Discover Easy & Creative School Lunch Ideas for Kids - Expert Tips & Tricks!

[janezapchef]

So, I mentioned to my playgroup that I could really use someone coming into my house to teach me about how to make great school lunches for my kids. The moms got very excited about the idea, only they thought I would come and do a show for them to TEACH THEM some great ideas for lunches. Um, any ideas????? I truly have no clue! This is my first year with having to pack them! Please, please help!

 

[pc_jessica]

i don't have kids myself but flipped through the caddy and thought of some products taht could be showcased the Cut n' Seal to make sandwhiches, the veggie peeler to get fresh veggies prepared. 1 cup prep bowls to put homemade pudding in , or other little snackies. outdoor utensils for utensils in their lunch box, the pineapple wedger for fresh pineapple to be packed, maybe in the prep bowl! apple wedger, sweet sprinkles set make up some healthy and yummy dips for the fresh fruits to be dipped in! the creative cutters coud be used to cut cheese and meats in creative designs! citrus peeler so they can peel their oranges at school.

 

[BlessedWifeMommy]

LOL that is funny! Sorry I'm not much help.

 

[babywings76]

The cut n seal would be a great thing to use. There is a file with tons of recipe ideas w/ it, so they can use it for more than just their lunch making skills. I'm not too much help though other than that. Our kids use the school silverware for things that they need a spoon for, and I'd be scared to give them a prep bowl w/ stuff in it for fear of them dropping it and breaking it. Or losing it!

 

[babywings76]

But you could demo the knives and cutting boards and UM to demonstrate fun and easy ways they can cut veggies the night before.

 

[pc_jessica]

omg i feel dumb, i reread your post and i thought you were asking what products you could show them to make lunches, but you were asking for actual lunch ideas....okay i have a few my mom used to pack for me...i don't know how healthy they were
nachos, she would keep the meat warm in my thermos and then i would assmeble them at lunch.
icecream sundae when i had done good on a test..again she would freeze the thermos the night before so it was really cold so the icecream would stay cold til lunch.
chicken salad with crackers and veggies
fruit salads
i always got one treat for lunch, whether it was a cookie, pudding cup, jello cup, or small fun size bag of chips
popcorn was good
soup on cold days again use the thermos
really you can pretty much pack anything as long as you either freeze the thermos or make sure the thermos is hot to keep things at the right temp.
also if you google, i came across some good webistes about this

 

[babywings76]

omg i feel dumb, i reread your post and i thought you were asking what products you could show them to make lunches, but you were asking for actual lunch ideas....okay i have a few my mom used to pack for me...i don't know how healthy they were
nachos, she would keep the meat warm in my thermos and then i would assmeble them at lunch.
icecream sundae when i had done good on a test..again she would freeze the thermos the night before so it was really cold so the icecream would stay cold til lunch.
chicken salad with crackers and veggies
fruit salads
i always got one treat for lunch, whether it was a cookie, pudding cup, jello cup, or small fun size bag of chips
popcorn was good
soup on cold days again use the thermos
really you can pretty much pack anything as long as you either freeze the thermos or make sure the thermos is hot to keep things at the right temp.
also if you google, i came across some good webistes about this

Oh, okay, now I feel silly as well....

So do you need general lunch ideas or ideas that you will be presenting as a PC consultant?

 

[JennLizFran]

I know someone mentioned the cut n seal already, but I work in a salon and one of our stylists mentioned using the cut n seal for her kids school lunches (little kids just hate crust...haha) and all the moms in here chimed in about how much they loved theirs (or the idea for those who don't own one). So, I'm sure your mom's group will love it. It's just like the uncrustables they sell frozen at the store, only way cheaper!

 

[janezapchef]

Oh, okay, now I feel silly as well....

So do you need general lunch ideas or ideas that you will be presenting as a PC consultant?

I need ideas for what to send the kids to school with for lunches as well as ideas for what to present as a consultant for a show focusing on this.

 

[Aunticooks]

typical lunch box lunch sandwich, chips, fruit and a treat

Definitely do the apple corer on a cucumber, insert a carrott and then use the crinkle cutter and cut cuc/carrott in 1/2 inch thick slices. The egg slicer to slice kiwi or stawberries. Use the new cookie cutter to make small cookies or even the small cookie scoop and apple corer/slicer makes easy apple slices. Good luck

 

[gingertannery]

Don't leave out after school snacks that are healthy!! Ant on a log... celery or carrot sticks or apple with peanut butter and raisins (featuring knives and spreader)
small sandwiches using the cutters. (also slice cheese slices for crackers.) Make jello in the batter bowl -friut slices or shapes. Push apple corer through center of a carrot and fill with cream cheese and slice. Yummy and pretty. That opens up a lot of choices!!

 

[twinkie10]

MMP is great for smaller jell-o jigglers.... yummo! They're bite size too =D

 

[janezapchef]

MMP is great for smaller jell-o jigglers.... yummo! They're bite size too =D

What is the MMP?? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation.

Also, this show is Sunday. I'm talking to the host today about recipes. Any other ideas would be great! Though, I am considering some of these here, I'd like to give lots of ideas!

 

[janezapchef]

Also, I was tossing around the idea of doing one of those stuffed burrito shows. Tortatani I think it was called.

 

[crystalscookingnow]

mmp = mini-muffin pan

 

[janezapchef]

OH! That makes sense! Duh! I was thinking Measure, Mix and Pour and was very confused! Thanks!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

OH! That makes sense! Duh! I was thinking Measure, Mix and Pour and was very confused! Thanks!

That was my first thought too...I couldn't figure it out.

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

For the "entree" - Wraps are healthy. Pasta salads can be made the night before and keep well. On "Fun" Days, moms can use creative cutters to pack a homemade version of lunchables. Sandwiches are standard - Ham & Cheese, PB&J, chicken salad (use the cut n seal, though mine like the crusts).

For the sides/snacks - popcorn (use twixit's to keep closed), fruit [whole or as a salad - (optional tools:use crinkle cutter, egg slicer, food chopper, salad chopper, ultimate mandoline, apple wedger, etc)], carrots or fav veggies (use julenne peeler for a new way to munch), mini muffins, pudding, jello, cookies (can modify to make healthier).

 

[TrishPCMommy]

my daughters love "carrot curls"
use a regular-size carrot that's been peeled and the serrated peeler to peel one long strip of carrot, very thin and it curls... fill a snack baggie with those and I don't even have to worry about supplying ranch dressing to dip it into

apple wedger on an apple and a small baggie of cinnamon or caramel sweet sprinkles (remind them to spray a little lemon juice on the apple to keep it from browning (Oil Spritzer?) and wrap the apple tightly in plastic wrap to resist browning)

use the skinny scraper to make PB&J without tearing the bread
slice fresh strawberries with the Egg Slicer and place between the jelly and pb...
can use bananas (and peanut butter and honey) too

slice a brick of cheese and use creative cutters (as mentioned above); can do the same with most lunch meat

cull strawberries and use the EAD or the Decor...Bottles to stuff them with yogurt and freeze overnight

cutlery/knives to make hotdog octopuses... from one end of the hotdog, cut from the end in toward the middle of the hotdog... make another cut perpendicular to it (you now have a plus sign cut into the hotdog from the end toward the center)... continue until you have eight legs... can do with string cheese too

kraftfoods.com has lots of great school lunch ideas... even making a tic-tac-toe looking sandwich by just using 2 different kinds/types of sandwich breads... check it out

 

[ChefBeckyD]

my daughters love "carrot curls"
use a regular-size carrot that's been peeled and the serrated peeler to peel one long strip of carrot, very thin and it curls... fill a snack baggie with those and I don't even have to worry about supplying ranch dressing to dip it into

apple wedger on an apple and a small baggie of cinnamon or caramel sweet sprinkles (remind them to spray a little lemon juice on the apple to keep it from browning (Oil Spritzer?) and wrap the apple tightly in plastic wrap to resist browning)

use the skinny scraper to make PB&J without tearing the bread
slice fresh strawberries with the Egg Slicer and place between the jelly and pb...
can use bananas (and peanut butter and honey) too

slice a brick of cheese and use creative cutters (as mentioned above); can do the same with most lunch meat

cull strawberries and use the EAD or the Decor...Bottles to stuff them with yogurt and freeze overnight

cutlery/knives to make hotdog octopuses... from one end of the hotdog, cut from the end in toward the middle of the hotdog... make another cut perpendicular to it (you now have a plus sign cut into the hotdog from the end toward the center)... continue until you have eight legs... can do with string cheese too

kraftfoods.com has lots of great school lunch ideas... even making a tic-tac-toe looking sandwich by just using 2 different kinds/types of sandwich breads... check it out

Great ideas! I love the carrot curls!

My tip for apples with the wedger is to use the wedger, but leave just a bit at the bottom attached. Push the apple back out from the top, and fold the apple back into it's original shape, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Then, you never have any browning! We pack these often with a small container of peanut butter for dipping. YUM!

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

Oh Trish, I love you! There are some great new ones I can incorporate for my kids....as my 4 yr old says, "we're gonna be so becited! = )

Thanks!

 

[TrishPCMommy]

lots of crash-course experience with packing lunches for my first grader this year!!! 20 minutes for their entire lunch period and I refuse to pay $1.25 for a lunch that she'll throw most of away (she's an EXTREMELY SLOOOOOOOOOOWWW eater)

She loves when I pack a hot dog - octopus-style (already cooked...power cooking hot dogs... need 4, make 10--HA ha), a stick of string cheese and a baggie of carrot curls. I know that lunch box is coming home empty that afternoon!

Big Pigs in a blanket (hot dog in a crescent roll) baked on a stone are easy to make and you have leftovers to last the week too

 

[ChefPaulaB]

Those are all great ideas! I might have to see if my very picky 2nd grader will eat any of those things. Never thought about sending a hot dog... do you heat it before and try to keep it warm or do you just put it in cold and she eats it cold? I know that most kids don't care if their dogs are hot or not anyway. I am going to experiment with some of these ideas, hoping that she will eat them, so tired of packing the same boring lunch every day. Our biggest problem is that Peanut butter and cheese sandwiches are her favorite but she goes to a peanut free school, so no PB sandwiches for her. (I know, most people get all in a huff when they hear Peanut Free School, but since my 4 year old DS is severely allergic to peanuts, I have absolutely NO problem with it! We just have to work around it.)

 

[ChefPaulaB]

Great ideas! I love the carrot curls!

My tip for apples with the wedger is to use the wedger, but leave just a bit at the bottom attached. Push the apple back out from the top, and fold the apple back into it's original shape, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Then, you never have any browning! We pack these often with a small container of peanut butter for dipping. YUM!

I'll have to try that for the apples, DD always wants to take apples to school but she won't eat them unless they're cut up and she won't touch it if it's brown, so I never send them. Love this idea! We'll have to skip the PB for dipping, but that's okay she's not much of a dipper anyway (she's the minority in kids, I know).

 

[aslion]

I'll have to try that for the apples, DD always wants to take apples to school but she won't eat them unless they're cut up and she won't touch it if it's brown, so I never send them. Love this idea! We'll have to skip the PB for dipping, but that's okay she's not much of a dipper anyway (she's the minority in kids, I know).

At our house we sprinkle cinnamon all over the cut apples that way you can't tell if they are brown from the cinnamon or the air. I have also heard about the partial cutting of the apple then using a rubber band around it to hold it into place.

 

[ChefPaulaB]

At our house we sprinkle cinnamon all over the cut apples that way you can't tell if they are brown from the cinnamon or the air. I have also heard about the partial cutting of the apple then using a rubber band around it to hold it into place.

That would work for my DS, but DD is sooooo picky :yuck: that she would flip over that. She doesn't even like to dip her chicken nuggets in ranch (she doesn't like Ranch, can you believe it!?) Anyway, I can really see DS liking the cinnamon thing, I even have a Flour/Sugar Shaker full of cinnamon and sugar that would work! thanks!

 

[TrishPCMommy]

Those are all great ideas! I might have to see if my very picky 2nd grader will eat any of those things. Never thought about sending a hot dog... do you heat it before and try to keep it warm or do you just put it in cold and she eats it cold? I know that most kids don't care if their dogs are hot or not anyway. I am going to experiment with some of these ideas, hoping that she will eat them, so tired of packing the same boring lunch every day. Our biggest problem is that Peanut butter and cheese sandwiches are her favorite but she goes to a peanut free school, so no PB sandwiches for her. (I know, most people get all in a huff when they hear Peanut Free School, but since my 4 year old DS is severely allergic to peanuts, I have absolutely NO problem with it! We just have to work around it.)

Yes, the hotdogs are already cooked... Not really cold or hot by the time she gets to eat lunch; I put it in a snack baggie. I try not to pack anything that has to stay warm or stay cold (if need be, I put a juice box in the freezer the night before and it becomes her "cold pack")...
Sorry about the peanut butter issue... my kids would "die" if they couldn't have peanut butter (peanut butter lollipops are an easy snack/kid pleaser at my house - peanut butter on a spoon).

 

[JennLizFran]

I have a question for those making the PBJ with the cut n seal. Does anyone make a bunch and freeze them. One thing we love about uncrustables is we take one out of the freezer and by snack time they're still cold (but unthawed) and not at all soggy! Just wondering if this would work with regular bread at home too?

 

[KaiKendall]

I have a question for those making the PBJ with the cut n seal. Does anyone make a bunch and freeze them. One thing we love about uncrustables is we take one out of the freezer and by snack time they're still cold (but unthawed) and not at all soggy! Just wondering if this would work with regular bread at home too?

SO FUNNY JENN! I was just going to come on here and ask that, then I read this! I would LOVE to know the same thing, cause I do buy uncrustables, they are only $2.00 a box at the commissary so it's not a budget breaker, but would love to use our wheat bread and organic peanutbutter.... (not all crazy bout organic, but some things I like to sub with O)... anyone tried it?

 

[JennLizFran]

I'm glad others were thinking along the same lines!! I did a google search and found lots of sites where people say they freeze PBJs for their kids! I think I'll try it. And I'm hoping if I do it like the uncrustables (PB on each piece of bread and jelly in the middle) it won't get soggy! I'll let you know how it goes!