I’ve seen several articles claiming to give new and fun ideas for school lunches, but I must say…95% of their suggestions wouldn’t be TOUCHED by my kids, even if they were stranded in the desert with nothing else to eat but prickly pear cactus, alone, scared, and naked.  Not even touched.  I’m pretty sure they would almost starve to death first before they would eat turkey grape pinwheels or feta pear spinach wraps.  My kids act like a lot of kids, they’re picky.  They don’t like their fruit mixed with meat, too much green will make them gag, if it smells funny, looks strange, or makes slight jiggly movements, then you can count on it going right for the garbage. By the way, I’ve actually heard that cactus tastes similar to lemons.  That’s all.  I sound like I’m on drugs.  I’m really not. 

So, nothing fancy-schmancy here…just some lunch ideas that my kids wouldn’t throw away and some tricks to make lunch more fun.  Let me share…

Ready for some school lunch ideas??
Breakfast for Lunch!
Homemade french toast sticks – Make french toast, a little toastier than usual, let cool.  Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar, cut into sticks, and wrap in foil.  Send to school with a small dipping cup of syrup.
Cereal – Yep, they can even have cereal for school lunch!  Ya know those mini cereal boxes they sell at the grocery store?  Send a box in their lunch bag with a thermos of cold milk to pour on top.  Of course, you can always throw in a yogurt or fruit to make it more hearty.
Bagel – Send a bagel with cream cheese already smeared on.  Include some orange juice, yogurt, and call it good!
Smoothies –  Using yogurt and lots of fruit, make a yummy smoothie.  Pour it in a thermos with your bagel, or cheese and crackers, etc.
Hard Boiled Eggs – My boys love boiled eggs!  I can’t make enough of them, and what’s better than a house that smells like fart?  A couple eggs with a smoothie would be perfect!
Muffins – Blueberry, Cinnamon, Cranberry…kids usually like muffins.

Utilize the Thermos!

Not everything has to be cold…it really limits your choices.  You can pick up a great thermos that will keep foods hot (or extra cold) for hours!  If you want a great one, try this Thermos Stainless King Food Jar (works for drinks too).

Now, instead of a cold deli meat sandwich every day, you can send:

Soup – Fill the thermos with hot soup and don’t forget a baggie of crackers!  My kids love the Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soups…specifically the ABC and star shaped.  But, for a heartier soup, they also love Bean & Bacon, Broccoli Cheese, and Campbell’s Chunky Potato and Bacon.
Frito Pie – Fill the thermos with hot chili.  Send a bowl of Fritos corn chips and a snack size Ziploc bag of shredded cheese.  Your little dude just needs to dump the hot chili on the bowl of Fritos, followed by the cheese.  Frito pie, one of my kids favorites!
Meatballs – These can be any kind of meatballs…meatballs & gravy, meatballs & marinara, etc.  Get them hot, and drop them into the thermos.  Send some crackers or a roll and some fruit for sides, easy!  Don’t forget to include a fork (or toothpick).

Think Outside the PB&J

Homemade Lunchables – My kids love lunchables.  And, there’s no reason I couldn’t put one together myself.  Fill a lunch tray (with lid) with crackers, some kind of meat, and cheese.  Include a Ziploc bag of pickles (I try to keep the pickles away from all the other food…maybe wrapped up in a napkin, on the other side of the blue ice.  Pickles in a lunchbox can potentially make everything taste like pickles!)
Italian Chicken Pitas – If your kids eat lettuce (pat yourself on the back), then they will eat this.  Stuff a pita with grilled cold chicken pieces (you can buy them precooked in packages at the store), lettuce, and cheese.  Send a small container of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing to pour on the pita fillings.
Kabobs– Kabobs are fun and there are a million ways to do them.  Line long skewers with meat chunks, fruit, veggies, and cheese…any combo is great!
 
Croissant Sandwiches – Sometimes just changing up the bread of a sandwich is all it takes to add a little flair to a boring lunch.  Make the sandwich on hoagie rolls, bagels, or croissants.  If you use regular bread, take a cookie cutter and cut it into a fun shape.  Throw in some baby carrots and ranch dip.  One of my kids favorite croissant sandwiches is the Bacon Ranch Chicken Croissant…

Make the Lunch Extra Special

Happy Meal Friday –  Celebrate the weekend by including a little toy trinket (or fun candy) in their lunchbox on Fridays.  Go to a party store (Oriental Trading) and pick up a random selection of little toys (all under a dollar), keep them hidden well so that junior never knows what’s coming.
Make ’em Laugh!
Write a joke on the outside of the paper lunch sack, include the answer on the inside.  If you’re not using paper sacks…just attach a joke on the outside with tape.  Tell them they can’t see the answer until their done eating their lunch.  They might need to recruit their friends to help them figure it out.  Need some joke ideas?  Check out this post…”Every Mother Needs an Arsenal of Lame Jokes“.
If you have any suggestions for school lunch ideas (that your kids love)…feel free to share those in the comment section too!