Hellobee Boards

Entree: 1/2 turkey or peanut butter sandwich, crackers with cheese and turkey, wrap with peanut butter or turkey, turkey pita, leftover pizza, Mac and cheese or pasta (in a thermos), 1/2 bagel with cream cheese. My DD is in K and no longer likes to take tuna or eggs because apparently they smell—but they were great options before that popped up. She also no longer likes to take pouches but yogurt pouches are a nice entree.

Fruit: any type of fruit your child likes. Fruit cups and apple sauce too. I also really like those mini apples.

Veg: any type of sliced veg your child likes; peas. Include dip if you want. Hummus could boost your veg to an entree, and maybe throw in crackers, a rice cake, or veggie sticks/puffs

Milk box

My DD used to like taking string cheese too.

Similar to @Becky: ‘s ideas my oldest has always loved hummus wraps for the entree! Just hummus or add veg if they will eat it. Our preschool is pb free so I made sure to mention it was hummus since they can look similar.

My kids also love “homemade lunchables” - crackers, meat of choice and cheese cut up. When your LO is older it’s fun to add the bento animal toothpicks also.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Yes. I always put ice packs in unless I’m doing something warm in the thermos and then I’ll usually do something like a whole apple or fruit cup/apple sauce, and cherry tomatoes so I don’t need a cold pack. The milk boxes I get don’t need refrigeration. I’m super nervous about food poisoning so always err on the side of caution especially because our lunch is at 1:10pm.

3yo's lunch (he has this probably 2-3x a week!)
- half a turkey sandwich (turkey, whole wheat, a little earth balance butter)
- cheese stick
- baby carrots (he never eats these, but eh)
- small handful of whole grain goldfish/pretzels/crackers
- grapes or whatever fruit I have around

In addition to many of the things mentioned here, we often put in an individual serving of guacamole with some black beans mixed with salsa (decontructed tacos!). Or half a Tasty Bite package poured into a little tupperware. (Although now I'm wondering if it would be more civilized to give her the Tasty Bite in a little thermos so it would stay warm. But she seems happy to eat them cold, so...) Then she always gets some frozen veggies and a piece of fruit.

Thankfully daycare has a microwave E is 14 months and fairly easy to please
E today got egg muffins (I make scrambled eggs in a mini muffin tins and bake at 400 for 10ish min then freeze and pull out 2-3 per day) and red pepper slices for breakfast
lunch was shredded chicken sweet potato puffs (tator tots made with sweet potatoes) and green beans
snacks grapes and a cheese stick
Other hits quesadilla, mini meatballs and pasta, leftovers, chicken sausages, ham and cheese pinwheels made with puff pastry
snack usually includes fruit and veggies go with breakfast and lunch
I typically make batches of stuff and then freeze and daycare heats it up

Today my kids have homemade fettuccine alfredo with shrimp for lunch in their thermoses (leftovers from dinner last night). For snacks, they have a banana and a granola bar.

Every single night, I make extra dinner and pack the kids' lunches for the next day at the same time I plate their dinner. Easy peasy. Tonight we are having crunchy baked fish with sweet potato fries and a brussell sprout saute, so that will be in their lunch tomorrow. If the foods work better if they are separated a bit, I use the silicone cupcake liners to separate the sides from the main.

Usually leftovers - spaghetti, lasagna, meatloaf. If I don't have good leftovers, then a sunbutter and jelly sandwich or a hot dog.

I give a side of fruit and a veg. We use silicone cupcake liners to separate if necessary.

Kids both handle the food cool as it was in the fridge until we leave and just sitting out at daycare. DH eats a lot of food cold as well.

Today was leftover enchilada for the 23 mo old and meatloaf for the 4 yr old.

@erinbaderin: How are you going to call yourself lazy when you cut your sandwiches into shapes!

DS1 is in kinder so this is the first year I've had to pack a lunch for him. For the first half of the year, he always had a muffin (usually made with veggies), string cheese, a few crackers, 2 hard boiled egg whites, a fruit and a veg. Now that he just went back to school, he asked for a turkey and cheese sandwich, apple slices and frozen green beans that thaw by the time lunch happens. I have the bentgo boxes that worked for the snacky lunch he first had. Now I better use the sort of bento boxes that I got from Ikea.

My first grader: cut up chicken and apple sausage (previously cooked, he will eat it cold) with ketchup, cucumbers and bell peppers.

2 year old: leftover chicken thigh from dinner, broccoli and an orange. I also pack yogurt and an apple for morning snack.

My 5 yo is still pretty picky, so lunches are incredibly not interesting. Luckily her school allows peanut butter. So most days she has either a peanut butter and honey sandwich, or apple slices with a single serve peanut butter container to dip. Or she will eat a bagel or english muffin with cream cheese. I usually add a fruit or apple sauce cup, and a cheese stick. Sometimes I add crackers or an individual pack of annies bunnies.
She also likes when I send cereal with milk. I put the cold milk in the thermos and the cereal in a ziploc. I never had luck warming things up in the morning and putting them in the thermos though.

@Mommy Finger: I have similar sandwich cutters as @erinbaderin: and they really are easy. Mine cut almost to the crust, so my kids actually eat MORE because they always leave a border near the crust and refuse to eat the actual crusts.

For my 3 yo, she doesn't eat at school, but I often end up feeding her in the car after school, on the way to pick up big sister. It has to be easy to hold, not too messy, and not a big choking hazard. So most days she gets a pbj sandwich (cut into dinosaurs, naturally) and a fruit, like a clementine I already peeled, or cut berries, or a pouch.

Today was salami and chicken slices with mustard to dip, cheese cubes, cucumber and bell pepper, pretzels, a rice cake with cream cheese, clementines, and a Hershey kiss.

6yo gets similar morning tea/lunch/after school snack every day: I have a Tupperware lunchbox that has 1 big, 1 medium and 2 small compartments.
Medium: Baby carrots, baby cucumber,
Small: Boiled egg & either Small biscuit, apricot or small fruit cereal snack
Big: either Cheese sandwich/bread roll, cheese quesadilla or egg roll up (I think it was Mrs Blue that posted about it years ago and it’s been a staple here!!) thin omelette with cheese sprinkled on and rolled up like sushi - have added ham, little bits of bacon, baby spinach as well.
Squeezed in somewhere: Yoghurt pouch & Banana

(So this is from 8-4ish every day - but our after school care provider will give her fruit/Pb sandwich if she’s still hungry - sometimes the lunchbox comes home empty and she’s had an apple and a sandwich as well, other times it comes home nearly full) 🤷‍♀️