This year I'm trying to spice up the lunches my kids take to school. It would cost $20 a week for them to buy cafeteria food that's mostly disgusting (imho). The boys don't love sandwiches, so before school started I did some research on more creative (but simple) lunch options. Zach and Tyler helped me make a list of main dishes, sides, and extras that they like and we put together a lunch menu. So far, the system is working really well and the kids are all happy with the changes. Here are a few samples:
Below: Leftover pasta, clementine, and cottage cheese
Breakfast burrito [eggs/cheese/sausage/tortilla],
banana, and frozen smoothie
banana, and frozen smoothie
Summer sausage and cheese, strawberries,
and Ritz crackers with cottage cheese and paprika
and Ritz crackers with cottage cheese and paprika
Pepperoni Pizza Puffs (made and frozen the week before),
marinara sauce, carrots, and applesauce
And boring stuff: ham and cheese sandwich,
grapes, pretzels, Go-gurt, cookie
grapes, pretzels, Go-gurt, cookie
Gavin and Lexi eat lunch at home, but I prepare their lunches in the morning just like I do for Zach and Tyler. Lunch boxes for the Littles make lunch time a lot more interesting, and food choices are already made at 7:00 a.m. I absolutely love that, since by the time the lunch hour rolls around, I'm out of motivation for the day.
I feel like a real live lunch lady when I set up my morning assembly line, which always makes me think of the classic Saturday Night Live song with Adam Sandler.
Maybe I'll have to add sloppy joes to the menu.
13 comments:
Ha! That first lunch looked almost exactly like The Diabetic's lunch today. Well, replace the clementines with peach slices and the cottage cheese with goldfish, and they'd be twins.
Close enough.
I like your lunch pictures! It's more inspiration for our lunch menu, which even Mat follows, because then he doesn't have to think about it. We're going to try a frozen parfait tomorrow. How did the smoothie work out? And do you have a recipe for the pepperoni pizza bites?
Do your boys have access to a microwave, eat them cold or does it stay warm long enough?
Great ideas! My kids get sick of sandwiches too.
Plus now the lunch menu lists the calories in each lunch, not appetizing! They get to choose one school lunch a month, and they always pick pizza or hot dogs - ugh!
I wish my kids had access to a microwave.
Make me lunch? Your such a wonderful mom for making them great lunches!
Wow! I'm with Gabrielle. If I bring a backpack, would you make me lunch? I'm totally inspired. You're a great mom!
And Adam Sandler is hilarious. Thanks for the laugh!
Those lunches ROCK, Heidi! Wow. I want to do that. Will you email me where you got those cool containers? Do your kids have access to a microwave? Any website links you'd like to share? This could totally revolutionize the middle of my kids' day.
I'd love to know where you got the lunch containers as well. Great ideas!
I'd love to know where you got the lunch containers as well. Great ideas!
Fantastic! My kids get bored with the sandwiches too and I saw those smoothies on Pinterest the other day and thought I should try them, maybe I repinned it from you! Great job, Mom! You are a SUPER lunch lady!
It is great that your boys have access to a microwave. I'm always wishing I could pawn my need-to-be-heated leftovers off on my kiddos!
NICELY DONE!
christopher was saying how he was tired of sandwiches too. no access to a microwave. :/ he wants lunchables, so that sausage/cheese/crackers looks good.
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