Brown Bagging It

[Peggyann]

if you/kids/dh/so brown bag it, what do you take??

Aidan only gets 25 minutes for lunch. That's getting to the cafeteria, sitting down and eating, throwing garbage away, packing up and back out the door. So I have to pack him things that are quick (but filling) eats.

Today he has: egg salad on WW, carrot sticks and snow pea pods, a pineapple fruit cup and a 100% juice box. That's usually his option. Sandwhich, juice or water, veggies or pretzels, and a fruit cup.

His lunch for the rest of the week is:

tues- salami and cheese on WW, pretzels, a clemintine and juicebox
weds- early release day, just a snack. cheese and crackers and a juice box
thurs- braunschwiger on WW, carrot sticks, pineapple cup and juice box
fri- ham asparagus rollups, carrots/peapods, pineapple cup and juice box.

I'm just trying to find other options for him. It's so BORING packing his lunch.

~PA~

[hamamelis]

I printed this as a guide for DD, as she's been packing her own lunch since the beginning of this school year- as long as she covers each of the bases I'm happy-
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/kids/connectdots.html

She tends to be fairly predictable with what she packs though- I think they're boring but she's happy with it and that's what counts. I think with kids boring and predictable is key. (Which is why I'm so loving that she's taken this job over. Mind you she's 9, but it'll happen for you someday.)

[Ali]

My always used to complain about packing my lunch. Now I know why. Meet my daughter, Dalton.

She doesn't eat lunch meat, doesn't like to take PB & J cause then everything soaks into the bread and is yucky. {sigh} It's hard. She doesn't like warmed up spag. or noodles to take in a thermos. But about once a week she will take either leftover steak (from dh & my date night) or grilled chicken breast in a thermos. But I have to be really on top of things those mornings, lol.

Today she took a rice krispie treat, canned pears, an apple, sunkist fruit chews, and peanut butter crackers :bag: It was a bad morning.

Normally I try to keep peanuts and sunflower seeds on hand. Goldfish crackers are another staple and always a fruit (or two).

I hate packing lunches :meh:

[ADDled]

I'm just trying to find other options for him. It's so BORING packing his lunch.

~PA~
Sounds like you're doing a great job but if you're finding packing lunches boring this site might give you inspiration:

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com

I know you're not vegan but you could look at it for ideas.

[MorgnsGrl]

if you/kids/dh/so brown bag it, what do you take??

D likes (cold! :gross:) chicken nuggets with some ketchup for dipping sauce. He likes Pirates Booty. I often bake/make something that he can take one of as a little "treat" like rice krispie's treats or homemade cookies. Another combo he likes is a soy yogurt, some hummus and pretzel sticks (which would be even better with the addition of some carrot sticks and fruit!).

[Peggyann]

Here's onefor you, Amy :)

http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/


Sounds like you're doing a great job but if you're finding packing lunches boring this site might give you inspiration:

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com

I know you're not vegan but you could look at it for ideas.

~PA~

[azul99]

Maybe he would enjoy something hot sometimes. A few days a week, I pack macaroni & cheese for the boys, or egg noodles in a thermos. Just heat up the thermos w/boiling water for five min and the food then stays warm until lunch.

If I pack egg noodles then I accompany it with protein of some kind, e.g. chicken left over from the previous evening's dinner. The other items in the lunchbox are fruit; dried fruit; a little treat; a little cheese.

[Peggyann]

Maybe he would enjoy something hot sometimes. A few days a week, I pack macaroni & cheese for the boys, or egg noodles in a thermos. Just heat up the thermos w/boiling water for five min and the food then stays warm until lunch.

If I pack egg noodles then I accompany it with protein of some kind, e.g. chicken left over from the previous evening's dinner. The other items in the lunchbox are fruit; dried fruit; a little treat; a little cheese.

~PA~

[azul99]

You can also put leftover spaghetti & meatballs in there, or virtually any other leftovers from the previous day's dinner.

My boys apparently get a lot of envious comments from their tablemates when they have mac & cheese for lunch!

[hamamelis]

OH yeah, I do Sally's thermos thing too to get it hot- she loves ravioli and sauce with meatballs; mac and cheese; baked potato, etc.. (although she generally does pack her lunch 99% of the time, I do the hot stuff for her)

[muse2clio]

I'm just jealous that your kid eats that many foods! Jackson is such a picky eater, so packing lunch for him is a nightmare. Luckily he'll eat the hot lunch option a couple of times a week at school. He will NOT eat sandwiches anymore, so that's out. Usually I send him with something hot in a thermos, including mac & cheese, tomato soup & noodles, chicken nuggets (with a side of ketchup), and sometimes out of desparation, cereal with a small container of milk on the side.

With that he gets a juice box, fruit, and some other snack (goldfish, pretzels, yogurt, etc -- whatever I can get him to eat!)

[ADDled]

Hey, Peggyann, I just had an idea! I know Aidan loves pizza, yes? :wink: How about take a whole wheat tortilla, spread with some pizza quick, some mozzarella cheese, and some pepperoni slices, roll it up like a burrito. My kids like this very much.

[Peggyann]

I'm just jealous that your kid eats that many foods!

Thanks :) He used to not be that way. Until he was about 4 I was sure his lifetime diet would be yogurt, bananas, cheese sticks, apples, cucumbers, carrots and turkey hot dogs :eek:

~PA~

[Kathy]

Dan and the boys brown bag it, and I do on Thursdays when I have class all day.

Dan takes prepackaged dinner leftovers that are usually frozen, along with a piece of fruit and some crackers. He has water with lunch most days. I plan ahead and have something freezable once or twice a week and make enough to have extra, then package them out into lunch sized portions. Then Dan can pick and choose and have variety every day (he's a big variety guy).

The boys tend to like the same thing over and over and over. Presently, Ryan has a ham and cheese sandwich, some mini carrots, and sesame crackers for lunch with water. Arden has a cream cheese and tortilla roll up, apple slices, pretzels with PB filling, and juice.

I have leftovers from Wednesday night, which is "Asian foods night" here. I usually have some rice, vegetables with a bit of meat, miso soup, and some fresh fruit. I have water with my lunch as well, and it goes in a thermos style bento container (similar to Mr. Bento, but made by Nissan). Sometimes I take along hot tea as well, but that depends.