Just in case lunch at the school cafeteria takes a while before it can call itself nutricious and delicious, I found a great thermos and lunchbag on line.
The Thermos:
Last year I bought a swiss version for about $35 that I thought would last me at least until I drove Ferdinand to his first job. (I’m hoping that happens before college.) No dice. It was dented and chipped within the first 2 weeks. Other thermos versions cracked or leaked. This one is $21.99, keeps milk cold and doesn’t leak. Best of all, unlike the prissy Swissy one, I can throw it in the dishwasher. It’s at:
target.com Thermos Intak Steel Flipgrip bottle
The lunch bag:
Ferd used to use a semi insulated bag that he loved because he won it for being student of the month. The insulation ripped out almost immediately and it smelled even faster than that, despite being washed out with a soapy sponge and left to air dry. Enough of that. He said he loved the one below. Nothing fancy pants and all about reusable, which apparently is “in” with the seven year old set.  When it came to lunchboxes, I had nothing on my mind but the Dawn Doll. I am grateful that my genes have improved with passing them on.
The reusable bag, is only about $4.00!!!! and can be washed in the washing machine.
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/acme-bags%E2%84%A2-recycled-cotton-lunch-medium-p-968.html (uninsulated, but Ferd doesn’t take anything that has to be refrigerated.)
What goes in the lunch:
1. Peanut butter and honey. Ferd hates the peanut butter and jelly at school, but he will eat a (better) version of it from home. I buy organic peanut butter (no pesticides, added sugar or added fats). It’s about 2 dollars more than regular peanut butter, but still comes in at a low 40 cents per sandwich. I give him honey because he likes it. I make the sandwich on whole wheat bread with no dough conditioners. (no complaints) And that’s it. Other than that, Ferd only likes hot food; I don’t have it in me before eight o’clock to pack a hot lunch. I could feel guilty, but I don’t. I think kids like repetition. They find comfort in it. David Lynch has a tuna sandwich for lunch every single day, and look how creative he is. A hot breakfast is as far as I go. I make him french toast, multi-grain pancakes (you can make your own dry mix and just dip in whenever you need it), oatmeal or even pasta.
2. An apple. McDonald’s has something here. Ferd will eat the apple if it’s cut up. It takes me about a minute and a half.
3. A square of bittersweet chocolate. It’s good for the teeth, and it inspires him to eat his lunch.
Everybody has their thing, but I always give him organic milk. It has no hormones or antibiotics and studies show it has 41% more of the Omega 3’s.
For snacks, he will eat cut up carrots, frozen peas (always has), roasted potatoes (cut up potatoes with skin on, toss with salt and olive oil and shove them under the broiler at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. Yukon gold are best.), fresh fruit, dried fruit, shortbread, or popcorn that we pop at home. I always buy a bag of plain potato chips and quart of good ice cream as well, but more than that and snacks start costing more than meat.
Obviously some of the snacks don’t work in a lunchbox, but he’s hungry as soon as he gets home. It’s amazing what a kid will eat with no complaints, if Doritos aren’t available.