Lunch Poll
So I have a bit of a mental block when it comes to lunch. I've been trained to eat frozen entrees for lunch for so long that now that I'm home with the boys every day I still do, but I feel kind of weird about it, although the frozen entrees are "nicer meals" than what I would come up with for myself. and I usually make something separate for Finn because for some reason I feel weird about him eating a frozen meal. yes I'm weird. And then when it comes to the weekends we eat out just about every meal all weekend long. but we've talked about cutting back on the amount we eat out and talked about lunching at home. but then I kind of froze....what would we eat for lunch at home?? I seriously don't know why I have a mental block for this. but I do.
So.....what do you have for lunch at home? for you and the whole family? do the kids eat something different than you eat?
Re: Lunch Poll
How about grilled cheese and soup? Paninis--makes you feel like you are eating something different than a sandwich. I love pastina mixed with some butter and grated parm. cheese.
That's all I've got--we eat out all weekend too and need to change that, so I hope you get some more ideas.
On Sundays, especially during the winter, I will usually make a big pot of soup or chili. Then I'll have that for lunches throughout the week, or alternate with a grilled cheese or turkey sandwich.
Lately I have been making grilled turkey and cheese with dijon mustard.
During the summer, I make big batches of chicken salad, and I'll just eat it on a sandwich or with some crackers.. or sometimes plain. I also make kind of a greek salad pita if you are intersted, I'll post the recipe. Also, I will grill a few chicken breasts over the weekend, then just slice them and make a big salad for lunch
As for Caroline, her lunch is pretty standard unless we have leftovers that is soemthing she'll eat. her usual is sliced turkey or ham (every now and then a hot dog), cheese slices, a veggie (either peas, sauteed mushrooms, or some sort of bean), and a fruit. Sometimes we'll do yogurt, but I try and limit her dairy. Another thing she likes is soup. if its a thick soup she will feed it to herself, but broth based soups with chunks of stuff (like veggie soup) I will drain the liquid and give her hte meat and vegetables.
Oh and I made some turkey meatballs the other day, and I have been taking them out and heating them up for her... she really likes those.
We do a lot of leftovers from dinner.
A turkey "panini"- cheese, bread, turkey toasted in the toaster oven. I do that only because a turkey sandwich not toasted and the meat falls off the bread.
We get these mini cheese ravioli at TJ's that she loves with a tablespoon of pasta sauce and some grated parm cheese and peas.
If we do a sandwich, she likes to get "chips" too. So I give her mini rice cakes, or gold fish. Sometimes as a treat she gets a couple Pringles, but I don't allow her potato chips. I don't know why I don't feel like Pringles are real chips, but I just don't. She sees her daddy eat sandwiches with chips so that's what she asks for.
She likes chicken nuggets. I can't remember the name of the brand, but I get them at WF or the farmers market. She eats them with ketchup or BBQ sauce.
I keep lots of frozen veggies on hand to heat up for her. She will eat pretty much any of them. She loves edamame.
Sometimes I give her options and she doesn't want anything I give her to chose from. If I ask her what she wants and she says something not totally ridiculous, I will let her have it. Sometimes she wants cereal.
She also likes beans, rice, tomatoes and cheese. Sort of a spice-less, meatless chili.
our go to lunches are grilled cheese (which I make fake by toasting 2 slices of whole wheat bread and slapping a piece of cheese in btwn right when it pops up to make it melty), chix nuggets (i use the veggie ones in the green box, morning star i think), mini pizzas (english muffin toasted w/ tomato sauce sprinkled w/ cheese) or mac n cheese. I add one or two of the following salad, cucumbers, carrots, celery, cheese stick, yogurt, apple, banana, pinapple, orange, applesauce, or melons. She's a pretty basic/limited eater and it really disappoints me but I try not to dwell. It's dinner time that I "fight" with her to get her to try new things.
Me personally, i love hot lunches and rarely eat sandwiches for lunch. I will eat frozen crappy things (my affectionate name for them) during the week or leftovers from dinner. She and I do not eat the same thing for lunch and we usually go out one weekend lunch.
Josie & Michelle, I'd love to live at your houses!!
Colin eats: Coldcuts that I either slice or make into mini sandwiches (cut a big one in quarters, fancy huh?), if I have left over tortollini or pasta I usually throw a little butter, frozen peas and parm cheese and heat it up. He eats a lot of Mickey chicken nuggets, american cheese, cut up fruit. I sometimes drain chicken noodle soup. I buy atleast one publix rotisserie chicken fam meal per week and cut the meat off to give to C and put in salads. He loves the mac salad and baked beans so I get those with the meals and he'll eat some of that for luncn too. He eats a lot of the same things for lunch as he does for dinner.
I just eat whatever I have time for. usually a salad, sandwich or sometimes I have leftover chilli or pasta depending on how well I meal planned for the week. I make tuna a lot too.
I think that I would die without my frozen meals--although I'm toying with buying salmon filets at costco and eating them myself for lunch. I would not give these to the kids unless they were "farm raised" which I don't think they are.
Alec for lunch on weekends usually has PB&J, or veggie pattie from morning star, or rolled turkey and cheese, or fast food if we are out. not the healthiest, but we try to get the 4 food groups in.