I would buy different kinds of sliced meats and make sandwiches varying the kind of bread they were on. When I got home from the store I would make up a week's worth of sandwiches and toss them into the freezer. (never use mayo). In the morning they would grab a fruit, a frozen sandwich and a drink. By the time lunch time came the sandwich was nicely thawed and I didn't have to worry about them eating meat that had turned bad waiting for lunch time
My kids are in their twenties now, so my ideas may be out of date.
They liked plain old chinese noodles. They crumpled them while still in the bag and sprinkled the spices on them dry.
Pickles are always popular. My kids were shrewd entrepreneurs, and often traded up for cinnamon buns from the Baker's kids.
I used cookie cutters to cut the sandwiches, with mixed results (my son told me to Never Cut His Sandwich In To Little Hearts Again - O, The Humiliation!)
Beans are cheap and filling (wait, that was a handy teenage after-school filler)
Cheez Whiz on celery? Glom two halves together with the Cheez in the centre.
Mini Marshmallows. Oops. You can't stick them to peanut butter any more. But they should be good in those little half-ziplock snacky bags.
Those half-ziplock snacky bags are perfect for my diabetic snacks. I make up a dozen at a time, and grab a couple on the way out the door. I make up a low-fat mix of puffed wheat, soy nuts, raisins, cheerios, and pretzels. Satisfying finger food, and it takes a while to dig those yummy nuts out of the bottom. If you get the bags back in a sanitary period of time, you can wash them out and reuse them. That should satisfy your environmentally conscious school.
Glom two halves together with the Cheez in the centre.
Glom? Now there's a new word I can start using when gooey things that toddlers eat stick together........ or when lollipop has melted and stuck to the table outside.... I can say its glommed.
It is a real word! So is glommed! Delightful, versatile word.
Pronunciation: 'gläm Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): glommed; glom·ming Etymology: alteration of English dialect glaum to grab Date: 1907 1: TAKE, STEAL 2: SEIZE, CATCH - glom on to: to grab hold of : appropriate to oneself
Great thread Scully. This is my first year making school lunches. My kids are in all day kindergarten and first grade. Fortunately the school doesn't seem to be overly anal. No food rules have come home during the first week.
My kids aren't big sandwich fans so thanks for all the neat ideas. I'll have to try them out on weekends and see how they go over (or through).
I buy stuff at Costco that the kids like. I try to be fairly healthy but I don't sweat it much. Go-gurts and drinkable yogurt don't require a spoon. I buy a box of real fruit leather at Costco and the kids really like them. The applesauce cups are good and my kids like to dip graham cracker sticks in them.
