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Post by shanniebananie on Aug 3, 2015 21:13:05 GMT
I keep seeing the Facebook post floating around that has separate bins for kids to take items out of to build a lunch for themselves - snack bags of popcorn, crackers, fruit, veggies, etc all prepped and ready to go and all that is left to make is a sandwich or "main course" of leftovers, soup, etc.
I want to get a system of my own up and going before school starts in 2 weeks. The plan will be to prep on Sunday for the week - cutting up veggies and fruits and bagging them so they are easy to grab and having a separate bin in the pantry for the "dry" ingredients - again, bagged and ready to grab.
I will do the same for myself and my husband. Have all salad fixings washed and ready to go in containers and just add a protein to them and dressing on the side for easy to take lunches.
I just started Weight Watchers (again!) and I know from the past that advance prep and planning will go very far in me having success. Conversely, I want the kids food items to be as healthy as possible, but still easy to prep.
So.....
Let's brainstorm healthy, kid friendly food items that can be prepped in advance. Beyond the usual carrots, apple slices, and cheese sticks, what great ideas do you have and can share with us?
Also, for those that send hot items in a thermos, what sort of foods do you send? We have never done that before, but we are in a serious rut and I would love to change it up.
Thanks!
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Post by mom2jnk on Aug 3, 2015 21:40:42 GMT
My kids love raw sugar snap peas and peapods. I clean them and put them in snack size Ziploc bags in the fridge.
Individual foil packets of Justin's Nut Butters. I love the maple almond butter and kids like their peanut butter. The chocolate hazelnut butter is a much better option than Nutella.
Anything on skewers or toothpicks are fun for kids. Fruit and cheese cubes are favorites. I also wrap a string cheese in deli ham or turkey, then cut the string cheese in pieces and stack on a skewer in their lunch. Sometimes, I alternate the cheese with bread cubes. (Not really make ahead, but fun)
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Post by fiddlesticks on Aug 3, 2015 23:07:11 GMT
I will be watching this thread. DD will be packing lunch everyday for the first time this year. She is much more of a snacker so I am going to enlist her help in making a list of stuff I can keep on hand that will work. I am hoping to make a big list of protein ideas, fruit/veggie options, carbs, etc. Then just let her pick one or two items from each list (1 protein, 2 fruits/veggies, 1 carb). I don't care what combination she has but having the separate lists will help me help her understand why she can't pack crackers, potato chips and brown rice for lunch. I am starting off with her helping me pack her lunches. That's my plan anyway...
My MIL bought her two thermos kind of things. She loves noodles and brown rice so I think we will use those for that type of thing. I wish she liked soup...I love it and could eat it everyday!
DD loves Canadian bacon and turkey pepperoni so I know those will be on the top of her list.
She LOVES dipping fruit in vanilla yogurt. A couple of frilly toothpicks and she is in heaven.
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Post by bc2ca on Aug 3, 2015 23:21:33 GMT
Lots of veggies travel well, not just carrots (although I'm sure DS has packed carrots to school every day for the last 11 years): cucumber rounds, celery, red pepper, zucchini, and cauliflower are the most popular in our house.
Cuties (or any easy peel orange), grapes, melons and berries are great. Neither of my kids liked the way sliced apples brown so always take then whole.
Lunch for us is a sandwich/bun/wrap with vegetables and fruit.
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Post by lorieann13 on Aug 3, 2015 23:57:34 GMT
Dd has Celiac so we don't do sandwiches. But here are lunches I fix for dd:
Gf pasta salad with carrots, tomatoes, black olives, broccoli, cooked chicken chunks.
Veggie sticks with homemade gf ranch dressing, fruit salad, shredded chicken.
Veggie chicken or veggie pastrami gf wrap, chips, 2 cookies.
Garden salad gf wrap, chips, fruit.
Gf peach cobbler, fried rice, chicken.
Gf blueberry muffins, veggies, fruit salad
Chicken garden salad, cookies, fruit
Cicken taco, mexican rice, chips/salsa (if I use a hard shell, I have everything ready and make taco before school)
I ha e containers so the chips will be in the container but not in fridge.
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Post by shanniebananie on Aug 4, 2015 3:27:50 GMT
Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
Anyone else?
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Cara in TX
Shy Member
Trying to pass math class! :)
Posts: 35 
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Post by Cara in TX on Aug 4, 2015 3:39:02 GMT
I saw something recently. I use an apple cutter to cut our apples. It's a thing that cores and cuts them into sections all at once? It's cheap and you can find it at the grocery store. I saw a tip to put it back together with a rubber band to keep it from going brown.
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Post by alittleintrepid on Aug 4, 2015 3:51:10 GMT
I saw something recently. I use an apple cutter to cut our apples. It's a thing that cores and cuts them into sections all at once? It's cheap and you can find it at the grocery store. I saw a tip to put it back together with a rubber band to keep it from going brown. We have one of those....works great on round Macintosh apples but not so great on the uneven apples that my children tend to select when we go apple picking!  I've never tried the elastic trick though...I think it needs lemon or pineapple juice to prevent the browning! Editing to add my lunch suggestions... My oldest won't eat sandwiches and my youngest will only eat them about half the time. They do like... -fruit. (I try not to give them the same thing two days in a row....but they'll eat apples, bananas, orange slices, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, grapes, blueberries and raspberries, watermelon, cantaloupe etc. My DS will eat pears if I pack them in a container surrounded in paper towel to prevent them getting mushy) -veggies (carrots, celery, pepper strips, cauliflower, cucumber, and both will eat salad if they get good croutons or tortilla strips as part of the deal) -humus with veggies or crackers or mini pitas -soup -pasta salads, grain salads... DS will eat quinoa but DD prefers pasta so this isn't my favourite (as I like to make everyone similar lunches to make my life easier!). DD will eat pasta leftovers so that's sometimes an alternative -chicken souvlaki chucks or chicken drumsticks...they don't mind these cold -dry cereal for snacking if you can find a decent one that the kids like - homemade lunchables...cheese and crackers, meat |
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,947
Location: North Idaho
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Post by Nink on Aug 4, 2015 4:05:47 GMT
I saw something recently. I use an apple cutter to cut our apples. It's a thing that cores and cuts them into sections all at once? It's cheap and you can find it at the grocery store. I saw a tip to put it back together with a rubber band to keep it from going brown. I read something about that too. If I remember right, it didn't require any other kind of juice to keep it from browning. Just putting it back together did the trick. |
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,947
Location: North Idaho
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Post by Nink on Aug 4, 2015 4:08:52 GMT
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Cara in TX
Shy Member
Trying to pass math class! :)
Posts: 35
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Post by Cara in TX on Aug 4, 2015 4:21:14 GMT
That's it! Only I use this type of slicer that cores it at the same time. It's the oxygen in the air that turns them brown so no air, no brown. link |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Aug 4, 2015 4:23:01 GMT
You can buy fruit fresh/Citric acid to sprinkle on apples to keep them from browning. It doesn't affect the taste of the apples.
100 days of real food has a lot of lunch ideas. She posts pics of her daughters lunches quite often.
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Post by lonr on Aug 4, 2015 13:28:08 GMT
I need to do this. My kids eat school lunch a little more than half the time, but when they want a cold lunch it's ham and cheese and carrots every time! I have pinned a few ideas already.  Aw, does school have to start already?! |
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Post by anxiousmom on Aug 4, 2015 13:57:41 GMT
I need to do this. My kids eat school lunch a little more than half the time, but when they want a cold lunch it's ham and cheese and carrots every time! I have pinned a few ideas already. Aw, does school have to start already?! I tell this story all the time...but I have a kid (who will be a senior this year) who has taken the exact same lunch every day since pre-school-pbj w/grape jelly, chips of some sort and what ever treat I have baked that week. No variations allowed. I have tried to sneak new stuff in over the years but that's a serious no-go and I would definitely hear about it.  |
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Post by mollycoddle on Aug 4, 2015 14:31:08 GMT
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josie
Full Member
Posts: 217
Jul 29, 2014 20:47:33 GMT
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Post by josie on Aug 4, 2015 16:01:18 GMT
I follow weelicious and 100 days of real food on instagram - they post school lunches for their kids everyday If you google their feeds, it will bring up a ton of ideas. Also this post from Annie's Eats has some great ideas for kids lunches!! Most are simple - I find the kids like to graze on small items instead of 1 big meal so this works perfectly. www.annies-eats.com/2014/09/10/school-lunch-inspiration-over-20-lunchbox-ideas/ |
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scrappert
Prolific Pea
RefuPea #2956
Posts: 7,792
Location: Milwaukee, WI area
Jul 11, 2014 21:20:09 GMT
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Post by scrappert on Aug 4, 2015 16:10:00 GMT
I have bookmarked this thread. I love to have different ideas for lunches. Same ole pb&j gets boring.
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Nicole in TX
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,951
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Post by Nicole in TX on Aug 4, 2015 16:30:05 GMT
I saw something recently. I use an apple cutter to cut our apples. It's a thing that cores and cuts them into sections all at once? It's cheap and you can find it at the grocery store. I saw a tip to put it back together with a rubber band to keep it from going brown. I read something about that too. If I remember right, it didn't require any other kind of juice to keep it from browning. Just putting it back together did the trick. Apples get brown because they oxidize from contact with the air. The rubber band trick should reduce contact with oxygen/air. Oh, and a nice twist on apple slices is to sprinkle them with cinnamon. The cinnamon hides any browning, adds flavor, and you get the health benefits of the cinnamon. |
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Nicole in TX
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,951
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Post by Nicole in TX on Aug 4, 2015 16:32:39 GMT
Thanks for this thread- you just inspired a new Pinterest board!
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Post by ntsf on Aug 4, 2015 16:54:25 GMT
humas now comes in little cups..not cheap but great alternative to sandwich. (which I mostly hate) dried fruit like banana chips...freeze dried blueberries, or strawberries.
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I've never tried the elastic trick though...I think it needs lemon or pineapple juice to prevent the browning!
Aw, does school have to start already?!
Time to get off the internet!