Kindergarten lunches

[tennisgal]

What are you planning to do as far as lunches? Send a lunch everyday? Let them get lunch at school? 

I've been spoiled with daycare providing food for the last 2.5yrs that I haven't had to think about sending food.

I question W's ability to get hot lunch at school on his own. Do they generally just have one option or a variety of options?

Looks like I have some questions when I go to his meet the teacher appointment next week!

[unclejesse]

We are letting A buy lunch on Fridays as a treat. I think they have options?

I actually like packing his lunch, crazy, huh? He is not a lunch meat lover in the slightest, so I've gotten creative. Pinterest has given me ideas as well. We also have to pack a small snack. Yesterday's lunch was: almond butter and banana sandwich, milk, and Pirate Booty. His snack was grapes and a babybel.
Today: cherry yogurt with granola, berry lemonade, pirate booty. Snack is pumpkin oat energy balls

[sandj82110]

We are packing his lunch 4/5 days and letting him choose one day to buy as a treat. I'm not at all impressed with the menu options most days, especially the breakfast ones. So much sugar and processed crap on the menu, and I'm far from a health nut.

We have a yumbox, he's not really one to eat a sandwich and prefers several small options over main course most meals. Each we im having him choose two fruits and two veggies for the week. This week it's carrots, snap peas, cantaloupe and strawberries.
This is his lunch yesterday
buttered roll, ham, salami, cheese (to make a sandwich or eat separately) cheese string, strawberries, cantaloupe, snap peas, carrots and pistachios and the little blue container is ranch dressing (his school is not but free). His snack is apple slices, a yogurt and scooby graham crackers. I also added a frozen juice box but he said he only had one sip and threw it out as he ran out of time. Today he has the same but I added a banana instead of the juice box. He won't eat it all but I'd rather give him too much than have him go hungry.

[sandj82110]

Here is a copy of the lunch and breakfast menus for August, is this comparable to all schools?
Lunch
wtf are beef fingers? Pizza salad? Chicken chilli crispito?

Breakfast

And then there is a separate menu for "breakfast in the classroom" his school doesn't use this one.

[Deleted]

For now I'm packing. Lunch is $3.50 and I can pack for way less than that. If she asks, I'll let her do 1-2 days a week if she wants.

So far I've packed PB&J and turkey/cheese/crackers for the main meal. I bought a thermos so I need to come up with some warm meals to put in it.

For sides, I've done fruits, carrots and hummus, and a hard boiled egg (hope no one complains about the smell :/ )

[Deleted]

Her school has 2 options everyday. One with meat and one vegetarian. So far vegetarian has been pizza, pancakes, bread sticks, or PB&J which is what she would choose because she doesn't love meat.

Every Friday is pizza and cookie day. They offer veggies and fruits as sides but by the time she finishes her pizza and cookie she'd never eat the fruit/veggies.

[redmonkeystomper]

I think Ruby will take a lunch most days. Yesterday was the first day and I sent a pb sandwich, veggie straws and grapes and she only ate grapes. Friday she wants to buy lunch bc it's pizza day. She can also buy icecream on Fridays.

[muppetinma]

Andrew brings his lunch, as well as a snack, every day. Luckily, he's not too pick about repetitive meals and seems to like the predictability. He gets a sunbutter and preserves sandwich, a cheese stick, fruit, and something crunchy every day. The "something crunchy" could be popcorn, pretzels, carrot sticks. Just depends on what I have on hand. For his snack, I've got a bunch of shelf-stable, prepackaged things he can grab, like cereal bars, Annie's bunnies bags, etc. No juice or milk for him. Just water.

It took a while to figure out what worked for him. (He brought lunch every day last year, too) I decided I'd rather send him with things that I know he'll eat, and can eat during the amount of time they have. He's somebody who gets HANGRY otherwise. I found that if I sent milk, juice, or anything too sweet, he focuses on that and doesn't finish everything else. If I send him meat or too many veggies, he'd rather socialize than eat. I just do my best to make sure he's eating well in the mornings and at night, and lunch just it what it is.

[TrudyCampbell]

Aug 15, 2017 13:20:51 GMT -5 sandj82110 said:

We are packing his lunch 4/5 days and letting him choose one day to buy as a treat. I'm not at all impressed with the menu options most days, especially the breakfast ones. So much sugar and processed crap on the menu, and I'm far from a health nut.

We have a yumbox, he's not really one to eat a sandwich and prefers several small options over main course most meals. Each we im having him choose two fruits and two veggies for the week. This week it's carrots, snap peas, cantaloupe and strawberries.
This is his lunch yesterday
buttered roll, ham, salami, cheese (to make a sandwich or eat separately) cheese string, strawberries, cantaloupe, snap peas, carrots and pistachios and the little blue container is ranch dressing (his school is not but free). His snack is apple slices, a yogurt and scooby graham crackers. I also added a frozen juice box but he said he only had one sip and threw it out as he ran out of time. Today he has the same but I added a banana instead of the juice box. He won't eat it all but I'd rather give him too much than have him go hungry.

Omg this is so much food!
I've been sending lunch for V for two years and I don't send much- usually a sunbutter/jelly sandwich and fruit or baby carrots. I also often send soup with fruit on the side or hummus and veggies and pretzels.

[sandj82110]

Aug 15, 2017 14:33:21 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

Aug 15, 2017 13:20:51 GMT -5 sandj82110 said:

We are packing his lunch 4/5 days and letting him choose one day to buy as a treat. I'm not at all impressed with the menu options most days, especially the breakfast ones. So much sugar and processed crap on the menu, and I'm far from a health nut.

We have a yumbox, he's not really one to eat a sandwich and prefers several small options over main course most meals. Each we im having him choose two fruits and two veggies for the week. This week it's carrots, snap peas, cantaloupe and strawberries.
This is his lunch yesterday
buttered roll, ham, salami, cheese (to make a sandwich or eat separately) cheese string, strawberries, cantaloupe, snap peas, carrots and pistachios and the little blue container is ranch dressing (his school is not but free). His snack is apple slices, a yogurt and scooby graham crackers. I also added a frozen juice box but he said he only had one sip and threw it out as he ran out of time. Today he has the same but I added a banana instead of the juice box. He won't eat it all but I'd rather give him too much than have him go hungry.

Omg this is so much food!
I've been sending lunch for V for two years and I don't send much- usually a sunbutter/jelly sandwich and fruit or baby carrots. I also often send soup with fruit on the side or hummus and veggies and pretzels.

This is what came home
and the graham crackers because he didn't have enough time to eat them, they were consumed .5 seconds after entering the house.

[TrudyCampbell]

Damn, that's impressive! That lunch you sent is more food than my kids eat in an entire day.

[hocus2]

Here lunch is cheaper than what I could make (I think maybe $1.75). I sent lunch on days that my son took trips since they offer cheese sandwiches for classroom/travel lunches and my son won't eat them. Otherwise he ate what they had. He liked pizza days the best but seemed to figure out something everyday. I always send in for my daughter since she's picky. She gets yogurt, apple sauce, pretzels or maybe crackers, water, and sometimes a half soy-jelly sandwich if she's growing. I sometimes send in a bagel with cream cheese as a treat. When I send in for my son I make a sandwich, cut up fruit, crackers/pretzels/corn ships, water and maybe some cheese or a granola bar if I think he needed a bit more. I also provide snacks for both kids but it is pretty stock stuff like wheat thins and apples or goldfish and an grapes.

[breezy8407]

When they were in preschool, they had cold lunch on Fridays. It was usually a sunbutter sandwich or lunchables and a few of the following: veggie straws, string cheese stick, cut up fruit, some kind of Annie's snack like bunnies or grahams.

I haven't seen the lunch menus for next year yet, but they love cold lunch, so I am sure we will do a combination of both school lunch and cold lunch.

ETA: I found the first month.  We were spoiled with healthier food options at preschool. 

[laurack]

Every day at daycare I send either sunbutter and jelly on wheat or turkey and cheese on wheat. Cheese stick or a yogurt tube. Cut up fruit or an applesauce. Sometimes veggies and ranch

I imagine I'll send the same to k, but if she wants to Buy lunch a couple days a week that's fine with me. It's $3 which seems inexpensive, not sure how the menu is yet though

[blane12]

We will likely pack most of the time except for maybe a few select days per month. He's rather picky, and sometimes doesn't eat anything I send either. It's hit or miss. Lunch is $2.80 this year and includes milk. I briefly saw the menu, and think it's 'healthier' than preschool last year.

Most of the time I do tacos, PB sandwich, chicken nuggets, or turkey sandwich with a fruit (apples, strawberries, grapes, raspberries - no bananas because I'm afraid they'll brown in his lunch box. I also send a veggie - peas, green beans, carrots, and sometimes rice. Some days I'll throw in crackers or a string cheese. Typically, 70% comes back uneaten. But some days he surprises me and eats most of it.

On days he doesn't eat, he is a BEAR when he gets home. I wish he understood that not eating makes him mean. Lol.

[racheliz]

DD has to eat school lunch (2.35 a meal.) The only way to get out of it is to get a special form filled out by a MD. They also don't get snacks in K, with the exceptions of Friday's where there is a cupcake fundraiser.

[sandj82110]

Loco Coco, that's really sad.

[fusion]

I'm really curious what ours are going to be because our school doesn't have a cafeteria and the meal is a large part of the Montessori day. They are contracting the meals out and they cost $4.25 a meal, so hopefully that means they are good because I'd like to purchase for at least A and D (3 lunches is a lot to worry about packing daily this year with how much I'll already be doing). We have an hour for lunch and the children set the table, pour out water/juice/tea for everyone, eat, then clean everything after and reset the room for the afternoon. J has allergies and I doubt the menu will work for him, so probably just a lot of sandwich/fruit types of meals for him.

[imimahoney]

I'll send lunch, probably similar to what I send now. I'd love fpr him to eat a damn sandwich but he hates them.

[sandj82110]

Aug 16, 2017 13:31:10 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

I'll send lunch, probably similar to what I send now. I'd love fpr him to eat a damn sandwich but he hates them.

Mine won't eat a sandwich made with bread but will eat a sub/kaiser/roll/tortilla. Will he eat any of those things? Or is it sandwich fillings he doesn't like? 

[imimahoney]

Aug 16, 2017 15:49:15 GMT -5 sandj82110 said:

Aug 16, 2017 13:31:10 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

I'll send lunch, probably similar to what I send now. I'd love fpr him to eat a damn sandwich but he hates them.

Mine won't eat a sandwich made with bread but will eat a sub/kaiser/roll/tortilla. Will he eat any of those things? Or is it sandwich fillings he doesn't like? 

He only recently started liking hotdog buns, I guess I could send him hotdog in a bun everyday? LOL. He used to eat almond butter and jelly sandwiches but grew tired of them. He absolutely refuses to eat any non-melted cheese or deli meat. My kid sucks at eating lunch. 

[breezy8407]

DD doesn't eat bread either! The only bread like thing she will eat is a pretzel bun.

[fryjack2]

sandj82110--that in class breakfast menu is all sugar One of our babysitters is in grad school getting her masters in public health and wants to work to overhaul school lunch programs. I didn't realize how awful they are.

We will pack the boys lunch every day this upcoming year but after that, the school chefs make their lunch daily. We got to eat it at parents night last year and its pretty impressive. Better than what I would make. But we pay a shitload so I would expect it to be.

This is what I packed the 2 days the boys were in extended day and needed lunch last year:

A protein which was typically turkey and cheese sandwich, or turkey meatballs with penne, or turkey summer sausage with a cheese stick and crackers, or a bean avocado salad. Sometimes I would do sunbather and jelly but they rarely would eat it.

A fruit

A vegetable-usually carrots or cucumbers or tomatoes

If they didn't have cheese with their protein, I would put in a cheese stick or yogurt.

I add some goldfish or pretzels sometimes.

I randomly (like maybe 8 times all year) added in a hershey kiss or yogurt covered pretzels as a surprise. Poor kids. LOL. I'll have to add some to their lunches this year. If I don't eat them all. HA.

[vthokie]

I'll be packing A's lunch. She loves a ham and cheese sandwich, so I'm packing that, a cheese stick and some fruit for lunch. Also a protein bar type thing for snack. She does get a juice box for lunch, but a thermos of water for the rest of the day.

[katfco]

Caleb's only in half-day kindergarten (I hate that), so he'll eat at home, but Abby will be taking lunchables, sandwiches, maybe wraps.