The answer to the famous question… “What do you give your child for lunch?”
Here are some ideas for kids lunches. Using cookie cutters, colors, and food picks, I try to make lunches appealing to my kids. The majority of the items in this menu are healthy options that the kids (or at least one kid) likes, and are easy for me as a parent to put together in the mornings. The kids have pizza day at school on Fridays so we only need four meal ideas each week.
In this weekly post about our school lunches, I will share the recipes, and how I packed the kids’ lunches as well as what they enjoyed. This week’s lunch consisted of mainly leftovers.
Here’s what we had this week
MONDAY
Sloppy Joe* with a side of Celery, ranch dressing, mandrin orange and milk.
*We used left-over ground beef (from the freezer stash- ground beef is so versatile that I always store left overs in the freezer) and topped it with shredded cheddar cheese and sandwich it all in between a hamburger bun. For a more authentic sloppy joe, reheat the ground beef on the stove, add in chopped bell peppers, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Top the ground beef mixture with cheddar cheese, sauted onions, and any other topping of your choice. Ofcourse, my kids enjoy the more simpler version, making it easier on me, so I just stick to that.
⚠️⚠️⚠️All three kids had left overs.
TUESDAY
Chicken and cheese Patties** with a side of carrots, ranch dressing (for dipping), strawberries, chex mix and milk.
**Another must in our freezer stash is cooked chicken cubes. For this recipe, shred cooked chicken cubes and toss with shredded mozzarella cheese. Thaw and roll out store-bought puff pastry sheets, and cut in to 6 rectangles (make 2 cuts length wise and 1 cut along the width). Scoop a heaping spoonful of the mixture on to one side of each rectangle. Using a pastry brush, wet the sides of each rectangle and fold over to enclose the mixture into the puff pastry sheet. The water will help to seal the edges. Then, using a fork, press along all four edges.
⚠️⚠️⚠️ The quantity of the food was not filling. The kids requested more filling sides or more than two patties per child.
WEDNESDAY
Bean and Cheese Quesedillas*** with kale chips, salsa, mandrin orange and milk.
***Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add in a clove of garlic and let it slowly brown on medium to medium-high heat. Once the garlic is browned on both sides, smash it with a fork, and add in a can of pinto beans. Stir the beans with some ground cumin, chilli powder and salt to taste. Cook until the beans are thoroughly heated, then smash with a fork or potato masher to desired texture. Add in shredded cheddar cheese, and squeeze lime juice over the beans. Finally, layer in between two flour tortillas.
⚠️⚠️⚠️ Unfortunately, no one enjoyed the taste of the kale chips.
THURSDAY
Hot Dog**** with a side of carrot and apple fries ranch dressing (for dipping), and milk.
****This was our unhealthy cheat meal for this week. I put all the condiments on the underside of the hotdog so that it doesn’t get all over the wrapper. Then, I wrap the hotdog in foil, super simple. For the Apple fries, I soak them for a couple minutes in a solution of half water-half freshly squeezed lemon juice. This keeps the apples from browning.
✅✅✅No complaints today.
Linked below, you will find all the containers and picks I used for this week’s lunch.
Two section stainless steel container
Sauce Container for Salad Dressing
Stainless Steel Food Container for the Salad and Fruits
