I’ve been sharing my kids’ school lunches on facebook quite frequently this year, and in an effort to put all those pictures in one easy-to-reference place they have all been reposted below. Also, I seem to get a lot of comments/questions/etc. when I share these on facebook so I’d like to start off by addressing a few of the more common ones…
- I’ve written a post that includes everything you could ever want to know about the colorful “freezie pop molds” that I use frequently to add smoothies to their lunches.
- All of the school lunch supplies we use including the divided lunchbox containers, thermos cups, and freezie pop molds are detailed on my kitchen essentials page. The lunchbox containers fit nicely (with a drink cup) in both Lands End and Old Navy cloth rectangular lunch boxes.
- Some readers ask if these lunches provide enough food for my children and while I am probably not spot-on with portion size 100% of the time, the short answer is “yes.” First of all, “real food” is a lot more filling than highly processed food (especially the refined grain stuff like white flour). Secondly, portion sizes are getting out of control in America and have unfortunately skewed the public’s view of what is appropriate. Thirdly, my children are children (ages 7 and almost 5), and my 1st grader has little more than 15 – 20 minutes to eat (and socialize of course!). Lastly, both my children eat after-school snacks, and my older daughter has oatmeal (in a thermos) for her morning snack everyday less than an hour and a half before lunch. Okay, got that off my chest.
- A few occasionally ask if these lunches have enough protein. First of all, part of eating a “real food” diet means you no longer have to count calories, fat grams, protein, carbs, etc. You simply eat a variety of whole foods (including lots of veggies) without “overeating” and the rest will just fall into place. It’s kind of nice not to have to worry about that stuff anymore. But, if you aren’t quite ready to forget about your daily protein intake please know there are MANY sources high in protein aside from just meat products such as yogurt, eggs, cheese, cream cheese, nuts (including peanut butter), seeds (including sunflower butter), and beans. When we switched to a “real food” diet we purposely reduced our meat consumption.
- I make most of the pictured baked goods (like muffins and pancakes) in advance and store them in our freezer. So when I am packing school lunches the night before I just pull out what I need so it can defrost in the fridge overnight. Almost all of the recipes I used can be found on the blog…just use the search box at the top right of the page to find what you are looking for!
- Also, I’d like to note that my 1st grader goes to a peanut/tree nut-free school so I often use sunflower butter and cream cheese as an alternative to peanut butter.
So without further ado here is the School Lunch Roundup! And please feel free to share you “real food” school lunch ideas in the comments below…
Triple-decker apple & peanut butter sandwich, organic cheese stick, a homemade (and kinda squished) butterfly-shaped whole-wheat biscuit, and frozen peas & corn
Frozen smoothie pop with berries/yogurt/kale/sunflower butter, 3 mini whole-wheat pumpkin muffins, apples, and popcorn
Heart shaped peanut butter & honey sandwich (I put the scraps in the freezer to save for stuffing/croutons/breadcrumbs/etc.), fruit mix including oranges and kiwi, organic cheese stick, and Kettle brand baked potato chips
Hummus/cheese/lettuce on a whole-wheat pita (Trader Joe's brand - only 6 ingredients), caprese salad with pesto, hard boiled egg, and a raw nut/raisin trail mix pack
I was feeling creative this day Bread/fruit/cheese pinwheel kabobs, a mix of puffed brown rice cereal & sunflower seeds, and frozen peas/corn mix
Leftover cold cheese pizza (with a whole-wheat crust that she helped make the night before), store-bought organic applesauce, 1/2 banana, and a trail mix with some cashews/pistachios/raisins
One of my older daughter's favorites: Tomato bisque soup with whole-wheat spiral noodles floating in it, an apple sandwich with sunflower butter & raisins, a cornbread muffin, and water (I send water everyday)
Half of whole-wheat banana pancake sandwich with cream cheese in the middle, 2 whole-wheat ebleskiver "round" pancakes, organic apples, plain yogurt mixed with a little maple syrup, vanilla extract, bananas, and homemade granola
Sunflower butter and all fruit jelly on five Ak-Mak whole-grain crackers, local strawberries, and carrots/celery
Frozen PB&J smoothie pop (with sunflower butter and spinach), "ants on a log" (celery with sunflower butter and raisins), leftover deviled eggs, and a whole-wheat blueberry muffin.
Cold homemade pizza lunchables with some sliced apples (in a new little monster-themed "Wexy bag" which are bpa-free biodegradable baggies)
Applegate Farms organic ham with cheese rolled up inside, carrots, mango, and a whole-grain cornbread muffin
Heart-shaped pancake sandwich with cream cheese and strawberry jelly in the middle, little heart fruit pieces (including strawberries, pear & melon), and applesauce
Frozen smoothie pop (plain yogurt/sunflower butter/berries/bananas/kale), hard boiled egg, carrots, and a whole-wheat banana muffin
Cream cheese/cinnamon/raisin/sunflower seed sandwich (my daughter's creation), apples/blueberries/mango, and carrots
Cold homemade whole-wheat pizza, frozen peas, and a fruit mix including melon & kiwi
Leftover vegetable/pork/bean quesadillas on homemade whole-wheat tortillas, organic pear slices, and a rare surprise (a treat!) store bought whole-wheat graham crackers
Peanut butter & honey sandwich, apples/carrots, hummus, and (in the Wexy bag) whole-wheat pretzels
Whole-grain cornbread muffin, organic ham (rolled up), carrots, and a frozen smoothie pop (made with berries, yogurt, & kale)
Homemade whole-wheat cinnamon raisin bagel with organic cream cheese, hard boiled egg, and apple
I gotta admit that I am super impressed, my six year old loves the heart shaped fruits in particular…many thanks
[...] School Lunch Roundup I and School Lunch Roundup II blog posts. [...]
Some of the items (like peas) look frozen. If your child takes them to school – does the school ‘heat it up’ for them?? Thanks!
Hi Jessica. No, the peas have thawed by the time lunch arrives but are not heated. ~Amy
You are truly an inspiration! I work in child nutrition and it is a constant struggle to get the school lunches anywhere near something of this nutritional caliber. Kudos!
[...] is just a few of the school lunches she sends with her girls. Hope it gives you some [...]
I use your system and read food ideas for my 2 year old every day for daycare. I usually don’t get to see how well she eats, but last night I made her dinner using the bento containers and real food and took her to a work event with me. I was so impressed that she ate every single bite (organic mashed sweet potato with a little real maple syrup, organic hummus, whole wheat crackers, organic cheese stick, and organic raisins with dried cranberries). She ate this while everyone else had pizza, chips, and soda. I am so glad I always plan ahead.
[...] is in a nut-free class at what used to be a nut-free school so as a result quite a lot of my school lunch ideas don’t contain nuts or food items that were made in a factory with nuts. For peanut butter [...]
Any tips on how to get my kids to try new stuff? Hard boiled egg? They won’t even eat scrambled
Hi Michelle. Lisa has done several posts on picky eaters. Here are a couple to get you started: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/09/09/real-food-tips-12-ways-to-deal-with-a-picky-eater/ and http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/08/19/winning-over-your-picky-eater/. Hope those help. ~Amy
I recently got my 3 yr old to try an egg. I think a lot of it just takes time, but what worked for us was introducing “dipping”. He started off trying all new foods this way. Give him a side of ketchup and he would dip anything (whatever new food it was) into it to try it. Now, he’s getting away from dipping so much, but still does it frequently with preferred foods. Since going gluten free (and eating more real food) he now eats almost 100% of what we give him at each meal. LOVE IT! He was the pickiest kid ever not long ago (before GF and real food he wouldn’t eat fast food at all, french fries, pizza, or anything else kids like). I guess he knew he wanted real food before we did! haha
Can you give me the recipe for your Homemade whole-wheat cinnamon raisin bagel please? I cant find it on your website.
Hi Laura. We’ve not perfected this recipe just yet. When we do, we will share.
~Amy
I would like the homemade WW cinnamon raisin bagel recipe too! I cant believe I missed it somehow I’ve been following for over a yr!
Hi Jaci. Lisa has not yet perfected the recipe enough to share. Maybe in the future? ~Amy
I have been using your pictures and recreating meals for my kids at daycare. I have a question though – what do you do about the cold (frozen the night before) foods such as peas? Do your kids eat them cold or will the school warm them up? That part I am confused on! Thanks!
Hello Jessica. Nothing gets heated at school. Lisa’s girls like the cold peas.
The things Lisa packs are eaten cold or at room temperature unless she packs something warm in a thermos. ~Amy
[...] me, I’d hear about it. For more ideas on what to pack in these lunchboxes check out Lisa’s School Lunch Roundup [...]