http://www.sweetpotatochronicles.com/wordpress/2011/10/lunch-week-mini-quiches/

I arrived at your site via an article in Today’s Parent and I was hoping to get the recipe for your mini-quiches but the link is broken in this post. Do you have the recipe and/or link?

What I pack varies, but I stick to:

- 2 servings with carbs (one main item like a sandwich or pasta that includes protein, plus one serving cereal, granola, crackers, nuts, sesame snacks, pretzles etc.)
- 2 servings of fruit/veg (cut up apples, grapes, strawberries or veggies with dip, dried fruit like apricots, mangos, rasins or bananas)
- 2 servings of dairy (almost always a fruit-juice based yogurt like ‘Lil Ones and cheese – babybell or string cheese on occasion)

Some of the food comes back but he usually finishes it off in the car on the way home or before dinner. I need to get me some of those Planet Boxes – they look great! Thanks for posting – love this blog.

A sandwich like ham or hummus & cheese or peanut butter & nutella OR leftover pasta/rice meal in a thermos
A tube of yogurt
A serving of fresh fruit
A granola bar or nuts/crackers
A low-sugar juice box (they just won’t drink water or plain milk at lunch, probably because that’s all they’re offered at home, and flavored milk has too much sugar)

I don’t offer an additional dessert because the yogurt and granola bar are already loaded with sugar, sigh.

Your lunches are delicious for the eye as well as, I’m sure, the palate! I found that when my kids were younger they less consistently finished their lunches; now everything’s gone, down to the crumbs. So it may be that as your child grows her appetite for lunch grows with her. Keep up the good work!

smoked salmon
whole grain mini-bun with butter
cucumber rounds and red pepper sticks with hummus to dip
homemade applesauce
5 mini marshmallows

Other things I discovered along the way:

- Lunch really wasn’t the time to experiment with new foods and leftovers from the night before.
- We agreed on a list of lunch items and it on the fridge. It helped me remember who likes mustard and who likes mayo etc.
- It pays to invest in a really good thermos. They aren’t cheap, so label it! (We are big fans of Mabels Labels over here)
- a daily sweet treat isn’t really necessary. It’s nice, but i’d rather they ate their apple.

Anyway, your lunches look gorgeous. Your kids are lucky to have you!

Mondays (in a PlanetBox)
Morning Snack – Cheese cubes (cheddar etc)
Afternoon Snack – Fruit Stix (SunRype) and snack size oreo etc cookies
Lunch – Sandwich with cream cheese and cucumbers (cut out in either a dinosaur or train shape)
Treat – 5 smarties (because he is 5;))

Tuesday (in a bunch of little boxes)
Morning Snack – a Babybel cheese
Afternnon Snack – Pretzels and a home made chocoalte chip cookie
Lunch – in a thermos – warmed up “pocket pasta” with spinach and other such stuff mixed in – “pocket pasta” equals mini ravilois
Treat – Angry bird gummies {yummy!!}

Wednesday (in a Planetbox)
Morning Snack – Apples
Afternoon Snack – Granola Bar and some type of cookie (maple creme etc)
Lunch – Egg salad sandwich
Treat – Smarties!

Thursday (in little boxes)
Morning Snack – Carrots/celery + dip
Afternoon Snack – Raisins and home made banana etc muffin
Lunch – Lunch Lady (yay!) – she provides cut veggies – i usually find them mouldy when I make it to his school – in his cubby
Treat – Angry Bird gummies! (see a pattern!?)

Friday (in a Planetbox)
Morning Snack – clementines/strawberries
Afternoon Snack – Goldfish crackers + chocolate cream cookies
Lunch – Pizza Day (yay! yay!)
Treat – 5 smarties (lol!!)