Lunchbox Ideas

[luckypenny]

I have no imagination whatsoever. Sandman starts High School next week and I have to think of stuff to pack in his lunch. Normally, I would let him buy lunch several times a week but there are 1650 students at his new school so I would imagine the line-ups in the cafeteria are quite long.

He doesn't like cold cuts at all so sandwiches are pretty much out. He's very self-conscious so anything stinky eg. tuna and anything messy eg. spaghetti sauce are out too.

I'm trying to make a list of stuff and so far I have:
- homemade chicken noodle soup
- homemade beef stew
- homemade meat balls, rice, and steamed veggies

Umm, you'll notice he prefers homemade meals.

Any suggestions?

[hazelrunpack]

Does he like chicken salad? You could make some and wrap it in a pita bread or a soft tortilla

[luckypenny]

He does like salad and bbq'd chicken breast so that's going to go on the list. I really have absolutely no imagination when it comes to food. I don't cook . I guess this will be enough incentive to start. Dh and the boys will be in shock .

[otter]

I know this sounds a bit odd but, I LOVED cold grilled cheese sandwiches when I was in high school. Actually, the best were grilled cheese sandwiches that were made in the waffle maker (just a put what you'd normally put on a frying pan, butter side out bread, cheese in the middle, into the waffle maker and squish).

Otherwise, rice cooked with stuff mixed in, like chunks of chicken, blueberries, raisins, or even chopped up cooked scrambled eggs - for a cold rice "salad"

Shepherds pie is easy (you can even buy a big frozen one and chop it up into individual servings)

Bagel with cream cheese

Macaroni salad (a personal favourite)

That's all I can think of right now, i'm sure the minute I lay down for bed i'll have a million more ideas

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by otter

That's all I can think of right now, i'm sure the minute I lay down for bed i'll have a million more ideas

Take a pen and a pad of paper with you, will ya ?

I think I'd get him quite upset if I added blueberries and raisins to his rice. I could just see his face as he opens the container .

Cold grilled cheese might please him. Can I get a waffle iron at a reg. dep't store ? I don't think I've ever even seen one .

[otter]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Take a pen and a pad of paper with you, will ya ?

hee, hee, I always do... I come up with my best ideas when i'm dozing

Originally Posted by luckypenny

I think I'd get him quite upset if I added blueberries and raisins to his rice. I could just see his face as he opens the container .

Come, on, he's an adventurous boy but really, they are yummy, blueberries and chicken with wild rice and almonds or pecans, yum, yum!

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Cold grilled cheese might please him. Can I get a waffle iron at a reg. dep't store ? I don't think I've ever even seen one .

definitely a fun and cheap thing to have! you can grill all kinds of fun stuff - you can get "sandwich" makers too, they make sort of grilled "pockets"... even Canadian tire sells them but I like the waffle effect

[coppperbelle]

Were you planning on sending him the homemade stuff in a thermos? You might want to check with him about that. When my kids started high school I was informed that their lunches had to be in plastic bags, no lunch boxes so a thermos may fit into the same category. In a school with 1600 kids standing in lline to warm up anything in a microwave may take a while and his friends will probably be through their lunches by the time he has his warmed up. Check with him on this also.
Is peanut butter allowed in your sons school? My son lived on it for the last 3 years of high school.
Crackers and cheese, veggies and dip, cottage cheese with fruit, cold pizza (frozen and cooked the day before) fried egg sandwich (no smell), tomato and cheese sandwich or cucumber and cheese. One of my personal favorites growing up was a cheese sandwich with lettuce and mayo on white bread.
Speaking from experience don't go all out the first week. Give him something for the first day and then tell him to come home and tell you what he wants. He will see what the others are eating and what is acceptable.

[Redneck Charger]

Why not leftovers from the supper before..and do thermos's not keep everything hot.. or pretty warm.. So why would they need microwaves..

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by coppperbelle

Were you planning on sending him the homemade stuff in a thermos?

Yes. I didn't hear anything about thermoses not being permitted . Did your children go to HS in Greenfield park? I'll ask about it though.

Crackers & cheese, veggies & dip he'll also like. Another lunch added to the list, lol.

Originally Posted by Redneck Charger

Why not leftovers from the supper before...

That would be most ideal...providing I cook supper the night before...and that he likes what I cook . On the rare occasion we use the microwave, we only use glass plates/bowls so that wouldn't work at school.

[dragon_queen]

They have microwaves at the school where I work in the caf for the kids to use, so he might want to bring something he can heat-up. ( sheperds pie, ravioli, lasagna, wrap a burger pattie separatly and he can put in in the bun himself) Get some microwaveable cantainers at the dollar store and it won't hurt too much if he forgets them.

[happycats]

Chicken or beef Wraps, Fajitas, cheese, or egg salad sandwich, Pasta salad,
I make my own "lunchables" cheese, crackers, grapes or raisins.
Steak salad. My mom used to put boiling water in our thermos with hotdogs, so we could have warm hot dogs for lunch.

I know when we were in high school, we never brought our lunch, we bought it, and not always at the cafe, but at many of the local restaurants in the area. So the line ups weren't to bad, becuse we were spread out throughout the neighbourhood And there were 2500 kids in my school!

[coppperbelle]

Don't get me wrong, they are allowed to have thermos's, it's just that they aren't cool for some kids. I just thought you might want to ask him first. My son graduated from there about 4 years ago but thing s change.
Tomorrow's the big day I start tomorrow also.

[TeriM]

Not sure if he is a fan of mexican type food but I had this rice dish the other day with some grilled spiced chicken breasts cut up in it as well. It was super yummy and would taste good cold or in a wrap.

http://www.recipezaar.com/120719