School lunch ideas

Looking for some help.  My 10 year old has eaten school lunches in the past with morning and afternoon snacks brought from home.  She is hypoglycemic and underweight (BMI 13).  Recently we found that her cholesterol is high so I have made the decision that she will bring her lunches in the fall.  I am looking to my friends here on calorie count for ideas for lunches that are high in calories (400-500), low in sugar, low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and the right balance of protein/carborhydrates.  I know that is a tall order and I have come up with a few but was looking for more.  Thanks to all for your help

You could try making wraps for her.  Use whole wheat tortillas so you get a bit more fiber and use hummus, light cream cheese or mustard instead of mayo to cut back on cholesterol. I usually put deli-sliced turkey in mine or tuna, if I want the additional protein, otherwise, I just use a variety of fresh veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, bell peppers etc. etc.) to make a filling wrap.

Wraps are also great for housing leftovers like chilli or grilled meats. If I've got leftover chicken, beef or pork, I just wrap with a bit of salsa and call it a homemade burrito.

Dunno if a 10 year old would be into eating out of a thermos, but you could try packing leftover turkey chilli, stews or other stuff from the previous night's dinner....soups with lentils are also really filling - but again, that would depend on whether or not she'd want to use a thermos or a microwave (assuming that the school had one available).

How about peanut butter and banana on whole wheat with some fruit and maybe some pretzels or something?

But I think that if you want to make lunches she'll actually eat and enjoy, maybe the best thing would be to ask her what she'd like and then work together to make sure that she's getting enough food and that it meets your nutritional guidelines.  It'd be a good way to sneak in some good life lessons.  :-)

I have worked with kids for years, and honestly, your best bet is to give them a 'lunch' they can make themselves.

eg -

Rice crackers/wheat crackers

Lean meat slices - turkey/chicken, even tuna/smoked salmon

Hummus/dips - in a small tub

medium fat cheese, grated.

Sliced cucumber/lettuce

Let them make their own lunch from it, not only is it filling, low in everything, but also fun - they will also learn to have healthy food!

Also, give over a pro-biotic yoghurt and fruit. Kiwi's are always great, as you get to hack them up! My partners little girl (6yrs old) loves when I ask her to help me what she wants to eat, I just foil wrap everything and she can pick and choose - nothing is expensive, and it also gives her a little taste of what it's ilike to eat nice things, and not school dinners.

Also, what about making up a nice pasta salad? They are lovely cold, and your kid would be the belle of the ball having something posh to eat!

I've worked out whole-wheat pasta, Tuna, sweetcorn and a small bit of mayo goes down a treat!

Thanks to all for the great ideas.  I really like the idea of having her input and her help in deciding and fixing lunch.  Thankfully she eats anything and LOVES trying new foods.  A thermos is a must because they have no access to a microwave. 

I've got a thing for cold pasta salads recently.  The two I make:

Kind of a Greek pasta salad, modified from one of Costco's salads

• 1 serving of flax noodles or whole grain noodles.
• 3-5 ounces of chicken breast
• cherry tomatos to taste
• artichoke hearts to taste
• olives to taste
• a sprinkle of feta cheese
• a dash of sea salt, pepper, and a pinch of oregano

A Thai pasta salad, modified from one of Trader Joe's salads

• 1 serving of flax noodles or whole grain noodles.
• 3-5 ounces of chicken breast
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• a few leaves of cilantro
• 1-3 diced green onions
• Thai peanut sauce for dipping

I teach and at most school students have access to a microwave because so many students have special dietary requirements.  Ask the school and I am sure that they have a microwave she can use or ca be gently nudged into getting one.  I too pack my lunch, even at the high school level school food is horrible in taste, is high in calories, and is not "healthy".  I would suggest the following (they are things I pack)

1.  Sugar free jello or pudding (a great desert)

2.  Ants on a log (peanut butter on celery, with raisins)

3.  Did I mentioned raisins, these and other dried fruits make great snacks.  

4.  Raw veggies and ranch dressing.

5.  Low-fat cheese.

6.  Nuts or dry cereal (I like to take dried frosted minis)

7.  Baked Chips, Rice Cakes, Pita Chips (Or Whole Wheat Pita Pockets with Peanut butter)

8.  Granola with yogurt and fruit (I use frozen fruit it keeps everything cold).

9.  Stir-fries 

10.  Sandwiches (they are cooler than they used to be)

I will say avoid the prepackages lunches, they are really high in sodium, are bad for you, and don't taste as great as homemade foods.

If you have to do prepackaged, I would suggest something more adult (Like a Lean Cuisine, or an adult lunch entree..some of the pizzas are GREAT!

lots of great ideas!  I'd hit the library or used book stores looking for sack lunch cookbooks for ideas!

This site has a lot of school lunch ideas so maybe there would be some ideas for you in there
http://lunchinabox.net/

All these are great ideas!  Keep them coming.  Together with my 10 year old, we are making some trial runs.

Yesterday we made pinwheel wraps.  Whole wheat tortilla with a layer on low fat cream cheese, layer of baby spinach, and a layer of ham.  Roll and wrap in plastic wrap, store in refrigerator for 2 hours.  When ready to eat, slice (pinwheels).  They were beautiful and delicous served with frest fruit! 

I don't know if she would be up for this, but I just got myself a Mr. Bento lunchbox for work (I got mine on Amazon). It has a series of stacking containers, and you can keep foods hot or cold.

The bottom container holds soup. A light miso soup or veggie soup would be a great way to start lunch. I fill my middle containers with a main dish and veggies and I use the smallest container to hold a serving of nuts for my afternoon snack. (I actually have high cholesterol, and I try to keep my good fats up - eating nuts every day helps).

Not sure if a 10 year old would find this nerdy or cool. You'd have to ask her.

Sandwiches are healthy, especially if you are using high fiber whole grain bread and some lean protein. I like tuna or chicken sandwiches and I make them with non-fat mayo or a bit of low fat greek yogurt.

Good luck!