The first week of school is at it’s end and I am already over packing the kids lunch and having them bring back and almost full lunch box. I am at the point where I am OK with them buying their lunch at school everyday. However, with three kids eating it can get very expensive very quickly. Plus, I took on the expense of Horseback Riding for the kids and need to offset it a little by having them continue to take their lunches. But my kids are picky. Not picky enough to allow me to pack the same lunch everyday, unfortunately, but picky enough that is there is one thing they don’t like, it is all uneatable. So, I have been searching the web for some cute ideas for picky eaters. As with most kids, if the food is cute and fun, they might actually eat it!
Turkey and Cheese Spirals
My kids will not eat a turkey and cheese sandwich but they will eat these. Go figure! They are super simple to make and, when preparing multiple lunches, they are fast! I use a small, very small, amount of mayonnaise to ‘glue’ the turkey to the tortilla, layer it with cheese, and roll. Using a serrated knife, slice them into pinwheels. I bet that section of the lunch box comes back empty!
Creative Cut Eggs
My kids love hard boiled eggs. But peeling them and adding them is just boring! I find the yolk by itself or the whole peeled off in the box. I can almost always guarantee they will eat the whole egg if I cut them creatively. SO I use my egg cutter and make them pretty! This works with so many picky eaters. Just making it look different can make a difference!
Veggies
Let’s face it, veggies are no fun. But I have discovered that by cutting them in fun shapes and mixing them up a bit, that my kids might actually try them. My youngest loves broccoli so I make a forest of trees for her. My older two like carrots so I slice them with a wavy cutter to make them more appealing. None of my kids like dressing with their veggies but you can add that if yours do!
Fruit Water
Cut up fruit is great in lunch boxes but my kids have actually said that if the fruit starts to brown, or looks squishy, they won’t eat it. But they like fruit juice. So I make easy and fun fruit water that they love! Just put pieces of strawberries and kiwi for a mimic to their favorite pouch drink and shake. I pour a little bit of water out of the bottle to allow room for the fruit. Use any combination you want. My kids actually eat the fruit pieces as they drink the bottles!
Squeezable Yogurt
Not only is squeezable yogurt a great ‘dessert’ for a kid’s lunch, but if you freeze them they can act as a cooling agent for the entire lunch box. I toss them on the top and by lunch, they are defrosted and ready to eat!
I used to love opening my lunchbox at school and I want my kids to look forward to it as well. By finding some creative ideas I can keep them interested longer and save more money in the long run.
What do your kids like for lunch?
Amazing ideas! I will definitely try some of these. I’m very much interested in fruit water, never tried something like that. Thanks for sharing!