Moms/dads at home with the kids.......?

Question

What do you feed your kids for lunch?

My daughter is super picky, so I'm running out of lunch ideas. We basically are limited to chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese, fish sticks, or sometimes chicken nuggets. I am usually always able to get some type of fruit in her as well like a banana or apple.

I want to switch up and try different lunches so she doesn't get stuck in such a rut eating the same things everyday.

Any suggestions on some simple lunches?

BTW -- she will not eat sandwiches or anything of the sort.

Answer 1

I guess I'm the lucky one... my daughter (2 yrs) will eat anything other than coleslaw. And she likes it all. Just to make things fun for her, I'll use cookie cutters in fun shapes to make sandwich people, butterflies, flowers, etc. I can't make her open-face sandwiches yet - I don't have a steam cleaner haha - but when the time comes, I'll make smiley faces, or whatever else I can think of. I'll arrange her fruit nicely on the plate rather than piling it all together. Cheese and unsalted crackers are a favorite, or peanut butter cracker sandwiches. Anything spreadable on a cracker is great, creamcheese, Cheesewiz, jam, Nutella. Have you tried eggs? Mine loves cheese omletes, she requests some sort of egg dish every day for lunch. Here's the really blow-me-away fact about my daugher - her favorite vegetable is broccoli - I wish I could tell you how to make your daughter like a bigger variety. I started mine out at an early age when she didn't know any better about being picky, now she loves it all. Good luck to you, and all I can say is, just keep feeding her what you have been - it won't last forever and at least she is still eating more than just Kraft dinner. I think the fact that you are getting bananas and apples into her is going in the right direction. Have you tried berries? Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries are all very easy to chew up and are delicious - tell her it's like eating desert for the whole meal. Peaches and nectarines are in season as well. Other than that, I'd say to consult your doctor for advice on a daily vitamin if you're concerned about her vitamin intake.

Answer 2

You could try adding corn or another veggie to her chicken noodle soup or putting some meat in her grilled cheese sandwiches. My son likes firm bananas so he won't eat them after we've had them around for a couple days. I usually end up throwing the bananas in a blender with some milk and maybe some juice or nesquick. You could try making her some fruit smoothies with yogurt, carnation instant breakfast or something else to add nutrition and variety. Sometimes my son decides he doesn't want to eat what I give him for lunch so I just pretend that I don't care if he eats and take his plate away. This works every time, although he's not as picky as your daughter.

Answer 3

Quesidilla are always a good change from grilled cheese.
Macaroni & Cheese (I make it from scratch and then freeze individual servings - reheats beautifully in the microwave).
Spagetti - same as the macaroni - make a huge batch then freeze individual portions.
Ants on a Log: Celery filled with peanut butter topped with raisins
Grilled egg on toast or English Muffin
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad in pita bread
Bean & Cheese Burrito - easy to make and the kids love them.
Salami, Cheese and Crackers - make mini sandwhiches
Make mini sandwiches (no crust) and tell her they "afternoon tea" sandwiches like the princesses eat.

For fun - we sometimes have upside down day and have pancakes or waffles for lunch - the kids love that with a side of fruit or applesauce.

Answer 4

my daughter like noodles, i boil a few noodles and throw spaghetti sauce on them and some cheese and she loves it. I do grill cheese, Pb and j, soup, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, occasional fast food if we're doing errands, mac and cheese, and the occasional sandwich ( she doesn't care for them ) , tuna sandwiches are big hits for her too, i sometimes will make homemade pizzas, french breach sauce and cheese and I'll put chicken chunks or something i know she'll eat, On lazy days cereal is good, Or i go to the store get a pre-cooked whole chicken and make some mashed potatoes and a biscuit. i hope some of these might help . It's just one of those things that kids out grow they just stick to things they know.

Answer 5

Get some cookie cutters in shapes of things she likes. Use them to cut a peanut butter sandwich into the shape. I bet she'll eat it!! Just don't say the word "sandwich."
Or, if you're brave, you can feed her the same thing for a week, but you have different things everyday. Make stuff that looks really good to get her interested. When she asks for a bite, you've got her hooked!!
Hope it works out for ya, I know how it is to have picky kids.


Much Love!!

Answer 6

I was able to get my 3 girls to eat yogurt by telling them that it was fruit pudding. Yogurt is real good for them. I also mixed different flavored apple sauces with cereals that were not as sugary so they could get more fiber. I put M&M's in oatmeal so they would eat it. I mixed their veggis into the mashed potatoes. Also try wraps? you can put almost anything in them from just cheese, peanut butter n apple slices, turkey, ham. Try dips with raw veggies. Let her help in creating something fun she might think she would like. Just keep trying new things and have fun with it. When they know you are making a big deal over it, children tend to stick with the norm. Making personal pizzas was a real good one at my home. Everyone is picky here.

Answer 7

Maybe grilled chicken breast cut into bite size pieces? It is healthier than chicken nuggets and you can get the frozen kind that doesn't take long at all to bake. I have found that pudding w/ 1% milk and applesauce cups are good. There are these things called Smileys in the french fry section, they are like smiley faced round potatoes with mashed potatoes inside. Good luck with your picky eater!

Answer 8

my boys eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and that's usually it. so once a week i have started making totinos pizzas. they're in a red box in the frozen pizza section. totinos also makes pizza rolls. try quasodillas, flour tortillas with cheese and some kind of meat. my boys like taco meat, chicken or pepporoni on their quasodillas. put it in the skillet after spraying with non-stick add the cheese and meat then fold wait a minute or 2 then flip. when cheese is melted it's ready. bagel pizza bites, toquitos, etc. the frozen section at the supermarket has great items. mac and cheese. my boys love it when we have breakfast for lunch. for breakfast we usually have cereal or frozen waffles. so sometimes for lunch i make chocolate chip or blueberry pancakes. frozen waffle (toasted of course) peanut butter sandwiches. there are so many types of frozen waffles to choose from. i used to like quick things for lunch, but even i got tired of that. so i figure as long as it takes 30 minutes or less to cook it then it can be for lunch. my boys didn't care for it, but i know other kids who have liked peanut butter and jelly sushi. take a tortilla put pb &j on it then roll tight, put tooth picks in it then slice. as long as it's healthy just have fun with it. i hope this helps.

Answer 9

In-home daycare and mommy of soon to be two...here is some of my menu for picky eaters!
Mac & cheese
Corn Dog
Eggs & smokies
PB &J
Fish sticks
French toast sitcks
Ham & cheese roll ups
homemade pizza
hot dog (depending on age)
spaghetti

For veggies
canned:
green beans
corn
fresh:
celery w/pb
grape or cherry tomatoes

For fruit:
canned:
peaches
mandarin oranges
pears
applesauce
Fresh:
banana
grapes
watermelon
honeydew

Answer 10

KETCHUP!! Give the girl ketchup LOL. My son is really picky but give him ketchup and he will eat anything. or even ranch. Eating chicken with ketchup is better than not eating the chicken at all. Also try just giving her the meat of the sandwich, have you tried Roman noodles?