Lunch at my daughter’s school is $1.75 a day. That is $315 a year that is better spent on Mickey Waffles then the school lunch. I struggle coming up with quick, healthy recipes for her lunchbox and I thought it would be great if we all shared our favorites.
Turkey rolls
Take 1 whole wheat tortilla and add a little mayo, a slice of cheese (I tear mine into 1/3rds and layer it down the center) and 2-3 pieces of lunch meat. Roll up to form a tortilla shape. Slice in half.
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Mia says
We don’t have to pay for lunch, thankfully, but one thing I’ve noticed is that I can make any meal bigger/more filling by adding a can of veggies to it (and if the kids eat less, that makes for more of a savings). So, for example, if the LO wants spaghettios I add peas to it and put what’s left in the can back in the fridge. Can stretch it out a few days that way. Plus it makes things healthier.
Also, I have noticed that left overs from dinner can make the best lunch.
mommaontherun says
I sometimes spread peanut butter on a tortilla, use an apple peeler/corer/slicer to cut up some apples, put the apple slices on top of the peanut butter and roll up. I usually put just a tiny bit of sprite or lemon juice on the apples to keep them from browning. All five of my kids love this. I recently started using plastic apple juice bottles with screw top lids to send their drinks. We run them through the dishwasher and refill them. It is a lot cheaper than buying box or pouch drinks. And I had so much trouble with the reusable containers that we had leaking/spilling in their lunch boxes. Our school lunches are $2.25, so my four school age kids only buy a school lunch a couple of times a month.
Summer says
These are all great ideas! I went to my daughters school for lunch and was flabbergasted by the amount of food thrown away, per child. The school MUST serve the same amount to each child, no matter what age. I began packing more lunches, knowing they is at least eating what I am sending. We have four children, so we even take brown (red, green, white, blue…etc) paper lunch bags and decorate them. We paint on them, color, and use stickers. They enjoy making them for each other and have fun being creative. We theme them around holidays and have even had relatives make them. We also include silly notes. It helps to make them feel special, even if they aren’t having the lunch served at school. I recently found several of the notes in a side pocket of the packback… they really must mean something if she saved them! (And I even have a high schooler that brown bags it. I have send her lunch in everything—even an airplane air sickness bag! Her friends look forward to what the bag of the day is.)
Miranda says
My Daughters school does not provide lunch. She has to bring hers every day. We do sandwiches pb or lunch meat, a fruit(banana, half a pear, fresh pineapple, fresh berries, kiwi), a cheese stick or a yogurt cup, veggie(carrots or broccoli and ranch for dipping, celery with cream cheese or pb) sometimes a tail mix (we make it form the bulk food section I can get unsalted nuts=less sodium plus it is WAY cheaper then buying them prepackaged!) I send water to school in a reusable aluminum bottle. my daughter also has a microwave she can heat things up in. occasionally she will take left over homemade pizza or spaghetti.
The thermos idea is great. I once read to pre-heat the thermos and then place a cooked hot dog in it. Then put all the fixings separate.
Starla says
Wow! I need to learn from you moms. My son is a picky eater and our school’s food is not very good. I’m going to have to try some of these things.
Kayla says
I just got so many good ideas…I do pasta in a thermos but never thought about getting the inside warm first! And the chicken nugget idea is great!I have 3 girls, one being a super picky eater so this helps! Another way I have been saving $$ on lunches, I bought all different size plastic containers to pack sandwiches, snacks, all the lunch stuff! We were going thru zip lock bags like crazy! Besides having to wash them it is super easy! I even went as far as using scrap material to make little 4×4 napkins…I have enough to get the girls thru the week then just throw them in the wash…I even had a mom call me and ask where I got them!
shannon Pethoud says
I have thought about making the napkins… it is on my “list”! LOL I do make my own reusable snack bags. There are several patterns on line. My kids love them! As well as all the fun little plastic containers I get for their lunch!
Amanda A says
I do not pay for napkins. Whenever we go to a Fast Food joint….(which isn’t too often) even if just for drinks I always ask for extra napkins. I stash them right next to my plastic spoons and forks to pack in the lunch box.
karen staal says
Barb,
thanks for the idea of keeping thinks hot until lunch. I have a asperger like child and he won’t eat bread it smells funny, he won’t eat fruit cups they are too messy, He only likes particular lunch meats and I think they somehow changed the honey ham he like because now he claims he doesn’t like it. He will eat yogurt, He loves cheese but claims that even with an ice pack in his lunch box that it is to warm and doesn’t taste good by .lunch. i let him take hot lunch most days because he perfers hot food. he loves roast beef, turky loaf, rotissary chicken, spagitti. So I may have to try the thermas idea mybe we’ll test it on the weekends and make sure it stays hot enough for him..
Tricia H says
I boil water in the microvawe to get the thermos really hot before i put the food into it. That way a cold thermos does not absorb the heat from the food.
Tricia H says
Just to make sure i am clear- i use the hot water to preheat the thermos…do not put thermos in microwave.
Sherry says
I put leftover such as pasta and heat it up and pack it into a thermos like container. I have also done chicken nuggets and pizza rolls this way. I freeze gogurts and they help keep sandwiches cool. I make our own sugar free drink mixes and pour them in reusable bottles. You can also freeze them so they will be cold for lunch. It saves on expesive juice boxes plus they are sugar free.
Tricia H says
Our child’s school banned screw top drinks because some middle school kids filled theirs with alcohol and took it to school… so we have juice boxes or can drinks….really limits options. And a very sad commentary about middle school…
RK says
OMG, that’s ridiculous … you can make as many rules as you like, but some kids will always find a way around them … to not allow reusable containers (while probably playing up Earth Day at the very same time!) is beyond silly.
And yes, very sad that middle schoolers are doing this. :-/
WB says
Thanks for this! Turkey kielbasa, sliced, halved, then put a few pieces wrapped up in crescent rolls. You can make ahead or morning of and only 10 min or so to bake them. Also soy nut butter (my kiddos are allergic to peanut butter) with bananas or jelly. Some folks even do marshmallow fluff with soy nut butter.
Shannon says
I love to make my daughter lunchables. I have small biscuit cutters so I make the cheese and meat in different shapes( hearts, circles, flowers) I also make her “uncrustables ” with the pampered chef cut and seal. Since you are making your own you can choose the bread and the filling. Although it is usually PB&J it would be easy to make it with tuna salad or chicken salad. I usually make a whole loaf at once and put them in the freezer and they are defrosted by lunch.
Amanda says
I love the corn dog muffin idea!
Barb says
We use the small thermos containers that keep food warm for several hours. You can put all kinds of things in there!! For example:
-slice of pizza
-corndog without the stick
-mac n cheese on the bottom with a hot dog cut in half on top (send bun separate)
-spaghetti
-meatloaf & mashed potatoes
-chicken nuggets
The possibilities are endless and it’s a warm lunch!!
Amanda A says
We do the thermos too. I put the stick to the corn dog in the lunch box so my son can reassemble it! I also find that if I wrap some of the baked items in foil they don’t get soggy. Chicken nuggets, fish sticks, corn dog….
My sons’ fave has to be soup. He LOVES to take soup and a biscuit or corn bread. Leftovers are also a great idea.
We also pre-heat the thermos. I just use my Keurig to fill the thermos w/ hot water and let it sit for about 15 min. This helps keep his lunch warmer longer. Sometimes he’ll tell me his lunch was too hot!!!
marie says
When we have tacos I make some on another burner with BOCA crumbles…toss that in the lunch the next day with the little tostitoes scoops and shredded cheese and whatever else your kids like…most of these items are close to free with a sale and they get to have mini tacos! Fresh fruit and you are done…doesn’t take any longer to get together than a PB&J. We send in the BOCA burgers as well with flat bread….we are not vegetarians…I just don’t worry about the veggie burgers sitting in a locker all day and they aren’t all greasy by lunch.
Occasionally we do french toast sticks. veggie link sausage and boiled eggs for lunch…they think it is too cool to have breakfast for lunch :)
Marcee says
I do the wraps too and my kiddos love them! I also do my own “lunchables”…. with turkey or ham or even pepperoni, cheese slices, crackers and dipping sauce. It’s fun to eat and generally pretty good for them. My kids love dips, so peanut butter or yogurt or ranch usually accompany fruits and veggies. Bagels and cream cheese for two of my kiddos and bagels with butter and cinnamon/sugar for the other…. yummy! My kids also like corn dog muffins. Just bake corn muffins with hotdogs inside. A fun alternative to the average sandwich.
Becky B says
Love the corn dog muffins idea! Thanks, I’m going to try this!
Crystal says
We do this too, but with mini muffins so they are corn dog bites!
Vickie Jones says
Addie used to like to take plain old baked chicken cut up with a container of ketchup
Becca Filley says
Bailey loves when I put Kabobs in her lunch. I take cubes of a baked chicken breast, green grapes, apple pieces, and chunks of cheese.
I do the same with fruit along side her sandwiches.
Kristin of Couponing to Disney says
That’s a great idea!
Hayley says
my daugher hasn’t started school yet, but I pack my husband’s lunch to try and save instead of him going to the convienence stores and spending a bundle. I love to use tortilla shells instead of bread, but I often feel like I’m always packing him lunch meat sandwiches, so every once in a while I switch out lunch meat for homemade tuna or chicken salad. Some tuna salad, provolone cheese and wrap it all up! You can add lettuce, pickles, etc. also anything from a summer garden spices this up!
samantha says
My daughters love chicken salad! I use the precooked cut chicken strips with the premade salad kit. One kit makes both their lunchs mine and an extra! Not to bad and when the coupons are out we score it super cheap. Another big hit is banana peanut butter sammiches!