Help! Need lunch ideas!

My girls eat pasta over and over again. I feed them a lot of the Gerber Graduates because we've not been cooking lately. And they just seem to eat pasta all the time - Ravioli, mac and cheese (with veggies mixed in), spagetti-o type baby food. I am really into the girls eating healthy, and a lot of it is whole grain but I feel like they just eat nothing else sometimes.

They are almost 13 months old, and Alexandra only had one tooth (eye tooth), Elizabeth has none. They've had grilled cheese on whole wheat and loved it, but I am at a loss as to what else to give them for lunches! I am going food shopping tomorrow, so any suggestions would be nice. What do you feed your kiddos for lunch? Thanks in advance!

 

We only had our two bottom teeth at that age. Here are some of our favorites:
*Tuna salad sandwich (or just spoon-fed)
*Egg salad sandwich (or just spoon-fed)
*PB&J
*Cream cheese & avocado sandwich
*pork & beans with gerber meat sticks
*scrambled eggs w/cheese
*quiche (I made them in mini-muffin tins, but Alden (Minette) swears by the Costco ones)
*shredded chicken
*turkey deli meat scraps
*yogurt
*leftovers from dinner

 

One of my favorite fast lunches is Healthy Choice soups. When they were younger (like closer to 12 months) I would spoon feed it to them. Now what I do is drain most of the broth and they eat it in their own bowls. Yes, still involves some pasta for the noodles, but this is one of the few ways they will eat veggies.
Another good one is spinach and feta pizza.
Mine are almost two and they still love those darn Graduates ravioli.

 

I also need suggestions! But I wanted to share my boys eat a lot of the brand called 'Amys' organic soup. The pea soup is good and so it the lentil bean. I do blend the minastrone soup because it is too brothy and blending it makes it a little thicker. Also the pieces are a little too big and it makes me nervous.

 

Katy has allergies to eggs and dairy. So I really make almost all of the girls' food. I take one day a week, make batches of quick breads/muffins and main courses, and then divide them into serving sizes for the freezer. It makes meal time super easy, because I just go to my freezer stash and pull something out. Some of what I make:

*meatballs (beef, turkey; I use my food processor to chop up veggies to add to the meat -- onion for flavor, spinach, carrots for nutrition)
*meatloaf and then slice
* salmon patties (I use canned salmon)
*sweet potato chunks (roasted with olive oil, cinnamon, ginger and a touch of brown sugar)
* quick breads such as banana, pumpkin, zucchini (sometimes I put the batter into mini muffin pans)
* tomato sauce with ground beef
* chili
* curried chicken
* brown rice with black beans

Usually the night before, I'll prepare fresh fruit (they love ALL fruit) for them, as well as some veggie (steamed broccoli, carrots, cauliflower etc).

For pre-made stuff, I sometimes give them vegan Boca Burgers, nitrate-free, organic hotdogs, or soy yogurt.

 

Great suggestions os far guys! I really like the soup ideas and chili, veggie burgers and the tuna/egg salads. Keep 'em coming!

 

I started giving them peanut butter sandwiches at that age. Michael LOVES them. I also have heated up chicken nuggets, fish sticks and things like that. That seems to be a good lunch. But you are right, my twins will eat mac. and cheese, ravioli (messy) and grilled cheese sandwiches at nauseum! I've tried chicken and dumplings in a can. They liked that too.

Good luck,

Bridget

QUOTE(astralweeks @ Jul 5 2007, 07:30 PM) [snapback]318441[/snapback]
My girls eat pasta over and over again. I feed them a lot of the Gerber Graduates because we've not been cooking lately. And they just seem to eat pasta all the time - Ravioli, mac and cheese (with veggies mixed in), spagetti-o type baby food. I am really into the girls eating healthy, and a lot of it is whole grain but I feel like they just eat nothing else sometimes.

They are almost 13 months old, and Alexandra only had one tooth (eye tooth), Elizabeth has none. They've had grilled cheese on whole wheat and loved it, but I am at a loss as to what else to give them for lunches! I am going food shopping tomorrow, so any suggestions would be nice. What do you feed your kiddos for lunch? Thanks in advance!

 

I prepare a lot of pasta for them as well. Here are some other things not already mentioned:
-grilled cheese
-grape jelly sandwich
-cheese pizza

The sandwiches are particularly great for when you're out and about!