I hate lunch. I always have. What constitutes "lunch food", anyway? This is assuming you give the kids lunchy stuff and not the "full Sunday Dinner" type meals, which I am heartily tired of doing for my crew because they don't really eat much...I'm bored and I need a change.

I don't do pizza/hot dogs/chicken nuggets/fish stick type stuff either, though lord knows it would be easier if I did

Reply

Today we had:

Sesame chicken
Veggie/ brown rice pilaf
Banana
1% milk

My cost worked out to about $.75 a head.

Reply

I have 5 in my group, 3 toddlers and 2 preschoolers. A lot of time, they get some of what our family ate the night before, or something I have frozen from a previous meal. I freeze everything in meal sized containers. For instance, at Thanksgiving we had a lot of hm mashed potatoes leftover, which I put in freezer containers. We just used the last one up, juiced up with some cheddar cheese.

Occasionally (no more than once every two weeks or so), we go the fish sticks/hot dogs/chicken nugget route, and other days we have sandwiches. I found some little whole grain mini-pita rounds at Sam's club, and I keep them in the freezer, too. They are perfect for little hands.

Reply

We had left overs from my own family's dinner last night - homemade fried rice, pork, veggies, skim milk.

Reply

Today we had...

Egg salad sandwiches (using plain Greek yogurt and avocados instead of mayo/mustard) on high fiber ww bread
carrot sticks
grapes
Veggie chips
skim milk

A lot of times we'll do leftovers from the night before, like a pp mentioned. We do a lot of crock pot meals and casseroles. And visa versa. I'll do casseroles for the dcks and what's leftover will be dinner for my family that evening.

We also do a lot of different types of ww pastas and sauces with homemade bread, veggies and fruit.

My dcks also LOVE breakfast for lunch. Homemade ww waffles, scrambled eggs with veggies (spinach, tomatoes, etc.) and some fruit.

Reply

I did baked/diced chicken breasts (that they dipped in ketchup), thick cut green beans (steamed/well drained), steamed/candied carrots (the little baby ones with a bit of light brown sugar/butter; drained before serving) and dinner rolls, today.

I find that the fewer ingredients I use, the more likely they are to eat. Everything on their plate could either be picked up with fingers OR with silverware. I served three helpings and the dog got nothing....

Mine are in a funny..."no sauce" phase... Apparently getting dirty is just too icky right now.... I think they follow the lead of the oldest...

This phase, too, shall pass.....

Reply

This is our regular menu:
Tuna fish sandwich with cherry tomato and cucumber and soup
grilled cheese and tomato soup
black bean pizza with non dairy cheese
chicken, brown rice and broccoli
Beef tortillini (not chef boyardee!)
Homemade chicken nuggets or fish (quinoa flour and salt and pepper coated strips of chicken breast fried in olive oil) with veggie pasta or kamut pasta.
Sometimes we do leftovers like meatloaf or stew. Experience has taught me that most kids do not like stuff mixed together like casserole's so I don't even bother.

Reply

I admit, sometimes I give into the kids desire to eat those "kid" foods. They love the dinosaur chicken nuggets! It's rare, but an easy lunch when we do it. Usually served with brocolli, so they can make a forest for their dinosaurs.

I just found the goldfish shaped WW bread flats. It's great, no left over crust!

Reply

We had ham, cheese, ww bread and butter, green beans and bananas today.

Reply

Today I made the kids sloppy joes and they loved them! We had them with corn on the cob, peaches and milk. Other things they love: English muffin pizza, homemade chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, BBQ Chicken sandwiches, and of course their favorite is spaghetti.

Reply

Most of our lunch ends up in the garbage my one dcb (2) won't eat anything but pasta, french fires, pizza and any snack food (no veggies)

It's rubbing off on my dcg (1.5)

I just give them left overs from our supper the night before, or I make our supper at lunch, and refrigerate the rest for us. This way I'm not wasting my cooking skills and don't feel to bad if they don't eat something I worked hard at for them.

Reply

I refuse nuggets,fries, sticks, Or hotdogs.

I take chicken breast, cube it, bake it, I'm big on correct portions too. I measure every portion. Every day. I just use measure spoons & cups for serving.

I do Havel thins, moss chz the fresh kind in the brine, and top with sliced tomatoes. Broil..

Reply

Today we had grilled cheese, carrot sticks and apples.
To.orrkw we are having black bean quesadillas.

Reply

Today we had hamburger gravy with mashed potatoes, a roll, and oranges-all but 1 child ate everything plus some. I usually also do the lunch for supper or supper for lunch thing, mainly because our nights are busy and we usually have leftovers so why waste them.

Reply

I do protien / starch / veggie.

Simple foods like baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
meatballs, pasta, rice
etc.

I also sometimes do a big chicken soup, so it's an all in one meal (chicken, veggies, noodles)

Reply

Today we're having honey garlic ribs, egg fried rice and veggie stir fry. Yum! I can't wait and I don't care if the kids like it. :P (They will though...they love fried rice and stir fry).

Reply

Also since I serve am snack, lunch & dinner- I routinely serve a larger dinner type meal at lunch at noon and sandwich and fruit and beg at dinner. Our dinner is at 4 pm so my kids aren't starving at suppertime with mom and dad.

Reply

I truly don't understand how some of you can afford to feed the way you do. Your lunchtime meals are way more expensive than I could ever afford, and much more expensive than my own family eats at supper time, which in my opinion, is the big meal of the day.

Typical lunch foods here are:
Chicken n noodles
Beef n noodles
Turkey n noodles (Yes I love these types of foods)
Spaghetti
Beef stew
Goulash
Pancakes and sausage
Cheese Pizza
Hot dogs
Mac and chees
Grilled cheese
Soup and sandwich
Mashed potatoes
Corn bread
A veggie
A fruit

Reply

For me it's not hard to control the cost with proper portion control. For example I use boneless skinless chicken BUT I only buy it in bulk and on sale and then individually freeze the breasts. I can make lunch for my kids with one chicken breast...that's enough so that everyone has the proper serving.

I also shop sales and coupon for pantry staples. I NEVER pay full price for food unless it's milk or eggs. I get my fresh produce from the local market instead of the grocery store so it's about half the price.

The meal I'm making today is ribs that were on sale for $0.99/lb, rib sauce I got with coupons for $0.25/jar, rice from a 10lb bag that was on sale, 2 eggs, 2 green onions and stirfry from a carrot, a celery stick, 1/2 cup each brocolli and cauliflower, some green beans and some corn. Minimal cost but it's a substantial meal. My overall cost for 6 kids (and myself) is about $5.00.

Reply

Mac, I live near a chicken processing plant and HUGE farmers market.

I buy direct from them by the case/bushel. I have 3 freezers, total.

I also trade strawberries, blueberries, apples, plums and grapes from my garden to my neighbors for collard/turnip greens, corn, carrots, green beans, cucumbers, watermelons and peppers each year.

I used to have several producing Cherry tree's, too...but they all suddenly died last season.... I was crushed...I tried everything I knew of to save them.... My plums are looking suspect currently....

My neighbor grows the WORLDS BEST Silver Queen corn. He has 20 acres and mad skills... I hope to learn from him this season...

Sorry for the diversion, Silver.... I do love playing in the dirt...

Reply

I agree that I couldn't spend that much. I don't have elaborate dinner meals for my own family.

Reply

ITA!

Also, I think with a little pre-planning, and good organization, home cooked meals with real foods are WAY more cost effective than convienience foods in the long run.

A frozen bag of Tyson chicken fingers is around 8 or 9 bucks in these parts. I can make the same amount, using local free range chicken breast, homemade bread crumbs, an egg or 2, and some seasoning for half that amount.

We aren't allow to can ourselves, but we can freeze. I buy bushels of apples, pears, berries, etc when they are in season, and freeze them for year round use.

We garden with the kiddos, and get hundreds of zuchini each year. I'll think nothing of making a few dozen loaves of zuchini bread on a weekend and freezing that too.

Reply

I understand the ban on canning, but are you allowed to give them homemade jam or jelly?

Reply

My understanding is that I can as long as it is frozen instead of home canned.

I can also take my own produce to the local cannery and do it myself there (or pay them to do it). It is government funded. They have USDA inspectors to sign off on them.

Same with fresh caught fish & wild game meats... I can run them up to the processor to be inspected and packaged for CHEAP (or donate a portion to the food bank and get it free).

Reply

Those sandwhiches sound delish, did you have a recipe for those?

Reply

Today we had whole wheat penne pasta with ground turkey meat sauce, steamed broccoli, and a fresh melon medley (and skim milk).

I serve the same lunch once a week: sunflower butter & jelly on whole wheat bread, yogurt, fresh green beans, and seasonal fruit (apples in the fall, strawberries in early summer, etc.) I serve this meal on whatever day is going to be most hectic (library storytime day, a day that we go to the playground, etc.) I find that knowing that I have this very quick & easy yet nutritious standby once a week really eases up on my menu planning.

Some regular meals for us for the rest of the week include:
-Baked chicken legs, brown rice, steamed carrots, fresh blueberries
-Black bean & cheese quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas, green peas, fresh pineapple
-Homemade mac. & cheese, spinach, fresh strawberries
-Turkey sandwiches with lettuce & tomato, mashed sweet potatoes, grapes, cucumber slices
-Roasted chicken, butternut squash, green apples, whole wheat roll
-Rice & beans, sugar snap peas, oranges
-Vegetarian lasagna, tossed salad, pears

I do what a lot of other posters do and make enough of the lunches for my family to have for dinner. As another poster said, I also do not buy anything but milk and fresh produce unless it is on sale. My other rule is that I do not spend more than a half hour preparing lunch. I don't count baking/roasting time, just my actual physical time cooking.

Reply

Today we are having meatballs in a tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, and a cabbage dish with milk to drink.


We buy all our meat from farmers around here and butcher them ourselves. That way I can make sure that the meat we buy is free range, hormone and antibiotic free because we can go check out the farms and see the animal before it's butchered to see what it's being fed, how healthy it is, etc. Butchering the meat ourselves saves us hundreds of dollars. We buy a whole pig for $150 and that gives us TONS of ribs, bacon, ham, pork chops, sausages, and meat for stews and ground pork. We bought half a cow not long ago for $200 and it gave us enough beef to feed our family plus the daycare for over half a year. I've bought chickens anywhere from $5-10 a piece and 2 dozen free range and organic eggs cost me $5. If we bought our meat from the stores it would be a LOT more expensive, especially the hormone, antibiotic free, free range meat.

I also garden in the summer. This gives me tons of produce for much less money spent. I can a lot of my own stuff too. Salsa, pizza sauce, tomato sauce, peaches, pickles, pineapple, jams, etc.

But even if we didn't do it this way, buying fresh food saves you money in the long run because even if at first you spend more, your get a lot more food out of it than you would for that price of prepackaged food.

Reply

Mac, my food cost NEVER is more than my reimbursement rate for FP.
We keep portion sizes in check. I serve all requirements and if they are still hungry after they eat the requireds, I have carrots that I slice with a veg peeler( coin carrots) or apple slices, Pb on rye, plain vanilla yogurt. Prunes.
I only offer healthy foods. Ever. Except for birthdays, you get chocolate milk for your Bday here. And it is a production, I hold the Hershey bottle way high!!! Drip it in their cup at table. They probably only get 1/2 tsp. lol but its all in the presentation. I dont serve ready to go foods. I try to use whole grain, fresh unprocessed stuff and just fix it fancy. 75% of food is presentation. If it LOOKS cool. It IS cool. And how I get them to eat everything from broiled swiss and tomatoes on pumpernickel, to asparagus, mushroom risotto. ( complete with fresh grated parm. Lunch at our house, meals really, are fun, learning , tasting experiences. My family are adventuresome eaters. I try ( as much as I am able to) give that love to my dayfriends.

Reply

Deli meat for sandwiches is way too expensive as well. I would never pay $8 or $9 a pound for turkey or roast beef at the deli counter, when I can get whole roasts or hams on sale for a third of that price, and turkey for .69 cents a pound!!!! I roast meats ahead of time, and slice really thin for sammies. Its real meat, with none of that processed junk or added sodium.

Reply

That reminds me of a funny story. My dd has a program where you can pay one day per week and they get a sandwich from a local place. We don't do lunchmeat at all but I let her go ahead since her friends were all getting them. She marched up the first day and enthusiastically thanked the lady by saying, "This is soooooo great!! My mom totally never lets me eat poison lunchmeat at home! This is a really special day!!"

Poor deprived little girl only eating unprocessed real meats.

Reply

You guys are bound and determined to make me spit today! First veggie soup at the peering his name on the couch comment, now gingerbread coffee at this one!!!!!

Reply

That IS funny! Out of the mouths of babes!

Reply

I like to do sandwiches a lot, egg salad, tuna fish, grilled cheese, pb and J, ham, turkey, roastbeef. I then just add fresh fruits and veggies. I know my menu looks lazy but honestly I have a lot of picky eaters and I've tried the homemade mac and cheese, lasagna, ziti, etc and I still make them but not as often. My meals fit the guidelines of the food program and the kids don't complain, I believe I am still feeding them better then the canned raviolis, boxed pizzas, etc that their parents would be sending. I only give these examples because I was guilty of sending this kind of stuff because it was easy to send and quick.

Reply

Today was homemade 3 cheese pizza on whole wheat crust with corn and pineapple. It was a hit! Very little to throw away!

Tomorrow is Diced turkey in gravy over mashed potatoes.

Thursday is Chicken parmesan.

Fridays are always Sandwich days. I have 3 kids on Fridays so it's my EASY day.

Reply

Now that my kids are grown up, there is only my dh and I for dinner most nights. That's when I do my lunch cooking, then I re-heat it for the kids. Today was roast beef, hm mashed potatoes, fresh green beans and a dinner roll. They ate every last bite.

My dckids get a lot of chicken nuggets, hot dogs and pizza for dinner, so I try not to do that kind of stuff for lunch. The only exception is on their birthday, then they get to pick lunch, they almost always choose pizza

Reply

Soooo wish I could do that. My 3 kids are home full-time, I have 2 dcb's for dinner 3x a week, and there is no way they would let me get away with giving them leftovers. I will repurpose the meats in a different format, though. Roast chicken turns into chicken burritos, then into chicken & veggie soup. Pot roast will turn into BBQ beef sandwiches and/or shredded beef tacos. When using ground beef, I'll brown up at least enough for 2-3 meals and throw some into the freezer.

We have HM Pizza, usually w/cheese & veggie toppings, sandwiches no more than once a week, soups during cooler weather, the aforementioned 'kid' foods occasionally.

Reply