Home Lunches

So I found the coolest ideas for lunches and my most favorite ideas were to have bins that the kids can choose from to make their lunches their own. I loved the idea of having your kids help with deciding of the weekly menu. And I loved putting note or jokes in them as well. My girls have loved it and if I have missed an day they have been sure to tell me that they need their jokes.
So I sat my girls down and we scrolled through the all the pictures of lunch ideas on Pinterest (my girls love pinterest) and on a note card made a quick list of what they thought would be fun to eat and they were told that they had to decide together, because mom only has time to make one lunch a day not two so here is what we had the first week of school:

* Grilled cheese & tomato soup ( that's what they wanted so grilled wrapped in a paper towel and then tin foil and away they went with two big smiles)
* Chicken nugget kabobs( chicken nuggets with cheddar cheese cubes)
* Turkey and cheddar pinwheel sandwiches
* Whole wheat Pizza pockets ( homemade..super easy to do. I made a batch and froze the rest for later!)
* Ham, cheese and olive Kabobs

Oh and the Dollar Store became my best friend this year. I get sick of having to buy all those small sandwich bags for everything, so I hit the store and found cupcake holders, snack size containers, sandwich boxes, dip and veggies containers. I was so excited! Now if they would have had a small thermos that would have made my day. ;) And I found those reusable drink cups with the straws that are like 4$ at Walmart. For our before school piano lesson that need as smoothie on the go :) Can I even begin to say how much I love the Dollar Store!

Well hopefully by the end of this year I will be the queen of lunches and by posting my menus I will be ready for next year ha ha

Lunches the kids loved this year

* Ham sandwiches
* Peanut Butter and Jelly
* Turkey Sandwiches
* PB and Banana Sandwiches
* Pitta bread Turkey and Ham sandwiches
* Chicken wraps
* Italian Wraps
* Summer sausage, cheese and crackers
* Crackers and Cheese, Apples and Dip
* Ham cheese and crackers
*Hawaiian kabobs (Pineapple, Ham and Chedder)
* Nachos (chips and leftover Queso dip)
* Salad ( spinach, mandarin oranges, breaded chicken strips, cheese cubes, Chinese noodles, their pick of dressing on the side) With a buttered roll/bread stick (if I have any left from dinner)
* Mini Corn dogs
* Chicken nuggets
* Left over Cheesy Potato soup
* Chicken noodle soup with goldfish
* Leftover Hawaiian Haystacks
* Spaghetti
* Left over baked ziti
* Lasagna with Corn on the cob (in the thermos)
* Tacos
* Stir Fry/Chinese food with egg rolls




*All with their choice of a side drink and dessert although they do not get juice or milk every day When we do our weekly shopping trip the girls get to pick out one treat or drink thing for their lunches so we have a hug supply in storage now ;)

Side dish stuff : veggies with ranch, chips, raisins, craisins, Gogurt, Jello, cheese stick, fruit, crackers
Dessert: cookies, rice crispy treat, candy, pudding, cupcakes.

Updated:

I have decided that it doesn't matter what yummy lunches I can make if I don't have a plan. I do all my prep work dividing up anything that needs to be divided after we get home from shopping it makes it that much faster in the mornings for the kids to grab and go also it keep me organized and our groceries go a lot further. Having the kids help with the planning has helped especially on days when something may have to be cold or maybe the thermos made it soggy so cold is better like the corn dogs. If the kids will eat leftovers that has been a huge help on a week that our budget is a bit tight. But all in all I think home lunches are great healthy and affordable. They are not costing me more than a school lunch would because what the kids eat and school we eat at home and it is all part of our weekly shopping trip, when sales go on and their is an item I know they love I stock up just like anything else I would put in our food storage.