My daughter has to bring school lunch this year, Do you have any ideas of lunches to pack?

Question

She is starting kindergarten in Sept. and I dont want to send the same thing everyday i.e. peanut butter and jelly, it will be in her lunch box for about 4 hours prior to eating so no dairy. Thanks

Answer 1

There are lots of things your can send with her.. just remember to keep it healthy and tasty. Also if you want her to drink milk, send along money for her to purchase a small carton of milk at the school.

Kids love lunchables, but they tend to get spendy. It really depends on what your daughter likes to eat. Is she a bologna and mustard person, or a peanut butter and banana person?

Steer clear of mayo, unless you can teach her to use the small mayo/miracle whip packets to apply it to her sandwich at school. Mayo is not something you'd want to let get warm.

I would recommend a sandwich, and perhaps some sort of fruit or vegetable snack item, that could be an apple or peach or something along those lines, or perhaps a small container of apple sauce. Carrot sticks are good, and keep well until lunch time if they are packed properly. There is prepackaged cheese products that will keep without refrigeration, that might be something to look into if you'd prefer her to have cheese to milk.

Try to cover the four food groups, and adhere to what she likes and will eat. Keep it fun, and healthy and make sure she is getting enough (but not TOO many) calories. Kids need plenty of energy to get through the day, but too much and you'll end up with an overweight daughter. :(

Also don't forget the sweet touches.. A cookie or brownie for dessert, and heres something you probably hadn't thought of, especially if she's already a reader.. send her a little note. Something to let her know that you're thinking of her and proud of her.

There are numerous websites with information on this sort of thing, here's a few to get your started:

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/site/PageServer?pagename=otg_brownbag
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/features/brnbag/brnbag.html#
http://busycooks.about.com/od/breakfastrecipes/a/brownbaglunch.htm
http://www.budget101.com/Bag%20Lunches.htm
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/topics/food/lunchbag.htm

Good luck! Kindergarten is a scary, confusing, nervous time.. But it can be fun, for you and your daughter!

Answer 2

If you're worried about spoilage, I'd invest in one of those reusable ice tubes: the ones you stick in the freezer overnight.
Cheese, especially in the US shouldn't turn at room temp in 4 hours, but if you're making sandwiches I'd stick with singles (individually wrapped slices) to be on the safe. And hold the mayo: it can go bad after a couple of hours at room if you're not careful.
That said, sandwiches are quick and easy: just use the ones she likes. Keep it simple: ham/turkey/roast beef, slice of cheese and bread, mustard if she likes it (it's mostly vinegar, and there's very little chance of it turning). Let her pick the makings the night before some times: and if she wants to take pb&j for a week, get the low fat PB and use a jam instead.
Another easy idea is a tortilla wrap or a faux burrito. They're easy to make (fold the bottom then roll the side, fold top and bottom for the burrito), and you can use the same ham & cheese, or even pb&j that you would have for a sandwich.
As for sides, my third-grade girl likes baby carrots, celery (in a tupperware dish with some iced water if it's going to be really hot), and broccoli; those single-serve bags of chips, crisps, or crackers aren't bad on occassion either. I'd stay away from cookies, though.
Also, you might check with her school, to see what sort of thing they recommend; and if there's any restrictions on what they can take. I know my local school board seriously considered (but ultimately voted against) banning box lunches altogether this year.

Answer 3

My Mum used to send pretzels and bananas in my lunch sometimes.
There are pre-packed school lunches (like "Lunchables") at the grocery store - They usually have things for kids to invent their own combinations of foods and they're easy to imitate.
crackers or bread are the main part of them. Then you just pack things to put on them
Canned cheeses that come out in a string are good for on crackers. Just check the label to make sure it doesn't need refridgerated.
Also most kids like "bump on a logs" - celery with peanut butter inside and raisins stuck on top. Or just send the stuff along (put a serving of peanut butter in a very small container and include a child-safe plastic knife) because kids usually enjoy being able to create the things they eat.
Mostly, just ask your kid. She'll be able to tell you what she likes or not. Of course use your common sense and make sure she's not eating pure junk food, but don't worry if other kids bring it. In fact, packing weird lunches (plus encouragement in other areas) helps kids get an early start on being an individual and avoiding peer pressure.
One more tip - my siblings and I always enjyed being able to help make our school lunches. Whether it was having ingredients sent or making it at home before it was packed or even just having some say in what goes into the lunch box, it was more fun that way.

Answer 4

I've been packing my daughter's lunches for several years - you know, there are lunchboxes that come with a chill pack so you can send things like turkey sandwiches, leftover fried chicken, etc. Even dairy products are okay that way. You know, we did it all the time when I was a kid and no one died!

My daughter would like to have me pack Oscar Meyer Lunchables for her but I refuse. I try to make a home version of that, though: I slice & cut salami or pepperoni, pickles, and cheese to cracker size and put them each in a separate ziploc. Then I pack her favorite cracker and she makes her own "cracker stacker" sandwiches.

One other suggestion: a co-worker has a child who loves hot dogs. She boils water and puts it in a thermos with a couple of hot dogs, and includes hot dog buns, packed separately. Then she puts in packets of ketchup and mustard. It may seem a little unusual, but personally I think that's genius!

Answer 5

Aim for balance, you don't have to stick to the traditional "sandwhich" route to get a good meal in.

Aim for some kind of protein, some kind of fruit/veg, and some kind of whole grain carbs. Plus some low sugar beverage.

Nuts, and Shelf stable pudding made with dairy are good sources of protein.

Apple sauce, and fruit cups in juice (not syrup), bananas, and grapes are easy options for fruit.

Baby carrots, and cut celery with individual low fat dip cups can be good options for veggies.

If you don't want to do sandwhiches you can try Melba toast or wasa crisps, or even wheat thins for the carbs.

Don't be scared to use dairy, or things that require refrigeration since many lunch boxes are insulated and you can included a frozen re-usable blue cooling block.

2% string cheese is a great kid option for lunches. So are the "laughing cow" mini cheeses.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

That really depends upon what she likes to eat - and will not waste or trade away.

You need to get her a good, insulated lunch bag, so that things will not spoil. Otherwise, you cannot pack anything that has any possibility of spoiling. Some kids get thermos type things in which mac & cheese or soup can stay warm in (usually when it is cold out). Possibly another thermos that will keep a drink cold (or warm).

Besides PB&J, kids usually like ham and cheese, bologna and cheese, etc. Be sure to include a snack (cookies, pretzles, etc) - even those small pudding or applesauce cups.

Answer 7

1. you could get insulated lunch boxes which open up a lot of options. my mom would give me a sandwihc, some sort of lunch meat, a juicbox, a box of raisins, and a piece of fruit in the insulated lunch box. it was pretty good.

2. if not, you can try something more unconventional, like crackers and pepporoni (doesnt have to be refrigerated), pb and j is fine, also use fluff.

3. a thermos with soup in it works well too.

Answer 8

I have the same problem. My son is a picky eater. Well, how about using a ice pack (reusable) in the lunch box, cheese and crackers would be my next choose.
Good Luck

Answer 9

Make sure whatever you pack that she will eat it. It is probably not good to pack any lunchmeat sandwiches unless it is well insulated.
My kids love tortillas smeared with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins. Then I wrapped up the tortillas and cut them in half and wrapped them in foil or plastic wrap or ziplocked them.
Also they have those individual fruit cups and applesauce cups and they have started packaging individual bagged carrot sticks in some stores.

Answer 10

Lunch Boxes to go in the dairy case at the grocery. You can freeze the juice and it will keep everything cold and be drinkable when she eats lunch.