Mommy Mondays: Packing It Up Part 2

Thatbaby starts his new preschool today, and they provide lunch for him, which reminded me that I never finished up my lunch series.  I told you my favorite packaging for lunches, but not what I put in them.

I had brilliant plans to take pictures of his lunch for a week, but that obviously never happened, so instead I'll just share some ideas with you.

In general, I like to pack him an entree, a fruit, and something snacky.  Most of the time his entree contains vegetables, but otherwise those easily become "something snacky."  You'll also notice that not all of these entrees are specific for kids.  This is because I pack Thatbaby the same thing I pack for Thatboy and I, with some substitutions where necessary.

Thatbaby's last preschool was vegetarian, and his best friend was allergic to a lot of things, so I'll do a third part of this series with ideas for those substitutions.  For now, here are some ideas to pack in a toddler's lunch.

Entrees:

• Sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly, coldcuts, egg salad or tuna fish)
• wraps (like a sandwich, but on lavash instead, or a cold version of a burrito with rice, beans, sour cream, and veggies)
• quinoa cooked with your favorite veggies
• fried rice
• pizza slices
• cheese and crackers
• pasta or pasta salad
• macaroni and cheese
• salads with chicken or black beans
• yogurt
• grilled chicken slices
• quesadillas
• stiry fry
• Asian noodles (pad thai, soba, peanut noodles)
• falafel, hummus, and pita
• Chicken tenders
• Sausage and peppers
• stromboli
• breakfast for lunch (bagel, eggs, or pancakes)

Fruit:

• apple slices
• kiwi
• banana
• orange slices
• plums
• berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries
• grapes
• applesauce
• pear slices
• pineapple
• watermelon

Snacky:

• edamame
• crackers
• dried cranberries
• raisins
• nuts- almonds, pecans, macademia nuts, cashews
• green beans
• carrots and hummus
• pita chips and yogurt dip
• broccoli
• frozen peas and corn
• applesauce
• fruit leather
• granola bars
• dried cherries
• trail mix
• quick breads (pumpkin, banana, zucchini)