Mama Monday Disclaimer: I am nowhere near an expert mom. I am on a mama journey just like all of you are. However, I'm more than willing to share my experience with you guys. If today's topic is something that you have an experience with then I hope you'll share too...either on your own blog (be sure to leave us a link) or in the comments section.
Stuck in a lunch rut? Chances are the mom/dad next door to you is too! And I'll be the first to admit that we tend to get on lunch "kicks" that last for days or weeks at a time. Here are some of our favorites as well as a few lunch ideas that I like. Can't wait to read what you all are doing at your house for noontime meal!
We always have a main "dish" and then fruit or veggie on the side. I'll start with the mains...
1. Tortilla and Cheese. (prepare yourself, you'll be noticing a very cheesy thread to this post) I usually do ours in a small skillet stovetop but if I need to make more than 2 I'll do them on a pan in the oven. Corn or flour are both tasty. And if your kiddo is a non-veggie eater here might be a chance to sneak in a little (very) finely chopped good stuff...just make sure the cheese:veggie ratio is high so it'll melt around all that incognito vitamin goodness!
2. Grilled Cheese. I know this is standard but we love it so it's worth mentioning. Again, add in those veggies if you need to.
3. Egg Noodles. Sarah asked for this pretty much every day of last summer. Boil a few wide egg noodles and toss in a little butter and fresh parmesan cheese at the end. Crank it up with some frozen peas or diced ham and it's even better! This is a great lunch for toddlers who are just starting to self feed but aren't great with a spoon or fork yet...the noodles are easy to pick up and slide right down the gullet. :)
*Let me stop and say that anything that I make with butter is made with real butter...the kind in a stick. I stopped buying faux butter a long time ago and I just recently stopped buying tub butter at all. I got sick of paying for both kinds of butter when it was easy to just stick a bit of the good ol' stick kind in the micro for a few seconds to get it spreadable.
4. Tunafish and crackers. Mix in the standard stuff (mayo, relish, mustard, whatever) and serve it up with toasted bread or plain crackers.
5. Chicken salad. If you have leftover chicken breast from the night before just chop it up and toss in whatever else you have in your fridge. I like mayo, yogurt or sour cream, lemon juice, salt, pepper, almonds, apples, grapes, pecans...just to name a few!
6. Mac and Cheese (here we go with the cheese again). Sarah has had boxed mac and cheese less than a dozen times in her life but I am 100% sure that it would be her favorite food if I gave her that choice. I mean, it's laced with crack right? She recently asked for mac and cheese and I decided to see just how difficult it would be to make on the stovetop. I've made big batches of the fancy baked kind before but this was my first venture into super simple M and C. It goes something like this: melt 1 tsp. of butter in a small saucepan (or don't...it tastes fine with olive oil or nothing at all), add about 1 T. of flour (white or whole wheat), whisk in 1 C. of milk and whisk/stir over medium/high heat until thick and bubbly. Grate in as much cheddar cheese as you like and stir until it melts. Salt to taste. Wa-La! Oh yeah, boil some pasta...whatever you have on hand is fine. Seriously easy-peasy. I would argue that it only takes about 2 minutes longer than the box kind and I'm pretty sure your kiddo's body will thank you.
7. Peanut butter and honey sandwich. The name says it all. Goooood stuff, I tell you. We recently made the switch to Simply Jif and I'm impressed. More than one person has told me that Skippy's is better including Amy and Krista so we'll be trying that when our current jar runs out.
Okay, moving on to sides we like...
8. Of course, any variation of fruit will do around here. Here are a few fun ways I've found to serve fruits that make them even more appealing: frozen melon balls (use a small melon scooper, freeze on a baking sheet covered with wax paper, remove and put into a freezer size baggie...and back into the freezer), thinly sliced apples with "dip" - aka vanilla yogurt, bite size orange wedges (cut the orange in half and then cut each half into crosswise quarters - they're easy for toddlers to peel this way and still stay bite sized, cut up bananas and strawberries mixed together and, of course, smoothies.
9. Edamame. Sarah asks for this more than any other lunch item. Find it in the frozen veggie section (or sometimes where your natural frozen foods are), boil for 5 minutes, salt and cool. Show your little one how to pop those bad boys out of the shell and into your mouth for delicious eating fun.
10. Applesauce with "crunchy sprinkles" is always a fave. We use natural, no sugar added applesauce (even better if you make your own like Megan does!) and the "sprinkles" are actually wheat germ flakes which you should be able to find around the cereal or oatmeal in your grocery store. Don't let the name turn you off...it's seriously one of the tastiest things ever made! And super healthy too! This is a snack that my mom always gave us and I always loved but I think renaming it "crunch sprinkles" gives it even more toddler appeal. What two-year old can turn down sprinkles?
Buddy Posters:
Angela at the Painted House
Heather
21 comments:
I make mac n cheese very similar sometimes, but use yogurt plain, instead of milk. I also buy the ANnie's brand which is supposedly better if they have the boxed kind.
My girls like macaroni tuna salad too--macaroni noodles, a little mayo, onion, relish, tuna, paprika, whatever spices you want to throw in for flavor.
a fave of my girls is couscous, if i have it leftover i always give it to them with their sandwich or whatever.
my girls love leftover burgers for lunch, you can do turkey burgers or black bean burgers. I just found a good recipe for this somewhere, now I can't remember where i had written it down! when i find it i will come back and post if i remember. i am really bad at remembering to do things!
tara
Great post. I love the ideas and can do them all-- except the tuna. That wouldn't fly around here.
We do some fun ones too . . .
Apples with (all natural Laura Scudders) peanut butter, sliced cheese and milk
Sandwiches on a stick (think kabobs)with berries
Hmmm . . . and all of the ones you mentioned. I love that fact that your site helps us with ideas and offers them in a way that is best for our kiddos. Kudos to you Erin!
Amanda
Thanks for sharing great ideas again!
We are pretty much the same around here, except the edamame and tuna/chicken salad. Can't wait to try those out...our oldest doesn't like mayo, but I keep forgetting to try it on our younger kids.
Our kids also love tomato soup with fish crackers, but I don't like all the salt etc. in that, so it's not very often.
One idea that our kids love is a "Toothpick Lunch". I make a tray of fruits,(grapes, apples, strawberries, raisins....), cubes of bread, cubed cheeses, and a treat of some kind, like a few gummy bears or something fun. Then they fill their plate with stuff and eat with it a toothpick. So simple, but they love it and eat it up!
I'll have to try the edamame with my kids!
I buddy posted over in The Painted House...and scroll down, I got me some Larson love this weekend! That Meg is a doll...when she is safely in Mommy or Daddy's arms. :)
Gotta agree with Amy and Krista--Skippy is the best.
One lunch we really love is "mini pizzas"--a flour tortilla with a bit of tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella and diced red peppers(sometimes I'll use an alfredo sauce or different vegetables, but the marinara and red pepper is our fave). Bake at 400 for about 6 minutes...YUM!
Great ideas! Our lunches are pretty similar over here. My 20 month old's all-time favorite is ditalini pasta tossed with steamed broccoli and cauliflower, olive oil and fresh parmesan cheese. She's been eating it since she was about a year old and she LOVES it!!
You are so incredibally healthy, it makes me feel bad. I used to be more like you when my kids were younger, I did the whole make you own baby food route. It's just that as they have gotten older, my oldest is almost 13, they've gotten pickier, not to mention we have less time. I like some of your lunch ideas, though, maybe I could my 4 year old to eat some you tasty lunches.
Love your lunch ideas. We are big Mac and Cheese fans and we like to turn it different colors for whatever "color day" it is. Ham/Cheese or Turkey/Lettuce roll-ups--we never can forget the toothpick. Smoothies...these are great fun to make and so simple to clean up. We also do stuff your own pita...if you do fruit sprinkling with a little cinnamon and sugar makes every kid smile. Amy
oh if only alla liked cheese.
luckily she LOVES peanut butter - we buy the organic kind from costco. and she loves annie's mac n cheese ('cheesy pasta') too.
Oh, how I wish we could have peanut butter 'round here! *Sigh*
Our lunch menu is seriously limited due to the fact that my youngest son is allergic to nuts. I'm nut crazy, so it's been a big bummer for me.
I love, love the kababob and toothpick ideas! I can't wait to try it!
My kids all love cottage cheese as a side for lunch.
Yogurt with fresh peaches and sprinkled with granola is yummy.
Tortilla wraps are a fav: Roll tortillas with cream cheese, meat, and lettuce, or whatever veggies you want and then cut them into slices.
Goulash is our mac-n-cheese substitute.
Canned green beans are the veggie I usually bring when we're spending the day at Grami's. My kids will eat a whole can of 'em within seconds.
Fig newts are a great "sandwich" on the go.
We are very limited at our house as our boys are both lactose intolerant.
Unlike my sister's house (terah above) peanut butter is a staple around here. My three year old loves to dip apples or carrot sticks in it. We buy the organic, made from only peanuts and salt kind.
Another dairy-free lunch that we do is the noodles only we use olive oil and salt and pepper for seasoning. I usually put broccoli in this as well.
We also do bean soup or vegetable soup which I drain the broth out of so it's not so messy.
I love cheese and it's hard to come up with kid-friendly lunches without it, so if you have any more dairy-free ideas I'd love to hear them!
Mac n Cheese is a fav quick meal for us. We use regular Kraft single packs..(because mom can't stand anything else :P)..but I use half the cheese packet and then add a handful of real shredded cheese. I always add brocolli. So good! We usually do this on quick lunch days.
We also occasionally make what was originally called Veggie Nuggets but I've made all sorts of variations such as ham and cheese, turkey, broccoli and cheese, etc.
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen veggies (we like carrots and broccoli)
1 cup shredded cheese
3 slices whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon water
Heat oven to 375° F. Cut up the bread into very small pieces. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form the mixture into nuggets and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 min.
Let cool and enjoy with some ranch for dipping.
We also do cheese and crackers, pb&j, turkey adn cheese sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and quesadillas and they are always paired with a fruit or veggie.
Lunch is a struggle around here sometimes too. We have mostly the same stuff mentioned - pb and honey, cheese toast, tuna salad, chick salad, tomato soup, fruit of some kind, etc. Sometimes we'll have finger food items on the side, like goldfish, pretzels or raisins.
Stella used to love omelettes - she's getting pickier EVERY day - but I'd just make a one egg omelet with cheese and spinach and she'd gobble that up.
She also loves polenta - in the tube in the veggie section of your grocery - cut into rounds and cooked in a little olive oil, then covered in parmesan, or marinara sauce and parmesan. That is a hit around here.
Good luck!
Short and sweet buddy post from us (not that exciting feeding an 8 month old - still kinda limited). I love that you serve such healthy food. I'd not even thought about feeding Jackson edamame later! Thanks again for MM - love getting the ideas from everyone :D
perfect timing- i read your blog right before lunch today. I think Scott and I might be on a new kick now. I did tortilla and cheese- also added some black beans to it. Might be a new favorite in this house!
Loving all of these ideas!!!
We do mini-pizzas (on English muffins), quesadillas (am all about sneaking the veggies in here too!), soup on colder days,and mish-mash plates (similar to the "toothpick plate" another poster mentioned)...and PB - always lots of PB (I use a brand that contains lots of flaxseed for my kids asthma/allergy issues).
Thansk for Mama Mondays!
Crissy : )
Great ideas Erin. I love this post. We're always looking for new things to try. Can we do a dinner one too sometime? :)
My kids love tortilla rolls-- basically a sandwhich on a whole wheat tortiall instead of the bread. They enjoy mini pizzas on half an engligh muffin-- we just add some marinara, cheese and whatever toppings they like that day. Hummus with cut-up peppers, zuchinni, and baby carrots is a also a lunch favorite.
Aaaah. This is an issue with which I struggle every.single.day. Thank you for posting some really great ideas!
A favorite at our house are peanut butter balls:
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use Adams or another brand with just peanuts and salt)
1/2 cup honey
1 cup oats
1 cup powdered milk
Mix it all together and form into balls. This is a great snack or lunch item that my girls love to help me prepare. You can also play around with the recipe--substitute wheat germ, granola, maple syrup, etc.
Just wanted to tell ya that I went out and bought a bag of edamame and omg, I'm IN LOVE! We called them "pop pops" for Jace and I tell him to just pop them in his mouth! He loves them! They are so yummy..I would have never thought I'd love soybeans! haha! Thanks for the great ideas, it's so hard to eat healthy these days...
Do you have mama mondey planned next week already? I'd love to see a "potty training" version!!!!
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