Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 14:06     Subject: can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid isn't eating the Lunchables, why don't you get a bento box-style lunchbox and make your own? Has to be one of the fastest to compile. Put ham, a cheese she likes, some crackers, grapes and a treat.

We use the Planetbox ones. takes 2 minutes to fill it up. I love how much less plastic/Ziploc/etc we are using (none! but used to use a fair amount.)

My kid likes sunbutter sandwiches and chicken noodle soup so we do that a lot, with whatever fruit, veggie and treat I have around.


I just checked this online because I am looking for a lunch box. This is what I found - https://www.planetbox.com/products/planetbox-rover-lunchbox?variant=20636936321

Looks very intriguing, but the price tag is a bit steep. Does it come with an outer shell or bag?


We use a planet box. We've had it for 3 years now and it's still holding up great. If you get the kit/package, it does come with a bag, water/juice bottle, and a couple of containers. We love ours and I've only had to get new magnets and a couple of the accessories. I'll be replacing the bag this year, but only because DD wants something different...the original bag is still holding strong.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 13:43     Subject: can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
non raw fish Sushi rolls - like California and avocado rolls
rice balls - you can only do this if you don't use the what we called the American rice (uncle ben's). Get Jasmine rice, better yet, glutinous rice.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 13:20     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thermos with pasta and ricotta
Ravioli
Pierogies
Potstickers
Hommos and pita and lunch meat separate
Bagel, cream cheese and lox
Chicken tenders
Leftovers like spaghetti and meatballs, chicken sausage and rice
Mac and cheese
Egg salad sandwiches

I think I try pretty hard to make good lunches, both kids like different things so that’s frustrating and they still complain - all their friends bring a lot of junk.our lunches have more junk than I would like - granola bars, Lara bars, etc...so it’s hard to make them happy.


You think Lara bars are junk food? Are you anorexic or something? Bulemic? That's nutso.


No, no, not anorexic - they arent junk but the ones my kids like have plenty of sugar (choc chip brownie flavor or similar) so I feel like that’s enough of a sweet treat most days at lunch, they have dessert every night after dinner. They say their friends have bags of Oreos, pringles, etc...and I don’t pack that kind of stuff regularly. You saw my list of stuff, it’s not rabbit food.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 11:22     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I pack some snacks with the lunch (yogurt/string cheese, cut fruit, pirate's booty/goldfish, cookies/rice krispy treat, carrots/cucumber sticks with ranch dressing)

Grilled peanut butter sandwich with banana filling. (using sandwich maker)
Pizza
Hot Dog
Chicken nuggets
Spiced rava Idlis
Chicken Biryani (In a food thermos)
Grilled cheese sandwich
Stuffed paranthas (potatoes or cauliflower)
Toasted spinach and cheese ravioli
Spaghetti and meatballs (in a food thermos)
French toast (sweet)
"French toast" (salty)
Veggi quesadilla
Veggi upma
Veggi Lo-mein
Grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich
Grilled paneer sandwich
Caluiflower sabji with puri
Egg sandwich
Ham and bologana sandwich
BLT sandwich
Egg, spinach, cheese quiche
Paneer burger, veggi burger
Cornbread and chunky chicken chowder.
peas & potato pilaf with makhani daal (daal in thermos)
Spinach and onion pancakes
Ramen noodles in thermos. (my kid loves it so its an occasional treat).



Yum. I'm Indian too. Do you mind sharing the details of your grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich? And the spinach and onion pancakes? My daughter is constantly unhappy with lunch. She eats quesadillas (whole wheat TJ tortillas, cheddar cheese, turkey pepperoni) a lot, but she'd like some variety.

Also, my big contribution to this thread is pesto, mozzarella, and tomato sandwiches. One kid could eat this every day.


Grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich -
This is made from leftover grilled potatoes. I usually grill chopped veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, eggplants etc) in a tin foil. You can use grilled potatoes or even baked or boiled potatoes. I have also made it with mashed potatoes but I prefer the grilled potatoes because it does not become too heavy or starchy. Since you will be packing it in the lunch box and it will be probably cold by the time they eat it, you want some texture in the sandwich too. You can add or take out ingredients like - sauteed onions, cooked peas etc depending on what your kid wants to eat.

1/2 cup grilled chopped red potatoes with skin on
1 tbsp shredded cheese of choice (or even paneer)
1/2 tsp minced sundried tomatoes
1/2 tsp mint or coriander chutney.
salt to taste.

Mix above ingredients well. Put between two slices of bread and use the sandwich maker to grill it and seal the edges. You do not need to pack ketchup with it because the chutney and minced tomatoes give the needed flavor to the potatoes. Also the oil in the sundried tomatoes gives the right amount of unctuousness to the filling. This will be the filling for one sandwich.

Spinach and Onion pancakes. (for 2 pancakes)
1/3 cup cooked spinach (you can nuke frozen spinach) or 1/2 cup very finely chopped fresh baby spinach.
1 tbsp finely chopped onions or shallots.
Boxed pancake mix of choice (can be gf, whole wheat etc).
Salt to taste

Add 2-3 tbsp dry pancake mixture to the veggis (with or without eggs), mixing well and adding some water to make a thick batter. Depending on how much fluid is in the veggis you may need to add more or less mixture. Cook on the griddle with some oil or butter on medium-low flame and occasionally press down on the pancake with a spatula to make sure that the ingredients cook thoroughly and still adhere well to each other. You are not looking to make fluffy pancakes and you want the onions to be cooked through. You can add shredded carrots and other seasoning if your kid likes it or if you have the time. Once both sides are cooked through and are crisp, remove and let cool down, before you pack it in the lunch box.

There are endless variations you can make of these recipes acc. to the ingredients available and what your kid likes to eat.


Thank you!! These are great ideas. I think they will be winners with my kids. My mom makes English tea sandwiches with cucumber, a layer of cream cheese, and cilantro chutney to give it a zing. I hadn't thought about making that for school lunch, but that would fit with the things you have recommended. Thanks again.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 11:08     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:School lunch. Easy.


Seriously. I don't see how many of these other options are healthier. Lunchables? Cereal bars? Come on.


We don't do lunchables or cereal bars, but my child WILL NOT touch the school lunch. It's disgusting. Go try it one day. They have to make the lunch for as cheap as possible. It may meet nutritional standards, but it's not high quality and most kids don't really eat it. I thought everyone knew that.


Yes, when my oldest was in K, I limited him to one school lunch per week because I could pack something healthier. Now, I'd let my two buy school lunch as often as they want to avoid packing but kid #2 WILL NOT EAT ANY OF IT!
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 11:07     Subject: can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
I wish the planetbox was as watertight as the yumbox. I'm still in the market for a one-lid stainless steel bento that doesn't let runny foods spill over between compartments.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 10:57     Subject: can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid isn't eating the Lunchables, why don't you get a bento box-style lunchbox and make your own? Has to be one of the fastest to compile. Put ham, a cheese she likes, some crackers, grapes and a treat.

We use the Planetbox ones. takes 2 minutes to fill it up. I love how much less plastic/Ziploc/etc we are using (none! but used to use a fair amount.)

My kid likes sunbutter sandwiches and chicken noodle soup so we do that a lot, with whatever fruit, veggie and treat I have around.


I just checked this online because I am looking for a lunch box. This is what I found - https://www.planetbox.com/products/planetbox-rover-lunchbox?variant=20636936321

Looks very intriguing, but the price tag is a bit steep. Does it come with an outer shell or bag?
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 10:49     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I pack some snacks with the lunch (yogurt/string cheese, cut fruit, pirate's booty/goldfish, cookies/rice krispy treat, carrots/cucumber sticks with ranch dressing)

Grilled peanut butter sandwich with banana filling. (using sandwich maker)
Pizza
Hot Dog
Chicken nuggets
Spiced rava Idlis
Chicken Biryani (In a food thermos)
Grilled cheese sandwich
Stuffed paranthas (potatoes or cauliflower)
Toasted spinach and cheese ravioli
Spaghetti and meatballs (in a food thermos)
French toast (sweet)
"French toast" (salty)
Veggi quesadilla
Veggi upma
Veggi Lo-mein
Grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich
Grilled paneer sandwich
Caluiflower sabji with puri
Egg sandwich
Ham and bologana sandwich
BLT sandwich
Egg, spinach, cheese quiche
Paneer burger, veggi burger
Cornbread and chunky chicken chowder.
peas & potato pilaf with makhani daal (daal in thermos)
Spinach and onion pancakes
Ramen noodles in thermos. (my kid loves it so its an occasional treat).



Yum. I'm Indian too. Do you mind sharing the details of your grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich? And the spinach and onion pancakes? My daughter is constantly unhappy with lunch. She eats quesadillas (whole wheat TJ tortillas, cheddar cheese, turkey pepperoni) a lot, but she'd like some variety.

Also, my big contribution to this thread is pesto, mozzarella, and tomato sandwiches. One kid could eat this every day.


Grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich -
This is made from leftover grilled potatoes. I usually grill chopped veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, eggplants etc) in a tin foil. You can use grilled potatoes or even baked or boiled potatoes. I have also made it with mashed potatoes but I prefer the grilled potatoes because it does not become too heavy or starchy. Since you will be packing it in the lunch box and it will be probably cold by the time they eat it, you want some texture in the sandwich too. You can add or take out ingredients like - sauteed onions, cooked peas etc depending on what your kid wants to eat.

1/2 cup grilled chopped red potatoes with skin on
1 tbsp shredded cheese of choice (or even paneer)
1/2 tsp minced sundried tomatoes
1/2 tsp mint or coriander chutney.
salt to taste.

Mix above ingredients well. Put between two slices of bread and use the sandwich maker to grill it and seal the edges. You do not need to pack ketchup with it because the chutney and minced tomatoes give the needed flavor to the potatoes. Also the oil in the sundried tomatoes gives the right amount of unctuousness to the filling. This will be the filling for one sandwich.

Spinach and Onion pancakes. (for 2 pancakes)
1/3 cup cooked spinach (you can nuke frozen spinach) or 1/2 cup very finely chopped fresh baby spinach.
1 tbsp finely chopped onions or shallots.
Boxed pancake mix of choice (can be gf, whole wheat etc).
Salt to taste

Add 2-3 tbsp dry pancake mixture to the veggis (with or without eggs), mixing well and adding some water to make a thick batter. Depending on how much fluid is in the veggis you may need to add more or less mixture. Cook on the griddle with some oil or butter on medium-low flame and occasionally press down on the pancake with a spatula to make sure that the ingredients cook thoroughly and still adhere well to each other. You are not looking to make fluffy pancakes and you want the onions to be cooked through. You can add shredded carrots and other seasoning if your kid likes it or if you have the time. Once both sides are cooked through and are crisp, remove and let cool down, before you pack it in the lunch box.

There are endless variations you can make of these recipes acc. to the ingredients available and what your kid likes to eat.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2018 09:48     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:I pack some snacks with the lunch (yogurt/string cheese, cut fruit, pirate's booty/goldfish, cookies/rice krispy treat, carrots/cucumber sticks with ranch dressing)

Grilled peanut butter sandwich with banana filling. (using sandwich maker)
Pizza
Hot Dog
Chicken nuggets
Spiced rava Idlis
Chicken Biryani (In a food thermos)
Grilled cheese sandwich
Stuffed paranthas (potatoes or cauliflower)
Toasted spinach and cheese ravioli
Spaghetti and meatballs (in a food thermos)
French toast (sweet)
"French toast" (salty)
Veggi quesadilla
Veggi upma
Veggi Lo-mein
Grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich
Grilled paneer sandwich
Caluiflower sabji with puri
Egg sandwich
Ham and bologana sandwich
BLT sandwich
Egg, spinach, cheese quiche
Paneer burger, veggi burger
Cornbread and chunky chicken chowder.
peas & potato pilaf with makhani daal (daal in thermos)
Spinach and onion pancakes
Ramen noodles in thermos. (my kid loves it so its an occasional treat).


Yum. I'm Indian too. Do you mind sharing the details of your grilled potatoes stuffed sandwich? And the spinach and onion pancakes? My daughter is constantly unhappy with lunch. She eats quesadillas (whole wheat TJ tortillas, cheddar cheese, turkey pepperoni) a lot, but she'd like some variety.

Also, my big contribution to this thread is pesto, mozzarella, and tomato sandwiches. One kid could eat this every day.




Anonymous
Post 07/22/2018 22:54     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:Thermos with pasta and ricotta
Ravioli
Pierogies
Potstickers
Hommos and pita and lunch meat separate
Bagel, cream cheese and lox
Chicken tenders
Leftovers like spaghetti and meatballs, chicken sausage and rice
Mac and cheese
Egg salad sandwiches

I think I try pretty hard to make good lunches, both kids like different things so that’s frustrating and they still complain - all their friends bring a lot of junk.our lunches have more junk than I would like - granola bars, Lara bars, etc...so it’s hard to make them happy.


You think Lara bars are junk food? Are you anorexic or something? Bulemic? That's nutso.
Anonymous
Post 07/22/2018 22:51     Subject: can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
I do the bento box type stuff, so usually my own lunchables. Ialso make my version of balanced breaks. Gave special containers I got from amazon.
Anonymous
Post 07/22/2018 20:53     Subject: can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Anonymous wrote:LOL - I pack the same things that I gave them for lunch during school, and they pretty much eat the same thing every day.

Kid 1 - Thermos with spaghetti and sauce, water bottle, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, fruit. Sometimes I'll put mac and cheese in thermos.

Kid 2 who has celiac disease - gf pancake and turkey lunch meat or turkey pepperoni, cheese stick, yogurt tube, fruit, box of milk.



That's wonderful. I have a kid like that and it is easy peasy to pack food for her. She has a very limited palette and wants the same food every day. I have another who wants variety every single day. He however is not a fussy eater and will try every thing once. Easier to pack for kid 1, easier to cook for kid 2.

Are you sweetening the gf pancake? Or is it a substitute for bread for the lunch meat?
Anonymous
Post 07/22/2018 17:27     Subject: can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
LOL - I pack the same things that I gave them for lunch during school, and they pretty much eat the same thing every day.

Kid 1 - Thermos with spaghetti and sauce, water bottle, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, fruit. Sometimes I'll put mac and cheese in thermos.

Kid 2 who has celiac disease - gf pancake and turkey lunch meat or turkey pepperoni, cheese stick, yogurt tube, fruit, box of milk.

Anonymous
Post 07/22/2018 10:52     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Lots of recipes and ideas for sandwich maker on this webpage. Scroll down quite a bit to see a bunch of recipe ideas. Most can be used in lunch boxes.

https://www.thriftyfun.com/Recipes-for-a-Sandwich-Maker-1.html



Anonymous
Post 07/22/2018 10:02     Subject: Re:can we talk about school lunches - let's make a list!
Cilantro rice with peas & sweet peppers. Yogurt raita with potatoes.
Chicken seekh kebab roll.
Tortilla rolls with cream cheese, spinach and lunch meat of choice. You can slice to make pinwheels or just roll it up and pack like a burrito in a foil.