Is your child's lunch box stuck in a rut? Could you use some inspiration? The Lunch Box, a new feature on the RMS web site, has simple, healthy, and fun menu ideas for preschool lunches including what to pack for picky eaters, hot-food-only eaters, vegetarians, vegans and much more. If you have any favorite menu ideas or recipes to share, please send them to admin@rockridgemontessori.org. Happy lunching!
Menu ideas
For picky eaters
- plain noodles with topping (butter, peas and pesto, parmesan cheese or any other topping your child likes)
- mini-bagels with topping (butter, cream cheese, hummus, soy nut butter, etc.)
- bread (cinnamon/raisin, cranberry, zucchini) w/ topping
- hummus with crackers and carrots or hummus sandwiches
- cheese quesadillas (w/ or without meat)
- raw food "burritos" -- these are washed lettuce leaves left whole like red leaf or butter lettuce spread with hummus and other toppings like shredded carrot, cucumber, almonds, olives, sprouts...anything your child likes. A sweeter version of this is soy nut butter with apples, raisins, coconut, grapes cut lengthwise in half, or any kind of melon. Make sure to roll tightly
- mini whole wheat pita bread with either soy nut butter / coconut / raisins or cream cheese and cucumber
- cut up veggie burger w/ ketchup
- edamame / soybeans
- pasta salad
- tortilla roll-ups using cream cheese, turkey, avocado, cheese, tomato, shredded zucchini, etc.
- chopped broccoli florets cooked with goat cheese
- soy nut butter and good jam on sprouted wheat or sourdough and some grapes sliced and/or carrot sticks with "dipping sauce" (usually balsamic vinaigrette)
- Asian type noodle or rice bowls with meat or tofu and teriyaki or soy sauce and carrots
- shredded carrots with a little cole slaw salad dressing
- fig bars - or other breakfast bars
- tortilla chips w/guacamole or mild salsa
- popcorn with raisins, cranberries, or trail mix
- sandwiches cut into different shapes (using cookie cutter)
- make-your-own Lunchables (using a small cookie cutter, cut out cheeses and meat to fit on crackers)
- hard boiled eggs
- pita pizzas- cold or hot (use whole wheat pitas and low-fat cheeses)
- rolled up turkey and/or cheese slices
- chick-peas straight from the can (optional - sprinkle with seasoning)
- cold tofu cubes (optional - soy sauce for dipping)
- whole grain pasta (not long noodles but short, fun shapes that can be eaten w/ fingers) – w/ toppings like pesto and peas or butter and fresh parmesan grated
- brown rice and veggie sushi – three or four pieces with avocado / cucumber / carrots
- rice crackers (the little flat round ones) with cream cheese spiced with garlic and herbs and turned into "sandwiches”
- three bean salad
- cut-up fruit ideas: oranges cut in star shapes, watermelon, pitted cherries, peaches, apples, pears, plums, mandarin orange slices, pineapple, honeydew chunks
For kids who won't eat sandwiches:
- rolled cheese outside of cold cuts (instead of bread)
- ham or turkey w/string cheese (in plastic container -- no bread)
- pack sandwich ingredients in the form of finger foods with dipping sauce
- fun, mini-sandwiches — use cookie cutters for interesting shapes (airplane shape works well because the wings/tail fit so nicely in their small mouths)
- string cheese and a container of marinara sauce for dipping
- bean/cheese burritos
- crackers or baguette sliced thin and a small container of spreadable cheese
- "roll-ups" consisting of thinly sliced ham, turkey or salami rolled around a small stick of cheese
- packaged sushi (from grocery store)
- bread sticks and string cheese
- try different kinds of bread (like hamburger and hotdog buns, baguettes, cinnamon bread, cheese bread, etc.)
- chicken salad cracker sandwiches (chicken salad between two crackers)
- soy nut butter stuffed celery sticks
- egg salad pita
- a combination of 2 or 3 of the following: carrot sticks, celery sticks, cauliflower, broccoli, sugar snap peas, or grape tomatoes with dressing for dipping
- tuna salad stuffed cherry tomatoes
- cream cheese stuffed celery sticks
- fruit salad Jell-O
- ham-n-cheese mini-sub (sandwich on a hot dog bun)
- shredded salad (shredded lettuce, carrots, radishes, purple cabbage and diced celery and cucumber, with just enough favorite salad dressing to stir and coat)
- pretzel sticks in cheese cubes
- cold pasta salad with chicken chunks
Vegetarian lunch ideas:
- cheese sandwich (in cookie cutter shapes)
- cheese sandwich (on whole grain hamburger bun)
- crackers with cream cheese
- confetti tabouli (with finely minced vegetables)
- mini bagel with cream cheese
- tuna fish sandwich
- soy nut butter and jelly
- yogurt with real fruit mixed in
- cream of tomato soup with brown rice
- pasta primavera
- fried rice
- baby carrots with ranch dressing
- tofu and veggies polenta and veggies cut up
- pieces of baked tofu cheese and crackers with slices of apple
- sandwich with garbanzo bean/cream cheese/tofu spread
- baked beans with tofu dogs
- rice balls
- "cold pizza" (tomato focaccia bread with tomato sauce and cheese)
- vegetarian corn dogs (available Berkeley Bowl or Whole Foods)
- corn on the cob
- cut up veggie "hot dogs"
- cut up microwaved sweet potatoes
- beans and rice (low sodium canned beans provide protein and fiber)
- chopped, pitted dates wheat germ and honey
For kids who only eat hot foods:
Foods heated at home in the AM and placed in a wide-mouth thermos for sale at stores like Target or Rite Aid
- mac and cheese (with veggies and tofu added optional)
- soup pot pie (broccoli and cheese, meat and/or vegetable)
- rice with pesto
- chow mein noodles
- fried rice
- wildwood baked tofu- pineapple teriyaki flavor
- tamales or burritos
Lunch ideas for infants/toddlers:
- yogurt
- soft veggies (cooked)
- pasta
- hot dogs (soy dogs)--cut them up into tiny, bite-sized pieces
- cut-up raw fruit and veggies
- apple sauce
- rice cakes
- cheese
- diced leftovers from dinner
- sliced cucumbers and avocado
- mini-sandwiches
- mac and cheese
- cheerios
- sliced hard-boiled egg
- whole milk pudding cups
- pieces of whole wheat bread
- graham crackers
- whole grain dinner roll or a muffin