or

Switch breakfast and lunch: Make quesadillas (or other lunch item) for breakfast and send a container of dry cereal. Purchased milk and added fruit makes this into a real treat. I wouldn’t recommend this as a frequent lunch, but kids love it as an infrequent treat.

quesadillas
mini bagels with cream cheese

and then follow the three things beneath but know that your supposed to choose one from each
“column”

We do lots of different things for their lunches
Wraps
Salad
Pasta Salad
Fresh cut fruit
hard boiled eggs
Cheese and crackers
apples and peanut butter
soup in thermos

I keep some of the Capri Sun Roaring waters in the freezer, they help keep their lunch colder too

I’ve heard that some schools have microwaves available for the kids to use, unfortunately neither of my kids have that option.

they have the tiny dipping sauce “tupaware” in the dollar store

=pb&J but on a whole wheat bagel, cherry tomatoes with lf caesar dressing dip, pineapple chunks, and mini oatmeal cookies

= bean salad, melon wedges, tortilla chips and salsa and some cheese cubes.

=leftover cold veggie pizza, cucumbers and hummus, popcorn and grapes

= whole wheat pita pockets with grilled chicken strips and veggies, low fat yogurt with real strawberries to mix in, sugar snap peas and some animal crackers.

= tuna sandwich cut with a fish shaped cookie cutter (fun=eat?), baby carrots with ranch dip, small plum, some goldfish crackers.

=Ham turkey, and cheese rolled up together, sliced and skewered with a pretzel stick?, mandarin oranges shelled edamame and a fat free pudding

=hard boiled egg sliced and 2 mini whole grin waffles , bell pepper strips, sliced kiwi mixed with blackberries, and a corn muffin.

=string cheese and whole wheat crackers, broccoli and cauliflower florets with raspberry dressing for dipping, blueberries and banana bread slice.

=a salad with dressing on the side, bow tie pasta salad with veggies mixed in, watermelon cubed, and two fig newtons.

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Okay now for some 100 calorie or less snack pack – think snack size zipper bag here

1 small orange 2/3 C cocoa puffs? 15 baby carrots 3 tab raisins 6 reduced fat triscuts

1 cup watermelon 13 Animal crackers 3/4 ounce cheddar 2 twizzlers 1 C celery slices

7/8 C cheerios 2/3 C mini marshmallows 12 soy crisps 1cheese stick and 5 slices ham

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Some random lunches recipes

Pinwheels
Spread sandwich wrap or flour tortilla with horseradish sauce. top with lettuce, then roast beef and swiss. roll up tightly and cut at half inch intervals lay pinwheels flat in plastic container.

waldorf salad pita
Combine 2 C chopped cooked chicken, 3/4 C chopped unpeeled apples, 1/4 C chopped celery, 1/2C chopped walnuts, 1/2 C miracle whip, 1 tsp plain yogurt, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1/8 salt make pockets from whole wheat pita line with lettuce and stuff with filling. This keeps for 2 days in the fridge.

Waffle sandwich
Lightly toast 2 waffles them. spread 2 tbsp peanut butter, and 1 tbsp honey. cover with slices of apple and close up the sandwich.

Mini Pizza
mini whole wheat bagels, spread with sauce cover with shredded mozzarella, stick under the broiler or toaster oven until cheese melted. once cool wrap them in foil

Veggie wrap
spread chive cream cheese on sandwich wrap or flour tortilla and cover with shredded carrot, sliced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Roll cut in half and wrap up.

twirly whirly pizza
heat oven to 400 unroll a refrigerated pizza dough spread with 1/2 sauce, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella, and top with 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves. roll up starting at a short end. Cut into eight pieces and lay on a greased pie plate bake for 22-25 min, until brown. and when cool wrap them up.

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This one is a lunch mix and match I hope you could follow it …
its meant to choose one from each of the 3 categories

Main Veggie or fruit Crunchy Ending

Turkey sandwich Carrots and celery Teddy Grahams
Minestrone Soup Edamame Baked veggie sticks
Ham and cheese wrap up Craisins Soy nuts
chicken drumettes orange dry multigrain cereal
Cheese and salsa in pita berries wheat thins

———————
here are some large mouth thermos ideas

Rice and beans
Pizza cut to fit
chicken nuggets
bacon and eggs
leftover chinese food
chili with tortilla chip scoops
mini ravioli with butter and grated parmesan
pasta rings with peas and corn and butter
grilled cheese on whole wheat cut in fourths

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And finally a different take on pb&J

veggie cream cheese and cucumber
tuna salad and sliced tomato
almond butter with slivered almonds and dried cranberries
hummus and chopped peppers
apple butter and fresh apple slices
whipped cream cheese and fresh blueberries
laughing cow light spreadable cheese with ham and grated carrot
blueberry cream cheese and strawberry slices
reduced sugar jam and cream cheese

Hope you like it I cannot take credit since it is a few different magazine ideas but, maybe it will get the creative juices flowing — don’t forget if you hide spinach in a brownie you can feel better letting them eat it!!!

I have started making my own bread (I know, I’m a nut) and they like their sandwiches even more now. And I’ve figured out it’s cheaper to make my own bread than to buy the good bread without HFCS and junk.