Does anyone have any ideas of what to pack for a school lunch that is not a sandwich?

Question

Our six year old does not like bread and I am at a loss as to what to pack as the main part of her lunch. When I pack her a sandwichless lunch (for example: banana, grapes, yogurt and a special K bar with milk to drink) the school insists that she doesn't have enough and will make her buy a hot lunch. Because of this I need to find something that looks large enough to fill the place of a sandwich.

Answer 1

Soup in a thermos

trail bologna & cheese with crackers

chicken nuggets

pizza stick

I pack these things for my son because he's not big on sandwiches either

Answer 2

well first of all that lunch you are doing sounds fine!  

but if the school insists you change it, try leftovers, ravioli, soup.... just put it in one of those lock and seal bowls.  or a thermos.  even a nice pasta salad would work.  also sandwiches can be made without bread.. just roll up meat and cheese with a tooth pick to hold it together.  

but actually what you are packing sounds better than lunch meat on bread.  that school doesn't know what they are thinking.  my school when i was a kid also made me buy their crappy lunch when they didn't' like mine.  even if i wouldn't eat what it was, they made me go through the line and get it.  i just ended up throwing away the whole thing.... i hated that junk.  the schools don't quite get that kids don't always eat the same exact thing.  and they do need to butt out of raising your kids!  your lunch sounds excellent.  try giving them a nutritional report on how good for the child that lunch is.  who says a lunch has to include proccesed meats, anyway?  that stuff is horrible for kids!

Answer 3

Left over Chicken drumsticks, cold chicken strips, get a thermos and send, soap, noodles, beef stew.

Answer 4

Try adding a lunchable with your fruit, than let her get amilk from school. I really hope this works for you!

Answer 5

My girl don't like bread so i take the meat and cheese and put it on a torte shall and get it warm so it is together and then cut it in  Littlel pieces. and she loves it  

Answer 6

Would she eat pitta bread, a pancake, a scone?

Answer 7

I went through the same thing.  My son took containers of fresh veggies (carrots, tomato, cucumber, peas), peanuts, fruit, granola bars, etc.

We'd also send leftover chicken, hot dogs, burritos, etc.

I'm interested in how the school feels it can determine better than you or your child whether or not the lunch you are sending is appropriate.  I'd suggest to the school that a lunch comprised of fresh fruit, yogurt and granola bar is better than a baloney sandwich and a can of pop...

Answer 8

You can pack deli meat (without the bread) rolled up.  Add some veggies (cucumber, carrots, peppers) with a dip.  Cheese and crackers with some kabossa.  Pasta and sauce in a thermos or soup.

Chicken (wings, drumsicks).  Taco salad (meat, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips).

Answer 9

My son is almost 2 yrs old so I’m limited on what I can pack him also. I buy whole wheat crackers and graham crackers. We put peanut butter, banana, strawberry preserves and make a sandwich. I also buy little baby carrots and a small thing of ranch dressing. I have wrapped turkey or ham with cheese and put pretzels through it as a toothpick. Always send fruits, bananas, apples, grapes, etc.

It sucks, but daycares and schools have to watch what kids are eating in terms of regulations. We have an “approved list” of foods to bring in. It’s strange but hey, they’re just trying to follow the rules and keep our kids healthy! 

Good luck with finding more meals!

Answer 10

soup, cicken strips, lunchables, pb&j on crackers, mac and cheese, spaghetti os, and what everyone else says.

Answer 11

Have you tried other kinds of bread? Wheat, white, rye, multigrain? These breads taste different from each other, so if she doesn't like one, she might like another kind.

You could use taco shells or lettuce in place of bread. Soft taco shells are actually good with most sandwiches, including PB&J. Lettuce is good with sandwiches on the vegetable-y side.

If she doesn't like that, try this:

Get a soup thermos and she can have soup, and then pack a large salad: lettuce, veggies cheese, and dressing (she can help make it, let her choose what veggies she wants and what kind of shredded cheese, they have some really good flavors out these days) in one of those plastic containers with a lid. Ziploc, Rubbermaid, and Tupperware all make these. Then, give her  some Saltine crackers, a banana or grapes, and then a Special K bar or other dessert, and a drink. That's quite a bit, so the school shouldn't have a problem.

Also, try getting cookie cutters and cutting it into fun shapes. The way the food looks is pretty important for little kids, and if the bread is shaped like a heart or circle, she might like it better. Or cut the crusts off if that's the problem. Smuckers makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches called Uncrustables, I like them better than regular sandwiches.

Also, try a different thing inside the sandwich. Lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, onions, cheese, bologna, salami, jelly, jam, marmalade, bananas, chunky peanut butter, etc.

You can also make "mini" sandwiches on crackers. I recommend Ritz or Club crackers.

Good luck!!

Answer 12

rice cake with peanut butter. Hot dog (she can toss the bun when no one is looking). Tortilla chips and guacamole. Bean burrito. Cereal and milk.  

Answer 13

Man, this used to happen to me when I was little.  Schools need to get with the times. PB&J does not equal healthy.

Maybe cook whatever she likes for dinner and let her take leftovers (sauceless ravioli, chicken, whatever)  

Would she like tortillas or pitas, or is it all bread? you could make wraps.

Maybe soup in a thermos.  

or make cute little wraps of lunch meat and cheese (roll it up and use a toothpick, just make sure she knows it's there and to remove it)

call them Katie wraps, or whatever her name is.  Just sandwiches with no bread.

I used to like hard boiled eggs (they're good cold)

chicken nuggets (not the healthiest)

string cheese

rice cakes

nachos

pasta with butter

mac and cheese

I found this site:

http://www.culinate.com/articles/feature...

If the school questions your choices, pack a little note with the dietary requirements of a 6-year-old and the nutritional content of the lunch

google is your friend for that info.

if they get pushier, get a doctor's note, or question the nutritional value of their "healthy"school lunches.  

good luck

Answer 14

buy the Lunchables that's what my sister gives her kids.

Answer 15

Make some pasta salad! Here is a simple and easy recipe. It is vegetarian but can be modified to fit meat eaters.

1.5 cups dry penne pasta

1 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup cooked kidney beans

1 cup chopped bell pepper

3 tablespoons of your daughter's favorite salad dressing

Coook the pasta, rinse and drain. Add the other ingrediants, shake well. Makes 3 servings. Serve cold. Keeps for 4 days in the friedge.

Also, Lunchables=High in sodium (Causes hypertension) and EXTREMELY processed. They are also quite expensive. Make your own version of a lunchable...Whole grain crackers, lean low sodium turkey, chicken, or beef, a homemade cookie, an apple, and some 100% juice. Much healthier, much cheaper, much tastier.

Answer 16

Thermos full of soup, spaghetti, leftovers from last night's dinner.  

Corn Dog (either warm & put in thermos/thermal bag -or- cooked, but left to get to room temperature)

Anything rolled up in a tortilla

Answer 17

lunchables are good it's lunch meat, cheese, and crackers with a little snack and a juice box.

how about sending rolled up lunch meat with slices of cheese or a cheese stick and ritz crackers. My son takes tunafish in the little pouch (no water to drain) and puts it on ritz crackers. Sometimes he takes pepperoni.

My son doesn't like sandwiches either and those are some of the things I send him.

Here's an example of an average lunch for my son, rolled up turkey lunch meat (4-5 slices), two slices of cheese, raw carrots, an apple, and some pretzels in a baggie.