Aug. 15, 2007 - Lunch Burnout
I try to keep a 2 week rotating lunch menu. However, we are getting burned out on a few items we have listed. I am also trying to improve the "healthiness" of items that we eat. I am searching for any good lunch ideas. I would like for them to be quick and somewhat healthy. We eat out quite a bit in the evenings, so I am looking for lunch ideas that are more on the "homemade" side.
A few of the items that we all like are: grilled cheese & tomato soup, tuna salad on cucumber slices, and homemade pizza roll-ups.
I would love for you to list your favorite lunch items! I am going to compile all the ideas on a set of index cards, and I will send them out, free of charge, to everyone who participates. After you leave your idea here, send me a personal e-mail with your e-mail addy so I can get you the set when it is completed.
Comments
Aug. 15, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by CommunicationFUNdamentals
The only thing I can think of is cookie cutter sandwiches. Whatever sandwiches you make you just use a big cookie cutter to make fun shapes. Heart shaped for the girls or a big truck for the boys. Great for kids.
JoJo
Aug. 20, 2007 - Monkey Nuggets
Posted by Anonymous
I know the name is weird, but my kids love eating these as much as making them.
1. put 3 or 4 graham crackers in a baggie. have the kids pound on them until they are crumbs.
2. smear half a bananna with peanut butter.
3. drop the bananna in the baggie with the crumbs and shake to coat well.
4. take out the bananna and enjoy!
We've started using the food processor to make the crumbs (my kids love pushing the buttons) and then keep a small jar of crumbs in the fridge. This makes it a little easier to prepare.
Hope this helps you in your quest!
Hope (mom of 2)
http://www.thesinisterscribe.com
Aug. 20, 2007 - favorite lunch
Posted by Anonymous
I love potato soup with fruit for dessert.
Debbie
deb1st45@sbcglobal.net
Aug. 20, 2007 - Lunch
Posted by Michele
Several years ago when we were using Five In A Row, we read the book Three Names. In this book the child went to a one-room school. In winter, the teacher would sometimes put potatoes in the stove to roast and they would eat them at lunch. We did this during this book and like it for lunch during the winter.
Put whatever you like on it. Sometimes I will make extra broccoli for dinner the night before and use it on the potatoes with a little cheese or bacon or whatever you have in the fridge. I like it with just butter and salt. :)
HTH,
Michele
Aug. 20, 2007 - lunch ideas
Posted by Anonymous
Homemade bean burritos.
Day before: soak beans (pinto or black)in water from morning till evening. Before bed drain beans and put in crockpot and cover with fresh water and add seasonings, salt, garlic and onion powders, bacon grease (opt.) and set crockpot to low. Let cook all night and check beans in the morning. When they are soft, mash with a potato masher. If you want beans thicker, leave lid off for an hour and stir occasionally-some of the liquid will evaporate.
For lunch, take a tortilla, put on some of your yummy homemade refried beans, shredded, cheese, sour cream, and salsa or fresh tomatoes.
Make a large crockpot of refried beans and freeze extras in medium sized freezer containers. Take beans from freezer the night before you plan on using them for lunch.
Heidi Masanga
heidi.masanga@comcast.net
Aug. 20, 2007 - Quesadillas
Posted by Anonymous
Heat frying pan to medium heat. Put 1 flour tortilla in heated pan, spread a tablespoon of taco sauce or pizza sauce on tortilla (whatever sounds good) sprinkle with cheese and top with another tortilla. Check after 30 seconds or 1 minute and when bottom tortilla has spots of golden brown, flip over and cook until golden also. Put quesadilla on cutting board and cut into wedges with pizza cutter. Make approx. 1 quesadilla per person (depending on ages of children).
Yum
heidi.masanga@comcast.net (I don't have a blog :o)
Aug. 20, 2007 - Mac & Weenys
Posted by Anonymous
I've seen this all over the internet but can't for the life of me remember what it is actually called, LOL.
Basically it is just macaroni and cheese with cut up weiners in it. I always just boil the macaroni as normal and just before it is done add the cut up weiners, then mix the cheese in as usual. It's quick and very economical and I've even served it for dinner on nights when I don't feel like cooking a big meal.
Aug. 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
A fun and easy lunch that I prepare for my four little ones is English Muffin Pizzas. Spread 1 tbsp of jarred spaghetti sauce on an English muffin and top with cheese and whatever pizza toppings you have in the fridge. Put them under the broiler until golden or pop them in the toaster oven. When I can find store brand english muffins on sale, I purchase a lot and prep the pizzas (use extra sauce on the ones you want to freeze and lightly press the cheese into the sauce so it will stick). Freeze them on a cookie sheet and place frozen pizzas into a gallon sized zipper bag. They freeze wonderfully! Very easy to take from frozen to the oven for lunch next time!
Aug. 23, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Titus2woman
I see someone's beaten me to pizza toast~only we do it a little differently. Now you won't like the sound of it, but BIG MAMMA knows good food for real~trust me, 'kay?
Start with a piece of homemade bread. Then slather it with peanut butter. Top that with your favorite spaghetti sauce, and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake until ready~MMMMMMM!
We also love all kinds of chicken salad~usually with tarragon and craisins in it. In tuna salad we like chopped onions and apples. (((((HUGS))))) sandi
Aug. 24, 2007 - Simple Nachos
Posted by Anonymous
Sometimes we put organic tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and add leftover taco meat or just add shredded chesse and bake in a 350 oven until cheese melts. My kids love it.
Aug. 24, 2007 - Lunch Idea
Posted by familyis1st
This is cheap and yummy, although my tummy gets hungry after a just a couple of hours after eating these. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE them and my mom gave me the "recipe".
What I'm talking about is.........cheese quesadias (spelling?). We heat up one flour tortilla on the stove top and add some cheddar cheese to it, then top it off with another tortilla and slice it like a pizza. So yummy and easy clean-up too. Oh course you can make more than one. Usually between me and my 4 boys we eat 4 so that is like $2 for lunch. Also is a great snack.
Aug. 27, 2007 - lunch ideas
Posted by Anonymous
how about...
quesadillas
bean burritos
fruit with peanut butter and a side of popcorn (bananas and apples work great with peanut butter)
nachos
macaroni & cheese
spaghetti
soups - broccoli, potato, veggie, chicken noodle, tomato... options are endless!!
Aug. 27, 2007 - mini calzones
Posted by tlpgina
How about taking the inexpensive biscuits (you know the kind that come 10 in a tube). I spray a cookie sheet with non-stick, press the biscuits out slightly with my hand (maybe like 3-4 inch circles), then put a handful of toppings on one side fold over and pinch closed. We've used ham, cheese, broccoli, mushrooms, sausage, pizza sauce, crumbled bacon etc... I use leftovers... Bake 400 for about 10 minutes.
Gina
Aug. 27, 2007 - quick lunch
Posted by Anonymous
You can make breakfast burritos....scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage and cheese rolled up in heated tortillas. I heat the tortillas about 30-45 seconds while scrambling the eggs after the bacon is cooked, then roll them up and serve.
I also take cheap butter biscuits, roll them out with my rolling pin to about 3-4 inches across and fill the center with left over chicken, roast or ham (can also use scrambled eggs or pb&j) and cheese, cover with second biscuit and heat in my sandwich maker...but could be cooked for about 10 minutes in toaster oven or oven. We call them homemade hot pockets.
Another quicky lunch we like is using pita bread and filling again with left overs of meat, and cheese, then heating a few seconds in the microwave and adding lettuce and tomatoes.
Hope that helps you some. Shalom, spitfire
Aug. 27, 2007 - lunch ideas
Posted by Anonymous
My kids have recently become very fond of fixing rice or noodles using chicken or beef broth instead of water for the cooking medium. Sometimes they add some cut up cooked chicken (either canned or leftovers) to the pot. It's something all of them can do without Mom's immediate supervision.
aszahniser1267@hotmail.com
Aug. 28, 2007 - Simple fixes
Posted by Kimberly
Here are a couple fo things my kiddos love to eat.
1. Banana wraps
Spread peanut butter on a flour tortilla, sprinkle with honey and roll a banana in it. Big kids eat it like a sandwich or cut it into spirals for smaller fingers.
*1 of mine also likes to sprinkle wheatgerm on it before rolling the banana.
2. BBQ Chicken Pizza (Can use homemade or premade crust)
Spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce on the pizza crust. Sprinkle shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top. Top with canned chicken breast (I mix BBQ sauce in the chicken as well before I put it on the crust), brocolli, and whatever else your family likes. Bake as usual.
Enjoy!
Aug. 29, 2007 - Cornbread Muffins for Lunch Burnout
Posted by anelson22
I like to make these & freeze the leftovers....so here it goes..... Mix up a box of your favorite cornbread mix (we like Jiffy). Fill a muffin tin half full of cornbread mix and then spoon in cheese (any kind) and chopped up meat (roast, chicken, ham, turkey, ground beef -- it can even come from a can....etc.) then spoon some more cornbread mix over this layer and bake according to package directions. It's a quick, easy, "pop in your mouth" lunch that can be served with a fruit cup and milk.....enjoy!
;-) Andrea
Aug. 30, 2007 - Lunch ideas
Posted by thecoolmom
We eat a variety of items for lunch. Some of the more popular ones other than leftovers are chicken and noodles, baked potatoes with the works, salads, wraps made from flour tortillas and sliced meat and cheese and lettuce, chili cheese rice, mac and cheese with cut up beef franks, barbecue chicken legs, salmon patties, omelets, pigs in a blanket, and potato corn chowder.
Edited by thecoolmom on Aug. 30, 2007 at 9:31 PM
Aug. 30, 2007 - bean and cheese quesedillas
Posted by Jenny
Spread beans and extra cheese on a tortilla, cover with a second tortilla. Place in a hot pan and brown on both sides.
These are so YUMMY!!
Sep. 5, 2007 - lunch idea
Posted by Anonymous
At home or on the go, a package of pepperoni (already cut), sliced cheese, some crackers, whatever fruit on hand makes a fast and easy lunch. We did this on our last trip to the children's museum and the kids thought it was such a treat.
