Rant: School lunches are impossible to pack

Dec 111 min read

Why is it so hard to find something my kids will actually eat that doesn't cost a million dollars and isn't absolute garbage? I'm over here trying to do sandwiches with veggies, some fruit, granola bar, whatever. My 7yo comes home and tells me he traded his sandwich for another kid's Lunchables. LUNCHABLES. I'm losing my mind. And I can't pack stuff that requires heating because the school doesn't have microwaves. Anyone have actually good solutions here or is this just the tax we pay as parents?

10 comments190 views

Comments(10)

BBob G.RegularDec 11

Costco has those turkey roll-ups that changed my life. $12 for like 2 weeks of lunch meat, throw it in with some cheese and we're good. No judgment on the quick wins here

NNolan J.RegularDec 12

Real talk: sometimes I just do PB&J, an apple, and a string cheese. Costs like $1.50 total, takes 3 minutes, both kids eat it. Stopped trying to be fancy

WWill T.RegularDec 12

The veggies+granola bar combo is actually solid though?? What are they rejecting - the veggies themselves or the sandwich part? Because my 6yo will eat raw carrots if they're cut a certain way but loses it over cooked ones

NNick G.RegularDec 11

This is the real issue though - school wants "balanced" but kids want the same sandwich for 180 days. I've accepted we're eating PB&J for another 5 years minimum

PPhil K.RegularDec 12

Have you tried just asking them what they want? Sounds dumb but I sit down with mine monthly and let them pick 5 lunch options, I prep them on Sunday. Less waste, less stress, they actually eat

CCarl L.RegularDec 12

What age are yours? My 6yo will only eat beige foods so I started doing a rotation: PB&J, turkey sandwich, mac and cheese container, quesadilla. Costs less and he actually eats it instead of throwing it away

CCarl S.RegularDec 13

We switched to letting them pick 3 things from the pantry and whatever combo they make is lunch. Took the pressure off me and somehow they eat more. Kids are weird

SSam P.RegularDec 11

Have you tried bento box style? Like little portions of random stuff - cheese cubes, crackers, grapes, pepperoni slices. My kids treat it like a snack board and actually finish it

RRaj P.RegularDec 14

The granola bar thing is real - sounds like you're actually trying though. My kids will literally only eat PB&J so I stopped fighting it. Sometimes good enough is the win

MMarcus J.RegularDec 13

The absolute garbage thing got me. School lunches are genuinely terrible and expensive. We switched to prepping easier stuff - rotisserie chicken wraps, fruit, cheese sticks. Takes 20 mins, costs way less than buying sandwiches