School Lunch... My son hates bread??

Question

anybody got some ideas for a healthy school lunch that isn't a sandwich and doesn't need to be heated. I was thinkin some pasta salads with diced chicken but I cant give him that everyday and its the only thing Ive come up with.

Answer 1

Err how about a tortilla ? you can put anything on them really so they will still be healthy.

Also "Lunchables" are good for lunches they do all sorts of selections tortillas crackers and the child makes them them selves so they are fun and they can eat as much or as little as they want.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Does he like other types of grain, such as pita, tortilla or whole-wheat crackers?

I didn't like bread when I was little, either. But then, my mom always bought Wonder Bread. I was in college before I found out that it's not really bread, just a loaf of perservatives. Once I discovered bakery bread, whole wheat, rye, sourdough, etc., I liked bread!

Answer 3

if he likes lunchmeat-just put some lunchmeat in a baggie.  and maybe fruit or crackers etc.  how about tuna.  mix it and put it in a little bowl.  send him with a fork and he'll be good to go.  my boys were the same way.  i just tried different things.  also-fruit snacks are good and a juice box.  good luck

Answer 4

does he like soft taco shells?  they are delicous with any kind of meat inside - kind of like a wrap! sandwich without bread.  another good combo is a soft taco shell with peanut butter and bananas - yum!

crackers and lunch meat and cheese are good too!  

Answer 5

You can heat it up in the morning and put it in a thermos to stay warm.  In the very least it will be lukewarm at lunchtime and will taste just fine.  You can do lunchables, with the crackers and lunchmeat and cheese, if he doesn't like bread.  Chicken nuggets aren't bad cold either.

Answer 6

well then give him cake!

Answer 7

get those lunchables or something

Answer 8

There are lots of variations on pasta salads, all of which can be nutritious and healthy, and there are other kinds of substantial salads such as potato, rice, couscous, quinoa, barley, noodle or bean salads. Have a look around on the internet for ideas, there are millions of recipes out there on the web (I particularly like recipezaar.com as it has lots of search options, good user reviews, and a very large database of recipes).

You don't go into much detail on how fussy he is with food besides bread, obviously if there are lots of things he doesn't eat then it's going to be harder, but with a bit of inventiveness I'm sure you'll find something he'll eat. Don't be afraid to give him new things to try; even the fussiest eater can surprise you sometimes! My daughter is fairly fussy by some standards but because I've never let that stop me feeding her new things she still eats a wider range of food than most kids do (for instance she loves quinoa)!

You mention he likes baguettes & bagels - that's a really good start, you could just give him sandwiches with those instead of "normal" bread. What about other kinds of bread-like foods, such as more exotic types of bread (like pitta, naan, chapatti, tortilla etc), muffins (as in "English" style muffins), crumpets, pancakes etc? Does he like pizza? If so perhaps you could try some healthier variations on pizza (I realise not everyone likes cold pizza, but many people do). Also, even "normal" bread comes in all sorts of varieties, so it might be worth experimenting. I even know one child who prefers wholegrain brown bread to white!

Other ideas could be: raw vegetable sticks (e.g. carrot, celery, cucumber, peppers, perhaps even broccoli, green beans, mangetout peas, baby sweetcorn...) with some kind of dip; cold boiled or steamed new potatoes, hard boiled eggs, chunks of cheese, cold meat (e.g. leftover roast meat from dinner, ham, sausages, chicken legs etc), cold roast potatoes, samosas, savoury pastries, quiches, sausage rolls, nuts, cold spanish omelette, cold vegetable fritters etc. There are a surprising number of leftovers that taste perfectly fine cold the next day, so it could be a handy way of using up what's left from last night's dinner!! Or you could even cook meals with leftovers in mind - my partner usually takes leftover pasta dishes or omelette into work with him the next day to eat cold, so I tend to make extra so he has lunch for tomorrow.

Also, although I don't think the first answer you got (to let him eat cake!) was exactly helpful, there is an element of sense in it. You can give him things like vegetables and cold meat for his first course, then give him something more substantial for dessert such as a museli bar, fruit cake, carrot cake, flapjacks, a pot of cold rice pudding, banana etc, i.e. something fairly filling and relatively healthy to make up for the lack of a filling, starchy main course.

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

Well my kids take Quesadilla's and one takes cold pizza. I don't know if I would consider that healthy but at least their eating lunch and not tossing it. We can cover healthier foods with dinner. We have also done cheese and crackers as a substitute for sandwiches.

I work at an elementary school and I see so many kids cold and hot lunches just toss it. Then they want to go home because they do not feel good. So I try to give my kdis what they like within reason. Of course I do not mean pop and candy etc. which I have seen in some kids lunches its amazing. I cant believe someone would send a pop in a childs lunch.

Answer 10

but a thermos and heat soup or ravioli or something up and put it in there it works i did it in 4th grade.  

Answer 11

Here's some things my son likes to take....

- bean and cheese burrito wrapped in foil

- soup in a thermos

- cheese and ham cubes

- left over pizza wrapped in foil

- corn dog wrapped in foil

- hotdogs

- bologna & cheese rollups

- quesadillas wrapped in foil

Answer 12

I would roll sliced cheese in slices of deli meat and just put his grain (crackers or whatever) on the side. you could freeze a yogurt or a juice box to keep his meet and cheese cold til lunch time.

what about hummus and crackers or bread-sticks. He could even dip veggies like carrots in the hummus too.

what about egg salad and crackers?

any sandwich filling rolled in a tortilla might be good too.

if he is old enough, ask him if he has any ideas of what he would like...as the mom you get final veto over his suggestions.

Answer 13

Does he like tortillas or pita pockets? My girls love sandwiches made with tortillas, we do everything from pb & j on them to lunch meat to the fancier restaurant style wraps with breaded chicken and lettuce and all that. Or try yogurt, fruit, veggies, cheese, and pretzel sticks with a peanut butter or hummus dip. Do homemade lunchables and just cut up the cheese and meat to fit the crackers your son chooses. Maybe ask him what he might like to try for lunches.

Answer 14

Pasta, a pasty, sausage rolls, pies!

Personally I would tell him to make it and decide what he wants as he's the fussy one that won't eat a sandwich!  

Answer 15

go to web sites to find out healthy school lunches if you would even get him a thermos to put pasta that need heated up to so once in awhile he can get differnt foods that are still warm when he gets to them thats all i can give ya.

Answer 16

give him money to buy the school lunch.  

Answer 17

how about sending him with a bagel most of the time and maybe lunchables?  

Answer 18

don't give him anything... doesnt your child know that there are millions of children wanting to have a piece of bread?

Answer 19

Maybe crackers, & lunchen meat & cheese to top those crackers. Fresh veggies & fruit. Maybe yogart (if he likes that). Mix together pork & beans & hot dogs cut up in a bowl.

Answer 20

My kids don't eat sandwiches either.  My 5th grader brings cereal in a container and a thermos of milk with a plastic spoon.  If I am giving her cereal for lunch, I make sure she has something different for breakfast. I have sent bagels with cream cheese too.  Also, buy a soup container, that way you can warm up pasta or rice at home and keep it warm in a thermos for lunch. My older daughter brings salads in containers.  Cheese and crackers with a piece of fruit is also fine.

Answer 21

Use a tortilla shell to be creative. Consider a standard tortilla mix, fruit filling, scrambled egg burritos, cream cheese, melted cheese, butter with cinnamon and sugar or hard boiled eggs. Almost any standard sandwich fair is also game for the tortilla.

Answer 22

well the only thing I can think of past the pasta salads are lunchables...not the best, but they are food...what about the lunch the school makes?

Answer 23

Get a tortilla and put peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter alone in it and fold it up. This has most of the nutrition you get from bread, and it is very delicious!

Answer 24

Rice or noodles.

My son always likes that,