I really need more kid vegetarian quick lunches for school

[JustMe]

Putting this in the lounge as I am desperate and this is not cooking--just what to put in their lunches. I don't have a lot of time to make school lunches, won't do the school "hot" lunch, and need some new ideas. I pretty much give my kids natural pbj or cheese sandwiches everyday, both on whole wheat bread. They do get a fruit with their lunch, sometimes a veggie and sometimes a treat...but they really are wanting a little more variety.

There is pasta, but we do that for dinner a lot, so not a great choice. When I manage to get the little hummus packs, we do those too, but it seems messy as a sandwich.

Oh, and I don't do white flour, so while wraps and burritos seem like a great choice, I can't seem to find tortillas that won't crack, etc.

They do not like those fake meats.

No access to a fridge or microwave at the kids' school.

thanks!

[dhano923]

Hummus and pita
Cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches

[MontrealMum]

Do you eat fish? If you don't, ignore the following. My DS loves smoked salmon, so I send it cut up in a thermos with some Swedish Krispbread (can buy at Ikea, though I get it at our grocery store - it comes in both white and whole wheat) with a bit of goat cheese on it. He puts the fish on the crackers himself, though you could eat it separately too. I do probably 4 slices of smoked salmon and 3 Krispbread crackers, + some veg and fruit for sides.

[citymama]

I totally hear you. We're in the same rut. Sorry not to offer anything creative, but maybe we can commiserate together. Some typical lunches we do:

--pita bread, hummus (my kids love the TJs hummus so I spoon it into small containers), carrot sticks.
--pasta and nut-free pesto (school is nut-free and DD2 has nut allergies), extra parm cheese grated into container, apple.
--home-made pizza with sauteed greens (leftovers from the night before) or tomato sauce with olives
--hearty lentil soup over rice in Thermos funtainer
--udon noodles or rice noodles stir fried with veggies and tofu (last two are obviously left overs)
--grilled cheese (my kids won't eat cold sandwiches - go figure)

And really, that's about it for variety here. If your kids will eat lasagna, that's something to consider. 75% of our lunches are leftovers as the kids don't like cold lunches other than hummus. In addition to lunch we usually send one piece of fruit, milk and some cut up cheese, just in case they won't eat lunch.

[oneplustwo]

Not vegetarian, but would your kids go for hard boiled eggs? My oldest has one sliced up on a salad, my younger kids just eat them whole with a sprinkle of salt. My kids also like hummus (two prefer roasted red pepper hummus and one prefers plain/original hummus) which I spoon into a small container to be eaten with crackers and carrot sticks, smoked salmon (sometimes with a bagel and cream cheese, sometimes just separate slices of the salmon with other "sides"); various nut butter sandwiches (Justin's chocolate peanut butter, sunflower butters, almond butter); cream of tomato soup, other soups, mac and cheese on occasion in a thermos.

[anonomom]

We do a lot of cheese & crackers (triscuits are 100% whole wheat) with fruit and a veg. Boring, but they usually eat it happily. I also send celery and peanut (or an alternative nut) butter.

[123LuckyMom]

Cheese and crackers and edamame, hummus sandwiches, celery and peanut butter with raisins (ants on a log and can use spreadable cheeses instead of PB), chick pea salad, bean dishes or soups in thermos, trail mix and cheese sticks.

[Philly Mom]

I send DD to school with a whole avocado as part of her lunch. It goes over well.

[belovedgandp]

Yogurt is one of my standards.

[georgiegirl]

Brown rice, black beans, salsa, and cheese in a thermos
Salad (DD likes Greek salads and salads with lots of stuff in them...like corn, beans, tomatoes, cheese, etc,)
Pesto, fresh mozzarella, and tomato sandwich
I almost always throw in a frozen yogurt tube

[Kindra178]

Could you premake veggie burgers? I just made white bean burgers with oat bran, egg, shredded carrots and zucchini. Kids loved to dip it in ketchup.

In the alternative, Dr. Praegers CA Burgers in a thermos?

[Momit]

We really like flatbread too - Wasa crackers, Finn Crisps, the IKEA herb ones. Spread with cream cheese, hummus or spreadable cheese.
Maybe a quinoa salad with olive oil and chopped up vegetables
Salad in a whole wheat pita with a slice of cheese
Hard boiled eggs or egg salad

[Momit]

Could you premake veggie burgers? I just made white bean burgers with oat bran, egg, shredded carrots and zucchini. Kids loved to dip it in ketchup.


Sounds good! Do you have a recipe?

[bostonsmama]

This is one of my favorite veggie burgers: Lentil-Barley burgers from Cooking Light http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lentil-barley-burgers-with-fiery-fruit-salsa-10000001964003/

If you're egg-free, I know that banana makes a great binder.

I make ~3yo DD "salad" sandwich pockets from TJ's whole wheat pita pockets. She loves ginger miso dressing over it!

You might get mileage out of making a large batch of vegetable soup at the start of the week and put it in a Funtainer to keep it hot, esp as fall approaches! I love to toss carrots, onion, petite-diced zucchini, tomoto, beans or red lentils, which dissolve, and micro-diced spinach (so it looks like parsley) into TJ's low sodium veggie stock. I thicken it with VegeBase (rec'd in Dr. Fuhrman's book), which has soy grits and no MSG.

Udi's gluten-free (rice) bread is so tasty. I don't think it's much healthier of an alternative to white flour, but it's yummy and makes for great sammies. My dad used to make us cream cheese and preserves sandwiches growing up. It's a nice twist. Do they like pimento cheese? Sliced bananas on almond butter? I also have been sprinkling chia seeds on DD's nut butter sandwiches for satiety and omega 3s. Raw cashew butter also has a different taste--we LOVE it!! You can make a cheese sauce out of it with soy milk, VegeBase, and cashew butter, then drizzle that on bread with soft-steamed carrot medallions and/or potato-latke style "cakes." These are one of my favorite things to eat in the whole world, but they have egg, and you'd need to get whole wheat matzo crackers or breadcrumbs: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/potato-zucchini-skillet-pancakes-with-cherry-tomato-salad-10000001173796/

[brittone2]

I was a veg in high school and used to take rice and beans in a thermos sometimes. You could tweak that into different variations (add salsa and cheese, do black beans or red beans, season in different ways, etc.)

[jenstring95]

Cheese pizza on whole wheat crust? Or tortilla pizzas (on whole wheat tortillas) - the tortilla does not need to fold as for a wrap/taco, so you might have better luck? Of course, this assumes your family will tolerate cold pizza.

Also, what about Greek yogurt or tofu? DD loves tofu grilled in a bit of butter. And we aren't even vegetarians.

[mackmama]

I totally hear you. We're in the same rut. Sorry not to offer anything creative, but maybe we can commiserate together. Some typical lunches we do:

--pita bread, hummus (my kids love the TJs hummus so I spoon it into small containers), carrot sticks.
--pasta and nut-free pesto (school is nut-free and DD2 has nut allergies), extra parm cheese grated into container, apple.
--home-made pizza with sauteed greens (leftovers from the night before) or tomato sauce with olives
--hearty lentil soup over rice in Thermos funtainer
--udon noodles or rice noodles stir fried with veggies and tofu (last two are obviously left overs)
--grilled cheese (my kids won't eat cold sandwiches - go figure)

And really, that's about it for variety here. If your kids will eat lasagna, that's something to consider. 75% of our lunches are leftovers as the kids don't like cold lunches other than hummus. In addition to lunch we usually send one piece of fruit, milk and some cut up cheese, just in case they won't eat lunch.

Where do you find nut-free pesto?

[Sweetum]

Could you premake veggie burgers? I just made white bean burgers with oat bran, egg, shredded carrots and zucchini. Kids loved to dip it in ketchup.

In the alternative, Dr. Praegers CA Burgers in a thermos?
recipe please!!

[BunnyBee]

If you cover a wheat wrap or tortilla with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel and microwave it for a few seconds, it gets much more pliable! The wheat Flat-Out wraps are bendy. TJs wheat tortillas that are usually in the refrigerated section are bendy too. Quesadilla-style folding is less likely to split.

We aren't vegetarian, but my kids have enjoyed:
Black bean quesadillas
Bean burritos
--with a small container of a spoonful of mild salsa + spoonful of sour cream or Greek yogurt stirred together for dipping
Vegetarian chili
Half a baked potato or sweet potato with toppings
Peanut (soy/sun/almond/whatever) butter "sushi"--mash a slice of bread with a rolling pin, spread on whatever, roll and slice
Banana "hot dog" (wheat bun spread with PB or whatever and a small banana stuck inside, served with strawberry preserves "ketchup"
Egg salad
Peanut (or whatever) satay noodles
Pimento cheese sandwich
Cheese pizza (my kids like it cold, even wheat pita "pizza")
Salads
Yogurt parfait (layer plain Greek yogurt with frozen berries and send a little container of granola)

[robinsmommy]

There are tons of great books out just now on lunches - we got ours at the library:

http://www.amazon.com/Weelicious-Lunches-Think-Outside-Happier/dp/0062078453

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1452108293/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

We haven't had this one below yet - I think our hold is in, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Beating-Lunch-Box-Blues-Lunches/dp/1476726728/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I like the Weelicious one best so far, it has a chart in the front with ideas for veg, no dairy, no nut, etc. We adapted the Asian shredded chicken salad last night (did tofu instead, tweaked the veg and dressing to suit what we had in fridge). It turned out great, the kids took leftovers into school. Having lost the ability for DD2 to have her food heated like she did at preschool, I think we'll end up making salads intended for lunch more often. Now I just need the perfect containers....

[Kindra178]

I found these when I googled new recipes for Meatless Mondays.

http://thesparitarian.blogspot.com/2013/04/white-bean-burgers-with-spinach.html

I added shredded zucchini and used oat bran instead of bread crumbs. They were awesome! I melted cheese on it for my kids and they dipped it in ketchup.

I also love black bean quinoa burgers:

http://jewtalian.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/mexican-black-bean-quinoa-burger/

DS1 loves frozen Trader Joe's Pizza reheated in the am for lunch. He insists that is the only thing he wants. Every day.

[RedSuedeShoes]

Refried beans or chili in thermos with tortilla chips for dipping

Thai peanut sauce on rice or noodles with tofu & veggies

Leftover fried rice

Tortellini or ravioli with pesto

[JustMe]

Thanks for the great response and ideas! My children thank you too.

A couple of questions if any of you get this far--

-How exactly do you fold the tortilla/wrap when using whole wheat--I just can't seem to make that happen. Also, have never seen any in the fridge section of TJs, but will check that again.

-How do you send a whole avocado? Do you cut it into pieces? Does it get brown?

-Recipe for white bean burgers, please!

[123LuckyMom]

The trick to the whole wheat wrap, as another poster suggested, is to sandwich it between two damp paper towels and put it in the microwave for a few seconds (10-20). If you don't use a microwave, heat a little butter in a pan and cook the tortillas for a minute-ish on each side. It will be moist and pliable. I actually stick my tortillas in the freezer, and microwave them for 10 seconds before I use them. The frozenness gives them moisture.

[dhano923]

Tortillas aren't kept in the fridge section at TJs. They ae usually near the bread section. Tortillas don't need to be refrigerated.

[BunnyBee]

Tortillas aren't kept in the fridge section at TJs. They ae usually near the bread section. Tortillas don't need to be refrigerated.

At two of the Trader Joe's in my area, the "handmade" wheat tortillas are kept in the refrigerated area. There are others in the pull out bread bins. It may be pointless, but it's another place to check in the store.

[anamika]

Indian food lends itself well to vegetarian lunches - makes it much easier for me :) I would look into some basic dal recipes if you are so inclined.
I also rely on some TJs staples for days I am rushed.
Some things DD gets in her lunch box
Organic spaghettios with meatless meatballs for protein
Microwave mac and cheese with TJs soycotash
Tortellini with butter and cheese or tomato sauce
Roasted edmame with parmesan cheese (very easy to make)
Quesadilla with edamame and corn
Black bean soup
Vegetarian baked beans with crackers
English muffin pizzas - muffins, tomato sauce and cheese cooked on a cast iron pan to make it more like a pizza crust
TJs protein bread with soybutter and sliced apples in between

[Pepper]

Stuffed baked potatoes? Half of a baked potato, scooped out slightly, topped with broccoli and cheese or whatever combo they like. Or mushroom chili.

Onigiri (rice balls) are lot of fun to make, and to eat. If you prefer to et brown rice, then I'd suggest making yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls) because hte brown rice doesn't seem to taste as well at room temperature unless you do the extra "grilling" step (not really on a grill, I use my cast-iron pan). They're a bit of effort upfront but can be made ahead and frozen. There are lots of recipes on the web but this one is a good place to start: http://justhungry.com/2007/01/onigiri_omusubi_revisited_an_e.html

An onigiri, some grilled tofu (marinated or not) and a little steamed veggies makes a nice lunch. mmm.

I forget if you said that you eat eggs, but if you do, there are a lot of savory pancakes that are good for lunches too. Also veggie fritters like zucchini fritters, or I tried one recently that was half yellow summer squash/half potato pancake, they were awesome. Those can be made ahead, cooled and frozen, then reheat in a toaster oven,let cool & then pack into the lunch box. This recipe for tofu pancakes is really good too (I think you could use whole wheat flour, there's only a few tablespoons): http://aeriskitchen.com/2011/11/tofu-jeon/

+1 for what others said about TJ's handmade wheat tortillas...they don't crack when you wrap with them :-) Also the ingredient list is short, not a lot of extra gunk in them.

[JustMe]

Oh wow, yummy ideas!

You know, we don't have any TJs tortillas in the fridge area before, but I have bought the ones with the bread, and havent had luck with them not cracking either. I will try it again with the paper towel trick.

[Tondi G]

Vegetarian chili in a thermos ... maybe serve with a wheat roll or some wheat crackers

vegetable soup, lentil soup, tomato soup

beans and rice in a thermos ... send them with a tortilla to make their own tacos or maybe with some chips?

pasta salad

quinoa with a bunch of grilled vegetables chopped up in it

vegi fried rice (do they eat eggs?)