Please give me ideas for cold lunch!

First let me start by saying I have a super picky eater on my hands. He always has been. I am also a picky eater so it is very hard for me to not sympathize. He has been taking PB&J or a jelly only sandwich since the beginning of last year. The poor guy is sick of them. I don't know what else to try. He doesn't like ham, turkey or bologna sandwiches. Sometimes he will eat the lunchable type packages, but he will only eat the meat & crackers, not the cheese. I suppose that is ok, as long as he is eating something. I just don't know what else we can try. He won't eat soup so that is not an option. I just don't know what else to offer him. I would be so tired of the same thing day after day.

He typically takes a PB&J or jelly only sandwich, chips or Goldfish crackers, sometimes a cheese stick and maybe a little snack.

I would appreciate anything you can suggest. Thanks!

 

I have one that's especialy picky and these are some things that he'll eat:

pb & j
nuts (mixed, trail mix, plain cashews,etc.)
hard boiled eggs
gogurts
I've tried bagels or bread with cream cheese and jelly, but he doesn't like cream cheese
graham cracker or other crackers with PB
cheese quesadilla
he doesn't like pizza, but will eat the pizza lunchables
He'll eat ham and turkey lunchables, but not the cheese out of them
he'll eat almost any fruit


If there is a way to heat items up, he'd eat things like chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, hot dogs, mini corn dogs.

 

I wonder if you might try putting together your own "lunchable" with just crackers and meat if he will eat that. You also mentioned soup. Does he like anything like Spaghettios or Ravioli or any of the other canned pastas? I bought short, wide-mouthed thermoses for my kids and give them those things when it's colder out. I remember someone on her once suggested chips and salsa. I bought some little covered condiment cups at Smart & Final and used those for the salsa. I'm assuming he doesn't like cheese or I would suggest a cheese sandwich. I also used to cook up frozen taquitos and wrap them in foil and put them in my kids' lunches. They didn't really stay warm, but my kids liked them anyway. They love uncrustables too, but they are kind of pricey and that's still peanut butter & jelly. You could also do wraps with lunch meat in a small tortilla.

 

Can you send a thermos to school that can hold hot food - pasta, mac n cheese, hotdogs?

Typical school lunchs at our house include
I'd call this ideas below the "main dish" of the lunch, and I would also include a morning snack (for recess) and a little desert after the "main dish"
-crackers,cheese, sliced salami/pepperoni
-hard boiled egges, and cheese
-minibagels with cream cheese and jam (yes it's good!)
-various kinds of sandwiches, grilled cheese, almond butter and jam (school is peanut free), bologna etc
-breasticks, cheese, carrots, celery
-wraps with various kinds of meat, cheese, or a veggie combo

Snacks will include goldfish, granola bar, rice crispy bar, fruit, yogurt, mixed veggies (carrot/celery)
cheese sticks, mini-muffins etc.

 

oops that should be bread sticks "not breast!" :shy

 

I had to make a list when I was completely away from the kids and time to pack the lunches. Once I wasn't stressing about it, I was shocked how long the list of things I could send was. My kids don't like soups or warm stuff, so I don't do the thermos thing. They usually have a small ice pack. They also like some of what the cafeteria serves so that gives them some variety.

Main things-
cold pizza
ham, cheese mustard sandwich
cream cheese and strawberry jelly sandwich
bagel with flavored cream cheese
cheese and cracker sandwiches
whole wheat pumpkin muffins (homemade, I keep them in the freezer and let them thaw overnight in their lunch bags)

Sides-
orange slices
apple slices
gherkin dill pickles
grapes
lightly sugared strawberries
fruit cups (applesauce, mandarin oranges, etc)
jello cups
yogurts
cheese sticks
yogurt covered raisins
dried pineapple
fruit bite snacks
dried apple or pineapple bites with a oat and yogurt covering (they come in serving size packets by the dried fruit in the baking aisle at our store)
apple cups that come with a granola topping to add onto it (tastes sort of like apple pie in a cup, they have other fruits also)
chips (honestly, Sarah won't eat them and Timothy maybe once a week)


I don't really do a "dessert" like a pudding cup. I do drop in a hershey kiss or something like that. A little something sweet. Though right now, we're still working on trying to empty the Halloween candy out. So, they get a little of that everyday. They just do not have the urge to sit and eat candy very much.

Marissa

 

Wow, I was gonna give you a few ideas we use, and instead I gained many new ideas myself! Thanks ladies!

 

I noticed you said you are a picky eater. Do you think they are picking up on your eating habits? I would try introducing a variety of new things at home and see what they like.

Other ideas:
Different nut butters
Hummus and pita
Cream cheese and jelly
Honey instead of jelly
Cold pasta or pizza
Crackers and cheese/meat
Bagels, English muffins, pita with any of the above
Wraps with deli meats, cheese, or any of the above

Yogurt with granola or grape nuts
Gorp [mix of dry cereal, dried fruit, and nuts]
Edamame

Best of luck-
Leslie

 

I send in a bowl of cereal for my kids sometimes. They just buy the milk. I send in a bowl with a ziploc baggie full of cereal. They love Life and Special K Red Berries so at least thats a little healthy.
My kids LOVE hard salami and pastrami which most people don't send their kids in with but my kids love it.

 

My picky eater won't even eat peanut butter and jelly! She does like peanut butter and nutella on whole wheat bread (I call it a peanut butter cup sandwich). She also likes a roast beef sandwich or a salami sandwich with pickels, served on a sub roll.

Other ideas:
cold pizza
cold grilled cheese
cold chicken nuggets
peanut butter with banana or honey
macaroni and cheese in a thermos
banana bread and a yogurt, fruit
cheese crackers and pepperonim carrot sticks
pasta salad and a pudding cup
peanut butter crackers, fruit and a muffin

 

One of my girls will not eat a sandwich for lunch in school so I send in rolled deli meat (turkey and/or roast beef) and crackers or pita chips. She gets yogurt alot.
My other DD loved cottage cheese - so i do cottage cheese or the cottage cheese doubles with the fruit on one side.

 

Does he like pasta? You could do variations on a pasta salad--whole wheat pasta, cheese if he will eat it, ham or chicken or other protein, veggie if he will eat it. I do this a lot for work. I make up a batch on Sunday, and I'm good to go for at least Mon thru Wed. My fav is whole wheat pasta, diced chicken, feta cheese, and broccoli--all tossed with an olive oil / lemon juice combo and some spice--usually mint but sometimes basil or dill). But you could easily make it kid friendly.

 

I don't think he realizes I'm a picky eater. He is like me in that it is a consistency thing. But with me, it turns into a gag thing LOL

Jen, cereal is a great idea!

Thanks everyone!