they all eat well.

[Mrs Mungo]

I plan breakfast, lunch and dinner on my menu for the week, even for the days I just plan on cereal and fruit for breakfast or PBJ for lunch. That way I don't have to think about it every day.

 

Here's a list of some of the things I make for lunch, I've posted it before and am pasting it from another thread so some people may have seen it already :)

 

If you'd like a recipe for anything just let me know!

 

Most of these are easy and nutritious and many are fairly low in cost.

 

tostones, black beans and rice (I've posted my tostone and black bean recipes here before)

 

peanut butter and banana pinwheels (ie wrapped in a tortilla and sliced)

 

tortellini with parmesan

 

veggie "sushi"-this is not real sushi, you take bread, cut off the crust, roll it out, spread it with cream cheese, put slices of carrot and cucumber inside, roll it up and slice it.

 

Baked Potatoes

 

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches

 

Hummus, Pita Bread and tomato/cucumber/onion/black olive relish stuff

 

Baked Potato Soup

 

mini quiches (these are super easy to make and freeze to re-heat at lunch time!)

 

bean burritos with avocados and chips with salsa

 

bean and polenta pies (put a slice of polenta in a ramekin and a red and black bean/onion mix inside topped with a little cheese and bake)

 

homemade mini pizzas and pineapple

 

funny-face egg salad sandwiches (open face sandwiches served with carrot sticks, slices of pepper, sliced olives, anything that the kids can use to make faces)

 

homemade waffles with bacon (the kids LOVE this for lunch! but I do it rarely)

 

flautas (from frozen) with cheese cubes and 7 layer dip

 

ham and cheese bagels

 

corn chowder

 

wontons (yes, they are a lot of work for lunch but I love them, they are delicious and sometimes I want them!) and rice

 

chili/cornbread pie

 

pasta salad

 

broccoli and cheese soup with rolls

 

aloha mini-cheeseburgers-I mix crushed pineapple with the meat and make small patties, cook them on the griddle and add a slice of sharp cheddar to the top then serve on hawaiian sweet rolls. I like baked sweet potato fries on the side.

 

veggies, bread cubes and cheese fondue

 

15 bean soup and cornbread

[Laura Corin]

The kinds of things we eat:

 

Lentils cooked with onion, tomato, cumin and coriander (I shove it on to cook in the morning, or cook it the night before)

Left over chicken breasts with cucumber, tomato and mayonnaise in pita

Sandwiches

Fish fingers (sticks)

Chicken wings sauteed in olive oil (I cook them slowly while I run back and forth to the HS table)

Tinned mackerel mixed with whole grain couscous/bulgur wheat/pasta

Home made soups (celery, mixed veg with whole grain, etc.)

 

I usually serve raw veggies and fruit at lunchtime too. I tend to just eat the fruit and veg, but the boys need more calories.

 

Laura

[Jenny in Florida]

I officially resigned from making lunches about two years ago. I do make "real" breakfasts, more or less to order, for the kids every day and for my husband, too, on the weekend mornings he's awake in time to eat. And I make dinner most nights. So, if I have to make (and clean up after) lunch, too, I find I'm spending more time messing around with food than on anything else in the day.

 

Just can't do it.

 

Also, given the fact that they eat a fairly filling breakfast at 8:00-ish in the morning, then sit down to desk work, my kids just aren't usually all that hungry by a regular lunch time.

 

So, they scrounge. Even when she's home, my daughter often doesn't bother with lunch. My son frequently just snacks--chips and salsa and some fruit, for example.

 

The extent of my involvement in the meal is making sure that there are ingredients around.

[Laura Corin]

Your lunches sound good, Laura, except for the canned fish.:)

 

 

My boys have a strange obsession with tinned mackerel - one of their favourite foods. I like it myself.

 

Laura

[Vida Winter]

Lunch is usually a turkey sandwich with a few chips and a piece of fruit.

 

When we're in a hurry it is a bowl of cereal.

 

Sometimes it is canned ravioli.

 

Or cup-o-noodles.

 

Not much effort or thought goes into it.

[keptwoman]

We are scroungers too. I usually have leftovers, the kids usually have sandwiches or omelettes or baked beans and fruit. I would like to start having lunch together a couple of times a week.