The school lunch post!
Both Camille and Charlotte are in preschool/"mother's morning out" a few days a week now. Both schools (yes, they're currently at separate schools) have pick-up after lunch, meaning that I send the girlies in the morning with little lunchboxes and hope that they come back empty. Or at least mostly empty.
I am going to warn you that I am not a Pinterest-lunchbox-mama who is making organic hemp chia almond broccoli muffins each night for the girls. Would be a lot cooler if I wassss, but. Yeah.
My main goal is to throw in some slam-dunk items that they will love along with fresh and/or healthy items that I know will keep them fueled. Trying to not get too many side-eyes from the teachers.
Last note, our lunchbox of choice is YUMBOX and just make sure to use the top rack of your dishwasher for it! #lessonlearned
Yumboxes run around $30 but is truly leak-proof and on Amazon HERE. Each day the girls take these Munchkin 360 Cups (also on Amazon) filled with fresh water. We have the Hello Kitty style cups.
So here are some of the lunches that I've packed. Again, nothing out of the ordinary or terribly creative, but just real life!
mandarin segments, dried cranberries, honey baked ham, string cheese, veggie straws
meat stick, fruit pouch, cheese and crackers, blueberries,
frozen peas, banana chips and a whopper :)
frozen peas, yogurt pouch, apple chips, blackberries, PB+J (sun butter)
fruit pouch, frozen peaches and fresh blueberries, honey baked ham, banana chips,
frozen peas, juice box (whoops - the munchkin cup was in the dishwasher!)
pretzel chips, fruit pouch, pasta salad, frozen mango, yogurt bites
fruit pouch, frozen mango, veggie puffs, string cheese and turkey pepperoni,
frozen green beans and celery, a few sweet treats
PB+J (sun butter), fruit pouch, dried bananas from trader joes, veggies in ranch, fig newtons
tuna salad sandwiches, kiwi, goldfish, frozen peas
dr. praegers sunbutter PB+J, cheese stick, berries and pineapple, heart marshmallow
So, there you have it! I don't mind sending Camille with a few sweet treats here and there but try to limit it and balance it out. Veggies are a weak point for us, but she will chow down on some frozen peas. We do two veggies at dinnertime so that I can be there eagle-eyeing her to make sure she eats them (or at least tries). Sending frozen fruit is so easy and it thaws out nicely before lunchtime.
I'd love to open up the comments to lunchbox staples in your family! Have any veggie ideas for us?
Thank you! This is so timely & helpful for us. Just starting lunches next year :) What great, healthy ideas!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Mama! I am so impressed that Camille eats tuna fish sandwiches. Awesome! My kiddos rotate through about six choices - yogurt with granola with a muffin from the freezer, hummus/chips, guac/chips, sandwich, cheese/crackers, bagel/cream cheese and celery with PB. Then, I add in a tube of simply go-gurt, some cut up peppers and carrots and some fruit. I always give a sweet treat - they get their sweet tooth honestly! I look forward to getting some new ideas. I really like the frozen fruit idea too! Thanks for the idea, April!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE posts like these! It's so helpful to get ideas for lunch ideas. We do lots of string cheese, goldfish or pretzels, fruit and sliced turkey. I'm totally going to try frozen peas and the cheese and crackers next week because I think my daughter would love those.
ReplyDeleteWe both wrote about packing school lunches today! We are huge Yumbox fans. Aren't they so handy to fill? My kids also eat really well anytime I serve their food in the yumbox. I never even thought to send her 360 cup to school for lunch. Would definitely be cheaper than mini water bottles. Good idea! I also love your pasta salads, frozen fruits and cupcake liners. Our favorites include: hummus, peanut butter filled pretzels, snap peas, olives, turkey sausage or pepperoni and homemade protein balls. I have a few other combos on the blog today https://polka-dottyplace.blogspot.com/2018/02/protein-balls-packed-lunches.html
ReplyDeleteOne of our staples is mini bagel or English muffin pizzas. Especially at a peanut free school and since my kids don't like lunch meat. My other go to for M is a hard boiled egg. She loves them!
ReplyDeleteMy child RARELY eats meat so ours lack that. Sometimes I send pepperoni to show I’m trying, knowing very well it’s coming back home! Ha! Aldi has snap pea “chips” that I send and count as a veggie! We do a lot of cheese, crackers, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, English muffin pizzas (half an English muffin, pizza sauce, cheese all cooked in the toaster oven), veggie straws, pretzel sticks, goldfish or penguins, pouches, freeze dried apples (aldi has the best ones!), yogurt raisins, and I’m guilty of always sending a treat. Maybe one cookie or a pack of fruit snacks. Judge away preschool! Haha!
ReplyDeleteHave you tried sliced baby cucumbers? Those are Deeds' favorite (he's my picky one). Now he likes them "NOT CUT UP", and calls them pickles, so it's incredibly confusing. But they get eaten!
ReplyDeleteAnother way I sneak in extra veg is Garden Lites brand muffins. I get them from the gluten free freezer section at Target. One of my kids is gf; both kids love them. I throw them in from the freezer, and by lunchtime they’re perfect.
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh out loud: "organic hemp chia almond broccoli muffins." Hehe! I'm not that mom, either. The boys usually go with the same lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays: PBJ sandwich, cheese stick, Veggie Straws or Goldfish, a fruit, and Walker will get a little sweet treat. I'm so boring, so thank you for these ideas!
ReplyDeleteI’ve been cutting up slices of raw bell peppers lately for my toddler and she likes the crunchy-ness of them. I also like the “carrot chips” since they are flat unlike the baby carrots and a little easier to bite into. Sweet potatoes are easy to throw in the microwave and cut up for lunches too! Of course sometimes I’ll send things with my 2.5 year old that she ate great the day before and then they come back home (eye roll emoji) but she will typically finish them off on the ride home haha
ReplyDeleteBravo on variety! My 1st grader pretty much gets the same thing everyday. PB&J, Chips, Fruit, and a cookie. That’s all my brain can deal with in the mornings! Haha
ReplyDeleteI think that those lunches look great! Will you pack one for me too?!?! :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely stealing the frozen peas idea! My 5yo loves them, and I never thought to put them in her lunch!
ReplyDelete