As requested, here is the list of school lunch items that I typed up and posted on the inside of a kitchen cabinet. I only selected things that I think my kids would be willing to try or that I know they already like. On the "iffy" items, I will make sure Isaac helps me prepare it. This may help him have a willingness to try it. This list assumes you can have nut products at school. Vivi cannot, so she won't get sent anything with nuts.
Main Entree'/Protein/Carb
*Wraps with cream cheese, turkey, sliced cucumber, and spinach leaves on a whole wheat tortilla
*Salads w/meat chunks or sliced almonds, diced vegetables, shredded cheese, and light Italian dressing (sent in a separate container).
*Hummus or bean dip with a variety of crackers, tortilla chips, or veggie sticks to dip
*Kabobs made with ham chunks or meatballs, pineapple, and cherry tomatoes
*Soup
*Deli Platter of whole grain crackers, meat, cheese, and a fruit
*Egg salad made w/chopped celery and shredded carrot
*Meat sandwiches on whole wheat bread (my new thing is to buy bagged leaf spinach and sneak it in everything... omelets for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches, torn into pieces and hidden amongst romaine lettuce in a salad, and smashed into the light mayo or thousand island dressing of a meat sandwich...the kids do not notice and all 3 eat it up...getting about 3 servings of spinach a week!!)
*Apple slices, peanut butter, and a drizzle of honey on whole wheat bread
*Chicken salad stuffed in a half of an avocado
*Cold Pasta salad w/pesto sauce
*Bean and cheese burrito
*Spinach and cheese Quiche or tart (look up recipe online, can be served cold)
*Cottage Cheese
*Grilled chicken strips w/Honey mustard dip
*Chili and a corn bread muffin
*Tuna pasta salad (canned tuna mixed w/cooked and cooled macaroni noodles, peas, and light mayo...we LOVE this salad)
*Ravioli tossed in olive oil and served in a thermos with steamed mixed vegetables
*Banana or Zucchini bread spread with almond or apple butter and sliced almonds
*Whole grain rice in a thermos w/turkey Kielbasa sausage and kidney beans
*Tortilla rolls cut into pinwheels
Side Dishes ( Choose Two)
*Veggie sticks w/ ranch dressing (carrots, celery, zucchini strips,cucumber wheels, cherry tomatoes, black olives, edamame, small broccoli florets)
*String cheese
*Sugar free pudding/jello
*Yogurt parfait
*Trail mix
*Baked lays, Sun Chips, or whole grain tortilla chips w/mild salsa and guacamole
*Rice Krispie Treat
*Yogurt parfait
*Dried fruit
*Kashi TLC cookie
*Popcorn sprinkled w/parmesan cheese
*Unsweetened applesauce cup
*Fresh fruit
*Steamed apples w/cinnamon
*Honey Nut Balls (in a food processor combine graham crackers until fine crumbs, add peanut butter and honey. Form into balls and roll in coconut. Refrigerate overnight before putting in lunch box)
Drinks
*Water
*White Milk
*Unsweetened and caffeine free iced green tea
*Water with a splash of cranberry or grape juice
*Water w/half a (bottle sized) packet Crystal light lemonade
*Milk with a dash of Hershey's syrup
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3 friends commented!:
How do you get your kids to eat that variety? My 16 month old pretty much sticks to: pizza, fries, hot dogs, scrambled eggs, green beans, all fruit and pancakes!
Annie-
Good question!! My kids do not like all of the things on this list, but I serve it anyway. We eat every meal at the table as a family with no tv and we do not allow them to snack all day long. So when we come to a meal, they are hungry. That is step one. We do not make special kid's meals like many families will do. They eat what we eat. If they are going through a particular picky phase, I will serve them only the vegetable or healthliest item first and say when they eat some of that they can have the next part of their meal, etc. We do not make them eat everything on their plate but they eat some of everything. J is our newcomer and at 2.5 years old ate lots and lots of junk food. So he is our tough cookie to crack and he will clamp up his mouth and turn his head away. We just continue to eat and do not make him a new meal. He is getting better with his eating every single day that we do this. Also, I make a pretty big variety of meals, so they are used to trying new things and eating lots of different foods. Neither of them have ever had a food "crutch", something they insist on eating all the time. If they did, I would only serve it once a week. I would recommend weaning your child completely off of any crutch foods, especially those that have no nutritional value like fries, no more than two snacks a day, and caloric beverages other than milk at mealtime...to ensure he is plenty hungry when he comes to the table. Hope this helps!
Love this!!! Such great idea's! Sierra does pretty good about eating however we have a no peanut rule in our has as I have a life threating allergy!! She loves to go to my parents house to get some peanut butter in!!!
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