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Creatively Frugal and
Nutritious School Lunches
What are your ideas for nutritious brown bag lunches that are also
inexpensive and easy to assemble?
"One way I save a bundle of money on
my son's lunch is NOT buying juice boxes. His lunchbox this year came
with a water bottle that fits inside the lunchbox. Every night before
bed, we decide what he would like to drink in his lunch the next day
(I buy apple and grape juice when it's on sale and orange juice
from concentrate) and put it in his water bottle. I then put the water
bottle in the freezer till morning. I stick the frozen juice in his
lunchbox in the morning, along with his lunch. By lunchtime, the juice
has thawed and his lunch has remained cold -- no ice pack
needed!" ~ Shannon
"One thing that is never missing
from the lunches at our house is a baggie of fruits and/or vegetables.
Some choices we use are baby carrots (or carrot sticks), celery --
with or without stuffing, cherry tomatoes, raw broccoli, cauliflower,
red or yellow bell pepper sticks, grapes, strawberries, apple
quarters, orange sections." ~ Doni in Texas
"My 8-year-old takes a selection
of raw almonds, raw cashews, carrot and cucumber in separate little
bags for playlunch. Also may take a home-made oat cookie or
bought rice/corn crackers with no preservatives or colourings.
He used to take chips and junk foods all the time until we found he
was allergic to lots of different things. He actually craves raw
fruit and vegetables now (don't die of shock but he loves raw
broccoli)." ~ Lee
"Each new school year I would
start out packing lunches with enthusiasm that would slowly fade and
be just about gone somewhere in mid-winter. Hoping to avoid that, I
sat down and make a list of 7 healthy sandwiches that my sons enjoy.
From there I chose 7 fruits and veggies, 7 types of crackers or
chips, 7 forms of proteins (they help keep the hungry horrors to
a minimum) and 7 desserts. I send water for their lunch every
day. Then I sat down and paired up the foods to create 7
different lunches with no repeats!!! I follow the meals in
order so that it does not get dull for the kids. They love it
and lunches are a breeze now that all the thinking is done!" ~
Linda
"I pack lunches for a husband,
but kids might like these, also. Put cheese (shredded or thinly
sliced, whatever variety) on tortillas (flour or corn, soft or
crisp). Put a couple bacon slices on top, off to one side. If
you wish, sprinkle with cajun seasoning or hot pepper sauce, bits of
onion or chile, or other seasoning or garnish. Microwave until
cheese melts (about 30 seconds). Fold in half. These are best if
made ahead of time so they can cool before packing. An easy way to
pack is to lay one on a thin paper place and fold the plate in half
around
it, enclosing it. Some may like them just as well without the bacon.
Other meats work fine if they will be refrigerated or kept cold in a
cooler, but with the bacon, I don't worry about them being left at
room temperature." ~ Coleen
"My boys love having cold rice
pudding in their lunches now and then as a treat. I could buy
individual serving packages at the grocery store, but they have milk
in them and my youngest is allergic to cow's milk. The
prepared cups also have too much sugar in them. So I make a
batch of rice pudding with soy or oat milk--the pudding tastes
virtually the same to all of us--and then pack the pudding in small
plastic cups, usually with a dollop of raspberry jam to go with
it. A great, cheap dessert with very little sugar. You
can do this with almost any kind of rice, cooking it with
1/2 milk instead of water." ~ Bee in Sweden
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"A few years ago I read in a parenting
magazine that a mother came up with a lunch she called the 'Momable,'
named after the 'Lunchables.' She cut up her own ham and
cheese, included some crackers, a drink and a treat. I expounded on that
idea and use/re-use the actual container from a Lunchable. I slip my
kids' filled containers into a quart-size bag (which I rinse out and
reuse - they have instructions not to throw the container or the
bag away!). That goes into their lunch box along with their water bottle
and a separate container of some kind of fruit. To be even more frugal,
I haven't had to buy one of these containers in a while because I teach
Mothers Day Out and these containers get used all the time there and I
grab them before they get tossed out. The containers DO split eventually
but I have noticed the containers are the big draw to these lunches. At
first I tried to separate everything in reusable dishes or bags but
it was too much of a pain. Also, you can't put the ham with the
crackers because the water in the ham makes the crackers soggy by lunch
time. One last thing to add is don't be surprised when your Kindergarten
teacher throws out the 'trash' and you have to explain that you are
being frugal, not cheap! This just happened to me today." ~
Traci
"I make my own version of
Uncrustables. I make several PB&J (with whole
wheat bread and reduced fat PB), cut them and put them in
the freezer. In the morning I pull one out, and by lunch
time it is thawed. I figure if Smucker's can do it, why
can't I? I also package up fruit and yogurt in
individual reusable containers that I can just grab in the
morning." ~ Jeanette
"First of all, we don't do
school lunches....but if we did, the kids would, gradually,
over time, starting in Kindergarten, make their own. Any kid
can spread peanut butter on a piece of bread or crackers--or
put a slice of meat into a pita pocket or some bread. Kids
can peel carrots, too. Add an apple or an orange (but never
anything soft like a banana!) and you have a complete meal!
My challenge is getting the kids to stop eating
hot-dogs!" ~ Alana
"This is not exactly
cheap, but it is an idea that my kids love. I use
King's Hawaiian dinner rolls for sandwiches. Sometimes
I only have to put 1 slice of cheese or just peanut butter
for 4 rolls so that cuts down on cost. They eat every
bite of these sandwiches so they are not quite so hungry the
rest of the day. Even other kids have asked me to make
these sandwiches for them or tell their moms how to do it!
Also, as a treat, I buy gummy worms in bulk at the dollar
store and put 3-4 in a baggy for their dessert and they
really feel special. Beats buying the individual bags
of treats at prices that quickly add up." ~ Kathy
Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to share
his or her ideas!
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