Lunch Ideas For Picky Kid

[mama2two]

I have found lunch ideas searching this site before, I had been making my daughter van's waffle sandwhiches with sunflower seed butter, this morning she said please don 't send me that I am tired of those and I won't eat it. I also send Ian's chicken nuggets, rolled up ham. I am just running out of ideas and it is so hard to provide some variety. she is also dairy free, she does not like many fruits or vegetables, no sauces of any kind. if anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate them.

[Lisa]

Try a corn tortilla wrap with Boars Head meat. Tastes like "normal" food and looks like "normal" food.

[Darn210]

My daughter wants the same thing everyday (even Saturdays). She has peanut butter on a rice cake. I send the peanut butter in a little tupperware or gladware container and a plastic knife. I think part of the reason she likes it is that she "makes" it herself at lunch time. My son does not like the rice cakes. I send him to school with Glutino pretzels and a conainer of peanut butter and he dips it - he also gets carrots and dips those in peanut butter, too. I also will make him a lunchable with glutino crackers, cheese squares and I have found canadian bacon (by hormel, I think) that is precut and the right size. I send pasta in a thermos. And we have also talked about sending a cut up hot dog in the thermos but we haven't yet. A thermos is a wonderful investment if you haven't already got one. I will also send leftover casserole type meals.

I'm assuming you would sub in sunflower seed butter and is there some sort of non-dairy cheese alternative?

[buffettbride]

I'm a huge advocate of the thermos!

We send Progresso Chicken/Rice soup (has soy but no gluten or dairy) a few times a week with some Chebe bread (can be made dairy free--we use olive oil and water per the instructions). Really satisfying and doesn't look too different from what other kids eat. I'm totally addicted to Chebe right now so I'm doing anything and everything with it.

The trick with the thermos is to fill it up with hot water and get it good and warmed up before you put the soup in.

I'll also fill up her thermos with leftovers--usually rice and pork. Just remember to heat up the thermos. I am the master of leftovers!

Another trick that helps with lunches is the laptop lunchbox.. Open Original Shared Link. I don't know what I would do without this thing! My daughter will eat rice cold, so I'll just put some rice in and send some chopsticks along!

[Susanna]

I don't know what all your daughter's dietary restrictions, but here's what I pack for my celiac son's lunch (he's 11):

deli turkey rolled up in a lettuce leaf, or turkey rolled around a carrot stick, or turkey rolled around a piece of string cheese. I send a little blue ice block in his lunch bag to keep it cool.

trail mix (Enjoy Life has one that is nut free--it's all pumpkin seeds, raisins, etc.)

applesauce cups

popcorn

cheetos, fritos, tortilla chips and a little cup of refried beans for dipping.

gluten-free pretzels and a little cup of peanut butter for dipping (or sunflower butter, or tahini for dipping).

fresh or dried fruit.

gummi fruit snacks

beef jerkey--read lables--some have soy sauce/wheat in them, but not all do.

PB (or sunflower butter, or tahini) on rice cake, with raisins or dried cherries sprinkled over. When I send a carmel rice cake, it's a big hit.

good luck,

Susanna

[Ridgewalker]

What kind of Thermoses do you guys use? Do they fit inside the lunch box, or do you send them separate?

[mama2two]

Try a corn tortilla wrap with Boars Head meat. Tastes like "normal" food and looks like "normal" food.

I can't find boars head lunchmeat here, but I can use the hormel that is gluten free, but this is not much different than the rolled lunchmeat I've been sending her. But thanks, I may try this for a little variety.

[mama2two]

My daughter wants the same thing everyday (even Saturdays). She has peanut butter on a rice cake. I send the peanut butter in a little tupperware or gladware container and a plastic knife. I think part of the reason she likes it is that she "makes" it herself at lunch time. My son does not like the rice cakes. I send him to school with Glutino pretzels and a conainer of peanut butter and he dips it - he also gets carrots and dips those in peanut butter, too. I also will make him a lunchable with glutino crackers, cheese squares and I have found canadian bacon (by hormel, I think) that is precut and the right size. I send pasta in a thermos. And we have also talked about sending a cut up hot dog in the thermos but we haven't yet. A thermos is a wonderful investment if you haven't already got one. I will also send leftover casserole type meals.

I'm assuming you would sub in sunflower seed butter and is there some sort of non-dairy cheese alternative?

She does like hot dogs, we use hebrew national, that may be a good idea, she may like that even if its a little cold. I do have glutino crackers, I can send that with cut up lunchmeat, no cheese, I will look for the hormel canadian bacon. she does like pepperoni, maybe i can send those for the crackers. thanks to everyone for the ideas, my brain is just not working well right now since I am having so many family problems and the stress has just zapped my creativity, patience and good sense. thanks for not saying you've asked about lunches 100 times allready. I have no support group here and this is my only support.

[mama2two]

I'm a huge advocate of the thermos!

We send Progresso Chicken/Rice soup (has soy but no gluten or dairy) a few times a week with some Chebe bread (can be made dairy free--we use olive oil and water per the instructions). Really satisfying and doesn't look too different from what other kids eat. I'm totally addicted to Chebe right now so I'm doing anything and everything with it.

The trick with the thermos is to fill it up with hot water and get it good and warmed up before you put the soup in.

I'll also fill up her thermos with leftovers--usually rice and pork. Just remember to heat up the thermos. I am the master of leftovers!

Another trick that helps with lunches is the laptop lunchbox.. Open Original Shared Link. I don't know what I would do without this thing! My daughter will eat rice cold, so I'll just put some rice in and send some chopsticks along!

I will get the progresso soup, since she loved campbell's chicken noodle, I'm sure she will like this. I tried the chebe cinamin rolls once and they were hard as rocks, so I never tried anything else with that name, but we may have to give it another try. She does not have a thermos, but I do need to get her one. thanks for the tip on getting it warm before adding the food, I would have never thought of this. Merry Christmas!

[mama2two]

I don't know what all your daughter's dietary restrictions, but here's what I pack for my celiac son's lunch (he's 11):

deli turkey rolled up in a lettuce leaf, or turkey rolled around a carrot stick, or turkey rolled around a piece of string cheese. I send a little blue ice block in his lunch bag to keep it cool.

trail mix (Enjoy Life has one that is nut free--it's all pumpkin seeds, raisins, etc.)

applesauce cups

popcorn

cheetos, fritos, tortilla chips and a little cup of refried beans for dipping.

gluten-free pretzels and a little cup of peanut butter for dipping (or sunflower butter, or tahini for dipping).

fresh or dried fruit.

gummi fruit snacks

beef jerkey--read lables--some have soy sauce/wheat in them, but not all do.

PB (or sunflower butter, or tahini) on rice cake, with raisins or dried cherries sprinkled over. When I send a carmel rice cake, it's a big hit.

good luck,

Susanna

we do have gluten free pretzels, I can send them with a nut butter, she can't bring PB to school, she loves gummi snacks, I will try applesauce or fruit cups again, she wasn't crazy about them the first time, but maybe now, we have had the enjoy life trail mix and she loves that! thanks for sharing your ideas! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

[Darn210]

What kind of Thermoses do you guys use? Do they fit inside the lunch box, or do you send them separate?

I've got the Thermos brand food jar (wider opening than a regular thermos) ~12oz size. I got it at Target for about 15 bucks. I initially got the target brand food jar to save a little money but it didn't keep the food warm. You could feel the heat escaping from it. The Thermos brand doesn't do that. It will fit in their soft sided lunch boxes.

I think this is it but get it at Target, it's cheaper.

Open Original Shared Link

And yes, yes, yes, preheating is the key. I preheat for about 5 minutes with almost boiling water.

[Cheri A]

The Thermos is our friend here too. I also wanted to mention that you can also fill it with cold water first to make it cold inside too. I have sent smoothies, and even her "ice cream" in it.

I have not seen the Enjoy Life trail mix. I'll have to look for that, it sounds like something my daughter would like too.

[kbtoyssni]

I use corn chips in place of crackers a lot, too. I like chips and cheese, chips and egg salad, chips and salsa, chips and taco meat with salad.

My mum used to do the hotdogs in a thermos of boiling water, too, and they were great!

How about cold pasta? I really like cold spaghetti or cold spaghetti pie (put cooked noodles and sauce with cheese on top in the oven and bake). Or quiche is good cold, too.

String cheese.

Oh, wait, I just realized you don't do cheese. Please ignore the cheese-related suggestions I love cheese and I figured I'd leave them in case some other mother stumbles across this thread.

Jello. Pudding (which I guess also has dairy, yikes!) I make it myself in those mini-tupperware with lids. It's way cheaper and more environmentally friendly!

Does she like Clementine oranges? I always think they're a fun way to sneak fruit into a diet - regular oranges and apples just don't have the same fun factor!

Now that I'm older I eat a salad everyday (although I can't imagine a kid liking that much) and something warmed up. Sometimes I throw in a small piece of candy - mini candy canes work well this time of year.

[slee]

Another trick that helps with lunches is the laptop lunchbox.. Open Original Shared Link. I don't know what I would do without this thing! My daughter will eat rice cold, so I'll just put some rice in and send some chopsticks along!

[Juliebove]

I am lucky in that my daughter will eat fruits and vegetables. She likes Snapea Crisps, dried peas, and fruit chips/rollups, etc.

I often send in leftovers in a small thermos or a taller one for soup. She uses a soft sided, stretchy bag from Built NY. The kind she has will hold a plate on one side and a bottle on the other. If I have no leftovers, I will cut up a cooked chicken breast and mix it with some brown rice. I get the packages of cooked rice at Trader Joe's and I either cook the chicken myself or use the garlic and lemon kind that I buy at the store on the aisle with the tuna.

She also likes pizza. I make it on a Namaste crust or the Ener-G rice shells. She can't have dairy so I use vegan rice cheese and add some pepperoni, ham or Canadian bacon for protein.

She likes to make her own sandwiches. She has a peanut allergy. I get individual packets of almond butter and send in individual packets of jelly that I get from minimus.biz plus a two slice pack of Ener-G bread.

Sometimes I will make up a tuna or chicken salad. I have to be creative because she can't have eggs or soy, so no mayo!

Sometimes I send in cereal. I get individual bowl of Trix from minimus.biz, or I use a special container that we bought last year. You put the bottom of it in the freezer. You then put the milk (rice milk in her case) in the bottom and the cereal in the top.

I also have individual packets of salami that I get from minimus.biz. I might send those with some applesauce, a bag of chips, a can of fruit cocktail or pears. Sometimes I send in a can of Vienna sausages, some Shelton's turkey sticks or some beef jerky. It is hard to find beef jerky without the soy sauce, but I can get it online or of all places at a local bread outlet.

Sometimes I bake things like zucchini bread or bagels or I will get her a gluten-free berry pastry made by a local bakery. I also always keep gluten-free snack bars around from Orgran, Ener-G or Enjoy Life, Boomi or GoRaw. If I am really in a hurry to make her a lunch, I will throw one of those in along with an apple or whatever else I can find.

Another quick meal is Shelton's chicken and wild rice soup or Organ canned pasta. I can heat this up quickly and send it in her thermos.

You might get lucky as your daughter gets older. Mine was 8 before she really liked eating raw vegetables much. Now at 9, she will sometimes take in a salad for lunch.

[gymnastjlf]

Try giving her the granola to sprinkle in her applesauce, it makes it a little sweeter and crunchier, which a lot of kids will like!

we do have gluten free pretzels, I can send them with a nut butter, she can't bring PB to school, she loves gummi snacks, I will try applesauce or fruit cups again, she wasn't crazy about them the first time, but maybe now, we have had the enjoy life trail mix and she loves that! thanks for sharing your ideas! Merry Christmas to you and your family!