Kid Friendly Lunch Ideas
Last week when I shared our new lunch routine I had A LOT of questions about what is on our lunch rotation. I sort of expected that and even thought about including the list in that post. However, that post was getting pretty long and I have an applicable ebook in the works that I was hoping to have finished to help with this.
I don’t have the ebook done but I thought I would let you know that it is coming VERY SOON! It is a toddler meals ebook to help you survive the breakfast and lunch times at home with your non-school age children. I anticipate it being done in the next month and I promise to let you know as soon as it is.
His favorite lunch - peanut butter and jelly!
In the meantime, here are the selections that usually make it to our table at the lunch hour:
- Chicken Fingers (I have yet to find a homemade version that they will eat – I have not been able to compete with Tyson Honey Battered Tenders. I am working on it though!)
- Fish Sticks (I purchase the haddock sticks from Schwan’s as they are all white meat and my kids and I love them)
- Individual Homemade Mac & Cheese Cups
- Pizza
- Grilled Cheese
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Homemade Cheesy Rice
- Scrambled Eggs
- Cheesy Ham Bisquit Muffins (new to our routine)
- Cheesy Noodles – noodles, butter, Parmesan cheese
My kids have a limited lunch palette. Remember, my key time to introduce new foods is at dinner. Here are some other ideas that friends of mine have found successful:
- Spaghetti O’s (homemade version coming in the ebook)
- Spaghetti
- Corn Dog Muffins
- Deli meat sandwiches or rolls in tortillas
- Hot pockets (homemade or store bought)
Lunch lined up and ready to go on the table!
We also mix our side items with these things but here are some common accompaniments on our menu:
- sliced avocado
- broccoli (my kids LOVE broccoli)
- lima beans (they LOVE these too)
- corn
- mixed vegetables
- california blend vegetables
- carrots
- peas
- peaches
- pears
- blueberries
- grapes
- bananas
- Cheez-Its
- veggie Chips/Fries
- applesauce
- sliced apples
- oranges
This week for lunch? Here is what is on our calendar:
- Monday – Meatballs (I’m having guests and they adults ate meatball sandwiches), french fries, grapes
- Tuesday – Fish sticks, California mix vegetables, apple slices
- Wednesday – Peanut butter and jelly, applesauce, mixed vegetables
- Thursday – Individual Homemade Mac & Cheese Cups, green beans, oranges
- Friday – Chicken fingers, broccoli, canned peaches
What about you? Do you have some tried and true recipes or items that you serve for lunch? I would LOVE for you to list them below. Leave them in the comments section OR if you have a blog post about the recipe, please leave it in the linky below. PLEASE stick to lunch recipes for this post.
I can’t wait to hear!
Great lunch ideas…most of those are on our rotation. That is when I can get my 3 yr old to actually sit long enough to eat lunch. Love the Cheesy Ham Biscuit Muffins idea! They’d be great on the go too!
Oh and those Tyson Honey Battered Tenders?…yeah, I agree there’s no competing with those. :) LOL
Quesadillas! We eat these at least 2-3 times a week. Our local grocery makes their own whole wheat tortillas which are great.
My kids also love red, green, yellow peppers cut up.
Another great idea! My son seems to be weird and picky about quesadillas but it is definitely worth another try. And they are so easy to make!
Thank you so much for these posts! I’ve been feeling exactly the same way lately – lunch meals have just entered the rotation for my 9 month old and getting it together for him and my 3.5 year old has been really challenging. I’ve been inspired to get a routine in place too! I’m trying to incorporate one or two story books as well as lunch. It tends to keep the toddler more focused and to give me a few minutes to feed the baby. I’m going to try English muffin pizzas next week. I think my toddler will spreading the sauce and adding toppings while I thaw and mix baby food. (Making my own for baby number 2.) I might also suggest to all the mamas to try and cut up a big ol’ bag of veggies early in the week. Pull them out for toddlers to snack on pre-lunch and dinner. I am happy if they fill up on veggies and it keeps the whines for snacks down. I usually make a big container of Greek yogurt dip to serve with it.
Great ideas Dana! Thanks for sharing those tips. My kids aren’t big on raw vegetables but I am sure if I made them into fun shapes they might.
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Quesadillas are a main staple in our house, and sometimes we “switch it up” by making it a cheesy roll-up instead (basically just cover the whole tortilla with cheese and them after the cheese is melted roll it up instead of folding it in half). my 5 yr old LOVES these!
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