Lunches on school days?

[HeWillSoar]

What do you do for lunches at your house?  Need ideas!

[RocCityMom]

We do eggs, fruit, and biscuits/toast, soups, leftover dinner, and burritos pretty much every week.  But my kids's absolute favorite lunch is when I just set out a big platter of cheeses, fruits, veggies, and crackers or crusty bread.   

 

I could use some new ideas too! I am in a lunch rut.

[SparklyUnicorn]

A variety of things.  Soup, sandwiches, cereal, leftovers, wraps, pizza, mac and cheese, etc.  Sometimes I feel like cooking something elaborate and other times I don't want to do more than toast bread.

 

 

[HeWillSoar]

We did cheese quesadillas, smoothies,DIY pizzas, etc. 

[TheAttachedMama]

I am trying to makeover the way we eat this "new year" too.   As of right now, I let each kid choose what they want for lunch.  That means that I am (somedays) making 4 different lunches.  Which is ridiculous.  SO--I am going to start eliminating choice from what they get for breakfast, snack, and lunch.  (I already do this for dinner.)  I know the kids aren't going to LIKE this---but I am trying to simplify things around here so meal times aren't so much work. 

 

As of right now, my ideas are:

 

Snacks:

1)  veggies with dip or hummus

2)  Yogurt and fresh fruit

3)  Apple slices dipped in almond butter

4)  Smoothies

5)  Protien muffins

6)   Deviled eggs or hardboiled eggs

7)  Chicken or tuna salad on crackers

 

Lunches:

1)  Batch cook some type of protien (chicken breast, pork chops, salmon, etc.) served with baked sweet potato and salad

2)  Leftovers from dinner thrown in on some days for variety

[Momof3]

We do pbjs, tuna sandwiches, mac n' cheese, or leftovers mostly... Unless I just cut up some apples & they eat those with yogurt, crackers, pretzels, raisins...whatever we have in the house. ;) 

 

I'm looking for some new ideas, too... I don't like to make anything more complicated than box mac n' cheese for lunch. :) 

[Momof3]

For snack we do

 

ants-on-a-log (celery, peanut butter & raisins)

carrot sticks w/ Ranch

apple slices or other fruit

yogurt

popcorn or pretzels & raisins

 

(one of those...not all of them every day :))

[G5052]

I use the crock pot probably 3/5 lunches in a given week, but I have a heavy eater who works out and does a lot of martial arts.  So lots of heavy soups and stews.

 

I also like quesadillas, pizza (sometimes frozen -- gasp!), burritos, and such.

[HeWillSoar]

I use the crock pot probably 3/5 lunches in a given week, but I have a heavy eater who works out and does a lot of martial arts.  So lots of heavy soups and stews.

 

I also like quesadillas, pizza (sometimes frozen -- gasp!), burritos, and such.

 

I have a heavy eater too!  My 14 year old is 6'3" tall and he likes a full meal.  It's hard to meet the demand and have it be fairly healthy. 

[prairiegirl]

Some of the things we make are:

 

variations of grilled cheese -- add tuna or salsa

quiche

greek salad with buns

spaghetti with sautéed veggies

cannelloni--only because dh doesn't like it so we don't have it for supper

eggless on bagels--fried eggs on bagels  with melted cheese

[Carolinagirl1]

We usually keep it easy:

 

Frozen chicken tenders (a good brand that I like from Whole Foods or Fresh Market - Bell & Evans brand)

Frozen Amy's Organic Burritos

Amy's Organic Canned Soup

Amy's Organic Frozen Pizzas

Boiled Eggs

Leftovers

 

All of the above with fresh fruit and vegetables or baked sweet potatoes.

 

I try to keep it simple with the frozen foods but still healthy by choosing organic.

[Farrar]

We have evening activities several times a week so we often need to have a flipped schedule and have the big meal at noon or one. It's one of my resolutions to cook more and do better with lunch. Some things that have worked for us because they're super quick but substantial include...

 

turkey burgers

mac and cheese with spinach

sausage and rice

turkey or ham fried rice with lots of veggies

black bean quesadillas

defrosted homemade chicken noodle soup

defrosted homemade chili

scrambled eggs and hash browns or sausage

 

Also, I try to do leftovers and especially have things like pesto chicken or slow cooker bbq which I can do in giant batches and then use in various ways.

 

Still, I wish I relied less on convenience foods, like, for example, Trader Joe's little frozen meatballs or pizzas.

[Coco_Clark]

We tend to have filling but fast lunches. I only have 30 or so minutes to get it together, but I also need it to be a real meal or else they will all be hungry again. I also can't rely on convenience foods, as we can't afford them. I make all our own soups and breads, which has the added benifit if also being more filling. We only snack on very high energy days (like when hiking or swimming).

 

If we are on the go:

Sandwiches, from leftover beef/turkey/ham

PB and J

BLT

Egg or tuna salad

Crackers with sliced cheese and sausage

Bagels and yogurt or applesauce

 

If I need to utilize the crock-pot:

Soups, Tomato with grilled cheese

Chicken and noodles

Veggies and rice

Tortilla soup

Lentil stew

Chili

Oatmeal

Baked potato or sweet potato bar

Egg/hash browns/sausage bake

 

If I have time to cook:

Mac and cheese

Spaghetti/ravioli ect

Taco bar

Quesadillas

Fried rice

Pizza

Waffles/pancakes

Eggs and hashbrowns

Chicken nuggets (if the kids help me bread or else there's no enough time)

Hamburgers or chicken burgers (if I can use the grill)

[KSinNS]

Ah, I've been thinking about lunch too. Our rut is currently  hotdogs (Thursday), Kraft Dinner (Monday), spicy ramen noodles (Sat, Sun), waffles (Wed), sandwiches (wed when we go out), and fries (Friday). Wow! I hadn't realized I was doing the same meals every week until I wrote them down and knew what day they were :-}. 2 days a week, I don't get supper until 10 (though I take a snack to work) so it has to be filling. I've been trying to figure out about getting the slow cooker into play, but it would need to go on the night before, because I am not an early riser. Hmmmmm. 

[Arcadia]

My kids make their own lunch and my older's favorite is toasted "loaded with cheese" sandwich.

[Critterfixer]

Soup and sandwich is Monday. Usually leftovers from dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday unless I've made something like GF chicken nuggets which I can reheat in the oven. Sometimes eggs and toast and a bit of bacon. Thursdays is Pizza Day.

Always fresh fruit to go with, and raw carrots are the vegetable that they like with lunch.

[lovinmomma]

Following

[ByGrace3]

I am always looking for new ideas... I feel like we get in such a lunch rut. Usually we do-- quesadillas, taco dip, chicken salad (sandwiches or on crackers), Cesar salad with chicken, leftovers, homemade pizza...pb&j when desperate....

[Serenade]

Mostly we just do sandwiches.  I make them so the kids can work right up until lunch.  We even eat them off of thin paper plates -- you know, the cheapy kinda that actually decompose, so I don't feel too guilty about that.  Once a week we may have something hot like soup, or we may eat out if we have errands to run, but when we're home, I keep it simple.  I grew up my whole life taking sandwiches to school for lunch, and it didn't hurt me…LOL.  A sandwich.  A piece of fruit. And a cookie.  That was my standard lunch growing up.  I'd buy milk at school to accompany it.

 

ETA:  I keep it simple so that the focus stays on school with few time-consuming distractions.

[KrissiK]

Sandwiches (meat & cheese and pb&j), chicken melts on English muffins (like tuna melts, but with canned chicken, I hate tuna), pizza (I make a batch of pizza dough, make small crusts, do the first bake and then freeze them, then when I want to use them, I just put the toppings on and bake and it's very quick), Costco chicken nuggets, smoothies, quesadillas

[MrsRobinson]

We do a lot of the above but our favorite lunch is Chicken Caesar Wraps. Basically, I just make a big Caesar salad with leftover chicken and spoon into warm tortillas and wrap 'em up! So yummy, easy and the kids are willing to eat the lettuce that way for some reason.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

We prepare and portion meals for the week on Sunday. The single serving portions are then frozen, refrigerated, or shelved. Even snacks, such as nuts, are proportioned. (Those go in 4 ounce canning jars.)

 

In the winter, we often do soups for lunch. Citrus fruits, nuts, and cheese work well for snacks.

[HeWillSoar]

We do a lot of the above but our favorite lunch is Chicken Caesar Wraps. Basically, I just make a big Caesar salad with leftover chicken and spoon into warm tortillas and wrap 'em up! So yummy, easy and the kids are willing to eat the lettuce that way for some reason.

 

Oh, your chicken Caesar wraps reminded me that we sometimes do Buffalo wraps.  Same thing but with buffalo sauce, and we use blue cheese for dipping.

[HeWillSoar]

Mostly we just do sandwiches.  I make them so the kids can work right up until lunch.  We even eat them off of thin paper plates -- you know, the cheapy kinda that actually decompose, so I don't feel too guilty about that.  Once a week we may have something hot like soup, or we may eat out if we have errands to run, but when we're home, I keep it simple.  I grew up my whole life taking sandwiches to school for lunch, and it didn't hurt me…LOL.  A sandwich.  A piece of fruit. And a cookie.  That was my standard lunch growing up.  I'd buy milk at school to accompany it.

 

ETA:  I keep it simple so that the focus stays on school with few time-consuming distractions.

 

You know, I grew up on sandwiches too.  I think I've spoiled my kids by making meals all the time, and now they've come to expect it.  Well one of them--the other would be just fine with a sandwich. 

[Tawlas]

We pack two snacks and a lunch ahead of time most days. I'm juggling four young kids all day and it cuts down on interruptions and I don't have to try and round them up from the far corners of the house and yard :P Plus, I can give the toddler some snuggles and attention rather than making and serving snacks. I pack each kid two pencil-box-sized containers and they can eat whatever they want from either box at snack and lunch time.

 

So, having said that, usually the "meal" part is usually leftovers, wraps or sandwiches. I like to have a bunch of baking done ahead of time like muffins, samosas, cornish pasties, pizza rolls (like a cinnamon bun but unsweetened bread with pizza sauce and toppings) and then freeze. They love cheese sandwiches that they melt in the microwave lol

 

Snacks are more like cheese, crackers, pretzles, nuts, yogurt, hummus and a ton of cut up veggies and fruit.

 

Nothing that exciting, what saves us is taking some time every few weeks/one a month to stock up on home made-to-freeze stuff. Oh, and make-ahead-and-freeze crockpot options are wonderful on the two afternoons we're out of the house!

[happypamama]

Quesadillas, sandwiches, soup, leftovers (more for me than the kids, usually isn't enough for everyone), mac and cheese, snack plate of cheese/fruit/veggies/nuts/olives/pickles/crackers/hummus/etc., fish sticks, tuna salad, burritos or other things with beans. We eat eggs at breakfast so often that we don't want them for lunch, and meat is generally too expensive to serve for lunch.

 

I hate lunch. Everything is either too carby, too repetitive, or too expensive.

[MrsRobinson]

Oh, your chicken Caesar wraps reminded me that we sometimes do Buffalo wraps. Same thing but with buffalo sauce, and we use blue cheese for dipping.

That sounds really good! I'll have to try it!

[Luckymama]

I'm mean ;) We either eat leftovers or fend for ourselves (dh, dd, and I). I only cook dinner for the family :D

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Thinking about some posts in the thread...

 

In the past I often found myself making my dd's lunch, but then I realized that in the long-run that wasn't helping her. If our schedules are too packed for her to prepare a quick meal, something needs to change. We are trying to set healthy patterns so when she is in college or working she knows how to plan and prepare fast, nutritious meals that she actually looks forward to eating. 

 

On rushed days, it's hard. That's why we are constantly stressing planning ahead and having meals prepared or something nutritious that doesn't need prepared in her bag and ready to go. It's not just about lunch today, it's about habits and attitudes toward food that last a lifetime.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I'm mean ;) We either eat leftovers or fend for ourselves (dh, dd, and I). I only cook dinner for the family :D

 

I don't even do that! :ph34r:  

[birchbark]

I hate lunch. Everything is either too carby, too repetitive, or too expensive.

 

:lol:

 

We do lots of sandwiches. My DS makes this wonderful bread every week (kneading by hand!) with fresh-ground wheat flour and coconut oil. So I feel we have a nice healthy base for lunches. We double the recipe.

 

Other standbys: Trader Joe's Mac & Cheese, TJ's "Spaghetti O's," bean burritoes, canned tomato soup.  When it gets warm, I often do "muffin tin lunches" with cheese, cold cuts, fruit, raw veggies, crackers, etc. for the younger kids.

[HeWillSoar]

Thanks for all the great ideas!  I also ask the kids what they want to see on the menu but usually they request things like hot dogs or time consuming meals like meatball subs.

 

Here's my weeks worth of lunch:

 

Mon--quesadillas, side salad, apples

Tues-leftover lasagna

Weds-tuna sandwiches, vegetable soup

Thurs-leftover roast beef (or make quesadillas with it)

Fri--not sure

[Kuovonne]

It looks like lots of you make quesadillas.

How do you make them? What do you put in them and how do you cook them?

[Farrar]

For us quesadillas are good because they're not all carb and we can stuff them with black beans, which are cheap and reasonably healthy and full of fiber and protein and which I can have ready any time because they're canned. If I have leftover meat like chicken or pulled pork I put that in sometimes too, but mostly it's all about the beans.

 

My kids don't like veggies in theirs. I usually throw salsa on them (that's another easy one because you can keep it jarred) or just fresh tomatoes and onions and a pile of lettuce. If I'm doing the salsa myself like that I just toss the tomatoes with a tiny bit of oil and some lime juice (also jarred... all about the convenience) and maybe some garlic and cilantro if I happen to have it and cumin and so forth and then I can also put in cucumber with the onion. The cukes just soak up the salsa taste and add extra veg and crunch. If I have avocado or guac I throw them on the plate with the quesadillas too. It's a really easy fast meal and most of the ingredients we either have on hand most of the time anyway (like a couple of tomatoes) or keep a long time and I can keep stocked (like canned beans, cheese, tortillas, etc.).

[Artichoke]

In the winter months, we do more hot lunches.

Our most frequent lunches are

Rice cooker mac 'n cheese
​beans  with tortilla chips and other fixings
Dinner leftovers
Homemade soups ( made ahead and frozen ) with popovers or cornbread
Savory breakfast cereals
Fish sticks (from Costco and microwaveable )
TJs Mandarin Orange Chicken ( occasionally ) with rice

All of these are served with raw veggies and sometimes fruit. I prefer to make the lunches so that we tend to stay on schedule and dd is focused on her work. 

Edited June 13, 2017 by Artichoke

[HeWillSoar]

It looks like lots of you make quesadillas.

How do you make them? What do you put in them and how do you cook them?

 

I normally just butter one side of each tortilla and make them with cheddar cheese, just like a grilled cheese sandwich.  For some reason, my kids like them better.  My middle likes Texas Pete on his.  Sometimes I will throw in some chicken, green pepper or onions.  We use lots of tortillas around here for quesadillas, burritos and wraps. 

[lots of little ducklings]

It looks like lots of you make quesadillas.

How do you make them? What do you put in them and how do you cook them?

 

Like Farrar, we're big black bean fans.

 

My littles are picky so we aren't terribly fancy about it.  Just corn tortillas, black beans (drained), salsa (newsman's own), and whatever cheese is on hand.  Sometimes I sprinkle in a little frozen corn.  Heat for just a few minutes on each side and we're good to go.  Sour cream on the side for some of my kids.  For myself, the salsa is served on the side too, but it's a lot neater and "safer" (in terms of "spiciness") to hide it inside the tortillas for the kiddos.    Usually fruit on the side, too.  

 

It's our Friday favorite.  :-)

[Guest Skoolnmine]

I am always at a lose for lunch ideas. Breakfast if getting a little boring too (waffles E-V-E-R-Y morning...by request). I wish I could serve up quesadillas, a grilled cheese sandwich, an english mufflin melt w/ fried egg, or a simple pb & j. My dilemma is that my dc are allergic to dairy (cheese), eggs and peanut butter.  That really limits me. And my dd really likes hot, hearty meals.  I really try to feed them as healthy as I can.  I confess that cooking is not my favorite pass time primarily because it takes time and I try to avoid it if I can (dh willingly makes dinner - and breakfast & lunch on days off).

 

One thing I have gathered from the posts I've read is that I think I will take a trip to Trader Joes and check out the frozen food section.  I was excited recently to learn that my dd likes Amy's burritos (dairy free).

 

I would love to hear any ideas for lunches given the limits of their diets.

[SageRebel]

All seasons- toasted cheeses, or quesadillas, cut up cheese, nuts, apples, oranges, pb&j, mac and cheese, left overs, homemade french fries, steamed veggies

Warmer months- salads, smoothies, fresh fruit, nuts, sandwiches, dips and veggies or chips, and on rare occasions-turkey dogs.

colder months- homemade soups,winter squashes, beans,sloppy joes, baked tators (I love throwing sweet potatoes wrapped in aluminium in the wood stove), pancakes, hard nuts ( give them a hammer, a safe place to whack and stand back)

[Sneezyone]

We try to do fruit, protein, grain and dairy combos for lunch everyday. This may be fried rice (includes meat and veg) with fresh pineapple, mango or korean pears and milk. Grilled cheese sandwiches w/smoked turkey (from dinner drumsticks), carrots w/ranch and applesauce. Pigs in blankets w/cheese slices and fruit. Chicken meatballs w/fruit and cheese. Pasta w/red sauce and salad, fruit on the side. We don't do many smoothies but I bet we will when things heat up in the summer. My kids don't like quesadillas but do enjoy pizzas on small-size naan bread (COSTCO). Neither of my kids like sweet potatoes but they love leftover huli huli chicken (fave local roadside vendor) with steamed broccoli and rice/somen/chow mein. I can saute or bake tilapia w/lemon pepper and they are happy too. Meh, I am pretty much ok with anything in moderation so occasionally DH will surprise them at lunch w/a fast food run. We like treats too.

[J-rap]

I feel a little badly because my kids always made their own lunches.  But, I always had big pots of soup in the fridge (usually lentil or another bean), or cooked black beans that they could make into burritos.  Other favorites were grilled cheese, oven broiled open-face cheese and tomato sandwiches, and pasta.  Oh yes, sandwiches with peanut butter and sliced bananas were popular too.