Lunch when homeschooling

[wingedradical]

I know this sounds lame, but we are so sick of the same things for lunch! So, what do we eat? Usually, a very large spinach/lettuce salad with various veggie add-ins and some kind of meat or cheese or beans. Or, sometimes hummus with veggies, although that isn't very filling.

 

Wheat, of any kind, gives me diarrhea. I have diabetes and stay away from white rice, potatoes and corn, as well as from most fruits. They just up my sugar too much. I eat eggs for breakfast and don't want them again at lunch. I love veggies of almost any type but they just aren't very filling. In fact, I can easily get into trouble with low blood sugar if I fill up too much on them.

 

FD is willing to eat almost anything but she is really sick of my two cups of salad every day.

 

Any suggestions?

 

I used to eat a lot of soup but I live near Phoenix and that isn't too appetizing when it's 111 degrees, like today, let alone when it gets even hotter. In fact, in this climate, the less cooking, the better. I've turned Pace Chunky Picante sauce into mock cold gazpaccho soup in desperation when I didn't want to take time and effort to make it but that's expensive.

 

Not exactly a home schooling topic, I know, but it is sort of related. We are doing "Home Ec" this summer - much will involve preparing meals - so some good ideas would be appreciated.

 

Before DFD came, I just ate leftovers from the night before. Alas, she has an appetite and I don't have leftovers anymore.

[Aiden]

Google paleo recipes. There are lots of good ideas out there, and they would meet your dietary needs as far as being grain-free and vegetable-intense. I also run into problems sometimes when I go super healthy and eat mostly vegetables with a little lean meat ... it just isn't filling. The solution for me is to add a little fat to replace the calories that are eliminated by cutting out grains.

 

I usually eat leftovers for lunch, but sometimes I know that my husband will eat every.last.bite of the dinner I make--he has his favorites, you know :)  When I'm making something for dinner that I don't expect leftovers, I'll sometimes make one of these as well, just to put in the fridge for lunch the next day:

 

salmon patties (good on their own hot or cold, also good cold with eggs for breakfast or crumbled over salad for lunch) http://balancedbites.com/2010/12/easy-recipe-grain-free-salmon-cakes.html

meatballs (there's a whole slew of recipes in the cookbook Well Fed 2, and the author of that book did a "March Meatball Madness" month on her blog, http://theclothesmakethegirl.com, so check out her recipes online too)

salad--I know this is what you're tired of, but google different recipes for salad dressings to change it up a little if this really is the easiest/best plan for you

 

 

Also, possibly the easiest option if you can swing it ... would it be possible to double your dinner recipes in order to ensure leftovers for lunch? (Sometimes that works for me ... except that it doesn't seem to matter how many meatballs or candied carrots or how much roasted cauliflower I make for dinner, my husband will eat every last bite ...)

 

[Melissa in Australia]

Here everyone gets their own lunch. some have soup ( I freeze in person size portions) some have sandwiches on homemade bread rolls, some have leftovers and sometimes some make some fried veggies in a pan.

I always have 2 rice cakes with cheese, lettuce and tomato.

[Guest]

I make a type of Jambalaya that might work for you. I make a double recipe one evening and then it's an easy warm-up meal. I do usually eat with rice, but you could skip that.

I slice up a Kielbasa and brown it in a pan. Remove and set aside. Sauté some vegetables - sweet peppers, onions, celery, garlic usually goes in mine. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, basil. Place a Tbls. Or so of flour in the pan, stir it gorgeous a minute or two, then gradually whisk in some chicken broth to make a roux. Once happy with the consistency, add a can of diced tomatoes. Cook it down a bit and then, you're good. Many folks would put shrimp in, but to keep it inexpensive, I rarely do.

 

Also, spreadable cheese on Nutthin almond flour crackers. That one of my go-to easy fillers.

[TammyinTN]

I only like to cook one big meal a day.....so I make extra for lunch the next day.   

[PeachyDoodle]

I don't have any meal suggestions, per se, but around here we work off of a "school menu" like the public schools do (I like to think my meals are healthier though). I came up with a four-week rotating, simple meal plan, so we don't eat the same thing more than once a month. On vacation weeks we take a break and have sandwiches or leftovers, or occasionally grab take-out as a treat.

 

The menu makes it easy for me to grocery shop and to make sure the kiddos are getting a balanced lunch instead of just pb&j and chips every day. They are easy meals -- dd9 can make most of them herself if I need her to -- because I am not a good cook and making a decent dinner is usually as much as I can handle! When it comes to food, the less I have to think about it, the better! ;)

[katilac]

I freeze rice and pasta in quart ziploc bags so they are easy for one person to grab and add something to for lunch. Jasmine rice freezes particularly well for some reason. 

 

If you do that, you can keep your routine of having add-ins of veggie, meat, cheese, and beans. You add then to salad, she adds them to pasta or rice with a bit of butter, broth, or sour cream. 

 

Whole grain crackers could work occasionally as well. 

 

She's 16, so I would give a bit of direction and then put the onus on her for preparing her lunch.

[RoundAbout]

DH an I eat low carb so I understand the lunch tedium. Are you mostly eating cold salads? I know DH must have something hot or else he just isn't satisfied. DS will also insist on a hot lunch as well. With that in mind we often have leftovers like chicken thighs, burger patties, or taco meat on hand. Also precooked sausages and Salmon burgers from Costco are also a favorite here. They cook from frozen in about 8 minutes. I eat mine on top of a salad and DS gets his with a bun.