Brown Bag/Lunchbox Meals for Kids & Adults

[dvs]

thanks for the link! i love the idea of rice & eggs & veggies (all good finger food). is there a best way to prepare the rice & eggs so they're stable?

[scubadoo97]

The old standby of peanut butter sandwich is one you don't have to worry about. When my kids were little I would pack their lunch and use a frozen juice pack to keep things cool in their lunch bag. Both kids were very picky. My son ate tuna fish sandwiches every day. No ill effects from spoiled food. Mercury? who knows. Many things will last well in the new insulated lunch bags if you put in an ice pack.

[Anna N]

The old standby of peanut butter sandwich is one you don't have to worry about.  When my kids were little I would pack their lunch and use a frozen juice pack to keep things cool in their lunch bag.  Both kids were very picky.  My son ate tuna fish sandwiches every day.  No ill effects from spoiled food.  Mercury? who knows.  Many things will last well in the new insulated lunch bags if you put in an ice pack.

←

Unfortunately the old standby peanut butter is a no-no in all schools here as far as I know. Too many kids have peanut allergies. But I have helped pack my granddaughter's lunch since she was in JK and the ice packs provide good cooling for the number of hours between arrriving at school and lunch time. She has a two-storey lunch box and her milk resides in the top portion with its own ice pack and the rest of her lunch is in the lower storey with another ice pack. Anything she doesn't eat is still cool when she gets home from school at day's end.

[rooftop1000]

Cheese and crackers with fruit or veggie sticks....

some kids love stuff like pepperoni and salami...remember this was invented way before refridgeration...ummm

I used to walk home for lunch in school...and no one worried about cooties then anyway

T

[jennahan]

Some ideas:

Crudites and dip

Pita strips and humous

pita pockets with grilled veg and tofu

falafal

mini quiches

mini samosas

risolles

mini spanakopitas

cheese and veg sandwiches

[torakris]

thanks for the link! i love the idea of rice & eggs & veggies (all good finger food). is there a best way to prepare the rice & eggs so they're stable?

←

Rice, especially for small kids, is best rolled into rice balls (onigiri). These can be seasoned with anything you desire. The smaller the kid the smaller the balls should be. The balls should be formed when hot and then cooled to room temperature before adding to the lunch box. They are fine without ice for quite a while, the Japanese have been eating them this way for centuries.

Eggs for small kid's bentos are best as slightly sweetened omelettes, the salt and sugar help keep them fresh for a couple hours without refrigeration. Another great thing for small children are boiled quail eggs, the perfect size for little mouths.

[Sarabeth]

Another school year is right around the corner. For those of us in Georgia, some kids went back to school this past week. Even if it's 90+ degrees, we're back into the routine.

I'm a teacher, and like the kids, can either buy my lunch or bring it from home. Now, my school has a fairly decent kitchen and I do sometimes buy lunch. The problem is time. I have 23 minutes (bell to bell) to eat my lunch and getting down to the cafeteria on the other side of the building is not always an option. And frankly, I'm tired of only heating up leftovers (no matter how good those leftovers might be), so... I'm taking suggestions.

Be creative, people. Remember being a kid and pulling something great out of the lunchbox? That's what I'm looking for... only this time I'm not trading up for a Ho Ho.

[Lori in PA]

My favorite brown-bag sandwich: homemade egg salad on rye/pump with alfalfa sprouts and thinly sliced radishes.

I'm also a big fan of the cold salad plate, any number of combos made up of hard-cooked egg halves or deviled eggs, a bit of leftover meat, and cold cooked (roasted, grilled, sauteed, or simply steamed) vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, peppers, green beans, or carrots, arranged on a plate and garnished with some kind of interesting-but-easy dip -- mayo with wasabi or sesame oil, or orange zest and mint, or chives and lemon zest, or...

[I_call_the_duck]

Hey, what's wrong with a Ho Ho?

One of my favorite cold salads is made with chick peas, cherry tomatoes, basil, onions, lots of garlic, and crumbled feta in a light vinaigrette. It's great if it's marinated overnight to let the flavors blend together.

Then again, with all that garlic, you just may scare the kiddies.

[Toliver]

A previous discussion:

"Brown Bagging/Lunchbox meals for kids & adults, (merged topics)"

[Sarabeth]

Thank you Toliver!

I should learn to search before I ask

And really, I love Ho Hos.. as a matter of fact, my husband's favorite concoction of mine is Chocolate Ho Ho (or Swiss Cake Roll) Ice Cream.

[Kent Wang]

I'd just bring some charcuterie and a knife.

[clove2873]

I'm a high school student who is always looking for new and exciting dishes to bring for a lunch*. I love molecular gastronomy and am searching for fun&accessible flavor pairings to throw into the fold. (pun on mixing ingredients was intended hahah) Does anyone have ideas for me? thanks a bunch!

*Ideally they would travel/heat well, but flavor reigns supreme of course.

[Chris Hennes]

You could consider ditching the brown bag and upgrading to Bentos. Not really a specific dish idea, I know...

[stuartlikesstrudel]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too... So many ideas in that thread, and you could easily adapt the ideas (in terms of format, portability, types of food) and add more unusual flavours to them.

[clove2873]

You could consider ditching the brown bag and upgrading to Bentos. Not really a specific dish idea, I know...

Hahaha the paper bag was kind of a hypothetical. I have an igloo brand insulated tote

*also: thank you for the link to the Bento thread! I had never seen, or even heard of one actually, prior to your reply. I'm constantly seeking out new information and prospectives!

Edited January 13, 2010 by clove2873 (log)

[FoodMuse]

Great thread idea!

What kinds of food you like? It might help us get inspired for you. Asian? Mex? TexMex? etc.

Do you have access to a microwave?

Grace

[clove2873]

Great thread idea!

What kinds of food you like? It might help us get inspired for you. Asian? Mex? TexMex? etc.

Do you have access to a microwave?

Grace

Thanks! &as far as preferences are concerned, well, I have none

I was born to an adventurous eater (my mother) who, when asked what foods she likes, responds: "..everything! Except raisins, that is. Everything but raisins." hahaha She has instilled in me that very same open mindedness, which I am forever grateful for

And yes: thanks be to Nina Cox, the greatest lunch lady in the whole wide world, I do have access to a microwave.

[CantCookStillTry]

 

Modern art? Tar pit?

Not quite. The desperate attempt of a time poor mum, whose only child starts school for the first time on Monday, and who stupidly joined a group called 'lunchbox mums' on Fb? You got it. 

 

So I spent every spare second at work ( all 5) Googling 'easy freezable lunchbox'. Baking is not my thing, hate it, I am no alchemist . But I will try. 

 

Any one have any ideas, please share. 

 

 

Cheese & Vegemite Scrolls. 

 

 

I tried... but it certainly won't meet the lunch box mums standard! 

[Allura]

Honestly, for my 6yo we have a very small list of things he's interested in. If he doesn't want the school lunch, he takes either cold cuts/lunchmeat rolled up with crackers (we call them "lunchables" and he loves it), or a bagel w/ cream cheese & smoked salmon, a sunflower seed butter & jelly or something similar. Mac& cheese in a thermos is popular, too. Simple is fine at that age, don't fall into the "pinterest mom" trap . Heck, my lunch is either leftovers or a salad or the occasional sandwich.  

[barolo]

7 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

 

 

Modern art? Tar pit?

Not quite. The desperate attempt of a time poor mum, whose only child starts school for the first time on Monday, and who stupidly joined a group called 'lunchbox mums' on Fb? You got it. 

 

So I spent every spare second at work ( all 5) Googling 'easy freezable lunchbox'. Baking is not my thing, hate it, I am no alchemist . But I will try. 

 

Any one have any ideas, please share. 

 

 

 

Cheese & Vegemite Scrolls. 

 

 

I tried... but it certainly won't meet the lunch box mums standard! 

Looks fine to me.  I'm with @Allura, you don't need a group judging your lunchboxes.  I don't have any ideas to offer (no kids) but I'm pretty sure there were a number of discussions about kids lunches around here.  I'll add a link if I can find one.  

Edited January 18, 2018 by barolo
removed a few pictures to make post shorter and easier to read (log)

[chromedome]

7 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

 

I tried... but it certainly won't meet the lunch box mums standard! 

 

Be aware, that "standard" is often achieved by making a few dozen batches and only photographing the best of them.* Comparisons, as they say, are odious. If your young 'un likes eating it, that's all that counts.

 

 

*(or by combing Google Image Search to find something similar, executed by a more competent cook/photographer) 

[heidih]

Starting about here in the Bento topic, Fat Guy (the late Steven Shaw) chronicles his son's lunches. They are appealing, nutritius and mostly assembly, not elaborate prep