Ask:
I'm trying to make "Lunchbox cards" ~ Ds montessori school requires that his school lunch contain one of each: Grain, meat or meat substitute, fruit, vegetable, and milk. I'm trying to make a card for each one of these categories so on the days ds needs to bring a lunch I can pull a card and come up with some creative ideas. The milk and fruits are the easy ones, I'm having a hard time coming up with veggie ideas that ds will eat and can be packed also, what about grains other than bread and crackers? Any ideas would be appreciated!!
Answer:
What about eggrolls? They have cabbage in them for a veggie and the wrap is bread, and all of my kids love them. They cn be cooked at home and wrapped in foil. Also, we do tortilla wraps..cheese, chicken, and lettuce.
Answer:
my dd loves to take hard boiled eggs to school inplace of a sandwich. and its also a meat substitute. Ham rollups, just roll ham up in a soft taco shell and cut it in half, you could cut apples into slices and sprits them with lemon juicet o keep em form going brown. and how about carrot sticks, or celery with cheese whiz? i have an entire list i will just cut and paste it later for you.
Answer:
Edammame (soy beans) could be a veggie or a substitute. Celery with peanut butter and raisens (ants on a log). Cut up carrots or broccoli heads or cauliflower with a small container of ranch dressing for dipping. Goldfish makes them with whole grain now. Graham crackers with toppings. You can make your own "lunchables" with cheese and meats. or shredded cheese in a baggie and a baggie with some pasta sauce to top pita breads (put in a cooler lunch box). Use pita bread (wheat) or tortillas (wheat) instead of white bread. Pasta salad is a full meal that encompases many of the categories. Four bean salad. Veggies - I'm not big on canned due to high sodium, but you can buy low sodium Vegi-All to give them. Cookies can also include a fruit or fiber/grain - oatmeal raisen for example.
I'm big on putting things in small containers, baggies or a thermas. I give a plastic spoon that can be thrown away. My kids have always gotten stuck on the same few foods everyday for a while.
My youngest son would NEVER eat that much if I was required to put one of each food group in his sack. Plus he is a slow eater and would not have enough time to eat it. His shool did give an example as to what your shcool said too. I think they just want to get a balanced meal as opposed to only junk. No twinkies plus fruit juice plus chips type of thing.
HTH.