somehow I still don’t know what to put in the lunch box

[Anonymous]

Guy at small business where I work brought in many single serving cans of a tuna salad I discovered I loved and should be easy to just make (although I haven't tried yet). Tuna, corn, peas, sliced black olives, lemon juice. Says "corn seed oil" which I assume is just corn oil but you could use a light olive oil as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our youngest is now a senior in HS and we still struggle with this (!!). Non-sandwich eating options for our kids typically are more high maintenance & involve thermoses. I like the all metal ones (THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Food Jar with Spoon, 16 Ounce). Favorites over the years:

Taco meat with refried beans, chips on the side
Shepherd's pie
Buffalo chicken mac & cheese
Tortellini with italian sausage, penne & meatballs
Ramen with rotisserie chicken

Parents get up an hour before the kids leave to make lunches. Not as easy as sandwiches for sure! GL and enjoy your time with your littles!

So you are up in the AM making fresh buffalo Mac and cheese for lunches? Not leftovers? Wow

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with alternating between nuts and cheese? My DD ate pbj everyday except when not allowed at a camp. Then she ate cheese Easy fur me . She was happy. All natural pb. Whole grain bread all fruit jam. I considered it healthy!

[Anonymous]

What’s wrong with nuts or cheese?
Mine will take a cheese sandwich sometimes but also PB&J and once a week I let her take a Nutella sandwich.
We use brown bread so at least she’s getting in some whole grains.
Previously she taken In cold rotisserie chicken with a container of ketchup but she’s gone off that recently.
Cheese/crackers

In a preheated thermos. Ramen, pasta, chicken nuggets, Mac n cheese bites.

Don’t stress too much about protein at every single meal. If they eat a good breakfast snd s good dinner, it’s ok if lunch isn’t so great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our youngest is now a senior in HS and we still struggle with this (!!). Non-sandwich eating options for our kids typically are more high maintenance & involve thermoses. I like the all metal ones (THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Food Jar with Spoon, 16 Ounce). Favorites over the years:

Taco meat with refried beans, chips on the side
Shepherd's pie
Buffalo chicken mac & cheese
Tortellini with italian sausage, penne & meatballs
Ramen with rotisserie chicken

Parents get up an hour before the kids leave to make lunches. Not as easy as sandwiches for sure! GL and enjoy your time with your littles!

Most understated advice re: lunches from home. Knew parents who had everything prepped the night before. For non sandwich items, I think they just reheated pasta in morning and placed in theromos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our youngest is now a senior in HS and we still struggle with this (!!). Non-sandwich eating options for our kids typically are more high maintenance & involve thermoses. I like the all metal ones (THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Food Jar with Spoon, 16 Ounce). Favorites over the years:

Taco meat with refried beans, chips on the side
Shepherd's pie
Buffalo chicken mac & cheese
Tortellini with italian sausage, penne & meatballs
Ramen with rotisserie chicken

Parents get up an hour before the kids leave to make lunches. Not as easy as sandwiches for sure! GL and enjoy your time with your littles!

So you are up in the AM making fresh buffalo Mac and cheese for lunches? Not leftovers? Wow

We meal prep on weekends.

[Anonymous]

I gave up with my picky kid. I make fresh elbows in the am and add hot dog or chicken sausage. She will also eat a pupusa cut up.
I make it all super hot and the Thermos keeps it hot until lunch. But her lunch is at 11:30

[Anonymous]

This all is psycho helicopter lunchpacking. High school kids can pack own lunch or eat school lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s wrong with nuts or cheese?
Mine will take a cheese sandwich sometimes but also PB&J and once a week I let her take a Nutella sandwich.
We use brown bread so at least she’s getting in some whole grains.
Previously she taken In cold rotisserie chicken with a container of ketchup but she’s gone off that recently.
Cheese/crackers

In a preheated thermos. Ramen, pasta, chicken nuggets, Mac n cheese bites.

Don’t stress too much about protein at every single meal. If they eat a good breakfast snd s good dinner, it’s ok if lunch isn’t so great.

Protein and good fats will keep their focus on school in the afternoon, rather than a blood sugar crash from an all carb lunch. But you suggested nuts and cheese which would be fine.

[Anonymous]

Based on the original post I assume OP is not allowed to pack nuts for school lunch.

For years and years, I put a couple of cheese sticks in the freezer overnight and then into the lunchbox (thawed well enough by lunch or I don’t even know) with sunflower seed butter sandwich. Kid ate it, accommodated the lunchroom rules, done.

[Anonymous]

Yogurt and fruit
Hummus, cucumbers, and pita chips
Pb&j or cheese sandwich and fruit

We mostly rotated through these three with the occasional variation. Now dd packs leftovers a lot.

[Anonymous]

Peanut butter all the way. I love living in civilization.