Great organic or vegetarian lunch ideas for a kid or teen?

Kat

I want some un lunches that aren't hard to prepare. Like yogurt bowls with granola and strawberries, odwalla bars, etc. Just creative ideas that are better or me than PB&J sandwiches and 100 calorie packs... :)

Answer
The best lunches are "renovated" versions of dinner from the night before or the night before that.

If you fixed a big pot of soup for dinner one night, pack some of it in a wide-mouthed container for lunch the next day, and take some other sides with you. If you grill some tofu, tempeh or seitan as part of you dinner one night, grill some more and take it as part of a sandwich or to add to a salad the next day.

When I was still able to work (I'm disabled), I would cook a couple of servings of some type of grain, and divide it into two portions in 2-cup containers. I would also cook large batches of dried beans, and pack them, one cup at a time, in resealable freezer bags. In the morning, I'd take one container of grain, add 1/2 cup of thawed beans of whatever type, add some type of seasoning (salsa would be nice, for example, with rice and beans), and then fill the container with frozen veggies such as corn or peas. By lunch time, the veggies would be completely thawed, but the salad that I'd created would still be cool. Add a beverage and a piece of fruit.

BTW, if you use the thermos idea, be sure to boil the kettle, pour the boiling water into the thermos and cap it loosely while you reheat the soup, stew, chili or whatever. When the stuff is hot, dump the water from the thermos, which itself is now hot, and fill it. That way, your lunch stays hot.

School Lunches!!! Brown Bag!?

Q. My sis has kids that go to school rengin in age from 13 to 5 and she needs ideas of what to pack them for lunch!! Also Do lunch boxes or bags work better and what kind of container should sh put it in??

Answer
lunch box (soft sided and washable) work best. paper sacks get torn or wet if rainy and doesnt protect the food. buy an ice pack to keep things cold.

sandwiches (peanut butter; turkey; left over meat loaf); hotdogs-warmed and put in a thermos to keep warm; meat balls; left over tacos (send the meat and topping separately and let them assemble); left over brisket or roast for sandwich; fruits/vegetables with dip; yougurt (buy in the plastic tube and freeze and by lunch it's thawed and ice cold); cereal in a bowl and they can pour the milk on at lunch-kids think it's neat; left over spaghetti or pizza; spaghetti o's (warmed, in a thermos); cheese sticks; little smokies; chicken breast grilled or fried the night before; ramen noodles-straight from the package-my 9 year old thinks their great uncooked; salad (send the tomatoes/cucumbers/dressing in another container so as to not get the lettuce soggy);

Whenever I get fast food, I always keep the ketsup, mustard, bbq, salt and pepper packages to send in school lunches. It's a lot less messy.

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What are some quick and easy school lunches to make for kids?

kids lunch bags with containers image

nids1995

i need some good school lunches to pack for my kids.
they have to be quick and easy that i can do ahead of time.
like i have to out them in brown paper bags

Answer
cereal!!! put it in a plastic container with lid. when they get to the lunch room, they can buy the milk to add (35 cents now?). they can rinse it out (or just close it up if they are lazy) and bring the container home to reuse.

healthy cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar (raisin bran, special k) are gonna be the best choice. the milk adds protein at a low cost, while the fiber in teh cereal will fill the kids up.

add sides of fresh fruit, baked chips, veggies, or other healthy snacks to fill out the meal. maybe a box of juice, or they can buy this at school also. trail mix makes a good hearty snack-type thing too, target has a lot of options. (just don't give too much, because nuts are nutritious but high in fat and calories).

of course, also the usual pb&j, lunchmeat & cheese, dinner leftovers, & ready made foods (microwavable containers of pasta & sauce, etc).

easy mac now makes bowls that all you do is add water to the bowl. or get the kind that needs your own bowl (cheaper) and just give the kids a plastic bowl to cook it in, with a lid so they can close it back up and not get everything all dirty when they bring the container home. (ps lines for the microwave might be too long for this to be a good option, your kids will be able to tell you).

i hesitate with the lunchmeats and/or leftovers ideas because those things need refrigeration (unless lunchtime is really early!). either buy an icy pack, or freeze their beverage (capri sun works great!!) to keep the lunch cool.

Good school lunch ideas for middle school?

Alyssa

Well my friends would always call my lunch the "dessert". I would always take it as a joke, because I wasn't really concerned about my weight or anything like that. My mom packs my lunch, so she isn't much of a cook so she just throws in a bag of chips, a few strawberries, and a nutty bar. It's kinda our usual thing lol but recently I decided to try jelly and it's AMAZING so I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all the time now haha. But my friends still think my lunch is unhealthy. All of my friends' parents pack their kids lunch with fancy, cooked lunches and a small piece of chocolate as their dessert. And also I am a dancer, NOT A RUNNER, so whenever we run in PE they always act concerned about what I'm eating. It's so annoying. I am more of a sprinter, not a long distance runner. I also have a 6 pack! But nooo, abs don't matter, if you can't run a mile in 5 minutes your unhealthy!! Also I remember the last time I ran the mile my friends were talking during lunch and they were all like "Ugh I got 6 minutes on the mile, I am SOO out of shape!" And then after 10 minutes of them complaining later they asked me "What did you get on the mile?" And I replied "10 minutes and (forgot time lol) seconds" and they were all like "Oh.." and looked at each other all weird. I dance 12 hours a week but according to my friends I am out of shape?! I am sick of it and I want them to stop calling my lunch unhealthy. What are some good yet easy yet tasty foods? Haha my mom is lazy about packing lunches and also I want my lunch to taste GOOD, unlike most of my friends' lunches. Thanks!

Answer
Actually, you and your Mom are not that far off the mark. With a few changes, you can make your lunch pleasing, and healthier. But, make no mistake, peanut butter really is not the best substitute for say, an egg, or a couple ounces of baked chicken. But it is good, and filling, and somewhat healthy. diabetics get to have it, so can you. Watch the amount you put on the sandwich, 2 tablespoons is the serving size.

Swap out the white bread on your sandwich to whole wheat bread. And switch the jelly to honey. Yum, honey is packed with good nutrition, and a classmate showed me her PB and H sandwich back in 2nd grade. Love them.
Toss in a banana or an apple, your strawberries are fine if they do not have sugar on them.

Switch out the chips to pretzels, or veggie chips. Or, bring some baked chips and salsa. Salsa has almost ) calories. And it is good for you.

Wraps are great, use your imagination, or copy flavors from the fast food restaurants.

things that are good for you, and taste great, are easy to pack, and are healthy are:
a box of raisins
a package of almonds, or trail mix, or dried peanuts
a fruit cup [just pour fruit cocktail into a tupperware, rather than buy that expensive one at the store
some healthy cookies, like oatmeal raisin
Cheese, like laughing cow, and some healthy crackers. Or a cube of cheddar
carrot sticks
-celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter, or Kraft jar cheese, found in the grocery aisle by the Velveeta. My Dad liked the pimento, rivers liked the Old english. Stick some raisins on the peanut butter, call it "ants on a log."
A boiled egg, or a deviled egg, made with diet mayo. You can't taste that it is diet because of the spices.

Do what Rivers does, and take leftovers from supper to school. a plastic container with a sturdy lid, or a wide mouth thermos would work. Pack things like crackers and bread in plastic, too, so they do not get crunched. So easy, go eat your dinner, let the leftovers cool, and go back and scoop them up into your container and put them in the refrigerator.
cook extra, and have enough for Mom, too for her to take to work. It is no less trouble to cook 4 pork chops, than it is to cook 2.

good luck!

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Good school lunch ideas for middle school?

kids lunch bags with containers image

Alyssa

Well my friends would always call my lunch the "dessert". I would always take it as a joke, because I wasn't really concerned about my weight or anything like that. My mom packs my lunch, so she isn't much of a cook so she just throws in a bag of chips, a few strawberries, and a nutty bar. It's kinda our usual thing lol but recently I decided to try jelly and it's AMAZING so I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all the time now haha. But my friends still think my lunch is unhealthy. All of my friends' parents pack their kids lunch with fancy, cooked lunches and a small piece of chocolate as their dessert. And also I am a dancer, NOT A RUNNER, so whenever we run in PE they always act concerned about what I'm eating. It's so annoying. I am more of a sprinter, not a long distance runner. I also have a 6 pack! But nooo, abs don't matter, if you can't run a mile in 5 minutes your unhealthy!! Also I remember the last time I ran the mile my friends were talking during lunch and they were all like "Ugh I got 6 minutes on the mile, I am SOO out of shape!" And then after 10 minutes of them complaining later they asked me "What did you get on the mile?" And I replied "10 minutes and (forgot time lol) seconds" and they were all like "Oh.." and looked at each other all weird. I dance 12 hours a week but according to my friends I am out of shape?! I am sick of it and I want them to stop calling my lunch unhealthy. What are some good yet easy yet tasty foods? Haha my mom is lazy about packing lunches and also I want my lunch to taste GOOD, unlike most of my friends' lunches. Thanks!

Answer
Actually, you and your Mom are not that far off the mark. With a few changes, you can make your lunch pleasing, and healthier. But, make no mistake, peanut butter really is not the best substitute for say, an egg, or a couple ounces of baked chicken. But it is good, and filling, and somewhat healthy. diabetics get to have it, so can you. Watch the amount you put on the sandwich, 2 tablespoons is the serving size.

Swap out the white bread on your sandwich to whole wheat bread. And switch the jelly to honey. Yum, honey is packed with good nutrition, and a classmate showed me her PB and H sandwich back in 2nd grade. Love them.
Toss in a banana or an apple, your strawberries are fine if they do not have sugar on them.

Switch out the chips to pretzels, or veggie chips. Or, bring some baked chips and salsa. Salsa has almost ) calories. And it is good for you.

Wraps are great, use your imagination, or copy flavors from the fast food restaurants.

things that are good for you, and taste great, are easy to pack, and are healthy are:
a box of raisins
a package of almonds, or trail mix, or dried peanuts
a fruit cup [just pour fruit cocktail into a tupperware, rather than buy that expensive one at the store
some healthy cookies, like oatmeal raisin
Cheese, like laughing cow, and some healthy crackers. Or a cube of cheddar
carrot sticks
-celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter, or Kraft jar cheese, found in the grocery aisle by the Velveeta. My Dad liked the pimento, rivers liked the Old english. Stick some raisins on the peanut butter, call it "ants on a log."
A boiled egg, or a deviled egg, made with diet mayo. You can't taste that it is diet because of the spices.

Do what Rivers does, and take leftovers from supper to school. a plastic container with a sturdy lid, or a wide mouth thermos would work. Pack things like crackers and bread in plastic, too, so they do not get crunched. So easy, go eat your dinner, let the leftovers cool, and go back and scoop them up into your container and put them in the refrigerator.
cook extra, and have enough for Mom, too for her to take to work. It is no less trouble to cook 4 pork chops, than it is to cook 2.

good luck!

Where can I find a plastic divided container for kids' lunch?

April M

My kids LOVE Lunchables but I would like to save some money and make them myself. Do you know where I can find a container that is divided like the lunchables dishes? It needs to be small enough to fit in a kid's lunchbox but with 3 or 4 different compartments.

Answer
You can find containers anywhere but I used to do the same thing and I had a favorite container! This is called a sandwich keeper but has 3 sections! I used the sandwich part for the crackers...then used the side with two sections as the part for cheese and meat. There is a divider that snaps down to keep the sections from "mixing" and then the entire thing folds in half so it is only slightly larger than a slice of bread. Fits easily into a lunch bag. Here is the link for the one I bought:
http://www.wdrake.com/product_detail.aspx?affid=16&item_no=1009559

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