lunch idea for a junior high student?

[patty]

Hi all,

 

my son will be in junior high in about a year. in elementary school, i am able to bring him his lunch right before lunch, so he can have a nice hot lunch w/o all the junks while avoiding wheat/dairy. in junior high, the school does not want the parent to be on school ground unless for pickup or dropoff.

 

any good lunch ideas that can weather the hot weather w/o eating a sandwich? and a hot lunch in a cold winter day (the hot food in thermas only stay warm about 2 hours on a very cold winter day, and lunch is about 5 hrs away from the time of packing.

 

pat

[CSP]

Patty,

 

I baught my son a thermos (stainless steel) that keeps hot/cold for 7 hours. You can get large or small size at Target.

 

My daughter said when she opens it up and the smell of soup or beef stew floats through the air, her friends all ask "What is that, it smells so good." So she thought they would think she was odd bringing a thermos to high school for lunch, but all they want to do is eat her lunch.

 

CP

[ShannonOtown]

Pat,

That is so difficult. My son started middle school this year and does not want the café food... so I pack lunch ever day.

 

He likes wraps. I try different lunch meats and include different cheeses (sliced or shredded) and change up the condiments like ranch and bbq. I also throw our pizza leftovers in his lunch bag... seems he like the cold pizza.

 

By Friday I'm out of ideas... I might just throw thawed chix nuggets (good ones) in his bag with a dip and they are warm enough to eat by lunch time...

 

They have to be 'cool' in middle school, so they can't have anything to nerdy or embarring... what worked in elementary does not work in middle school...

 

Go see Diary of a Wimpy Kid at the movie and you'll understand

[Hope]

I totally understand your situation! DS recently started gluten and casein free diet. We live in a cold climate and his thermos keeps food warm for the 5 hours he has to wait until lunch. I send him with leftovers all the time. He prefers them and I love that I can control what he is eating.

 

I put very hot water in the thermos first and let it sit covered for about 5 mins to warm up the thermos. Then I dump the water and put in the hot food very quickly. Seems to work with a good Thermos. Hope this helps!

[patty]

Thx for the advise, esp about warming up the thermos first.

 

It is so much harder to pack lunch when we have trying to avoid wheat & dairy!! And he is 10 and a good eater! Any lunch suggestion is welcome!

 

Pat

[Hope]

Patty,

Here's a few of the things my son likes:

hard boiled eggs

"noah's bread rolls" and peanut butter

 

Hot foods in Thermos:

*taco meat and salsa (with salad and organic corn chips in another container). He loves making his own taco salad and the other kids are always jealous!

*meatloaf and rice or noodles

*stir fry and rice

*rice pasta and sauce

 

I came across a place with gluten free wraps the other day. You had to buy a bunch online at a time. If I can find the site I will post it for you. But since it is hard to find decent bread this would be great! Might be good for tacos, too!

 

I will be watching this thread for more ideas. My son is 10, too, almost 11. It sure is hard. Seems like they always give the kids a pizza party as a prize! ugh. Ds' teacher is doing a taco one soon so Ds can be included. Yay for her!

 

((((hugs)))) hang in there! Your son is lucky to have such a good mom!

[patty]

Hope,

 

Thx for all your great ideas. I really appreciate it.

 

Pat

[Caryn]

My ds loves when I pack frozen strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. I bought a plastic tub that has a cooler top built into it. I keep the lid in the freezer (found it at walmart in the plasticware isle). The frozen fruit stays cold until lunchtime.

He will also eat carrot sticks. I sometimes pack almond slivers, and Hormel's Natural Select lunch meat. We use a metal thermos too and do the hot water trick. Sometimes I will heat GF hotdogs and slice them up, throw a bit of ketchup in and stir it up. Not too glamorous but fast when you're in a pinch.

I found a new product called Udi's GF granola that he loves and will eat dry with a spoon. Sometimes I will make a parfait out of it with yogurt and the frozen fruit. That is his favorite. They do sell coconut milk yogurts at my local grocer. I am not sure if it is 100% dairy free though. You might want to check it out if you haven't already.

[CSP]

Patty,

 

If you get a good thermos the instructions tell you how to keep things hot and cold. My kids tell me the soup is always burning hot and they have to wait 6 hours to eat.

 

cp