Please I am desporate, I need ideas for sack lunches. School starts soon and I do not like the lunches at school - tastes gross and very unhealthy! I probably sound like one of the students . I need ideas of healthy foods that do not require a refrigerator or a microwave plus I have to eat with the students. I am hoping that some wise parent or fellow teacher will have some great ideas to share with me and parents who need ideas for their children. Thanks a bunch! DM

DaisyMaisy,

Off the top of my head I can't think of anything to pack right now.

But I when I was teaching I had a little lunch cooler that I brought with me because things used to get stolen from our teacher's cafeteria fridge. It was made of a plastic-y/vinyl material that was shaped like a little box. It zipped close and had a strap. There was also an outside net for holding a waterbottle. I would use one of those blue colored ice packs that you can keep in your freezer and reuse. It kept my food nice and cool and I didn't have anytrouble keeping food from spoiling. The only problem was that the ice pack was heavy and could squish my sandwiches if I wasn't careful about putting the ice in the bag first.

And since the bag was soft sided I just folded it down for my return home and stuffed it into my tote bag. Very useful since I took public transportation.

Hope that helps a little bit.
Pokeybear1

I bring my lunch to work almost everyday. Containers are important and a worthwhile investment, I use Tupperware, but the Glad disposables are ok too if you worry about losing them. I also know the size of all the usual containers I use so I know when I have two cups of salad or one cup of cottage cheese or yogurt. Half the time I make double whatever I have for dinner. (Right now I am doing Body for Life, so that is a mix of protein, carbs and veggies). When I clear up from dinner, I pack up the lunch and am good to go. If I am making something different, such as sandwiches in the am, I use frozen bread, slices of meat, ie, lean ham, roast beef, turkey, cheese, the frozen bread keeps from getting too squished, plus I use only whole wheat. Other options are salads as a base, with left over protein or tuna over the top. I keep a bottle of salad dressing at the office, it really doesn't need to be refridgerated in MHO. Fruit travels well, especially berries, grapes and orange slices. I have a heavy duty camping fork, knife and spoon I keep in the thermal lunch bag, to cut down on weight. Also a couple of blue freezer blocks. I carry a small salt and pepper shaker as well. For snacky type meals, I use nuts measured into containers or snack size zip locks, cheese sticks, cold cut sticks (ask for a 1/2 inch slice of turkey, or ham at the deli and make your own sticks), granola bars (there are some good recipes on line for ones appropriate for your WOE), yogurt, and cottage cheese.

The whole key is probably planning, so I do my planning on Saturday along with my grocery shopping. I have my groceries and know what I am having all week long, makes it much easier to stay on track. Another idea is to freeze bottles of water to use as a cool pack instead, that way you have your drink as well.

Only take what you like to eat or will eat, otherwise you will get easily distracted.

Liza

Thanks for the ideas, I do have a lunch cooler with the blue freeze packets (one even has glitter in it) but I am so tired of sandwiches and yogurt. I haven't tried frozen bread but it makes sense. Thanks again for all the great advice. DM

Daisy: I also used to have to eat with my students. And I worked in an inner city school, so the food was horrendous. When I moved to a different district, they had salads that were good, and came with a small soft-pretzel. That was really good, and I figured out how to do it myself: Salad in a bowl, I put frozen shrimp in a separate baggie and then they are thawed by lunch time. Soemtimes I do the little cans or packets of tuna; and a frozen soft pretzel...thawed by lunch.
I also do peanut butter and no-sugar added fruit butter (check a organic store or Trader Joes if you have one), on a tortilla (Trader Joes makes a really good low-carb one if you're into that). I combine that with a piece of string cheese or a small low-carb yogurt (I buy low-carb stuff because it has Splenda: I can't have nutra sweet). The new Dannon Light N Fit smoothies are REALLY good... with some hard pretzel twists and a piece of fruit. Sometimes I'll do beef or turkey jerky, cheese, and crackers with a piece of fruit. That can get kinda salty though.
Its harder in the fall and winter because I'm really into fresh fruit... I buy frozen, but I don't always eat it... And summer fruits are my favorites: grapes, cherries, berries, melon, mango!

I like to make my sandwiches in a low fat tortilla, my favorite is deli select roast beef with horseradish and shedded letuce. Also, take a piece of the pumpkin cake or the creamsicle cake with a dollop of frozen cool whip free-it will be thawed by lunch. I am also a big fan of in-season fruit. Right now I'm loving cubed up cantaloupe and nectarines. I also like diced tomatoes with sliced cucumbers and onions-just add some salt and pepper, hardly any calories and it travels well!

I too pack a lunch most days, but we have a small fridge at work. I take a small chef salad and usually plenty of fruit. Melon is my favorite and I have an orange tree in my back yard that will be ready in Nov or Dec. I make chicken salad, tuna salad, deviled eggs, take some homemade soup or whatever left overs from dinner the night before. I eat something every 3 hours or so and that way I am not starved at any meal. My key is to have it planned ahead, all veggies chopped for salad and usually fixed the night before in case I am running late. Makes it so much easier to know what I am having at each "meal". I also know the measurements of my containers, so it goes a lot faster when I pack it.

Thanks everyone-I am getting some terrific ideas for lunches this year. The tortillas instead of bread would make a difference. I do like taking Sugar Freee Jello with fruit. Thanks again, DM