School Lunch Ideas – Part One

Published by on

Today is Georgia’s first day of Grade One. Here in Central Alberta that means, it is also her very first day of ‘all day’ school. Today she’ll eat her very first bagged lunch. Her only option for the next several years. Our elementary schools do not have cafeterias. Therefore, it is necessary to pack a lunch or go home for lunch. When the older kids were this age they mostly came home for lunch, as it was just a couple blocks away. This isn’t the case for Georgia.

Georgia Grade 1

We shopped last night for ‘lunch stuff’.


I had intended to bake some cookies, but life interfered and Sunday night found us buying Oreos at Safeway. We (all the kids and I) had a talk on the way to the supermarket and they’d all given me a list of one treat and two healthy snacks they’d like to have in their lunches. Georgia wanted wagon wheels, but the other two out voted her with Oreos, so Oreos it was.

Georgia’s all time favourite lunch is a ham wrap, with cheese and lettuce. That is until she saw the Lunchables. That’s what you get for letting her walk around the store with her brother! I don’t mind if you feed your kids Lunchables, in fact the ones in the USA look like they are getting pretty nutritious, but I don’t buy them. Even though I think highly of the folks at Kraft, especially the brains behind the Lunchables idea (it is a good idea), Bob Becker. Remember when I went to Kraft and met Bob?

Anyway Georgia was mighty disappointed when I told her we couldn’t afford them, but I could make her ones like it. She looked pretty skeptical too. Especially when she found out there would be no juice box, only water. I’m mean that way. I talked her around with a promise of Oreos and Ritz crackers (the veggie kind).

Lunch Time ...

Layer one consisted of locally grown cucumbers and carrots, natural ham, and some Cracker Barrel Old Cheddar (which is on sale right now at Safeway if you care). The second layer was the coveted crackers and cookies.

Lunch Time ...

We then packed another little snack container of strawberries, carrots and cucumbers, added an orange (I started the peeling process for her), a bottle of ice water. We then had a chat about what you eat first (not the cookies). What was for lunch, and what was for recess. We’ll see how it goes.

Any good lunch ideas for me?

MK xo

Disclaimer: The folks at Kraft have no idea I wrote this post and I haven’t been compensated by packing my daughters lunch with Oreos, Ritz or Cracker Barrel Cheese.


3 Comments

Jo · August 22, 2011 at 7:09 pm

Looks awesome! Can’t believe your kids are already back!! We still have another week!

Hannah · August 22, 2011 at 8:02 pm

Wow, first grade for Georgia! She looks happy to be going :-)

My boys have pretty much the same thing in their lunchboxes every day … cheese & salami sandwiches (1 for Tyler, 2 for Ethan), 2 pieces of fruit/veg (apple, pear, banana, mandarin, carrot, raw mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, cucumber), a baked fruit bar, crackers, sultanas and a plain cookie. Tyler also has a mini bag of plain popcorn or rice/corn snacks (baked, not fried).

Lana Furniture · August 24, 2011 at 6:16 am

very natural. great idea, I always find hard time introducing nutritious food especially to the kids. but seeing this could make some change. thank you for sharing.

Leave a Reply