This week’s Saturday Sidebar Question comes from World Moms Blog writer Jennifer Prestholdt. She asked our writers,
“What do you typically feed your kid(s) for lunch?”
Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…
Mama B. of Saudi Arabia writes:
“We recently decided to go all healthy with their school lunches and meals in general. Go whole wheat all the way. For the kids it was a bit of a rude awakening, and we found out trying new things in their lunch before trying them at home left the kids hungry and their lunch untouched (like cheese and apple on whole wheat toast).
So now we go for healthy stuff they like: peanut butter and jam on whole wheat toast, sweet corn, cucumbers, apple slices, pomegranate, cheese and lettuce sandwiches, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. My daughter loves vine leaves (lebanese style) so we give her that. My son loves a fruit called Mangosteen, so we give him that – when we can find it LOL!
And to drink either…milk or water. Never juice. Looking forward to getting more ideas from here!”
Jennifer Burden of New Jersey, USA writes:
“I am the healthiest lunchbox packer…but my kid won’t eat her lunch!! A lunchbox staple that she WILL eat is hummus in little individual containers. And Mama B’s answer just reminded me that I need to get creative with fruits again!”
Maggie Ellison of South Carolina, USA writes:
“I pack my son’s school lunch each day & it includes…
- PB&J or cheese on whole wheat bread
- Fruit (apples, grapes, strawberries & bananas are his favorites)
- Veggies (raw carrots and broccoli are his favorites. Working on more veggies)
- Snacks on cheese, crackers and fruit
- Drinks – juice & water
My daughter is home with me so she eats…
- leftovers from dinner or turkey, ham, cheese, and/or chicken on whole wheat bread.
- Fruit (apples, grapes, bananas, strawberries are her favs, too)
- Veggies (loves corn & we’re working on carrots and other veggies)
- Snacks on crackers, cheese and fruit during day
- Drinks – water & juice
I do make mac & cheese, noodles and other warm lunches. Overall, they eat healthy, but I would like more veggies in their diet, so we work on it. I have sandwich cutters (Star wars ship, dolphins, dinosaurs) which makes their food more fun! Sometimes I set their food up on their plate so it looks like a happy face. Also, they love to have food on a stick!! We bake sometimes and have put cookies on a stick, but they also like fruit and cheese on a stick, too. 🙂 It makes eating fun! :)”
Hamakkomommy of Japan writes:
“My son eats lunch at school. They serve a wide variety of dishes including typical Japanese food like grilled fish and miso soup as well as pasta, curry, salad, just about anything you can think of, as well as a few items that may not come to mind (fried whale meat, for instance.) The school lunches include lots of veggies and a variety of whole grains, and barring a few radiation-contamination incidents, are very healthy. The kids have whole milk with their lunch.
My daughter takes her lunch to preschool two days a week. The children are required to take a bento-style lunch box. Usually I pack it with a protein, three kinds of veggies, and a carb. A typical lunchbox might include a small piece of grilled salmon, steamed broccoli, a mini-tomato, simmered hijiki seaweed, a small piece of cheese, and a rice ball. Sometimes she takes a roll or peanut butter sandwich cut up to fit inside the lunch box instead of a rice ball. The school serves the children warm barley tea with lunch.
When we are at home we usually eat leftovers, or something really easy. Today we had scrambled eggs, steamed veggies leftover from last night, and rice left over from breakfast. We go out once a week or so. My daughter doesn’t like juice, so she drinks milk at lunch time.
My husband hates eating out, so on Saturdays I usually pack a huge bento for the whole family. On Sunday, I try to make a curry or stew that I can freeze and use again during the week.
I feel like I’m in the kitchen all day every day….”
Maman Aya of New York, USA writes:
“I send a warmed up lunch, in thermoses, to school with my son. He loves soup, so he’ll have soup and a chopped up salad at least once or twice a week. Sometimes I’ll send in leftovers, like pasta or chicken. I always include 2 things at a minimum, so today he had some chicken vegetable soup and some spinach raviolis and an apple. As a treat, instead of a fruit, I might throw in some homemade apple sauce, or some carrots/peppers/celery.
My daughter is lucky, since her grandmother watches her during the week when I am at work. My mother cooks something fresh for her lunch everyday, such as chicken with vegetables and rice, or a pasta primavera. On days that I am with her and working, she still gets a hot lunch, but it is usually made up of leftovers, and a fresh chopped salad (both of my kids love salad – for which I am grateful).
(and like Hamkkomommy on days when I am not working, I feel like I am in the kitchen all day long, going from preparing/serving/cleaning up from one meal to the next!) :)”
Courtney Cappallo of Massachusetts, USA writes:
“I try to mix things up… but typically my girls have hummus and celery sticks, apple slices, chicken tortellini with butter, and/or leftovers. I wish there was a “magic” (and easy) lunch dish that they loved… sure would make my life easier. Neither of my girls like peanut butter and jelly or mac & cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches, or lunch meat… I guess I should be happy because they aren’t the healthiest of choices but they sure would be an easy lunch to make! ha!!”
Tara B. of Washington State, USA writes:
“My kindergartener takes a packed lunch to school that includes PB& J on whole wheat bread, fresh fruit (apples or bananas) or veggies (carrot or celery sticks), and then cheese or yogurt to round things out. I do include a little treat (small cookie), but he thus far has been very responsible about only eating that if he gets through his healthy food first. Let’s hope that lasts! His school also serves hot lunch, and Thursdays are pizza day, which he opts for sometimes. We also pack him a morning snack, usually fruit and nuts or a granola bar.”
Dr. Lanham of Arizona, USA writes:
“I normally give my teen dried bananas and crackers.”
ThirdEyeMom of Minnesota, USA writes:
“I am somewhat lucky in that my son is an excellent eater and likes the exact same thing every day for his school lunch: An apple, a ham and cheese sandwich with lettuce and whole wheat bread, and a small cookie. In an ideal world, I would love it if he ate more of a variety of foods for lunch but he eats extremely well and a ton of variety for dinner. Our school has only 15 minutes to eat lunch! It is way too short so any more food than what I pack is wasted. The hot lunches in the Minneapolis Public Schools are greatly improving. The US is making a big effort to fight childhood obesity and promote healthy, affordable lunch options. It just would add extra time for my son to wait in line to get the lunch! But perhaps he will try it next year!”
What about you…what do(es) your child(ren) typically eat for lunch?
And do you have a question you would like to pose to our WMB writers? If so, email us at wmbsidebareditor@gmail.com to see what they have to say.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to look at where our World Moms will take you next week!
– World Moms Blog
Photo credit to Eva Fannon http://www.flickr.com/photos/evafannon/5501276283/in/set-72157626213112144/. This photo has a creative commons attribute license.
My child does not eat “typically” She has sensory issues and oral weakness. She won’t touch a sandwich so I typically pack her chicken soup with some veggies in it or mac and cheese. She buys lunch on chicken nugget day and she eats from the salad bar at school. It’s very difficult with her… There is a fruit strike going on now and I have done everything I can think of to get her to eat more fruit. I don’t think she likes the cold and juiciness of it. I was bento-obsessed for a while, did charts and even tried to be a sneaky chef with not much luck. She won’t eat the typical breakfast either. Just today she had left over linguini with meatballs for breakfast. Was that one serving of fruit? I hope so.
That sounds really tricky Jen! Since my oldest is really picky (just picky, not sensory issues or oral weakness though), I’ve run raw mushrooms through the food processor and tossed them in with mac & cheese – can’t really taste or see it (I make a homemade cheese sauce that is more of a cream color than orange).
My picky eater also LOVES milkshakes….so I started making smoothies. I use plain yogurt with a little honey (or vanilla yogurt) and a little bit of fruit. I tell her they are fruit milkshakes…and she goes for it.
Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas! My daughter will occasionally get school lunch (she likes the eggrolls) but I find myself struggling to come up with healthy ideas for 3 kids 5 days a week. These are really helpful. The boys have been asking for hot home lunch, so I think I will start sending soup (great idea!) and chili. I just bought some hummus and cheese/crackers. I used to send that in their lunches when they were in preschool, but totally forgot about that. Thanks again! Jennifer
This past September I ended up buying a thermos for each kid – which have gone over really well for sending warm left-overs in their lunches. Totally worth the investment 🙂
I make school lunches 6-7 times a week (two for my preschooler and 4-5 for my kindergartner). Sadly for me, neither of my kids like sandwiches but I can slip one in on occasion. Here’s what they’ll eat:
* ham and american cheese on whole wheat as long as it’s flat and boring (not deli-style and thick). Mayo makes the bread soggy so I use butter.
* cream cheese and jelly
* honey and banana (sometimes also with peanut butter)
* rice with soy sauce and raw egg, nori on the side (I’m lucky my kids have pretty diverse taste)
I recently purchased a container that has a built in spot for dips so I’m having fun packing snacks like tortilla chips and salsa, hummus and carrots, sunflower seed butter and pretzels
Also mini yogurts, applesauce, cut up fruit. Like many of you, I have no trouble getting them to eat fruits n their lunches but veggies are another story.
My youngest is a great eater, so I can always pack leftovers from dinner in a thermos for her lunch. My oldest is a very picky eater. Some variations to things others have already mentioned: turkey and cream cheese sandwich. She also LOVES “ants on log”: celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins on the PB.