High protein lunch ideas

[miss_thenorth]

As brought up by Me&thegals, here are some of the high protein lunches that I make for my kids. share yours so we, and our kids can stay fueled up all day. Alot of the lunches I make my kids are thermos lunches, either hot or cold.

potatoe and macaroni salad-heavy on the hard boiled eggs, with home made mayo.
soups, chicken noodle, cream of chicken, vegetable beef (sub venison here)
chicken caesar or ranch wraps(leftover roast chicken, romaine, and either dressing wrapped in a tortilla.
grilled cheese sandwiches or ham and cheese--yes the kids eat them cold.
pizza wraps--(not often, cuz of the nitrates)pepperoni, mozza, pizza sauce wrapped in a tortilla.
egg mc (my)muffins--nuked scrambled egg, bacon or ham, cheese on english muffin.

sides are often hardboiled eggs or pickled quail eggs, sliced hard cheese, yogurt, given when they are eating a non protein main --ie--caesar salad, veggie soup, mushroom soup. bagels and cream cheese etc.

I do find my kids esp my son(and me for that matter) operate better when protein is served at every meal.

 

[big brown horse]

A couple of ideas:
I packed (she does all the packing now) cut up veggies from zuch, to broccoli, cherry tomatoes, celery and even carrots and sprigs of parsley, add some dip like ranch, a nice hunk of cheese a handful of almonds and there, ya got yourself a nice lunch. Sing the theme to "Veggie Tales" while your kids help you pack it.

I also packed "lunchables" the cheese and cold cuts way out numbered the whole grain wheat crackers. I also added a container of cottage cheese and a small handfull of blueberries and almonds.

Every time I bake a chicken she gets the drumsticks for her lunch the next day...yummy cold! And good finger food.

I never had a problem packing salads loaded with chicken breast, ham, boiled eggs, cheese, black olives etc. Dressing on the side for her to add later. Always a hit and quite filling.

She has been making cream cheese sammys lately with cucumbers and home-made sourdough bread. She also has been using the whipped cream cheese to dip celery and carrot sticks into too.

Gosh she has been taking her lunch to school since the first grade, so I will be adding more as I think of them.

 

[miss_thenorth]

There are NO nuts of ANY kind allowed at our school, so that is a bummer--I wish I could give my kids a handful of nuts here and there, or a pbj if in a rush some morning. I never thought about giving a drumstick, mainly b.c I don't like cold meat unles it is smothered in ranch, but I think my ds would go for it. I also forgot egg salad sandwiches.

 

[big brown horse]

I forgot about egg salad sandwiches!! I love those too!

Any kind of salad like chicken, tuna or egg is also great on a big bed of green lettuce, tomato, and other veggies. If you make the egg, tuna or chicken salad part big enough you don't even miss the bread. Just add a few whole grain crackers. I'm getting hungry!

Wow no nuts at school these days. Bummer. Samantha never went to a school with a no nut rule. I do understand why though...I had a little girl in my class with severe nut allergies.

 

[ams3651]

my son loves hummus and cut up veggies, im sure hes the only 1st grader smelling like garlic pickled hard boiled eggs, peanut butter banana sandwiches, hard cheese, crackers and left over ham or chicken and a peanut butter oatmeal cookie or yogurt for dessert. Im sure there are many others I cant think of right now. He doesnt eat much for lunch because of meds so I try to get the cabs and protein in. Also I have put Carnation instant breakfast or Pediasure in his drink bottle.

 

[me&thegals]

Thanks for starting this thread, Miss!! I have been reading about nutrition for focus and attentiveness, and it almost always advises higher-protein diets. I know I feel better when I'm not eating pure carbs. But, I don't want them to have mercury-laden tuna every day or nitrate-filled lunch meat. :/

My kids will sometimes go for chili, heavy on beans, with cottage cheese or shredded cheese packed on the side.

Sometimes they have a small container of nuts, and then veggies, fruit and maybe some cheese.

My daughter will go for boiled eggs along with other sides.

I would like to start making whole-grain pasta salads, but then load them with other high-fat and high-protein foods like chicken, cheese chunks, black olives and vinegar-oil dressing.

Once I packed chunked chicken breast for part of my son's lunch, and he enjoyed it.

Mostly, though, they have PB&J, which they don't care for much and I'm not too thrilled about either. I think I need to get more organized, get all the stuff I need for higher-protein meals and then just plan things out better ahead of time. Mornings can be chaotic, as all you parents know, and I tend to go for really fast sandwiches. If I make things ahead of time, we can do better.

Great ideas, everybody! How do you avoid the sandwich meat issues (expense and preservatives) for wraps and sandwiches, or do you just go for it?

 

[freemotion]

We use a lot of home-cooked chicken and turkey for sandwiches, and home-made meatloaf. It is a fraction of the cost, too! You can get so creative with the other things you put into the sandwich, so it doesn't get boring.

A favorite is chicken with thick slices of ripe avacado, lettuce, and mayo. Bread, ww flour tortilla wrap, or pita pocket for variety.

I also love a sandwich with Italian salad dressing on it, and provolone with the meat and kosher dill slices.

A meatball sandwich, but with meatloaf and spaghetti sauce and provolone or mozzarella.

Meatloaf with ketchup!

Turkey or chicken with mustard, get creative with the mustard flavors.

A chunky antipasto-style salad.

Lunchable style, with good crackers and good stackers.

Chicken or turkey salad in one container, cheese slices in a bag, and crackers with a spoon for scooping.

A variation on pasta salad....I like to make tabouleh with Italian spices instead of mint. I add LOTS of diced cukes and tomatoes, and often throw in other diced veggies, maybe sprinkle carrot flowers on top for a little fun. Then arrange devilled eggs and black and green olives along the edges. Yum.

 

[Dace]

How do you avoid the sandwich meat issues (expense and preservatives) for wraps and sandwiches, or do you just go for it?

I just bought a meat slicer at costco for $49. We also bought a couple of turkey breasts and some lean beef. Roasted them off, sliced, packed into one week portions and froze some. A little up front out of pocket but the machine has already paid for itself just in the meat I bought. Saving me roughly $5 per pound.

 

[big brown horse]

Meatloaf!! Devilled Eggs!!

Dace, that meat slicer idea is looking better and better everyday!

 

[abifae]

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