need lunch ideas

Susan&Skip

looking for easy lunch box ideas for a 3 year old.  he won't eat sandwhiches or pinwheels or anything like that.  Wed i just did crackers, yogurt, grapes and a little snack.. but i feel that's all too snacky type food.

The pre-school dosn't warm anything up and has to be ok with just an ice pack. 

I was thinking of making some pumpkin bread and adding that or stuff like that.

 Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!

kelbrian

Turkey/ham/chicken, grape/cherry tomatoes and cheese cube kabobs or just tossed together.

Pumpkin or banana bread with cream cheese or pumpkin butter. 

Cracker 'sandwiches' with Boursin garlic and herb cheese.

Pasta salad - quinoa pasta (has more protein than wheat pasta), olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, mozzarella cubes and Italian dressing.

Greek yogurt - has more protein than regular. My DD likes the Chobani Kids.

Pancakes (I make batches of beet pancakes and pumpkin pancakes) with whipped cream cheese and sliced strawberries to make a panwich, as my kiddo calls them.

Whole wheat tortilla spread with sunflower seed butter and honey, with a banana rolled up in it and sliced like sushi. 

 

For sides, I usually do a GoGoSqueeze applesauce pouch, string cheese, fruit (grapes, blueberries, peaches and mango are favorites), baby carrots and either Annie's snack mix, veggie straws or freeze dried strawberries, raisins, sunflower seeds and banana chips mix.

kmhunt11

WOW, kel- amazing suggestions!  Thank you!

DD's lunchbox came with a book of ideas.  Most are on this site.  LOTS of options.  Many seem weird to me, but maybe won't to her.

 https://www.laptoplunches.com/bento-menus-season/Fall/ 

kelbrian

kmhunt11:

WOW, kel- amazing suggestions!  Thank you!

DD's lunchbox came with a book of ideas.  Most are on this site.  LOTS of options.  Many seem weird to me, but maybe won't to her.

 https://www.laptoplunches.com/bento-menus-season/Fall/ 

My kiddo has been in school for a month now, so I've had some time to practice  

I'll have to check out that site. The Weelicious website I linked in the beet and pumpkin pancake recipes is amazing and has a ton of awesome lunch ideas, especially on her FB where she posts daily photos.

kmhunt11

I know I'm basically asking one of life's big questions, like "Why are we here?", but how do you get your toddler to try new things?  I gave DD a variety of foods and spices from the beginning, but she's gotten so stubborn!  She won't try something and says "I don't like it."  I try to reason with her that she hasn't had it and maybe she will; I say to try one bite and if some doesn't like it she doesn't have to have anymore (I try this one with DH, too...).  I don't believe in giving her dips for everything, and she doesn't really like anything like Ranch. She just won't even take a bite!  She came home from school starving yesterday, and I'd sent totally standard stuff (PB&J, grapes, goldfish, green beans, craisins). I'm worried if I send less familiar things she won't eat a thing.  (Granted yesterday was the first day of school)

KathrynMD

kmhunt11:

I know I'm basically asking one of life's big questions, like "Why are we here?", but how do you get your toddler to try new things?  I gave DD a variety of foods and spices from the beginning, but she's gotten so stubborn!  She won't try something and says "I don't like it."  I try to reason with her that she hasn't had it and maybe she will; I say to try one bite and if some doesn't like it she doesn't have to have anymore (I try this one with DH, too...).  I don't believe in giving her dips for everything, and she doesn't really like anything like Ranch. She just won't even take a bite!  She came home from school starving yesterday, and I'd sent totally standard stuff (PB&J, grapes, goldfish, green beans, craisins). I'm worried if I send less familiar things she won't eat a thing.  (Granted yesterday was the first day of school)

I just keep giving her stuff she doesn't like w/ stuff she does like.  I know she's not starving and if she won't eat mashed potatoes (OMG - what is wrong w/ her??) then so be it.  She eats enough chicken nuggets/hot dogs/pizza that I know she's full, but if she skips the weirder stuff that's OK for now.  I just don't give her stuff she "likes" instead of the newer/less favored stuff.  Last night, we had pork roast, roasted carrots and loaded mashed potatoes for dinner.  That was all questionable for her, so I gave her a cheese stick too - she ate the cheese immediately and then just looked at the rest of it and told me she didn't like the potatoes and kept asking me about the carrots.  I gave her a bite of my pork and then she gobbled all hers up and asked for more.  She refused the carrots and the potatoes. 

kelbrian

kmhunt11:

I know I'm basically asking one of life's big questions, like "Why are we here?", but how do you get your toddler to try new things?  I gave DD a variety of foods and spices from the beginning, but she's gotten so stubborn!  She won't try something and says "I don't like it."  I try to reason with her that she hasn't had it and maybe she will; I say to try one bite and if some doesn't like it she doesn't have to have anymore (I try this one with DH, too...).  I don't believe in giving her dips for everything, and she doesn't really like anything like Ranch. She just won't even take a bite!  She came home from school starving yesterday, and I'd sent totally standard stuff (PB&J, grapes, goldfish, green beans, craisins). I'm worried if I send less familiar things she won't eat a thing.  (Granted yesterday was the first day of school)

Well, we eat a wide variety of food, so it's what she knows, I guess. I don't serve up a separate meal for her and never have, regardless of whether she likes it or not (I always try to serve at least one side that she likes if we have something like steak). If she takes a bite of every single thing on her plate and doesn't like it, she is welcome to grab a piece of fruit and/or string cheese from the fridge. If she doesn't try everything, she doesn't get the fruit or cheese and will have to wait until the next meal for something. I also won't give her seconds of something unless she has tried everything. It works very well for us. She was starting to get super picky and trying to demand sandwiches the second she sat down, and that just doesn't fly with me. I'm not a short order cook. This way, she will usually at least try a bite of everything and if not, she's probably tired and needs to go to bed or is just not hungry.

The first day of school is also very overwhelming and not indicative about how the rest of her lunches will go 

brightning

This list has a ton of ideas, broken down by food group.

https://wendolonia.com/blog/bento-box-basics/lunch-box-idea-list/ 

dakota01

For the picky eater I was just reading in What's Eating Your Child to try the E.A.T. plan. Basically you offer thesame item everyday for two weeks and they must try a bite each day. I wouldn't send to school but maybe at dinner. Your child and you discuss that you will be adding one new food . You and her decide together making the choice similar in texture, color , taste to food they currently like. Try one bite every day for two weeks. Sounds reasonable and she'll pry like picking it out from the store.