How do you pack your kids' lunches?

[ATLmom]

Please don't laugh at me, but I have never packed the kids' lunches and this year we want to try it. Their lunch prices have gone up and I want to see how much better I can do it from home. I would be paying $31.50/week for school lunches PLUS any extra milk or treats they get. Surely I can do better than that making them at home.

Soooo... I would like to know what you put in yours? What containers have you found that work really well? Do you use those blue ice packs? Are they necessary? Any deals on thermos containers now? (I'm thinking chili or warm leftovers in the winter.) Do you have any tips on veggies?

I've already stocked up on the pbj makings and snack foods at Publix this week. i.e. Crackerfuls, Nabisco packs, yogurt etc. so desserts and snacks are taken care of. I just can't think of much past sandwiches and carrot sticks. Any good easy creative ideas? Thanks!

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Good question. I have always bought lunches up till this point too because I only had one or two in school at the same time and it was do-able. However this year I will have 4 kids in school and the price for school lunches times 4 is killing me.

I bought lunch out of pure laziness on my part...it was easier to write a check then worry about it, get up early (I am not a morning person) and pack lunches.

I am working on stockpiling lunch stuff like juice boxes, fruit cups/canned fruit, crackers, trail mix, cheese (love this Kraft Catalina!) and mini tortillas and next on my list is Peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna and lunch meat). I have not bought lunch boxes/bags so would love some insight on good ones to be looking for. I like the notion of less waste.

[3beeboys]

I can't wait to hear everyone's responses!

DS went to school last year for the first time. He likes Uncrustables, but I can't bring myself to buy them at those crazy prices. I bought two loaves of bread from Aldi's, a jar of PB, and a squeeze bottle of jelly. Then I laid out all the bread from one loaf and put PB and J on them all, then topped them off with the other loaf. I crimped them shut with the Pampered Chef gadget and they look EXACTLY like Uncrustables. I had about 25 sandwiches made and in the freezer within minutes! And you know those containers with blue lids that all fit in the little lazy suzan? Well, the small round one fits it perfectly. I use those little containers for a lot of his food for school. (The amount of crust that you wind up with after using that gadget is staggering, so I had the kids feed the birds with some of it during the winter, or I would chop and freeze for casserole toppings...worked great.)

I discovered that yogurt freezes well, so this year he'll be getting a frozen yogurt fairly often. By the time he eats it, it will be just right. I might throw in little baggies of granola and fruit to eat with the yogurt too.

I've also sent homemade chicken soup in a thermos. I tested the thermos and it does keep it hot enough. Before you put the piping hot soup in there, fill up the thermos with boiling water and let that sit for a few minutes. Then dump out the water and put in the hot soup. DS likes oyster crackers with that.

I also bought a little tackle box and made him his own Lunchables. I put the cut up cheese, crackers and meat in the compartments.

BTW, we let him buy a hot lunch once a week. He has to pick it out at the beginning of the month. This year is the first year he can use the microwave so we'll have more options as well.

Edited to add that DS told me the frozen juices weren't thawed out enough to drink by lunchtime, so I took them out the night before and that seemed to help. I think if they're rock solid in the morning, they don't thaw enough. Hey, does anyone know if the Almond milk freezes well? The kids like it and I can get a decent deal during super doubles at HT and was thinking about adding this to his lunches.

[barb1210]

My kids school does not offer lunchs so i pack it daily.
i put it with ice packs.. Target had them for .25
i make my own lunchables.. My kids dont really eat the real ones
pepperoni and cheese and crackers.
I make lunch meat rolls.. Roll the turkey with the cheese and lettuce.
my kids like salad.. i put the dressing in a mini rubbermaid cup or get the little single serve packages.
Do this with carrot, celery sticks , grape tomatoes
Fresh fruit.. of any kind will work well ..
My kids dont like mayo so that isnt an issue for me..
my youngest only eats jelly sandwiches. so they don't really need to be cold

they will eat cereal.. ( will buy the milk in school for a Dime)
i have the little thermos also.. they like CBRD in it sometimes. or Ramen noodles.

[XUfan]

You've gotten some great advice. I just wanted to add that if you can find them, get one of those sandwich-shaped plastic containers. They look like Tupperware. I found mine at the grocery store, hanging on a peg near the peanut butter and jelly. I have 2 of them...purchased at different stores on different days. One cost $2 and the other was on clearance for a dollar. They not only save money on sandwich bags, but they keep the sandwich from getting crushed by the drink...or fruit...or whatever else is rolling around in the lunch bag. Oh...and after 3 years...I STILL have the original ones I bought!

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Oh I like the idea of making your own uncrustables....who here sells Pampered Chef?

Does it work with whole wheat bread?

[Lori63]

If you use a paper sack, wrap the frozen juice box in a paper towel-keeps the sack from getting soaked and can be used to wipe the face (not that my boys wiped their faces).

[3beeboys]

Oh I like the idea of making your own uncrustables....who here sells Pampered Chef?

Does it work with whole wheat bread?

I don't see why it wouldn't work with WWB. The trick is not to fill it with too much PB and J (or meat...we did meat uncrustables too).

[3timesoccermom]

Long time school lunch maker here and while I volunteered at my kids' schools I ate lunch every week with them and many of you would be horrified at what is passing for lunches these kids bring from home. Many of them have nothing but pure junk, but I digress.

Kids waste a ton of food too so check with them regularly to make sure they actually still like what you sent. Their tastes can change frequently and you don't want to find out they've been throwing something away not eaten for a month because they no longer like it.

Two of mine have graduated, 1 still in high school but the most they ever bought their lunch was 1 day a week. It's much cheaper to make them at home and truthfully, with a little supervision after they get a certain age they can make their own lunch - even the night before if time is short in the morning.

Thermoses are a good idea in theory but since you have to close them securely to prevent leaks younger ones might find it hard to open and have to get an aid or someone to help them. Maybe not all the time but FYI - you don't want them wasting their valuable lunch time waiting for someone to come by to help.

Bananas don't do well, neither do pears. Mayo will, many times, make the bread soggy and unappealing. One of the girls' favorite lunches was just a bunch of "little things." A few pieces of celery, a few goldfish, some cheese cubes, and maybe some pineapple. Corny as it sounds, I always tried to think of having contrasting textures in their lunch and if I had something dry (crackers, peanut butter) then i'd try to make sure I had a really juicy fruit. As they got older the girls loved having one of the small cans of pineapple but for little ones it might be hard to open and the lid might cut them.

I found you can freeze the little Nesquick bottles and if you put them in the fridge the night before, by the time they get to lunch they are thawed out enough.

I sent water, in later years bottled, (not environmentally the best but I tried sending water in dozens of different containers and that worked best) and found my kids would drink more when I bought some of the flavored packets to put in it.

A lot of kids like graham crackers with peanut butter spread on 1 then topped with another. Most of the sandwiches we made were turkey pastrami, ham, pb & j, tuna and occasionally chicken salad. When the girls were in high school and playing sports on game days I would make them a big sub sandwich on wheat bread to hold them over better.

If you have non-picky kids your options are unlimited - you can google healthy lunches for kids or something similar and go over it with your kids and let them choose some things to try. This time of year all the magazines will have articles like this too.

Sorry I got a little wordy - I actually enjoyed making their lunches all those years.

[mom2lucas]

I like the homemade uncrustables idea! What PC tool was it? I might have to order myself one!

I pack lunch for DH 4 nights a week. I know that's different than packing for a child, but I thought I'd throw some ideas out there anyway.

I make homemade pockets, sort of like Hot Pockets. They are time consuming, but I make a bunch at a time and freeze what we don't eat immediately. DH and the kids love them. DH says they reheat well, but I don't know how many kids will have access to a microwave. Our favorites are pizza and ham/cheese. The ham/cheese ones are just fine cold. The pizza ones taste better heated.

We found drink bottle at CVS last year that had drop-in ice packs. DH says these work well for him, and he has not had a leaking issue since we bought them last summer. The ice pack screws into the lid and runs beside the straw. It keeps his water cold without freezing the whole bottle of water.