Family Forum / Parenting / Twins / October 2004

Hmm...I am just checking on here quick, so I'll just type some jumbled ideas

My girls favorites are:  
Veggies with shredded cheddar sprinkled on top.  (I buy those bags in the
produce section and poke holes & microwave.)
Soup (messy, but not a big deal)
Those little jars of Gerber turkey meat sticks are handy in a pinch.  
Annie's little bunny shaped mac'n'cheese
Salad is surprisingly a huge hit.
Great big fruit bowl and whole wheat crackers.
Those baby corn, cooked broccoli, water chestnuts, and shredded carrots with
terriyaki sauce is always devoured.

I also include a "I ate healthy" laminated homemade ticket in their lunchbox.
When I pick them up one of teachers will tell me how they did.  If they ate all
their lunch and are still hungry, we get a "treat" when we get to the car.  I
always bring a banana, meringue cookie, bag of cereal, or wheat crackers when I
pick them up from school.  For some reason, they think that's so cool to turn
in their ticket and get a "treat".  
That's all I can think of right now.

HTH


Missy in Indiana http://hometown.aol.com/mhrust/overviewforng.html
Morgan Olivia & Julia Lucille 4/28/01 (YAY!)

Andrea, I still have this problem.  It drives me crazy!  And the more kids
you have, the less likely any one thing will suit all of them--yet you want
to have the ease of putting lunch together assembly-line fashion.

I was SO lucky that my son loved PB&J for a couple of years, but
now...there's no one consistent favorite for any of them.  And I'm like you,
where it's the "main course" that's tough (other than that, I just put in a
fruit, a healthy snack treat, and a drink).

Lately I've been trying:

Raisin bread
Bagels with or without cream cheese
Croissants with or without jam
Egg salad (they love this, and I put it in a container with plain bread on
the side)
Tuna fish salad (the girls love this, but not my son)
Ham or turkey (yes, they often eat the meat and not the bread, but...oh
well, lol)

You know, I can't even come up with enough ideas for this post.  :-O  Their
school has no cafeteria, so you have no choice--you *have* to pack lunch.
Grrr!

Since you said there's a microwave, I'd try soup.  My kids do adore the Cup
O' Noodles stuff.

Jennifer

I lurk here on behalf of a friend, so I usually don't post, but my daughter
tells me she takes the best lunches in her school and is often talked into
sharing, so I thought I'd pipe up with some ideas. She hates sandwiches and
there's a peanut ban at her school.
I steam a large whole artichoke and pack it cold with a little cup of ranch
dressing for dip. Its fun to eat (peel of each leaf, dip, and scrape the
flesh off the leaf closing the front teeth on it and pull it out of your
mouth. Discard the empty leaf.) This was the biggest hit and I ended up
making her two so she could share one with friends and still have lunch for
herself.
I packed cooked fishsticks and oven fries in the oven, prewarmed a thermos
with hot water, then emptied and dried the thermos, pack the fishsticks and
fries in it and close it quickly. She eats it with her fingers and dips it
in a cup of ketchup.
Leftover fast food - chinese food, pizza, doggie bags from restaurant
dinners
Single serving cups of add-hot-water-and-stir chili with grated cheddar and
corn chips.
Cold cubed tofu with teriyaki sauce. It marinates all morning.
Bag of bite sized broccoli, red pepper strips, snow peas, and a cup of dip.
Salads - dressing in a cup, little bag of croutons
Baked baby potatoes with small cup of sour cream and chives for dipping.
She'd eat this hot or cold.
The only sandwiches she'd eat were ones she could assemble herself so I'd
send a bun with mayo, and separate packages of sliced cheese, lettuce,
onion, pickles, tomato. She'd put it together at school.
We had a hard time with fruit. She refused to eat most. Sometimes pineapple,
peaches or pears. I wrapped whole fruits in paper towel to cushion them a
bit.

Back to lurking.
Nancy - mother of only one

Peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Bagel with cream cheese and/or jelly.
Pancakes. (I make extra when I cook them on the weekends).
Ham or turkey roll-up (tortilla, cream cheese, lettuce, meat).
Nuttella (Hazelnut/Cocoa spread) sandwich.
Tuna fish sandwich.
Egg salad sandwich.
Pitas and hummus.

Sides:
Applesauce
Yogurt
Fruit leather
Popcorn
Pretzels
Carrots and ranch dressing or hummus.
Apples slices (add lemon juice so they don't turn brown).
Wheat thins.

I will let you know if I think of any thing else. You can vary pb&j by using
different jellies, making jelly and butter only, or peanut butter and honey
only. You can make waffle pb&j sandwiches (use waffles instead of bread).

I see this was posted a while ago, but I thought I would respond now in case it
is still an issue.

Have you tried cutting the sandwiches into interesting shapes?  ie hearts,
stars, animals.

How about some sliced lunch meats rolled up with some cut up fruit or raw
veggies and some ranch dip.  Also a few weat crackers?

My dd loved the apple dippers at McDonalds, so I have made my own at home.  

You said your one daughter does not like cheese, but I buy these cute cheddar
cheese bites cut into shapes like fish or stars.  I have really found that if
it is a neat shape, my kids will be more inclined to eat it.  Also, they are
big dippers.  I dont mind giving them some condiment if it will get them to eat
something healthy.

Good luck!  Looks like you got some great suggestions already.

Michelle
Riely and James