My kids are always complaining that they are sick and tired of the same peanut butter and jelly in their lunchboxes everyday. I can't afford to get them hot lunch or the Lunchables. Any ideas on how to make lunch more exciting?
By Hannah from USA
I used to make my own lunchables. I would slice or cube up ham and cheese, and add some crackers.
Do they have access to a microwave? I also sent my kids tv dinners (banquet) that when on sale I could get for 50 cents each after using a coupon.
Another favorite was tacos. I would send the ingredients in several separate contains (bought as a set from the $1 store), and a couple soft shells. They would make their own tacos at lunch and be the envy of the lunch room. Have a small thermos? If so, send soup or chili.
I also used to make my own lunchables. Pepperoni & crackers was always my son's favorite. Hot water in a thermos and put 2 hot dogs in. The hot dogs will be warm & bun ready at lunch time.
Chicken salad - freeze a water bottle & put in their lunchbag to keep cold.
Leftover cold pizza - oldest son always like this
Wrap - use ham or turkey, lettuce & some cheese. Mustard or mayo if your kids like it.
Some days I would sneak a note in to say hope your having a good day or encouragement for a test. The best was a note to say I would be picking them up after school, a big surprise since I work full time outside the home. A note to say we would be going for ice cream when I picked them up. Good luck
Hannah,
My kids loved the following in their lunches. I large red delicious apple, leave peel on, but core apple.
Mix 2 tbsp peanut butter, and one tbsp each raisins and honey. Blend well.
Fill the apple core with this mixture. Wrap apple in tin foil and place in refrigerator overnight. Place in child's lunch box and give milk money.
Cold Potato Soup - In warmer months, this was one of my kids favorites. I put in thermos and sent along some crackers and cheese. Nancy
Scrambled egg sandwich was also one of their favs. Just scramble egg, place on sandwich bread with a little mayo and wrap a dill pickle in tinfoil to go with.
I was going to say we make our own lunchables sometimes, but I see mom-from-missouri beat me to it. :) We use small cookie cutters to cut fun shapes in the meat, but the cheese we just cut in squares. The kids then just add fun stuff that they want for the rest.
My kids are starting to take their lunches instead of buying them. In an effort to save money, they are taking lunch 3 times a week. Any ideas for the "main dish"? They are already tired of sandwiches.
Hi Lisa, Here is a good one. Heat some water in your microwave or on your stove and plop a hot dog in the water so it heats up as well. Put the water and the hot dog in a thermos.
If your kids like pizza they can maybe take some leftover cold pizza. If you "train" them to eat things cold or at room temperature, then you could serve them various things. A lot of people have been trained that lunch has to be a sandwich or something heated. They miss out the variety.
I have started taking flour tortilla's, put peanut butter and jelly on it, roll it up and cut it into three pieces. Also peanut butter and crackers or cheese and crackers make a good lunch along with a fruit and carrots and dip. Anything left over can be sent as well as soup or canned products when put in a thermos. I have put left over chili, spaghetti even mashed potatos.
Since when are sandwiches boring? If you only make peanut-butter-and-jelly and bologna-and-cheese, yes, that's boring. However, there are many other lovely ways to make sandwiches.
The deli method: check over the many varieties of cold cuts and sliced cheeses. I'm sure you can find store brand or generic prices on these items; cotto salami, pickle loaf, chopped ham, swiss cheese. There may be other varieties as well. Also consider pimento-cheese spread, chicken salad, and other pre-made spreads. Shredded cheese works nicely in a sandwich if there is enough condiment to stick in in place. Lettuce and sliced tomatos are a nice touch, as are pickles sliced for use in sandwiches.
The home-made method:
You can make many yummy sandwich fillings at home. Of course there are the many salads -- chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, ham salad, etc. Depending on what you have on hand, you can use any cooked meat in a salad-type spread. If you mix in vegetables, such as finely diced celery, relish, chopped or sliced olives, grated carrot, etc, you can make it both balanced and tasty. Then, beyond those, there are other nifty fillings, like the pickled beef heart I did lots of one year. You can slice or shred any of the hard cheeses for use in sandwiches, adding to the variety. You can make various vegetable pickles as well. If you check an old cookbook, you will find that people of the past ate very well indeed, even away from home.
The left-over method:
Dagwood Bumstead of the Blondie cartoons used to make awesome sandwiches. He would raid the fridge in the middle of the night, and put some of everything in there! There are very few limits to what you can put in a sandwich if you just let your imagination run. What is wrong with a spagetti and meatball sandwich? I grew up loving meatloaf sandwiches. An authentic Dagwood sandwich includes baked beans. If it won't spoil before eating, and it won't make too much mess, it can be put in a sandwich. If you are hesitant to assemble creative sandwiches for your children, why not ask them what they would like? Maybe some youthful genious will point out that a de-boned pork chop would make a lovely sandwich, especially with some well-drained kraut, or that the last four fish sticks are just the right size to fill two slices of bread, along with a dollop of ketchup or tartar sauce.
I've already addressed how to make sandwiches anything but boring, but that is not the full extent of my lunch creativity.
There are other main courses that work well for lunch. If you can keep it really cold, I like a nice sushi lunch -- of course, I make my own sushi, which keeps it frugal. If you are less daring, you can have a nice slice of meat loaf, a hard boiled egg (include salt and pepper), a hunk of cheese, peanuts, a tin of sardines, or some other protein-rich food.
Many uninspired lunches contain, along with the sandwich, a bag of chips, a cookie or brownie, or other such junk as you might find in individual packages at your grocery store. If someone else is making the individual portions for you, you are paying too much. If you want to serve those same snack foods, at least portion them yourself, using washable resealable bowls or snack-size zip bags. You'll get more variety too, because you can use shoe-string potatoes, salted or unsalted nuts, various candies, home-baked goodies, and more flavors of pudding or gelatin.
However, I do not consider a lunch of mostly store-packs or homemade variations an original or particularly satisfying meal. I like to have a real meal, and include things like fresh fruit, salads, side dishes, and so on. Mac-and-cheese is a very portable side-dish, and it can be enlivened by including any added vegetable you like. Ever eat cold mac-and-cheese with hot salsa? Who needs a microwave! Pasta salads are very apt for lunches, and can be so beautiful with colorful veggies that one's co-workers or co-scholars become envious. Lettuce salads work too, if you put the dressing "on the side." Many of the same side dishes you would serve at home are quite portable and tasty as a cold lunch -- raw or lightly steamed vegetables, stuffing, scalloped potatoes, to name a few. Fresh fruit is easy to pack, and the choices are not just apples and oranges; consider bananas, pears, tangerines, plums, peaches, grapes, or go even more exotic once in a while and include a star fruit, or some fresh figs. Grapefruit segments can be presented in a zippd snack bag, and fruit cocktail can be put in a resealable container. Dried fruits are also tasty, and handy when other fruits are not in season.
It is almost traditional to include pickles and other relish tray goodies in bag lunches. Carrot sticks, stuffed celery, olives, radish roses, can be included if you package them suitably.
If you use enough imagination and ingenuity, bag lunches can be more exciting than the expensive (and usually unhealthy) alternatives from the cafeteria and fast food joints. Who would prefer a greasy burger over a home-made imitation crab meat sandwich? Who would rather eat a fried slab of fish or chicken with boring "special sauce" instead of a nicely sliced turkey with honey-dijon spread on rye or a crusty whole-wheat keiser roll? Who would prefer creamed mystery-meat on toast to a smooth delectable deviled egg or real baked beans that didn't come from a can? Homemade is not only cheaper, but often much tastier and more elegant. Fine dining is not mass-produced!
I've never liked sandwiches, and when I was in school, my mom made me soup. Cup of soup was my favorite, and she'd make it before I went to school and put it in one of those thermos' made for hot stuff and when lunch time came, it was still hot. She also made spaghettio's, and one can would make two meals.
CHILI RICE!!!!!:) ADD CHEESE,ONIONS,EVEN JALAPENOS OR BUTTER!
save your leftovers from those great dinners you make--freeze even in single servings--easy and tasty
cold enchiladas are awesome--anything cheesy is great cold
another tip--mom used to have us put lunch together on sunday night for the week:
(no mayo)
sandwich--ham,mustard, cheese
juice box
other freezable snack
freeze for week
throw in chips before school, packet of mayo
drink is nice and cold at lunchtime
or, just freeze the juiceboxes! they keep everything else cold too
make your own Lunchables--see store for ideas
pop top foods--tuna,pasta,vienna sausage,refried beans
ramen makes fun "chips" season if you want with the packet
Ok. How about some ham and cheese wraps. Just take a slice of ham and put some cheese in the middle. Roll it up and there you go! If your child likes fish how about some tuna and crackers. And kids like to much on things. So maybe some baby carrots, cubed cheese, small baby pickles and celerey. Give them small different dips like ranch, honey mustard and cream cheese. Hope this helps!
Invest in a sandwich maker. Yes, those once infomercial now available at Walmart for ten bucks Hamilton Brand (or other) sandwich maker. We've made stuffed sandwiches with everything from traditional bologna and cheese, to "pizza" pockets, to stuffing them with hamburger meat and sliced cheese and more. It's a great way to get rid of leftovers too! :)
Boathoff has a great idea about hot dogs in a thermos! I never would have thought of that and can't wait to try it!
My nieces started a new preschool and we have to pack them a lunch. That's not hard, but the lunches can't be heated and cannot have nuts in it. So I'm stuck with absolutely no ideas. Please help with any ideas you may have. Thanks.
By Elizabeth from KY
I need ideas for inexpensive, everyday, delicious ideas for school lunches.
By marlene
Remember to keep it healthy - you know what they say "what you eat today, walks and talks tomorrow" - try vegie sticks - carrot, celery, etc. Home made muffins are nice - you can make savoury as well as sweet ones - they can be frozen ahead of time and just popped in to defrost during the day. Pita bread pockets filled with healthy things, different kinds of breads to keep it interesting, fruit of course. rice or noodle salads are always nice and keep nicely. Good luck
Back to school lunches (yuck) is what I hear. I have a 6 year old starting grade 1 who doesn't like sandwiches, soup, cheese and crackers and not much fruit.