I am going to record here what I pack for my childrens lunches for the first two weeks of school. I know our school is starting much later than most folks, but if anyone would like to join me that would be great!

So far I have bought:
10oz cans of 100% apple juice from Costco
Natures Valley granola bars
Snack bags
Large thing of Goldfish crackers

These will be the "add ons" when I am done with the main foods I want them to have. Cyan's will only be a snack as she is only going half days and will come home and eat with me, but Alex's is full on lunch for a growing 10yr old boy. So this should be interesting to see how many times I can have him come home not starving, but yet not wasting food. ;)

Val

Sure! I am working on improving Jake's snacks (something non-sticky due to his dental issues now!), and sending good snacks and breakfast for Katie. Katie gets lunch at school but it often isn't enough food for her, so I send extra snacks. She also is sick of the nasty sugar-laden breakfast they serve.

Jake's lunch just isn't all that interesting. It is usually grilled or roasted chicken breast cut up into pieces! I am working on them having him try the school lunch just for variety. But he loves chicken breast.

I bought a huge thing of Goldfish crackers too! I also made four batches of banana muffins and will work this weekend on a few batches of zucchini muffins, all to freeze (if I can stop my family from scarfing them down!). I also bought snack bags super cheap at Big Lots. Actually quart bags - my kids eat a ton!

I usually pop popcorn in sunflower oil for Jake but with his teeth, that is not going to happen this week!

But yeah...I'm in. :)

Ok so far here is my menu for this week:

Wed:
peanut butter and jelly roll on WW tortilla
Edemame with sea salt
Granola bar
Frozen Yogurt sqeeze thing
water

*DONE* Said the edemame smelled funny so he didn't eat it. Everything else was gone.

Thursday:
Leftover Feta cheese potatoes O'Gratten
fresh garden tomatos
carrot sticks
Ranch dip
applejuice
goldfish crackers

Friday
Applesauce
Potato and leek soup
frozen squeeze yogurt
granola bar
water

Here is what my kids have been taking:

-pb and j sandwiches(natural pb, all fruit jelly on whole grain)
-applesauce
-tortilla chips
-raisins
-string cheese
-apple juice

I went shopping today for back-to-school lunch stuff. Our schools start tomorrow here. :heart: :rolleyes: :tear: ...all at once!

I got low fat string cheese, whole wheat pitas, whole wheat tortillas, apples, bananas, pretzels, water, Horizon milks (mini ones in plain and vanilla), bread, jelly, peanut butter, wheat crackers, Goldfish, whole wheat choc. chip cookies, fruit leathers....

We shall see who eats, who whines and who complains and refuses to eat it. LOL.

Oh, and I got yogurts, and yogurt drinks for am...my kids are so not into breakfast. :shake: :nono:

I previously subscribed to a newletter from a magazine, there are some really good lunch ideas here:
http://www.todaysparent.com/lunchbag/article.jsp?content=20040930_093958_5676

Leng

My kids take alot of the things listed above, and they also like to take pita chips and hummus. Like, every single day LOL! If they don't take it in their lunch they want some when they get home.

Hummus and carrot sticks is a big after school snack here... so is goat cheese and crackers. I usually add in some grapes or sliced apple or something of the sort, but we have hummus every week at the least.

I am really into documenting food right now (and subjecting my poor internet friends to it) and so there for, Alex and I went over this lunch menu and I will be seeing what he liked about it, and what he didn't. Then we will adjust from there. Perhaps I will even take pictures! LOL! I am compeletly crazy... but it feels good to have energy again. :D

Val

PS thanks Leng! That is a cool site! I may have to use some of those ideas. :D

AJ is the only one who doesn't eat lunch at home, and he's a difficult one to pack for. He's not big on sandwiches, he really likes hot lunches. Last year (when I wasn't on bedrst) I'd make up a big pot of chicken soup on the weekend, then he'd take that several days in his thermos, with some whole wheat wheat thins, sliced apple with peanut butter (in a little tupperware container) a bottle of 100% juice or water, and then for snack usually it's a string cheese and some whole wheat pretzels. He also loikes:
(in the thermos)
- pasta with parmesean cheese
- tofu hot dogs (I put almost boiling water in the thermos, then put the hot dogs - 2 of them - in the water, the water gets cooler so not too hot to tuch by lunchtime and hte dogs are warm) I wrap up hot dog rolls in foil, and toss in a mustard pack.
- leftover homemade sloppy joe (with a roll wrapped in his lunchbox to spoon it on)
- beef stew in the thermos

Theresa that sounds a lot like Alex. He loves to bring his warm lunch in his thermos. Just today he asked me to warm up the veggie chili I made the other night (darn GOOD chili too! Recipe in my blog) and had that in his thermos with two string cheeses, pretzles, and an apple juice.

I will keep all your menu ideas in mind. I think Alex would love any of those!

So far this year, we are doing really well. He has only forgot his lunch box once at home and once forgot to get it from school. Pretty soon I will have him walk back to school when he forgets it (it is less than 1/2 mile) and pick it up... esp if it happens on the weekend like last week. Nasty stuff grows in a lunch box over a weekend. Blech... but we are doing well, he is eating healthy and he LOVES the fact that I am packing him a lunch every day.

I found 4 boxes of Organic squeese yogurt packets for $2 a peice the day before school. They were two days from the "use or freeze by" date so I stuck them all in the freezer and now I drop one in his lunches whenever he wants one.

It has been a great addition for Cyan, because she can bring one for snack too... other than that she has been bringing granola bars, or pretzles and gold fish in her bento box. I am planning on next week, giving them both some popcorn with rasinettes in it. That was a fav of mine when my mom used to make my lunch. ;) And this weekend we will be making Ginger Bread men for Cyan's class, so I am sure one of those guys will find his way into Alex's lunch box too.

Val

Today was a bean burrito (which he can reheat at school), 2 cookies, strawberries, tomatoes & cucs and couple of snap beans I picked while water the garden this morning, water, and organic newman's popcorn to share (the classroom has a microwave).

Tomorrow will be an Amy's broc & cheese pocket (he loves these and I will buy a couple a week for him), cookies, tomatoes & cucs (he loves them! and we still have them in our garden), water and probably another imported banana. ;)

My kids take alot of the things listed above, and they also like to take pita chips and hummus. Like, every single day LOL! If they don't take it in their lunch they want some when they get home.

:) My teen would rather pocket the lunch money we give him, so he packs his lunch for high school. He goes through massive amounts of hummus and pita pockets. Yesterday, he even made his girlfriend a pita pocket hummus (and even sliced some tomatoes to add to it) for snack when they stopped by after school. I've never seen anyone eat hummus in the amounts my 17 yr old does. :lol:

COuld be worse, no? (Of course, I can't think of any foods he does not like. A 17 yr old male can really pack in the food).

I'm in. I'm so proud of myself for not giving in on the few days I've wanted to and gave D lunch money cause I didn't feel up to making her lunch.

So far though, she gets a bottle of water and a juice. She gets a lot of sandwiches. Sometimes she gets leftovers from dinner (she took leftover spaghetti with "fake" meat sauce today). Her snacks are usually baby carrots with ranch dressing, celery stick with peanut butter, rice cakes, yogurt, applesauce, Kashi crackers, granola bars, organic fruit leather and cookies.

I need more snack ideas before she gets bored. :p

My son is the opposite - he only like sandwiches. Not into any of the other cool stuff I have tried to send.

I have been using Flat Out bread http://www.flatoutbread.com to make all different kinds of wraps and rolled up sandwiches. They have 8 grams of fiber and are super soft, so my crust hating boys love them.

I also bought the way to expensive laptop lunch box and have enjoyed every penny. It is the perfect size and keeps me from buying the indivdual serving items. It is fun to pack too ;)

My son is the opposite - he only like sandwiches. Not into any of the other cool stuff I have tried to send.

I have been using Flat Out bread http://www.flatoutbread.com to make all different kinds of wraps and rolled up sandwiches. They have 8 grams of fiber and are super soft, so my crust hating boys love them.

I also bought the way too expensive laptop lunch box. It is the perfect size and keeps me from buying the indivdual serving items. It is fun to pack too ;)