Having grown up eating a sandwich and carrot sticks or apple slices for lunch, I was completely stymied when my own children didn't care for sandwiches at lunchtime. Over the years, however, I have experimented with various foods and figured out some easy alternatives.
Pre-packaged food like macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets or Chef Boyardee are not good for them and don't taste very good either, but with a little bit of preparation, you can make a simple lunch that your children will love.
Here are a few simple suggestions:
- Tuna salad with Ritz crackers and slices of cheddar cheese
- Fruit salad with cottage cheese or plain yogurt and hard-boiled eggs
- Pizza toast made with Ragu pizza quick sauce, thinly sliced onion and cheddar cheese
- Roasted hot dogs cut in round discs with baked beans and cottage cheese
- Yaki soba made with extra vegetables; cabbage, onions, corn, green pepper, etc.
Fruit is always happily received. Whatever is in season and available is added to lunch; apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, pineapple or mango are great. Lunch doesn't need to be a heavy meal, especially during the summer months. Just grab something simple and turn it into a tasty kid-friendly alternative.
