Back to school lunch ideas

[susank]

In Canada we have had a large food recall on deli meats and more than 10 people have died as a result of a listeriosis outbreak. The outbreak has affected products from dozens of companies and new products and companies are added every day. Because of this I do not want to buy any deli meats to make lunches for my teenagers when they go back to school tomorrow.

I am looking for lunch ideas. I am going to cook some chicken breasts and make wraps with that but I don't have many ideas beyond this. I would cook a ham but there have been recalls on these as well.

Any ideas anyone!!??

[idesign]

How about natural peanut butter with no sugar added jam on whole wheat bread? I saw on TV where some world famine relief organization had invented or used a concoction that was a peanut butter base with some other things added. It really is a nutritious food! Add an apple and buy skim milk at school, and they would be all set. It's making me hungry just typing it--LOL.

Carol

[StitchinGrandma]

How horrible to deal with that type of a food problem right when kids are going back to school and are in need of lunches.

How old are your kids? That might help with ideas.

[susank]

My daughters are 14 and 16 and not big eaters at the best of times. They also don't like fish. The peanut butter idea is good -- I just have to find out first if any of the kids they eat with this year have peanut allergies. They are allowed to bring peanut butter in high school but I am still careful if I know anyone has the allergy. My nephew has it and it is a nightmare.

I have been looking through some books and the other idea I have seen is a sort of a steak wrap using marinated flank steak. I think they might like that too. It's just going to mean a whole lot more planning!!

[StitchinGrandma]

Well not liking fish then pretty much wipes out tuna ideas. LOL

What about buying a turkey and baking that. You can then slice to make your own lunchmeats for them to have sandwiches. You can use that too for wraps and lots of other things.

If you made a turkey, here's a good recipe for a wrap they might like.

California Wrap its

Ingredients
1 Cup ranch salad dressing
8 oz cream cheese -- softened
4 large flour tortillas -- 10" warmed
10 oz turkey breast slices
10 oz Monterey jack cheese -- and/or Cheddar
cheese slices
2 large Fresh California avocados -- peeled, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes -- thinly sliced
alfalfa sprouts- optional

Instructions
Blend together dressing and cream cheese. Spread evenly on tortillas.
Evenly layer turkey, cheese, avocados, tomatoes and sprouts on tortillas, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
Fold the bottom edge toward the center and firmly roll away from you until completely wrapped.
Place seam side down on a platter and slice.
Serve.

[StitchinGrandma]

OH and what about egg salad sandwiches? Those are always good.

[StitchinGrandma]

Another you could make if you did a turkey

Tortilla Club

The classic club sandwich flavors get rolled up in tortillas -- easy to eat on the go!

Prep: 15 min

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
1/4 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
1/4 cup finely chopped Roma tomatoes
4 leaf lettuce leaves
4 (1-ounce each) slices deli turkey breast
4 (3/4-ounce each) slices LAND O LAKES® Deli Swiss Cheese
4 (1-ounce each) slices deli honey ham or cooked ham
4 (3/4-ounce each) slices LAND O LAKES® Deli Cheddar Cheese
or American Cheese

Spread each tortilla evenly with 1 tablespoon salad dressing;
sprinkle with 1 tablespoon tomato. Top with 1 lettuce leaf,
1 slice turkey, 1 slice Swiss cheese, 1 slice ham and 1 slice
Cheddar cheese. Roll up tortilla; secure with toothpicks.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Nutritional Info Per 1 Sandwich: Calories 400, Fat 23 g,
Cholesterol 70 mg, Sodium 1060 mg, Carbohydrates 26 g,
Dietary Fiber 1 g, Protein 24 g

[StitchinGrandma]

OOH here's another idea ~ Make meatloaf and use that for sandwiches. I love cold meatloaf sandwiches. My husband thinks I'm nuts though. :p

[susank]

Thanks Vicki - these are making my mouth water. I think I need a snack now!!! I really like the look of the one with the avocado.

[susank]

You know - I like cold meatloaf sandwiches too. I bought some crusty rolls that would go nicely with that.

[StitchinGrandma]

That one with avacado is really good. I KNOW!! I'm making myself hungry! I haven't eaten today unless you want to count the two truffles I had.

Here's another
Cheesy BLT Wrap

Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 25 min
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1/3 cup KRAFT Mayo Real Mayonnaise
6 flour tortillas (10 inch)
12 romaine lettuce leaves, stems trimmed
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 pkg. (12 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Center Cut Bacon, cooked, drained
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Spread mayo evenly onto one side of each tortilla.

Top with lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and cheese; roll up tightly. Place, seam sides down, on serving platter. Serve immediately or wrap each roll-up tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.


Variations: Substitute KRAFT Mayo Light Mayonnaise for MIRACLE WHIP Light Dressing. Substitute leaf lettuce or shredded iceberg lettuce for romaine lettuce.

[StitchinGrandma]

Here's another idea ~ You could make this and they could eat this a few days. Hubby and I eat this as our entire meal quite often because it's so good.

7 Layer Salad

2 qt. (8 c.) chopped iceberg lettuce
½ c. chopped celery
½ c. chopped green pepper
½ c. chopped onion
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas, cooked & drained
1½ c. mayonnaise
3 T. sugar
6 oz. (1½ c.) cheddar cheese - shredded
6 slices bacon - fried & crumbled

Place the above ingredients in layers in the order given in a pan (13"x9"x2"). Cover. Chill at least 8 hours. Cut into 12 squares.
Yield: 12 servings

[StitchinGrandma]

What about pasta salads?

Tortellini Salad
" This is a Greek style salad that is delicious!
It is hearty enough to serve as the main course. "

Ingredients
16 ounces cheese-filled tortellini
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 small red onion, julienned
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 boneless chicken breast half, cooked and sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons ground walnuts
1 tablespoon honey

Directions
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and cool under cold water. Refrigerate until chilled.

Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, walnuts, and honey. Refrigerate until chilled.

In a salad bowl, combine pasta, peppers, red onion, olives, and chicken. Add lemon dressing and feta cheese, toss and serve.

Makes 6 servings

[susank]

Where do you get all this??!!! Once again - you have been a great help. I had not even thought of the pasta salad. My older daughter sometimes buys a pasta salad in the cafeteria herself so I know she likes them.

My daughters will thank you. I was really at a loss after not really making lunches all summer.

[StitchinGrandma]

Ummmmm I'm known for my cooking Susan. :D I just kept that a secret. :p

And the cooking a turkey thing ~ We do that frequently here because it's SO much better for you than lunchmeat and cheaper too. Plus, you can make a dinner from that same turkey so you're really stretching the food budget that way. I'd say to do the same with a nice roast, but not everyone likes cold pot roast and roast beef can be costly at times.

[fun2sew]

ok, Vicki you are in charge of making lunches in the morning starting tomorrow! LOL

THANKS for all the great ideas!!!

[susank]

I like the idea of cooking a turkey. I often cook 2 chickens so that I can use the leftovers - a turkey is even better.

Thank you so much -- and yes - fun2sew I think Vicki should be in charge of all the lunches!!

One of my secret shames is that I truly hate making lunches. I live for the summer when I don't have to do it. Oh well, back to reality. Tomorrow I have decided on grilled chicken and brie. I have already made the chocolate chip/coconut cookies and the oatmeal apple breakfast bars. I may go for the pasta salad on Wednesday. All the ideas were great!!

As the commercial says -- its the most wonderful time of the year!

[StitchinGrandma]

ok, Vicki you are in charge of making lunches in the morning starting tomorrow! LOL

THANKS for all the great ideas!!!
HA! Sorry! You are on your own. Even my husband makes his own so I'm out of the lunch making job now. I sleep in instead. :p

I like the idea of cooking a turkey. I often cook 2 chickens so that I can use the leftovers - a turkey is even better.

Thank you so much -- and yes - fun2sew I think Vicki should be in charge of all the lunches!!

One of my secret shames is that I truly hate making lunches. I live for the summer when I don't have to do it. Oh well, back to reality. Tomorrow I have decided on grilled chicken and brie. I have already made the chocolate chip/coconut cookies and the oatmeal apple breakfast bars. I may go for the pasta salad on Wednesday. All the ideas were great!!

As the commercial says -- its the most wonderful time of the year!
You are more than welcome. Trust me, I haven't even scratched the tip of all the recipes I could begin to post. Last time I checked I had over 350MB/6,000 recipes just on my computer and about 300 cookbooks just in my kitchen with more in the back room and even more in the storage room. That's not counting a huge box of clipped recipes from newspapers and all kinds of magazines. :D

[susank]

Wow - I'm impressed. My friends think I am quite a cook but I don't think I have that many recipes. They are all usually most impressed when I make anything from the Williams Sonoma cookbooks - they are lots of work but amazing. If anyone needs a flourless chocolate cake with almost 2 lbs. of chocolate in the recipe I can give you a taste of what these are like. That is only one of my family and friends favourites - I have juvenile diabetes so its not for me -- but there are some great desserts out there.

[debmac]

What about homemade chicken salad sandwiches. Homemade pimento cheese is also very good. If they are not into sandwiches, either one would be good with crackers and used as a dip.

[Lisaa]

Packing lunch for my first grader is a nightmare. He has an auto-immune disorder that attacks his esophagus so he is fearful of eating new foods and is extremely limited on what he will eat. He won't eat vegetables, fruits and most meats so most of his lunch comes home uneaten and he's been unbearable every day last week after school (it was the first week of school and he's tired and hungry and GRUMPY!) He will eat bacon, so, Vicki, your recipe for the sandwich with bacon made me realize I could send bacon in his lunch once in a while.

[Granny313]

HA! Sorry! You are on your own. Even my husband makes his own so I'm out of the lunch making job now. I sleep in instead. :p


You are more than welcome. Trust me, I haven't even scratched the tip of all the recipes I could begin to post. Last time I checked I had over 350MB/6,000 recipes just on my computer and about 300 cookbooks just in my kitchen with more in the back room and even more in the storage room. That's not counting a huge box of clipped recipes from newspapers and all kinds of magazines. :D

My dear Vicki (MOM) I am hoping that you can help me since you have all these recipes!! I am looking for a really good, not too hot, cocktail sauce for shrimp. Also, do you know how to make the melted garlic butter that you use to dip lobster tails? And------ a really good moist coconut cake recipe before Christmas. This is one of dh's favorite. Now mind you, I don't want to go all out and have to grate the coconut. I'm not that much like Betty Crocker(LOL) I might give it a try if I liked coconut, but I cannot stand it!(LOL) :D

Thanks:
Debbie

[susank]

Lisaa - this sounds tough. I just found out a year ago that I have an anaphylactic reaction to seafood so I can understand what you are dealing with. Food issues are really hard and most people don't understand them. I hope the bacon recipe helps you. I don't know his sensitivities but my girls like biscuits made with bacon and cheese. They are really almost a meal if you add some veggies. Good luck with it - there is nothing like kids who don't eat to make you feel like you have failed them!

[Lisaa]

Good luck with it - there is nothing like kids who don't eat to make you feel like you have failed them!

That is SO true! My little guy is allergic to peanuts which we found out when he tried his first peanut last year, at age 5. I was so excited that he was finally willing to try peanut butter, thinking PB&J sandwiches would be a great addition to his eating but was so bummed (and scared!) when he had a reaction. We have to carry an EpiPen and provide one at school. I'm terrified we might have to use it one day but luckily, he is so picky and suspicious of foods that, hopefully, his chances of consuming peanuts is lower. That reminds me, (and I'm sorry to make this a long post!) but one morning he got up with his 2 year old sister and came downstairs in the morning without me. That NEVER happens around here, lol, so I was happy to be able to lie in bed a few extra minutes and just listen out for them. I fell back asleep even though I meant to stay awake. Next thing I know, he's screaming up to me that he thinks he ate nuts and his throat is really hurting. What a scare!! I ran downstairs and asked him to show me what he ate. He pointed to the table where he'd gotten out my good china and set out a party for himself and his sister with Goldfish and my personal stash of chocolate walnut cookies. The cookies were on a high shelf in my kitchen so he had to have climbed up on the counter and stood to reach them. I gave him Benadryl and that helped with the allergic reaction. Needless to say, we stay away from all nuts now!

[StitchinGrandma]

OH my ~ Susan you see what you started now? LOL

Debbie ~ For cocktail sauce all I do is mix ketchup, horseradish and a little bit of lemon juice. Just add little bits of the horseradish at a time until you get to the "heat" you like.

Lobster butter calls for clarified butter so it takes extra time. You can't just melt butter to get the stuff you will find in restaurants. Of course, the few times I've had lobster at home, I could have cared less if it was clear butter. HA! I was just thrilled to have the lobster. :D I'll check for a recipe but I'm not sure I have that, BUT I'm betting I can find one. There's a chef message board I frequent and they may have one there.

The cake ~ YUP. I believe it's one I got from Paula Deen. I'll go search and be back

ETA: TO leave this thread about lunches ~ Go here for the coconut cake (http://www.embroidables.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21314&posted=1#post21314)
Your sauce recipes are here (http://www.embroidables.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21315#post21315)

[Granny313]

Vicki - I very rarely have lobster here either - but I love dipping boiled shrimp in the butter. It's really good and I can always make-believe it is lobster!!! Sometimes they run a good sale on crab legs too. I would rather live on seafood or fried chicken any time than anything else.(LOL)

thanks

Debbie

[susank]

Lisa - I really don't envy you the dealing with a peanut allergy. My sister had a lot of tough years with her son because of one. He is also allergic to eggs, sesame seeds and some other nuts. He is 16 now and it is a little better but he too is extremely cautious. Sometimes he just won't eat if he does not trust the source. I now do the same thing after having an anaphylactic reaction after eating in a restaurant. If they cannot guarantee that what I eat has not come in contact with any seafood, I just go somewhere else. It's a little frustrating at times but better that than ending up dead. I carry an epipen but the epipen itself could kill me because I have an irregular heart beat --- as as result I don't eat out much!

I know it seems odd but you should likely be happy your son is afraid to try things. My nephew would try things when he was younger and he ended up in the hospital several times as a result.

[stitchcrazy]

When I was younger, my mom would make different canned soups or pastas (campbell's chicken noodle, vegetable soup, chef boyardi raviolis) and put them in thermoses for us to eat at lunch. She also made the frozen chicken pot pies and put them in thermoses...it was always nice to have a warm meal...add some crackers with the soup or some fruit or chopped veggies (carrots, celery, and ranch dip) and you've got a well-balanced meal! My husband and I pack our lunches every day for work and we do a lot of soups and lean pockets and such. I'm not sure if your kids have access to a microwave though, which is where the thermos comes in handy.