Not your Average Lunchbox...

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Alix

Everymom
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OK folks, back to school some of the kids go. If you are like me, you can easily fall into a rut with what goes in the lunches. My standard is:

Sandwich (preferably some kind of meat)
Granola bar (no nuts allowed)
fruit snacks
Piece of fruit or slices of cucumber
Juice box

This gets pretty boring for the kids after a while. I thought maybe we could share our creative sides and when we get into a rut come back to this thread for ideas.

I'm going to try sending wraps this year, and if I can figure out how to keep a pita from drying out I'll send that too.
 
You mention pita's?
My girls loved them..I use to brush the insides with some butter, and then put in slices of their favorite meats, left over thin sliced pork roast, thin sliced avocado, and lettuce, my girls, like mayo mixed with some mashed up cranberry sauce in there as well..Sometimes they like to fill them with just marinated veggies that we had cut into thin slices and dressed with evoo and vinegar, plus lettuce...
Another favorite was to get a soft kaiser or sub roll, take some of the bread from the center out making a shell and will with egg salad or tuna salad or even ham salad...
The kids like chips:( they loved a homemade cookie, and most of the time they would take a half frozen bottle of water to drink..Sometimes juice,
stuffed celery, cucumber slices and dip...
On the pitas, to keep them from getting dry, I made sure to butter the inside and also I wrapped it in plastic wrap and then into a baggie or foil..

kadesma
 
I recall the lunch table having a lot of wheeling and dealing in my youth. When parents got into ruts of packing the same thing, the lunch table became an auctioning table.

Depending on if that happens, leave it as is. They'll get their variety at school.

Cruel, maybe, but I recall it happening frequently.
 
I always loved it when mom gave me hot soup. Tomato was my favorite.

Hard boiled eggs and a small salt shaker were fun too.
 
I like to take tortilla "rolls" for lunch. Just take a tortilla and spinkle some cheese on it, then nuke for 20-30 seconds till the cheese begins to melt. Sprinkle some garlic powder on it, put lunch meat on it and roll up. You can add more to it if you like, but it's great just like that!
 
All I had was a sandwich, chips and fruit/dessert in my lunchbox. I was too lazy to mess with soup.

But I do remember all the wheeling and dealing....sometimes you could even get one of those little troll pencils for a Hostess cupcake. :ROFLMAO:
 
Half Baked said:
But I do remember all the wheeling and dealing....sometimes you could even get one of those little troll pencils for a Hostess cupcake. :ROFLMAO:

For some reason John Michael Montgomery's Sold (The Grundy County Auction) came to mind . . . . . :LOL: :ROFLMAO:
 
Alix
For the pita, moisten a good quality paper towel with cool water and then wring it out. Lay it on a square of parchment or waxed paper, then place the pita on the moist towel and wrap as you usually wrap a sandwich. As long as it's not seeping wet, it will deliver just the right amount of humidty to the sandwich.

Speaking of sandwiches...I used to use cookie cutters to make shapes of the sandwiches.

And, don't forget the bag! I'm not quite sure how old your kids are, but I used to make funny pictures on the lunch bag using different coloured markers. If the lunch was less than stellar, at least the bag was entertaining.

And, it doesn't always have to be a sandwich, either. My kids liked breakfast for lunch, every now and then, too. Send a box of cereal and a small container of milk, or a blueberry or corn muffin and some cheddar cheese cubes.

A small salad bowl with a packet of dressing is good, too. Put a nice dinner roll with it.

Cold sesame noodles are a great hit, too. They liked getting the ocassional sushi box, as well.

Sausage bread or pepperoni bread is good, with a tomato salad (or the cucumber slices you mentioned)

I've been a chef since my kids started school, and they never had the opportunity for a school cafeteria. They brown bagged it until they got to high school...and even then they wanted lunch from home.

When they were real little, I started offering a choice the night before, just a choice between two things. As they got older, I offered choices and suggestions and before I knew it, they were bringing things like the cold sesame noodles or sushi, or stuffed mushrooms....and very happy to have such unusual lunches.

Good luck!
 
Hey thanks guys! Great tips here. Vera, my kids are in grade 7 and grade 5. The younger one will be coming home for lunches most days but the elder will be at school all day long. We don't have the info yet on whether or not she will be able to take "heat ups" so I am trying to work with the cold lunch ideas.

Keep 'em coming folks. I know there are tons of you out there with wonderful ideas to share.
 
I have found that the simpler I that I make wraps the better they are. Here in the states we have plain, spinach, or herb tortillas. I like the herb the best. For spreads I use: pesto, flavored cream cheeses, Trader Joe's feta red pepper spread, ranch dressing, spicy thousand island dressing, etc. The dressings I put in a small container and add at lunch time because it keeps everything from getting soggy. Romaine lettuce is great to use a the leafy green, but sometimes I use mixed baby greens. For meat I use thinly sliced smoked or herb turkey breast, thinly sliced ham, grilled chicken, etc.
 
Thanks Sierra. Good ideas for me.

OK, I have an odd question. When you are making a wrap, do you pile everything in the middle and fold like a burrito? Do you pile at one end and roll it up? Do you fold the tortilla in half, pile stuff on the flat side and roll? Can you describe for me YOUR method of making a wrap and why you choose that method?
 
I like to line all the ingredients down the middle and fold like a burrito with one end open. Then I wrap it in plastic wrap. Folding over the one edge keeps all the ingredients from falling out the bottom when you eat. This also leaves the top open to add dressing, if you choose to.
 
Thank you! That helps. I tend to mess around a bit and like to hear how everyone else does things and why.
 
Alix, you are very welcome. Sometimes, I have wrapped the wrap in a paper towel to keep the ingredients intact and to keep the wrap from getting soggy. The paper towel seems to soak up the moisture without drying out the tortilla. Then I place wrap in a reclosable plastic bag.
 
Any other good lunch tips? I know all of us moms who will be packing lunches will thank you.
 
Here are some of the things that I pack in my lunch that kids would like:
  • mozzarella cheese sticks
  • unsweetened applesauce
  • pretzels
  • small yogurt cups, but be careful some of these are loaded with sugar
  • homemade pizza
  • cottage cheese
  • your favorite cheese (for kids cut into fun shapes with mini cookie cutters), turkey salami, and whole wheat crackers
  • jerky - turkey or beef
  • 1/4 cup mixed nuts
  • cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, radishes, celery, cucumber
  • hummus and pita chips
  • champagne grapes - they are about the size of a pea, perfect for kids
  • drinks: juice w/out added sugar, soymilk (a favorite of mine), iced tea, water,
  • whole wheat blueberry mini muffins
One thing about lunch is that when you take one everyday it gets very boring. So, try to vary what you pack in your child's lunch. Try taking your children to a health food store and have them pick out some items that they might like in their lunches. On a cold day there is nothing more comforting and satisfying then opening a thermos full of homemade soup. So, the next time you make soup save some for your child's lunch. They even have whole wheat saltine crackers now to serve with the soup.
 
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Cottage cheese and yogurt were on my list as well. Make a homemade ice pack (freeze a zip top bag with water) to keep it from spoiling.

Bagel sandwich / English muffin sandwich
Cottage cheese with salt and pepper, topped on cracker (my favorite is the new Town House Garlic and Herb Toppers)
Refried beans / black beans and salsa roll ups

I'm still on my first cup of coffee. If I think of more, I'll post!
 
Cade is taking a lunch now and since he does tend to be PICKY, I found out he loves tortillas and I played around with things and found several ideas for him with tortillas. I lightly coat the tortilla with cream cheese and put a layer of thin sliced chicken, then roll the tortilla like a cigar and slice into pin wheels, give him a toothpick and pack them in foil and he loves them.He also loves the homemade deviled ham idea I got from Shunka and will eat that if rolled into a tortilla cigar and sliced...He also loves just plain soda crackers with a smear of peanut butter and jelly or a thin slice of banana, same crackers with salami and swiss cheese or ham and swiss..With meats tho he likes a little butter on one side of the cracker:ohmy: This picky kids will eat a soft taco cold or room temp so he gets those too.Veggies he loves ant's on a log and carotts but for the carotts you have to send a small container of Ranch!!!He likes to take a slice of ham and soft cheese and roll them up with out bread to eat..He dearly loves for me to save cooked bacon, then when he gets here or to school and he can get his mom to help, we butter a hamburger roll, top with cheddar cheese,(thin sliced) then several slices of cooked bacon, put on the other half of the bun and nuke it just to melt the cheese.. He loves it..
My kids always liked to take leftovers from home..Ravioli,rice, fried chicken, a sandwich of thin sliced steak meat..Of course there were the usual bags of chips, m&m's homemade cupcakes or cookies or even slices of pound cake and they smeared them with cream cheese and strawberries..
I'm not remembering everything..I'm pooped tonight:LOL:

kadesma:)
 
We like to get rotisserie chickens and shred them, then I stuff the chicken into a pita with a bunch of veggies, grated cheese and sunflower seeds.

We also like tortillas with peanut butter and honey. But I think you said no nuts?

String cheese is good. So is applesauce (we like this kind made by Santa Cruz, they make apple apricot and apple blackberry). My dad used to stuff mushrooms and olives with cream cheese. Bagel sandwiches.
 
Oh yum. Its early for me and I am now drooling in anticipation for lunch. Thanks all! Keep 'em coming!

Hey kadesma, where is that devilled ham recipe?
 

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