So, as I have said, I have picky eaters! And SURPRISE, they don't like the school lunches from the school! (Not that I really mind that much, since I remember those lunches, and I always brought one from home myself as a kid!)
ANYWAY...
I currently pack 2 lunches everyday for my middle 2.
(My oldest is in Jr. High and it isn't 'cool' to bring a lunch,
every now and then he will tho. Don't tell!)
I seem to always be looking for new ideas, and never finding any that are something a normal kid would eat! At least not my kids! Sure there are a lot of great ideas, things I would eat or my hubby might eat, but my kids, no way!
So, here are a few things I have learned from the past 7 years of packing lunches:
3 Basic Rules to
School Lunches!
1- Keep it real! Keep it to things your kids will really eat! I mean what is the point of packing a lunch when they just throw it our or bring it home!
2- Keep it simple! They just want food! They don't really care what shape it is in! There are lots of 'cute' ways to pack lunch items, and some of them work great and stay good while they are swung around, thrown, smashed, and sit waiting for hours before they are eaten, but they don't all! So beware!
i.e.: Mixing your cheese and crackers in the same container, leaves soggy crackers!
3- Keep it affordable! Really, one of the points of packing your own lunches is to make it affordable! Buy in mass, a bag of chips on sale for 1.22- 2.99 divided into smaller containers or bags, is cheaper than the already individually packaged bags, unless you can get a great sale!
My kids love lunch-ables, but they are $3+ each, and don't fill my kids! I can make my own lunchable that they LIKE & FILLS them for cheaper!
My kids lunches aren't fancy, I wish they were, but they don't care!
I give them things they like, things that fill them.
Now, for my picky kids, this means I have 5 different lunches that they like, that is it!
I am still trying to find a few more for variety, but it HAS to be something they will eat, so I am limited!
(Most kids like peanut butter, lunch meat, pasta salads... mine do NOT!
So that cuts out a lot of items!!!)
My Tip: I also try not to use baggies. They are great to hold a lot of items, but when you are packing lots of lunches every week, you use a lot and they add up in price! I have a bunch of different size containers I have collected through the years, some I have used for the past 5 years! And they are washable and I don't have to worry about running out, or always buying more! Plus they seal and work for a LOT of different items!
So a lunch menu for my kids week is the following:
1- Homemade lunchable: Crackers, cheese slices, pepperoni (cut lunch meat, my kids don't like this tho), baby carrots (with or without dip, my kids don't like any dip!), fruit, extra
(One of my girls doesn't like crackers, so I leave hers out and she just eats the cheese and pepperoni)
2- Tuna sandwich, no crust (I use a sandwich press, that cuts the crust off and 'seals' the edges), cheese (either sliced or cheese sticks- if I get them on sale), chips, fruit, extra
2b- One of my girls does not like sandwiches, but I won't make a different lunch for each of them, so instead I do tuna mixed, and chips (she doesn't like crackers!) to dip in the tuna.
3- Nachos: Chips, nacho cheese for dipping, fruit, carrots, frozen go-gurt, extra
4- Tuna Wrap, fruit, cheese, chips, extra
5- This one changes! I try to do something for dinner one night that they will enjoy left over for lunch the next day or two. (Chicken noodle soup, BBQ chicken, Homemade pizzas...)
5b- If I don't have the above, I do tuna, chips/crackers, fruit, veggie, extra
5c- My girls have decided that they like lunch meat- alone, and cheese-alone, so I have been doing that with crackers, carrots and a treat
5c- My girls have decided that they like lunch meat- alone, and cheese-alone, so I have been doing that with crackers, carrots and a treat
I know, not much fun there! But they are both happy with it, so I just go with it! Rule #1, Keep it real!
*So everyday I also do a drink. I buy Capri suns, or Gatorade, I put in reusable bottles as they are to big as they come! (They are always on sale sometime during the month so I buy enough till the next sale!) Or water or juice in reusable bottles.
**When I say fruit, it depends on the sales, what is in season, and day! I try to buy grapes, oranges, apples and strawberries, and spread them out. But if it is the end of pay day time and the other fruit is gone or bad, then I also have the pre- packaged fruit cups that they like- pears and peaches. I mix it up if I can!
I found a great tip for doing apples ahead of time, I have been testing it this past week! And I like it! You cut and soak the apple slices in cool water for 3-5 minutes, then pour out the water and soak in Spirit for 3-5 minutes, drain and pack in air tight containers! (I wasn't exact on the time, I kinda forgot about them while they were in the soda, and it still worked great!)
Here is the link:
Now mine did get a tiny bit brown, but they were still nice and crispy and tasted great!
***Extra! I try to make some semi-healthy things that they will enjoy and will make their day great! Sometimes I buy things on sale also like fruit snacks, but they have to be on sale, with a coupon!
So I make rice crispy treats, granola bars, muffins, cookies, popcorn...
(I am currently working on perfecting a granola bar recipe I found, once I do I will share it!)
My Tip: I enlist my kids to help pre-package the items that can be done ahead of time: chips, crackers, fruit, cheese...and we do a little prep time Sunday evening, or Monday night if we don't get it done! It makes morning rush time a lot easier, when I can tell them, or they can look at the menu and grab what they need for the day! (They like to help pack!)
So I have found a bunch of great ideas for what to pack, and different things to change it up, and I have put them all on my Pinterest Board: School Lunches
I wish I could do some of these! They look and sound great! But my picky eaters...
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