MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 9:29:12 GMT -5
A friend on FB who's the mother of 4 school-age kids swears by this lunch box but they're not cheap. They're dishwasher-safe and apparently keep the foods in the individual compartments at their original temperatures- hot or cold. www.planetbox.com/When DS was little he was pretty absent-minded. I once put a piece of pie in a Tupperware container in his lunch sack and he returned without it- had thrown it in the trash with everything else. A high-tech lunch box would not have been a good investment. Same here.... No way am I shelling out big bucks for something DS will either swing around and break, lose, or leave at school.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 9:29:22 GMT -5
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Oct 26, 2016 9:31:17 GMT -5
My kids love sandwiches, second only to mac n cheese. Every day, it's the same thing for DS1. 1/2 PB&J, a cheese stick and Caprisun. I tried packing more, but he's so anxious to go outside for recess, he'd come home with the rest of his lunch, so now I don't even bother. At least this is the kid who will eat salads... DS2 loves meat&cheese sandwiches, strawberry applesauce and apple juice. At my mom's he'll actually eat 2 different applesauces in a row. The kid is going to turn into an apple. Oh, he won't touch veggies, so what does he tell his preschool teacher his favorite food is? Broccoli!
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trippypea
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Post by trippypea on Oct 26, 2016 9:34:35 GMT -5
I have too tough to please teenagers who I still pack lunches for. One daughter refuses to eat sandwiches, so most days, she takes a little thermos with leftovers or chef boyardee. I have to say, in all these years, I never thought to run hot water in the thermos before filling it to make it hotter (I've asked and she says it is lukewarm at lunchtime)! I will start doing that.
Daughter 2 is trying to go vegan, so doesn't want any animal products. I've been making a lot of hummus wraps...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 9:37:18 GMT -5
Older son has switched to hot lunch everyday since he started at the new school. He NEVER ate hot in grade school. He absolutely hated it, but apparently the new school has awesome lunch and it's pretty much the same 5 or 6 things rotated. With younger we have the hot lunch menu on the fridge and he looks at it the night before and decides. I do a little happy dance when he says he wants hot the next day. I hate packing lunches.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Oct 26, 2016 9:41:56 GMT -5
DS does like to buy, but he only likes to on certain days. He's picky so it's always the same packed lunch, bagel, drink, yogurt, string cheese, applesauce pouch and a pudding. At least I know he will eat that at school and get him to eat his fruits and veggies at hime, lol! I wish I could get him to eat a damn sandwich I don't know what is up with this generation and sandwiches. And, for the longest time, my kids would not eat cereal with milk! I am like, what the heck! No, i am not making you eggs every morning!! I hated sandwiches, and I'm far from of "this generation." My poor mom had to be creative. Also, thermos and lunch boxes were not cool, and I didn't like school lunches, so everything had to go into a plastic bag in a brown bag. I still don't like standard cold sandwiches. As far as bread - it really isn't that nutritious. Filling, yes, but Americans eat too much filling non-nutritious stuff, like processed sandwich bread. We only herald it as a lunch box necessary because that is how we were raised.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Oct 26, 2016 9:42:27 GMT -5
Older son has switched to hot lunch everyday since he started at the new school. He NEVER ate hot in grade school. He absolutely hated it, but apparently the new school has awesome lunch and it's pretty much the same 5 or 6 things rotated. With younger we have the hot lunch menu on the fridge and he looks at it the night before and decides. I do a little happy dance when he says he wants hot the next day. I hate packing lunches. I've done that happy dance. I keep one on the fridge too. Tuesday was some kind of poblano pepper wraps. Today is Italian beef and cheese calzones. Thursday is Mac-a-cheese, with chicken drumlets and salad/fruit/veggies/can't remember what. I don't remember Friday but DD said she won't eat it. But she apparently loves their mac-a-cheese. So both kids got cold lunch yesterday and today.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Oct 26, 2016 9:53:53 GMT -5
BTW, my kids started packing their own lunches in about first grade. I also make them buy school lunches from their own money. I highly suggest that for people who hate dealing with their kid's lunches.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 9:59:53 GMT -5
BTW, my kids started packing their own lunches in about first grade. I also make them buy school lunches from their own money. I highly suggest that for people who hate dealing with their kid's lunches. Yeah. Probably 3rd or 4th grade older son was fully in charge of his lunch. The only reason I don't have the 1st grader doing it is time constraints. We're often not home until late and it's a challenge just getting done the bare minimum before he needs to go to bed. I don't mind older son buying lunch though because I think it's cheaper for me, so I won't discourage it by making him pay. When he packs lunch he takes a LOT of stuff. I think more than $3.50 worth.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Oct 26, 2016 10:02:16 GMT -5
I don't know what is up with this generation and sandwiches. And, for the longest time, my kids would not eat cereal with milk! I am like, what the heck! No, i am not making you eggs every morning!! I hated sandwiches, and I'm far from of "this generation." My poor mom had to be creative. Also, thermos and lunch boxes were not cool, and I didn't like school lunches, so everything had to go into a plastic bag in a brown bag. I still don't like standard cold sandwiches. As far as bread - it really isn't that nutritious. Filling, yes, but Americans eat too much filling non-nutritious stuff, like processed sandwich bread. We only herald it as a lunch box necessary because that is how we were raised. Cereal, crackers, pretzels - they are all garbage. A little in moderation, like everything else, isn't the worst thing in the world.
We don't buy cereal, I'm not going to deny my kids a pb sandwich if that's what they want.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 10:02:34 GMT -5
I don't know what is up with this generation and sandwiches. And, for the longest time, my kids would not eat cereal with milk! I am like, what the heck! No, i am not making you eggs every morning!! I hated sandwiches, and I'm far from of "this generation." My poor mom had to be creative. Also, thermos and lunch boxes were not cool, and I didn't like school lunches, so everything had to go into a plastic bag in a brown bag. I still don't like standard cold sandwiches. As far as bread - it really isn't that nutritious. Filling, yes, but Americans eat too much filling non-nutritious stuff, like processed sandwich bread. We only herald it as a lunch box necessary because that is how we were raised. Sandwiches are easily portable, easy to prepare, and don't require utensils to eat. IMO, that's why they are often used in lunches, especially for kids. After reading some of the comments, I'm really glad my kiddo eats typical lunch food.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Oct 26, 2016 10:07:50 GMT -5
BTW, my kids started packing their own lunches in about first grade. I also make them buy school lunches from their own money. I highly suggest that for people who hate dealing with their kid's lunches. Yeah. Probably 3rd or 4th grade older son was fully in charge of his lunch. The only reason I don't have the 1st grader doing it is time constraints. We're often not home until late and it's a challenge just getting done the bare minimum before he needs to go to bed. I don't mind older son buying lunch though because I think it's cheaper for me, so I won't discourage it by making him pay. When he packs lunch he takes a LOT of stuff. I think more than $3.50 worth. I am not doing a great job at teaching my kids about money. So I am trying to use that as a way to teach them that you have to make choices. Lunches won't always be subsidized. I'm going for a long term thing. Today my daughter said all her friends were going out for lunch after school, but she didn't want to pay to eat there.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 10:10:10 GMT -5
Older son has switched to hot lunch everyday since he started at the new school. He NEVER ate hot in grade school. He absolutely hated it, but apparently the new school has awesome lunch and it's pretty much the same 5 or 6 things rotated. With younger we have the hot lunch menu on the fridge and he looks at it the night before and decides. I do a little happy dance when he says he wants hot the next day. I hate packing lunches. I've done that happy dance. I keep one on the fridge too. Tuesday was some kind of poblano pepper wraps. Today is Italian beef and cheese calzones. Thursday is Mac-a-cheese, with chicken drumlets and salad/fruit/veggies/can't remember what. I don't remember Friday but DD said she won't eat it. But she apparently loves their mac-a-cheese. So both kids got cold lunch yesterday and today. I wanna eat at their school!
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milee
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Post by milee on Oct 26, 2016 10:14:24 GMT -5
Cereal, crackers, pretzels - they are all garbage. A little in moderation, like everything else, isn't the worst thing in the world.
90% of the foods listed in this thread are garbage. Seriously. Not a huge deal if your kid eats Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets a couple of times a month, but for it to be a "go-to" or recommended lunch food - really? And who complains that their kid won't eat hot dogs or pizza? Seriously? Be grateful your kid doesn't want that junk; why would you ever want them to eat that stuff much less be sad when they don't? This is a pretty smart, college educated crowd and if this is the sort of food they're feeding their kids, I shudder to think what the uneducated people are feeding their kids. No wonder we're seeing kids that are obese at age 12 and have heart disease or diabetes in their 20s or 30s.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Oct 26, 2016 10:17:44 GMT -5
I've done that happy dance. I keep one on the fridge too. Tuesday was some kind of poblano pepper wraps. Today is Italian beef and cheese calzones. Thursday is Mac-a-cheese, with chicken drumlets and salad/fruit/veggies/can't remember what. I don't remember Friday but DD said she won't eat it. But she apparently loves their mac-a-cheese. So both kids got cold lunch yesterday and today. I wanna eat at their school! You and DH.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 10:19:17 GMT -5
Aaaaaaand here we go....
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Oct 26, 2016 10:27:43 GMT -5
Cereal, crackers, pretzels - they are all garbage. A little in moderation, like everything else, isn't the worst thing in the world.
90% of the foods listed in this thread are garbage. Seriously. Not a huge deal if your kid eats Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets a couple of times a month, but for it to be a "go-to" or recommended lunch food - really? And who complains that their kid won't eat hot dogs or pizza? Seriously? Be grateful your kid doesn't want that junk; why would you ever want them to eat that stuff much less be sad when they don't? This is a pretty smart, college educated crowd and if this is the sort of food they're feeding their kids, I shudder to think what the uneducated people are feeding their kids. No wonder we're seeing kids that are obese at age 12 and have heart disease or diabetes in their 20s or 30s. Healthy seems to be an opinion these days. I get really cranked up when someone suggests go-gurt or pudding is healthy. Compared to what exactly? Yet chips are the devil. I'd rather my kids eat plain chips (potatoes, oil, salt) than go-gurt.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 10:28:40 GMT -5
Pizza is the perfect food! All 4 food groups!
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 10:29:35 GMT -5
Not that I even need to defend my choices, but the breads/carbs I pack are whole wheat/multigrain. He really only gets a 1 (apple) juice box 2-3x a week - everything else is milk, OJ, or water. Mac and cheese (on my end, I have no idea what he eats with X) is the Annie's organic brand and we only have it 1-2x a month.
Why do these threads always go in the judgement direction? If you have a picky child (or in my case, a child that your X FORBIDS to buy lunch so you have to give him foods that keep well and that he'll actually eat), would you rather give them fat free carrots, cruelty free wheatgrass drink, and vegan water and know they'll starve ? Or would you pack stuff that they'll eat (some stuff a little borderline but with other nutritious stuff)?
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 10:31:07 GMT -5
90% of the foods listed in this thread are garbage. Seriously. Not a huge deal if your kid eats Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets a couple of times a month, but for it to be a "go-to" or recommended lunch food - really? And who complains that their kid won't eat hot dogs or pizza? Seriously? Be grateful your kid doesn't want that junk; why would you ever want them to eat that stuff much less be sad when they don't? This is a pretty smart, college educated crowd and if this is the sort of food they're feeding their kids, I shudder to think what the uneducated people are feeding their kids. No wonder we're seeing kids that are obese at age 12 and have heart disease or diabetes in their 20s or 30s. Healthy seems to be an opinion these days. I get really cranked up when someone suggests go-gurt or pudding is healthy. Compared to what exactly? Yet chips are the devil. I'd rather my kids eat plain chips (potatoes, oil, salt) than go-gurt.
Yes! I do not give DS flavored yogurt.... It might as well be ice cream with all that sugar. He will eat granola with plain yogurt.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 10:31:56 GMT -5
Pizza is the perfect food! All 4 food groups! BREAD IS THE DEBIL!!!!!
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Oct 26, 2016 10:32:48 GMT -5
Pizza is the perfect food! All 4 food groups! BREAD IS THE DEBIL!!!!! I do consider any juice the devil, however I pack water in a BPA free Nalgene. Still, it isn't stainless so I know I'm wrong.
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milee
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Post by milee on Oct 26, 2016 10:34:45 GMT -5
90% of the foods listed in this thread are garbage. Seriously. Not a huge deal if your kid eats Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets a couple of times a month, but for it to be a "go-to" or recommended lunch food - really? And who complains that their kid won't eat hot dogs or pizza? Seriously? Be grateful your kid doesn't want that junk; why would you ever want them to eat that stuff much less be sad when they don't? This is a pretty smart, college educated crowd and if this is the sort of food they're feeding their kids, I shudder to think what the uneducated people are feeding their kids. No wonder we're seeing kids that are obese at age 12 and have heart disease or diabetes in their 20s or 30s. Healthy seems to be an opinion these days. I get really cranked up when someone suggests go-gurt or pudding is healthy. Compared to what exactly? Yet chips are the devil. I'd rather my kids eat plain chips (potatoes, oil, salt) than go-gurt.
Yeah, it's less about individual foods and more about the overall nutrition that you get out of an overall day's eating. I guess there are some foods that are clearly "healthy" - most veggies for example - and some foods that are clearly "junk" - mac and cheese for example - but most fall somewhere on the continuum. Eating a junky food won't kill a kid; the problem is when the entire diet is junky. It's just so strange to hear parents talking about the best way to send in food that is clearly pretty awful nutritionally. Implies that the junk stuff is a staple in the kids' diet, or why care about the best way to send it in and preserve it? So the pizza or hot dog isn't perfectly hot, maybe that will encourage the kid to try something actually has some nutritional value.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 10:39:10 GMT -5
Well, I can't very well put macaroni and cheese in a paper bag!
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milee
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Post by milee on Oct 26, 2016 10:40:47 GMT -5
If you have a picky child (or in my case, a child that your X FORBIDS to buy lunch so you have to give him foods that keep well and that he'll actually eat), would you rather give them fat free carrots, cruelty free wheatgrass drink, and vegan water and know they'll starve ? Or would you pack stuff that they'll eat (some stuff a little borderline but with other nutritious stuff)? No idea why you'd think fat free is necessarily healthy, or that organic mac and cheese is nutritionally better than nonorganic mac and cheese, but whatevs. Teaching kids about nutrition and food as fuel is similar to teaching them about money. It's not always fun and it's even more difficult if you don't have a great grasp on it yourself, but IMHO it's part of how good parents prepare their kids to be happy, healthy adults. Most kids are picky, few are born gleefully tucking in to broccoli, just like most people would rather spend what they make rather than save or practice deferred gratification. Does that mean they have to eat a perfectly balanced meal three meals a day and never have a treat? No. But sending in crap every day and using the excuse that they'll only eat junk is a cop out and long term your kids' health will pay the price of that choice. You asked. When your kid doesn't want to do his homework, you're probably going to use a variety of techniques to encourage him to do it even if he doesn't want to. Similar thing if he goes through that stage when he doesn't want to brush his teeth. Eating a reasonable balance of foods is no different. It's a health issue they need to learn even if they don't really want to.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Oct 26, 2016 10:45:14 GMT -5
Thing is, what I send with my kid is stuff I know he'll eat and drink when I'm not around. My kid will do all day at school without drinking anything. Finally, I found the solution to that with the caprisuns. Do I love it? No, but I don't like seeing that my kid took 2 sips of his drink for the entire day. DS2, barely 4, came home with only 2 bites taken out of his sandwich yesterday. The daycare doesn't make sure he eats a decent amount, you think they'll make sure he eats carrot sticks?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 10:49:36 GMT -5
See, now the "you won't be healthy as an adult" argument always gets thrown out there, but I'm pushing 50 and have never had any health issues except a kidney stone once 10 years ago....which I only missed 4 hours of work for. I rarely even get colds. I grew up on cereal, cheese, frozen pizzas and Carnation instant breakfast bars.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Oct 26, 2016 10:51:17 GMT -5
See, now the "you won't be healthy as an adult" argument always gets thrown out there, but I'm pushing 50 and have never had any health issues except a kidney stone once 10 years ago....which I only missed 4 hours of work for. I rarely even get colds. I grew up on cereal, cheese, frozen pizzas and Carnation instant breakfast bars. Congrats on your metabolism
I'd be obese if I ate that stuff.
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milee
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Post by milee on Oct 26, 2016 10:51:40 GMT -5
I get it. Food is hard. My kids are picky, too. And they eat more than their share of junk.
I just don't understand why food is some different topic in regards to parenting than the other topics. I'm probably missing something here, but I think it's the same type of thing as teaching about money, fitness, how to do schoolwork, etc. If a poster came on and said that they were giving their adult kid $50 a week so he had enough to buy cigarettes, people would be all over that. People would not only talk about the cigarette issue but how the parent is enabling bad choices. Nobody would think it was OK since this is the best way to get the kid to keep in touch or whatever other excuse.
But we have posters with kids who are obese or who have behavior or physical issues and we're all fine with laying out the best way for them to send in nice, hot mac and cheese for that kid to eat? Huh? How is this a different issue? I'm seriously missing it.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Oct 26, 2016 10:56:49 GMT -5
If you have a picky child (or in my case, a child that your X FORBIDS to buy lunch so you have to give him foods that keep well and that he'll actually eat), would you rather give them fat free carrots, cruelty free wheatgrass drink, and vegan water and know they'll starve ? Or would you pack stuff that they'll eat (some stuff a little borderline but with other nutritious stuff)? No idea why you'd think fat free is necessarily healthy, or that organic mac and cheese is nutritionally better than nonorganic mac and cheese, but whatevs. Teaching kids about nutrition and food as fuel is similar to teaching them about money. It's not always fun and it's even more difficult if you don't have a great grasp on it yourself, but IMHO it's part of how good parents prepare their kids to be happy, healthy adults. Most kids are picky, few are born gleefully tucking in to broccoli, just like most people would rather spend what they make rather than save or practice deferred gratification. Does that mean they have to eat a perfectly balanced meal three meals a day and never have a treat? No. But sending in crap every day and using the excuse that they'll only eat junk is a cop out and long term your kids' health will pay the price of that choice. You asked. I know I asked, hence the question mark at the end of the sentence. No, kids shouldn't have junky foods every day for lunch or any meal... but as yogiii said, everything in moderation. We have fruits and vegetables daily, and he will eat his veggies with problem (although he does need prompting at times). I remind him often how broccoli/green beans/carrots/cauliflower (those are the only veggies he will eat without issue right now) will help him to grow big and strong like Daddy. He likes that idea, so that helps a lot. My point is, that I don't think all the comments or suggestions here necessarily reflect daily eating habits of the posters' kids. Maybe they do.... I don't know... but the suggestions I've seen here are WAY better than things I've seen and heard about packed in lunches. And yes, I know the benchmark for comparison should be higher than "eating this food regularly will give you diabetes". But again to reference yogiii, healthy is subjective. I just listed vegetables my kiddo will eat, but they're not organic, so that may have some consider them not as healthy. Consider that some of us don't have easy going kids (re: food) and/or a very large food budget, so we have to do the best we can. I think most of us are doing the best we can, and judgemental posts like yours (especially coming from another mom who is also doing the best she can) really don't help at all.
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