BS: Children's packed lunches

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Scoville
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 09:18 AM

We had scheduled menus--no choices, but they rotated different sorts of slop through in week or two-week intervals.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 19 Jan 07 - 03:16 AM

Don't remember that one....

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Bonecruncher
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 09:54 PM

And for puddings don't forget that chocolate-covered Puffed Wheat thing, with chocolate sauce......
Colyn.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 02:54 PM

We had some sort of meat, potato, veg and gravy, though the salad we had every couple of weeks had egg in it not meat. There were no choices...you ate what you were given. The puddings were sometimes ok, though I hated tapioca (frogspawn)...once again, it was the texture that put me off. We also had sponge with lemon sauce, chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce and my favourite, gypsy tart. I don't remember that we had any form of drink at all with the meal, but there were drinking fountains in the playground when we went out.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: GUEST,Scoville
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 07:30 PM

Always a half-pint carton of 2% milk, some form of canned fruit, some form of pathetic vegetable (about 1/2 cup of wilted salad, overcooked green beans, or kernel corn), dessert (Jell-O cup, brownie, or some kind of bar cookie), and entree (pizza, "chimichanga" which resembled a large fried egg-roll but stuffed with mystery bean product, sloppy joe, or hot ham & cheese on a roll). All very greasy.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 07:17 PM

My mother was a school dinnerlady. We got a two course hot meal, prepared on site by school cooks. There was always a meat portion, mixed salad or two vegetable varieties and potatoes or rice. We had chips about once a fortnight, never had burgers or pizza and curry was a luminous yellowybrown substance formed mainly of chicken pieces, enormous old carrot slices and raisins. Pudding (desserts were what camels lived in) was usually rice pudding, semolina and jam (spunk and period pud), tapioca (snot pudding),chocolate sponge, spotted dick (dead fly cake) or prunes and custard. A rare treat was chocolate coated shortbread, ice-cream, or "pink pudding". We were never sure what was in the 'pink pudding' but it was cakey in texture and served with a sweet white sauce. Water was freely available but nothing else. It was hot, substantial and freshly made. Having the same dinner companions every day helped break down the barriers between years, taught us to share, to care for the younger ones and to be careful with hot dishes. The table leader would collect the dishes of food from the hatch and take it to the table for serving. These days, Health and Safety would have a fit if anyone asked children to carry tins of hot vegetables and serve others.

I've observed Limpit and her classmates at lunch. It's not pretty. Basically, the first sittings are encouraged to eat quickly because there is not enough room for all the school to be seated at once. Packed lunches are kept in the classrooms or nearby, no refridgeration facilities available. There are water fountains around the school, but no drink available in the dining hall except what the children bring. Fizzy drinks and sweets are allegedly banned from lunch boxes. Until a particular teacher left, peanut butter and other nut products were also banned, as she was allergic to nuts. The lunch supervisors have instructions to keep an eye on certain children to make sure they eat their lunch themselves - one good thing about the school is bullying is not tolerated and does not appear to happen often.

I notice a packet of 'pita pockets' has made an appearance in our fridge... I suspect someone has got bored with peanut butter sandwiches!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 04:53 PM

Hate to show my age...or perhaps it's just England. When I was at school here, up to age 10, I don't think anyone had heard of pizza and we never got chips at school. Our school dinners were carefully planned for a healthy, balanced diet. Looking back, they were very good in that respect. Horrible though, being cooked off-site and transported in large metal cans. I loathed them, but in those days, you couldn't go out to play until you cleared your plate!

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Scoville
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 05:31 PM

Yeah, that's how it was when I was a kid. One school in our city accidentally got oven cleaner in the pizza and didn't notice until kids actually started getting sick (doesn't say much for the pizza, does it?). By middle school I almost always packed a lunch. Ugh.

I worked in the dining hall in college and we had GOOD food (I could vouch for it). Not fancy, but a welcome change after all the crap I ate during the grade-school years.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: M.Ted
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 05:25 PM

School cafeteria lunches are no better now, Scoville--at least, when I was a kid the food was prepared in kitchens at school--now a lot of the food is prepackaged and warmed up on site--and so many of the kids go home to more of the same(or eat fast food)--No wonder there are so many overweight kids--WSJ--School Lunches Face Scrutiny As Nation's Kids Get Fatter

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MMario
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 03:58 PM

I think my mother finally registered a protest the time she looked at the menu and they were serving pizza with potato chips, corn and a roll

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Scoville
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 03:53 PM

. . . which is probably one of the reasons I never learned to like shrimp.

You think these things are disgusting? You should have seen what we were served in the school cafeteria. Peanut butter and mayonnaise would have been an improvement. It makes me laugh when people act surprised at how unhealthy school lunches are--when I was in school, everything was fried fried fried. Or super-greasy pizza. A "vegetable" was six overcooked green beans swimming in oil and salt.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: M.Ted
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 02:29 PM

Some of the stuff that people have suggested is so disgusting that I don't wonder that kids don't want to eat it--

My suggestion is, before you do anything else, stop by school at lunch time and observe---as a meal planner, your real job is to chose food appropriate to the situation, so you should see, first hand, what the situation really is. You will learn a lot, and not just about what to put in your daughter's lunch.

Beyond that, I suggest to go to a good deli(when things are a bit slow) and ask your daughter to point,taste, and pick--

As to sandwiches--they fall apart the minute you put them in the baggie--and they dry out--that's what kids hate.

Try making a hoagie/grinder/sub/zep instead--split a sandwich roll or mini baguette, brush the bread with melt butter, or oil instead of mayo-sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, then lay in very thinly sliced cheese, and whatever sandwich meats or fillings that she likes--put a bit of shredded lettuce on it, and maybe some sort of salad dressing, like honey mustard, that she likes--

Wrap it in wax paper, or failing that, at least plastic wrap--deli paper would be great, but even I am not that compulsive--

This really sounds like a lot of trouble, but if you just shop ahead, and keep the brush, oil and or butter on the counter, it is no more trouble that anything else, less even, because you know it'll work. And, actually, she can make her own--


As to the "take what you get and like it" school of food preparation, it takes no more work to fix foods that people like, than it does to fix foods they don't like--

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 12:02 PM

I bet a clever caterer could make a fortune delivering super bag lunches to homes.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:59 AM

Mayonnaise and ketchup (mixed) was what they used as a dressing in 'prawn cocktail' back in the 1980s

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Scoville
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:03 AM

I think mayonnaise and ketchup are proof of Satan, otherwise I'd probably eat them with PB, too.

I remember my mother's family (New Jerseyites) swearing by cream cheese and grape jelly. I prefer raspberry myself. I could almost see the apricot-jelly-and-horseradish (sort of like peach salsa?).

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Peace
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:00 AM

Peanut butter, jam and banana.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MMario
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 10:55 AM

What might I ask is wrong with PB and Mayo? Or PB, Mayo and banana? or PB, Mayo and raisens?

Cream cheese, apricot jelly and horseradish is fantastic as well.

Then there is pb, ketchup and horseradish...

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: SINSULL
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 10:52 AM

Had a friend who ate peanut butter with mayonnaise - yuch. Another had peanut butter with onion on toast every night before going to bed. That I could never understand.
I still prefer cream cheese and jelly though never have either in the house.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Scoville
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 10:14 AM

I love peanut butter (uh, paste) and cheese! Vegemite never did catch on in the U.S., though. I settle for dill pickle relish.

But then I'd eat peanut butter by the jar if my metabolism could handle it. I don't like Reese's, though. I don't like the chalky texture.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 06:50 AM

Though we called it peanut paste in Perth. To show his Aussie heritage, my son used to love peanut paste, vegemite and cheese sandwiches

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Rowan
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 04:28 AM

I never realised there was variation in peanut butter (apart from 'smooth' & 'crunchy') until I spent time in the US; I found the peanut butter there to be a lot drier than anything I'd seen in OZ. It clogged up my palate and I could understand people not taking to it. An OZ child who is allergic to peanuts (like my older daughter) is in mortal danger of being 'deprived', so ubiquitous are the peanut butter (open) sandwiches as snacks.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 13 Jan 07 - 04:34 PM

Not in any school I've worked in Susan the dinner ladies won't let them.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 13 Jan 07 - 04:33 PM

Yes...I think you are all right about not worrying too much about lunch time. She does eat a healthy diet the rest of the time.

Flapjacks are cool and healthy, but if we have them in the house they go too quickly!

Slight deviation here...the best peanut butter I've ever had was when I made it myself. Nothing added but a bit of peanut oil if it was too dry. No sugar, no salt...it was lovely. I must go back to doing it. Not that it helps the problem in hand as she won't eat it, but I will!

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Jan 07 - 12:03 PM

They trade with other kids anyhow, you know.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Tig
Date: 13 Jan 07 - 08:24 AM

This might sound harsh but if she won't eat at lunchtime even when she's got the choice of what's in her lunchbox DON'T FRET!

Firecat was (is!)a fussy eater but since I knew what she ate at home I looked on school lunchtime as good babysitting time. She's not going to starve if she misses out since you feed her well the rest of the time.

How about trying her with a smoothie instead of solids? Or even cutting right down on what's in there to a piece of cheese and one piece of fruit. If she gets hungry she'll start to put more in if you allow her to do it herself.

Best of luck!
Tig
xxx

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 13 Jan 07 - 07:28 AM

Oh Sins I discovered them last year when we were over there and loved them. I like dairylea and jam which is a bit like cream cheese and jelly. I also used to love grated cheese and apple just in a bowl. That might be nice with some oat cakes or bread as a side.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 10:29 PM

I hated peanut butter as a child and preferred cream cheese and jelly. A small jar now lasts a year and often goes rancid before it gets eaten. Still don't understand how anyone could eat Reeses Peanut Butter cups GAG!

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Alice
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 10:19 PM

I think he was getting chips from the other kids.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: GUEST,Scoville at Dad's
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 09:29 PM

Oops! Sorry--that was me, not the GUEST frequently known as GUEST. Sorry about that.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 09:28 PM

During grade school years, my son would only eat applesauce and peanut butter jelly sandwiches for lunch. Then I eventually found out he was throwing that away and other kids would give him part of their lunch.

Wait--so was he only picky about the stuff he got at home?

My brother was a "picky eater" for awhile until Mom found out he was begging Oreos and chips off kids at school and told him he'd better start eating his own food again.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Bonecruncher
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 08:07 PM

Hi Lynne
What about oat flapjack? It's easy to make and to add sultanas, bits of apricot, cherries or other fruit to it.
Sarah could easily make it herself while she is cooking the weekend lunch for you.
Luv, Colyn.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Alice
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 03:01 PM

I was a picky eater as a kid. I had a sensitive reaction to texture, odor and flavors. Texture was a big deal. Could not eat any kind of cheese because of the texture. Once I was in my 20's, I liked cheese.

During grade school years, my son would only eat applesauce and peanut butter jelly sandwiches for lunch. Then I eventually found out he was throwing that away and other kids would give him part of their lunch.

I understood that he was picky for the same reasons I was picky as a child... texture, very sensitive to odors and flavors. I didn't starve. Neither did he.

Alice

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 02:03 PM

Thanks gnomad

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: gnomad
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 09:46 AM

Re flask, one of these might fit the bill.

I hope it all comes straight in time.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 08:15 AM

Partridge, I just looked through the links you gave me. Most of the stuff comes into the category of things she doesn't like, but the bagel chips and chicken drumsticks are a good idea.

Someone has also suggested cheese muffins to me, which also sounds a good idea. I'll let you know how we get on

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: MBSLynne
Date: 12 Jan 07 - 08:09 AM

Brilliant advice there thanks guys. The best is probably getting her to make her own and remembering that she'll survive fine until she gets home if she just eats the yoghurt and fruit.

To reply to a few of the other suggestions:
She doesn't like peanut butter (No, I can hardly believe that either!), boiled egg, raw carrot, cold rice, peas, hummous, lettuce....you begin to see my problem?

We don't have junk food or sweets or fizzy drinks in the house at all, so leaving her to make her own has a lot of appeal. We always have large pots of yoghurt, lots of fruit including dried fruit and cheese.

She does cook. I do the same as you skipy. My two take it in turns to cook the Saturday dinner for the family. She loves it, and often makes cake or biscuits to have after it or for tea on Sunday as well.

gnomad, you're right, I'm funny about texture too, and having read about people with more taste buds than others, I think she and eye are among them, which means that we taste things more intensely. I was a picky eater as a child too and I think that may have something to do with why. I would like to get her a wide-necked flask made for soup, but no one seems to sell them anymore.

We did the "If you don't eat your meal you don't get anything else" with our son when he went through a brief fussy stage, but mostly he'll eat anything. When we tried it with her, she just didn't eat and she is very slilm so I do worry about her getting enough nutrition if I do that.

No, it doesn't have to be sandwiches...in fact I'd prefer it not to be. I get fed up making them and trying to find fillings. I made some oat cakes the other day. Very healthy and she loved them so I suggested she have some of those instead of sandwiches but she wouldn't. Weird child.

I think the best advice there is...let her choose and not worry if she doesn't seem to eat much. I forgot to mention that she almost always has a plate of pasta when she gets home from school, which I guess really sorts out the lack of lunch.

Good points all and thanks again

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 09:35 PM

What they like at a restaurant-- pack up the leftovers for them!

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Wesley S
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 05:51 PM

A friend of mine - the mother of a picky eater - says that she heard a story { I'm pretty sure it was on NPR } that talked about someone who existed for several years on nothing but grilled cheese sandwiches. I'll try to get more info on that for you.

Also Lynne - my 6 year old is one of those that likes all the food to be in seperate compartments on his devided plate. I guess he likes order when he's NOT eating food.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Rowan
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 05:20 PM

This particular Rowan is slightly different from Mrs Duck's. Fortunately my two aren't particularly fussy. Monday is Canteen day and school canteens in NSW are now heavily into avoiding high fat/sugar things in favour of fresh stuff; the girls get complete choice of that day's items. In addition to the many suggestions above they'll often get cold versions of the previous night's evening meal. They always take fruit, usually carrot and sultanas, and occasionally a chocolate biscuit. Although the older is allergic to peanuts there's never been any problem as the allergy is common and schools take not of such things and communicate responsible behaviour; at least the ones I've experienced do so.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 05:01 PM

Rowan would live in peanut butter butties. Molly prefers Billy Bear. These days they have school dinners and then sandwiches for tea and they make their own.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Cluin
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 03:55 PM

You could try my Dad's old edict: "You'll eat what's served and learn to like it! Your mother and I are not short-order cooks!"




By the way, I did come around to liking most things they served, but some I still can't stomach. Like cassarole of any class.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Ebbie
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 03:46 PM

This may not help - but it impressed me. Years ago I was doing some volunteer work where I packed a lunch. My Mexican co-worker had a much better lunch than mine: in his lunch box he had some tortilla shells and baggies of chopped vegetables, along with sauces. At lunch time he feasted.

But as some above have said, at 11 years of age she's old enough to understand your dilemma. Keeping your option of veto, let her choose her own lunch. As long as a parent frets and worries over it, that long does she hold the power.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Schantieman
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 02:55 PM

Squishy egg (i.e. hard boiled mashed up with salads cream) is my fave, preferably with tomato - but that might come into the 'slimy' category.   Cheese, yogurt & fruit isn't a bad lunch at all, especially if one of the pieces of fruit is a banana.

Get her to talk to Jenny next time we get them together!

luv,
Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 11:59 AM

As above. How about rice with peas/sweetcorn in it. Or is rice foreign?

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Peace
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 11:44 AM

Let her decide what she wants for lunch.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: skipy
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 11:07 AM

Hot gravel!
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Alice
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 10:32 AM

Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat. One slice of bread folded in half should be big enough if she is picky.
Add a cup of pudding and some raw baby carrot sticks and a juice box.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Scoville
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 10:13 AM

I lived on peanut butter and [jelly, pickle, cheese, whatever] sandwiches. Sandwich, fruit or vegetable, small dessert, water or milk. My mother once gave me the peanut butter and liverwurst on rye that my dad forgot to take to work. I never complained about a packed lunch again.

Would she eat hummus as a protein source? And does it have to be in sandwich form? I sometimes pack a salad (lettuce, spinach, carrots, tomatoes) in one container and then peanuts in another one (since they get gummy if you leave them with salad too long) and maybe some turkey or chicken and a bit of dressing. Assemble at lunch-time and eat with whole wheat bread on the side. If she won't eat cheese in a sandwich, let her eat it separately.

Or have her pack her own lunches. As long as you don't have a houseful of junk food and supervise her a bit, she ought to be fine.

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 09:15 AM

We tried letting Limpit make her own lunch... if we hadn't given in after a week, she would have starved!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Children's packed lunches
From: Wesley S
Date: 11 Jan 07 - 09:04 AM

Have you asked her what the other kids are eating? My six year old has been equally fussy about eating the last few weeks.