School Lunches

My toddler is in preschool now and I'm having a hard time thinking of new meat and peanut free (as required) lunches.  And, while I'm sure she'd love to eat what I remember as my earliest school lunch - cheese and ketchup on white bread - somehow I just don't think I can bring myself to send it.  So, I've been repeating the following lunches and I'm getting bored:

1) Almond butter and honey or jam on Ezekiel bread, cut into shapes, with baby carrots, raisins, and fruit;

2) "Little Bites" - hard boiled egg cut into wedges, baby carrots or cherry tomatoes with hummus, crackers, fruit, and a few animal cookies (this works well if you use silicone baking cups to separate things inside the lunch box);

3) Pita triangles with hummus, carrots, fruit;

4) Open faced sandwich with strawberry jam or mashed avocado and cheddar cheese, cut into shapes, with baby carrots and fruit.

I just placed an order for some fun stuff like the cutest way to make an egg on the planet from J Box, so I'm hoping to get inspired to get more creative.  

On that note, if you want some great ideas and/or to feel like a really lazy mom, you can check out the blog Just Bento, which is the source of these photos - Cate's lunches look like this only in my dreams...

Recently the wonderful administrator at Cate's school sent home a list of ideas, and I thought I'd re-post them here:

Sandwiches:

• Soy butter & jelly on wheat bread
• Tuna sandwich
• Cheese sandwich
• Crackers and soy butter
• Cream cheese and jelly (on bread or graham crackers)
• Mini bagels or pita sandwiches
• Scrambled eggs
• Soy deli slices (please label as soy)
• Cheese and crackers
• Quesadilla
• Grilled cheese
• Wraps (roll up any of the above in a soft tortilla)

Thermos Ideas:

• Macaroni and cheese
• Soup
• Veggie meatballs, patties, nuggets or corn dogs (please label as soy)
• Fish sticks
• Pasta with sauce or parmesan

Fun Side Dishes:

• String cheese
• Small cottage cheese cup (optional with fruit)
• Cheese cubes
• Cut up fruit (grapes to be cut in half)
• Yogurt
• Jello
• Raisins
• Fruit cup
• Cereal
• Veggie chips
• Mini muffin
• Baby carrots (with dip?)
• Hard boiled egg
• Corn bread
• Bread stick with dipping sauce
• Fruit leather
• Edamame (seeds only, no pods)

Fancier Recipes:

• Whole wheat tortilla with soy butter and raisins, rolled up and cut in two.
• “Italian Theme” – Pizza quesadilla, tomato cheddar soup, tortellini and green beans.
• “Mediterranean Theme” – hummus and spinach wrap, cherry tomatoes, string cheese and yogurt.
• “Mexican Theme” – baked corn chips, black beans, cheese wedges and tomatoes.
• “Asian Theme” – whole wheat noodles with soy butter, sugar snap peas, pear and a fortune cookie.
• Veggie sushi
• Hummus with pita chips and veggies or pretzels.
• Smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber on mini bagel.
• Fruit slices and yogurt for dipping.
• Hummus with shredded carrots and cucumber wrapped in a whole wheat pita.
• Mini quiches (made in muffin tins are just the right size for preschool lunches)
• Add to Mac & Cheese broccoli, sweet potato or carrots.
• Egg / tuna salad mixed with finely cut veggies 
• Have your child mix a snack mix for his/her lunch (ideas include: cereal, yogurt drops, dried fruit, mini pretzels and mini rice cakes) 

I would love to hear other ideas if anyone has them - post them in the comments!