Middle school or junior high parents - lunch?

[kristenk]

If your DC is in middle school or high school, what do they typically take in their lunch? I'm asking specifically about middle school/junior high kids because I remember that lunches tended to change in those grades when I was younger. Whereas before I was fine taking a sandwich, chips, etc. when I got to junior high I didn't want to do that any more. I remember grabbing fries from the snack bar some days, but not what I took in my lunch!

So, if you have a DC in 6th-9th or so grades, what are they happy taking in their lunch?

School starts next week and I need to figure this out! (DD is no help. She gets stuck in a rut and then gets sick of whatever it is she's taking. If I ask her what friends are taking to get more ideas, she has no idea.)

[JBaxter]

Sandwich chocolate milk some kind of fruit ( canned bagged or fresh) crackers or chips some kind of sweet. He's a boy and has only ever eaten school lunch 3x since kindy and is going into 7th grade. I think boys are different than girls I remember being really picky eating in high school

[gatorsmom]

I have a kid going into 7th and another going into 5th. They like ham and cheese sandwiches, hummus and flat pretzels for scooping, raviolis in a thermos, pistachios and other individual serving bags of almonds and cashews. They also like Luna bars, kids cliff bars, applesauce pouches, non-perishable yogurt pouches, beef and turkey jerky. They drink either from their water bottle or chocolate milk at school. They also like apple slices or pretzel thins they can use to scoop peanut butter from the Jif to-go packs. They like foods they can eat quickly and easily. If they don't finish at lunch time they can pull them out at snack time.

[egoldber]

Almost no one at my older DD's MS or HS buys lunch. The lines are very long and the food is not great. She usually brings a super simple lunch of a chocolate milk box, sandwich, and fruit.

[essnce629]

We've always had a really great lunch program at my kids' charter school so DS1 (8th grade) has always been able to buy lunch most days even though he is gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free. They usually had 12 choices a day to choose from (ordered online ahead of time). This year they changed lunch programs and there's only 3 meal choices a day. If I fill out the allergy form they will come up with a separate menu just for him. Without the allergy form though the only choices appear to be different types of salad with chicken, which he also likes.

For summer camp though he's always had to bring his own lunch every day. I'd usually send him him a protein (TJ's bbq chicken salad, salami slices, chicken breast or wings with bbq sauce, egg/tuna/chicken salad) plus fresh fruit, plain yogurt with jam mixed in or applesauce, a string cheese or cheese stick, a pickle, and TJ's jarred beet salad or sauerkraut. He's a pretty big eater! And for a drink it's always just water in his water bottle that he refills throughout the day. He also eats a big breakfast, including 2 eggs, every morning.

[KrisM]

He brings a sandwich, crackers, fruit, cheese stick, yogurt, etc. Last year he bought once a week because that day had an easier trip from class to lunchroom and going to his locker would have added a bit of time.

[rlu]

Tuna in a pouch (two times a week)
String cheese
beef jerkey
single serve cup of applesauce (I suspect he slurps it)
some type of cracker - graham or cheese-it

DS packs his own but this was the general routine last year

eta: I forgot protein granola bar the days he doesn't have tuna. He rarely buys lunch there unless they have pizza which I think he bought 4 times last year. He drinks water, refilling his water bottle through-out the day.

[bcafe]

I usually pack the same simple meal. A sandwich/rollup, flat pretzels, and fruit/applesauce. My DD doesn't want to carry a lunch box as of last year so she takes her lunches in a disposable bag. My DS will still take a lunch box.

[lfp2n]

most people avoid buying lunch at DDs school as time is short and lunch queues are long. She is off sandwiches and likes something warm in her thermos which is usually pasta/pesto leftovers, soup either leftover or canned, or something like that. Plus carrots, snackpak of Goldfish, some kind of fruit, maybe a cookie. She also eats part of it at some other point in day when they are allowed a quick snack. She takes it in a lunch bag but no ice blocks etc

[Kindra178]

DS is starving at lunch. I pack hummus/carrots, cheese and chicken quesadilla, fruit and a tiny sweet.

[SASM]

I don't pack DS's lunch. He packs it. Due to his ADHD meds, he is not very hungry at lunchtime. He tends to pack a half-sandwich of ham or sun butter, Apple, a few carrots or red peppers, something snack-ish, and water. He usually has leftovers but I am okay with what he packs as I want something to look appealing enough to eat when he doesn't really want to eat. His appetite is normally returning when he comes home.

[khm]

My daughter (now 8th grader) is PICKY. She always brought her lunch until 6th grade, where it must have become uncool to do so because she stopped of her own accord.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what she eats, probably just the fruit. I initially had hopes it would broaden her horizons since the food would be in front of her anyways, but it has not helped one iota. :banghead:

[Corie]

My kids want me to pack their lunch every day. The line to buy your lunch is too long and then there is not enough time to eat.

I pack a sandwich. Ham & swiss, roast beef, peppered loaf on a croissant
A fruit. Pineapple, strawberries, grapes, orange slices, etc.
A couple of cookies.
A bag of chips.
Maybe some fruit snacks.
I also pack a beverage. Gatorade, water with lemonade powder mix, etc.

[mom2khj]

sandwich or salad or bagel
bag of mixed nuts or chips
grapes or apple
cookie

sometimes string cheese or yogurt
mostly water to drink

[calebsmama03]

My 8th grade boy and 6th grade girl both take lunches. We use the Easy lunchboxes sets and they pack 4 lunches each every Sunday evening and we stack them in the fridge. For the 5th lunch they either take a hot lunch like soup/pac and cheese in a thermos OR the buy a favorite cafeteria meal (pizza usually).

As for what they pack in them, it is usually sandwiches or wraps of some sort but we buy "fun" breads to change it up and make it interesting. Mini bagels, Hawaiian rolls, pretzel rolls, WW tortilla wraps, etc. Some ideas- hummus and veggie wrap, cream cheese and cuke, nut butter with fruit or honey, various meats. If we eat pizza one day they pack leftover pizza. Quesadillas. Sometimes they'll do cold pasta salad or tortellini with a small container of sauce or dip. They love the mini quiche from costco. Cold potstickers. They make "fake lunchables" - I buy healthier cheese, meat, and cracker options and they'll assemble what they want using little silicone muffin cups to separate out in the main compartment. We use ideas on the easy lunch box site and other pinterest lunch site ideas. But mostly it is a sandwich or wrap.

the 2 "sides" compartments have a veggie or fruit of some sort and a "pantry snack" (chips, crackers, pretzels, etc). Then they'll bring a fruit or granola bar as an extra snack (most days they get a snack during one class period at MS.).

Packing most things on Sunday night has been LIFE CHANGING! :D Also making them take part in it means they can't complain about what I sent. ;) If there is something that just wouldn't work well packed in advance then we wait till the morning of but this method has been so awesome to just do it once and be done.

[ShanaMama]

My 8th grade boy and 6th grade girl both take lunches. We use the Easy lunchboxes sets and they pack 4 lunches each every Sunday evening and we stack them in the fridge. For the 5th lunch they either take a hot lunch like soup/pac and cheese in a thermos OR the buy a favorite cafeteria meal (pizza usually).

As for what they pack in them, it is usually sandwiches or wraps of some sort but we buy "fun" breads to change it up and make it interesting. Mini bagels, Hawaiian rolls, pretzel rolls, WW tortilla wraps, etc. Some ideas- hummus and veggie wrap, cream cheese and cuke, nut butter with fruit or honey, various meats. If we eat pizza one day they pack leftover pizza. Quesadillas. Sometimes they'll do cold pasta salad or tortellini with a small container of sauce or dip. They love the mini quiche from costco. Cold potstickers. They make "fake lunchables" - I buy healthier cheese, meat, and cracker options and they'll assemble what they want using little silicone muffin cups to separate out in the main compartment. We use ideas on the easy lunch box site and other pinterest lunch site ideas. But mostly it is a sandwich or wrap.

the 2 "sides" compartments have a veggie or fruit of some sort and a "pantry snack" (chips, crackers, pretzels, etc). Then they'll bring a fruit or granola bar as an extra snack (most days they get a snack during one class period at MS.).

Packing most things on Sunday night has been LIFE CHANGING! :D Also making them take part in it means they can't complain about what I sent. ;) If there is something that just wouldn't work well packed in advance then we wait till the morning of but this method has been so awesome to just do it once and be done.

Packing all the lunches once a week sounds fabulous. I'm trying to wrap my head around how they eat sandwiches that were packed 3 days before, though. They make a cream cheese and cuke sandwich on Sunday and eat it on Wednesday or Thursday?
My kids are picky about leftovers and won't even eat leftover pasta, so I can't see them going for this plan. I don't consider myself picky and even I wouldn't want to eat a sandwich that was packed 3 days before. Isn't it soggy?

[calebsmama03]

Packing all the lunches once a week sounds fabulous. I'm trying to wrap my head around how they eat sandwiches that were packed 3 days before, though. They make a cream cheese and cuke sandwich on Sunday and eat it on Wednesday or Thursday?
My kids are picky about leftovers and won't even eat leftover pasta, so I can't see them going for this plan. I don't consider myself picky and even I wouldn't want to eat a sandwich that was packed 3 days before. Isn't it soggy?
We've had a few fails but generally it works well. They order them so that the things that don't keep well (cream cheese and cuke!) are eaten Monday, while a turkey sandwich will last till Weds. Stuff like PB keeps fine till the end of the week. Another thing we do if they want something really "fragile" like a tomato slices or banana slices on PB, is get everything else ready in the box then leave a note on the lid and I slice the tomato and place on sandwich the morning it's going to get eaten. The ELBs keep things surprisingly fresh. My picky eater is my little guy who is just in half day Kindy but when he gets older his lunches will also be made in advance and he will just have to deal. I can't deal with being a short order cook for 3 kids at 6:30AM every day.


Here's a few pins I have for make ahead lunches

This first one is the same system we use
http://www.happilyunprocessed.com/2013/09/26/make-ahead-school-lunches-weeks-worth/
http://lifeasmom.com/make-ahead-school-lunches-a-free-printable-for-lunch-box-love-notes/
http://www.whatlisacooks.com/blog/2016/1/11/make-ahead-school-lunches
http://rochellebarlow.com/10-make-ahead-school-lunches-done-the-lazy-way/
http://happymoneysaver.com/cold-lunches-in-a-day/

and general lunch ideas on the ELB blog

[MMMommy]

My DDs don't want sandwiches or cold lunches. They always ask for thermos lunches. So I usually pack the following types of things for them:

Main:
--chili with crackers on the side
--soup with crackers on the side
--leftovers from dinner--rice with chicken; fried rice; curry chicken rice; noodles
--burritos (I heat from frozen)
--Laughing Cow cheese wedges with pita bite crackers

Savory Snack:
--chips
--crackers
--Korean seaweed strips

Fresh fruit:
--apple
--peaches/nectarines
--banana
--grapes

If no fresh fruit, I pack a fruit cup (diced peaches, diced mango, mandarin oranges).

Drink is ice water in their reusable, insulated bottles.

[SASM]

We've had a few fails but generally it works well. They order them so that the things that don't keep well (cream cheese and cuke!) are eaten Monday, while a turkey sandwich will last till Weds. Stuff like PB keeps fine till the end of the week. Another thing we do if they want something really "fragile" like a tomato slices or banana slices on PB, is get everything else ready in the box then leave a note on the lid and I slice the tomato and place on sandwich the morning it's going to get eaten. The ELBs keep things surprisingly fresh. My picky eater is my little guy who is just in half day Kindy but when he gets older his lunches will also be made in advance and he will just have to deal. I can't deal with being a short order cook for 3 kids at 6:30AM every day.


Here's a few pins I have for make ahead lunches

This first one is the same system we use
http://www.happilyunprocessed.com/2013/09/26/make-ahead-school-lunches-weeks-worth/
http://lifeasmom.com/make-ahead-school-lunches-a-free-printable-for-lunch-box-love-notes/
http://www.whatlisacooks.com/blog/2016/1/11/make-ahead-school-lunches
http://rochellebarlow.com/10-make-ahead-school-lunches-done-the-lazy-way/
http://happymoneysaver.com/cold-lunches-in-a-day/

and general lunch ideas on the ELB blog
This is very intriguing!

[calebsmama03]

This is very intriguing!

I was skeptical but it seriously changed our lives! Started the school year after my little guy was born and increased their independence on it gradually till they were almost 100% independent at 4/5th grade. Mornings are low stress now and evenings aren't rushed when we have guitar lessons or baseball or dance, etc. Obv won't work for every kid if there are specific food issues or pickiness but I am a convert!

I should add we typically keep a hearty, shelf-stable snack in their back pack (bag of nuts, granola bar, nut butter packet, etc) just in case we have a "fail" and the main dish didn't work out as well as planned (or if they accidentally didn't pack an extra snack for a day with after school activity). Rarely have to use them anymore but we've had a few "Oops, I guess that wasn't a good pack ahead thing" moments. ;)

[jren]

Yes, girls are definitely different! So much more complicated. Maybe if I could pack something fancy like sushi or crab legs, she'd eat it. As of now, she just buys. Luckily, our school orders lunch from local restaurants that rotate every two weeks. So Panera, pizza place, Chick-fil-A, etc. The days she doesn't like the choice, she gets grab and go, which is basically snack type items, hot pockets, soup or chili and bread bowl.


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[Meatball Mommie]

8th grader and 6th grader here...

The usual stuff I guess. I didn't notice any changes but then again, their school is small. The only difference is that 7th-12th graders have a cafeteria that serves food. Younger kids have a cafeteria but no food service (except for 1x a month pizza lunch).

Typical lunch for older kid:
Sandwich or wrap
chips
fruit
apple sauce or fruit cup
granola bar or similar
veggie w/ hummus or ranch dressing (baby carrots, peppers, celery)
drink (I send water but sometimes he buys iced tea)

Sometimes he buys fries or something similar. I make lunches every morning for all 4 of us (DH and I work together). I really like the idea of making the whole week ahead though! How do you store it all in a fridge though? I don't have the room for that... We used to have the easy lunchboxes, too but my kids decided they were too babyish. Now I just use a million containers, ugh. Hate that part. eta: I just looked at Amazon and easy lunchboxes now come with grown up colors lol

[MelissaTC]

Going into 9th now but packed lunch all through middle school. We use the easy lunchboxes containers. He took either a sandwich or wrap, fruit or apple sauce, carrots/cucumber slices/pickle/salad, granola bar, chips or cookies. He walks around with a large water bottle so that was his drink.