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The Best Lunch Box Ever: Book & Lunch Box Giveaway

August 6, 2013   268 Comments

Snack Girl makes lunch for her kids four times per week. You would think because I work with food that it would be easy for me.

Best Lunch Box Ever

But, it isn’t. My children get bored with my lunches and start complaining. Even worse, they start demanding that I buy them school lunch! No way...

My friend, Katie Morford, has written a wonderful book called “The Best Lunch Box Ever” and, honestly, if she were my parent, I would be psyched. No more PB&J on whole wheat. Instead, she uses a whole wheat tortilla to make a wrap that looks divine. She includes healthy sandwich recipes include chickpea panini and deconstructed Caprese cherry tomatoes and mozzarella on skewers.

My daughter loves Katie’s book and demanded that I make her the fried rice below for lunch. I doubled the recipe and made enough for the entire family to take to work and school. Everyone loved it.

Comment below with your most innovative lunch idea to enter a giveaway for a book and a stack of stainless steel lunch containers from Kids Konserve (retail $47).

In addition, you can enter to win a grand prize: a Dacor Distinctive Gas or Electric 30 " range. Retail value: $3,199 to 3,399 (depending on gas or electric) via this link: Dacor Distinctive Range Contest.

Best Lunch Box Ever

TERIYAKI Fried Rice

1.6 from 24 reviews

reprinted with permission from “The Best Lunch Box Ever” by Katie Morford, RD

WARM AND NOURISHING, this panfried rice is a brown-bag favorite. The dish starts with a couple of scrambled eggs to which rice, edamame, and seasonings are added. If you happen to be making eggs for breakfast, it’s just a few extra steps to make this savory lunch dish. Naturally, brown rice is more nutritious than white. Leftover farro or barley make tasty substitutions.

MAKES 2 TO 3 SERVINGS

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Ingredients

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups leftover cooked rice
1/2 cup cooked shelled edamame
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

1. In a medium skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the eggs and scramble until just cooked. Add the green onions, cooked rice, edamame, and teriyaki sauce, and cook, stirring often, until everything is warmed through, about 2 minutes.
2. Divide the fried rice between two or three thermoses.

Instructions

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES: can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. In the morning before school, warm up and pack into the thermoses.

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

What will I win? A copy of Best Lunch Box Ever accompanied by a set of colorful stacking stainless steel lunch containers from Kids Konserve (combined retail value is $47.00).

How do I enter?
Comment below on your most innovative lunch box idea.

Additional Ways To Enter:

  1. Like Snack-Girl on FaceBook. Comment on the FB page on your lunch box idea.
  2. Follow Snack-Girl on Twitter and Tweet this post (use the Tweet Button in the Share Box at the top of this post).

Snack-Girl can follow and count all the additional entries using magical website tools.

Am I eligible to enter?
This giveaway is offered to US residents only.

When do I find out if I am the winner?
The randomly chosen winner will be announced on Tuesday, August 12th, 2013. You will have 2 weeks to e-mail us back with your home address so we can mail the prize.

Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!

268 Comments:

Not overly innovative, but my daughter is pretty picky on lunches but does love her hummus and veggies (when we convince her not to have pb&j...). We try to put in a rainbow of veggies for dipping - even better in the summer when we have some local farm CSA veggies. Last year her pre-k teacher said she wanted to eat it :).

I put little notes in my kids lunch boxes. They seem to get a kick out of them! Not too innovative, but my children are not too innovative when it comes to food ☺

I guess it's not innovative but I think the pasty is great. You get to eat the container with the food.

I love Bento. Hollowed out tomatoes with various salads stuffed in them with heart shaped homemade bread on a bed of beautiful greens.

I have found that any sandwich, made with a wrap instead of bread, is much more appealing to my son.

I like to make a Pork butt or beef roast or smoked turkey on sunday then make it into 3 lunches for each of us. Makes it easy and give 2 lunches to break up the flavor.

like snack girl on facebook

I'm not real innovative either, but my kids like their sandwhiches cut in bite size squares and triangles. Our PlanetBoxes come home empty!

My older boys like leftovers from the night before. I can warm it in the morning, divide into Thermos bowls and pack it. We don't do this everyday, but it sure breaks up the normal sandwiches and wraps :)

follow snack girl on twitter and tweeted https://twitter.com/cjsorel/status/364704929635516419

Home made chicken noodle soup is one of our faivs. Just put it in a thermos to keep warm. Add some whole wheat toast and fresh fruit and your done.

I make quesadillas the night before with whole wheat tortillas. I add beans, shredded chicken, salsa, avocado, cheese, whatever I have on hand. Kids love them!

I am not very innovative either, but my daughter loves garden salads in her lunch.. I love to put all sorts of different sweet little notes in her lunch box too.

The most popular lunch of the year? Rice balls (sushi rice/rice vinegar) packed with sheets of roasted seaweed and raw veg. A little DIY veggie sushi. Also popular: Leftover turkey bok choy dumplings over rice.

I think you can do amazing things with any lunch by making mini kabobs with brightly colored toothpicks. Or homemade breads with vegetables, like zucchini or pumpkin bread, reduced sugar and then cut with a cookie cutter instead of just sliced.

My kids are picky picky eaters so it's all about making everything bite sized and appealing. I do love to write them love notes!

I don't do anything innovative. That's why I need this book!

I found little cups with lids that are perfect for dip or dressing of any kind and peanut butter. My son loves dipping veggies! Great way to get him to eat fresh veggies.

My kids love it when I use a mini muffin pan to make baby quiche.We can really change it up to please everyones pallet. I have used baby artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and various cheeses and meats. I usually do crustless quiches, but I have also used mini phyllo cups when I wanted to make them with a crust. They are always a hit.

When my kids were little, just changing the shape of a sandwich ( heart or hand cookie cutter) made it more appealing! Or deconstructing the sandwich into meat whistles ( rolled up) and bread or crackers on the side, and cut up fruit made it more interesting.

I dread packing lunches. My daughter will not eat a wrap, sandwich, soup...nothing!! I pack fruit, veggies with dip, peanut butter crackers...it all comes back. She is not a risk taker when it comes to food. So stressful for me!! Would love the book and ideas!!

I'm not very innovative, but my daughter loves sandwiches cut into different shapes.

We make homemade hummus or veggie dip (greek yogurt, garlic powder, horseradish, s&p, chili powder) and send veggies, pickles, pretzels to dip. Kids love that and anything they can prepare themselves!

Grapes, fruit cups, yogurt, applesauce, cheese sticks........need some new ideas!

Small chicken drumsticks are in big hit at my house. I bake a big package of them on Sunday and store in the fridge. They are great for "grab and go."

I really don't have any innovative ideas- the only thing close would be that I make my own "uncrustables" for my son instead of the kind you buy at the store.

My daughter doesn't go to school yet, but I do pack lunches for my husband, who is very child-like. Ha! He loves when I pack him tuna salad and crackers. I also try to make sure he has some type of snack during the morning and afternoon - fruit, hard boiled eggs, nuts, etc.

I haven't had to pack lunch for school, so I haven't had much time to get too creative, but when we go to the park I have made Turkey and cheese roll ups on whole wheat tortilla with grapes and a tube of sugar free yogurt.

My kids think that the individually wrapped prunes are an awesome sweet treat!I think it's a fun way to finish a colorful healthy meal.It seems the more color (fruits and veggies of course) the better!

My mom bought me a tiffin for christmas (look it up, its a stainless steel 3 layer lunch box. very popular in asia. I'm indian btw)

I LOVE taking leftovers from dinner, for example bottom layer Iis rice, middle is beans, 3rd is salad/ veg. or 1 layer is yogurt, 2nd if fruit, 3rd is veg. and I'd LOVE this book:D

I always like to put things in wraps...much better than a sandwich, looks more appealing. One of the favorites is peanut butter and apple wrap...very good!

Not super innovative, but I like to try to make extra of a healthy dinner so my husband and I can take left overs for lunch the next day. Or at least extra meat so we can make sandwiches or wraps with it.

Oh, packed lunches are such a bore at our house. Can you believe my son takes grilled cheese wrapped in foil?

I find that if I put it on a toothpick....she'll eat it :)

Delicous and fun are stuffed rice balls, a rustic type sushi.

I am not that innovative. My poor kids have had the same sandwich at camp every day this summer. Really could use this book.

Try homemade salsa with veggies, or mini bagels with cheese cut-up mini size, and my child loves a cold pasta salad mixed with fresh veggies.

Salad in a jar

I always find shapes help my kids eat their lunches too. I slice cantaloupe or watermelon really thin and cut it with cookie cutters. Same for sandwiches : )

My grandchildren like sandwiches cut into fun shapes, like a puzzle. They also like any kind of wrap, or rolled up meat and cheese with lots of fresh veggies and fruits to go with.

My son starts kindergarten this year and lunch is one thing I have been stressing over! I asked my son what he would want to eat for lunch and it was something along the lines of apples with peanut butter, cooked carrots and grapes. Not all that innovative but at least healthy!

My daughter refuse to eat sandwiches. So I make her chicken quesadillas with hummus, she also loves peanut butter and jelly flautas. I try to be creative for her so that she start asking if she can eat at school.

I take the leftover meats and vegetables from dinner and use them as the filling for a pastured egg omelet. I usually add a bit of cheddar, because I like cheese!

Make a wrap but then cut it up so it is like little pin wheels...just changing the look, making it different and fun helps.

Make a wrap with roasted red peppers (super easy to make your own), small amount of cream cheese and their favorite lunch meat or shredded chicken! Put the cream cheese spread on first - so the wrap doesn't get soggy by the peppers!

I like to pack frozen fruit, thaws out by lunch with yogurt and granola.

I'm not overly innovated with my lunches but love creating different food combos to pack. My new favorite are all sorts of lettuce wraps..canned tuna+guac is my #1!

Leftovers, leftovers, and more leftovers! I am a good cook so no one complains ;-)

Liked on fb!!!

When we were kids my mom would fix different kinda of lunches and leave a note in our lunch box. I carry on that tradition with my kids. It can get Boeing when you pack the same kinds of foods all the time. My ideas are these: think outside I the box by making sandwiches into funny shapes or faces, you can make a sandwich on a skewer, or pack a pasta salad with fruits and veggies on the side. Add fun silicone muffin cups to separate food! Gives a boring lunch box some color. Pack a variety of foods not just one type of food. Make octopus hotdogs. Humans and hard boiled eggs with cheese, veggies, pita chips, and fruit is good too. That has lots of protein. Great post, and looks like a great book. Good luck to everyone. Snack girl keep up the great work

I will slow cook a boston butt for dinner on Sunday and then make tacos, sandwiches, wraps, and/or stirfry with rice and veggies for lunch for days after.

My daughter loves her sandwiches cut into shapes. We use the leftover crusts/ bread to make whole grain breadcrumbs. Fruit kabobs, and fresh veggies too. She likes to dip apples into peanutbutter.

I'm not very innovative such is why I need this book. We really like salads and if course left overs.

I'm not sure if this is innovative or not, but my son LOVES PB&J, but he school is totally peanut free. Instead, I use sunflower nut butter. He never noticed the difference!

I also LOVE to use these Ziplock containers to save on using so many plastic baggies. They fit perfectly in his lunchbox.

This is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Container-Divided-Rectangle-2-…

I will make my two girls a bento inspired lunch with a toothpick as their only utensil. It makes eating the colors of the rainbow so much more fun!

I usually just make a big pot of soup or a big batch of roasted veggies since I have access to a microwave at work. My husband somehow is able to the same sandwich every day, and doesn't mind it. Would love to get this book and switch up his sandwiches (and my own lunches!)

I make my big kid a wrap with a whole wheat tortilla spread with peanut or sunbutter a sliced banana and chopped dates. Roll up and slice in half!

I like to make big batches of soup and then freeze and then they are easy to grab out of the freezer, heat up,and place in a thermos. My daughter says hers are still warm at lunch.

I combine whatever is left in the fridge. My motto is taken from my mom, something sweet and something salty. So pretzels and a peach, cheese and grapes, etc. then I make either a salad or sandwich. Recently simply adding guacamole or avocado has done great!

I don't have a picky eater so it is easy to pack lunches. Last nights leftovers or an extra breakfast sandwich with some added veggies is always a hit.

My kids are not only picky, but constantly changing their minds about what they want to eat! One kid wants nothing but peanut butter and jelly, and the other one wants nothing to do with sandwiches at all! (frequently, leftovers make an appearance). The special thing we do is that my husband likes to write notes -- either in their lunchbox, or written right on the brown paper bag. He's a writer by trade, and he enjoys being irreverent, so the notes are usually passed around to share with students and teachers alike!

Have the other parent make the lunch! :)

I like to use cookie cutters to make shapes out of their sandwiches, or make shapes out of cheese included with fruit or crackers.

I'm cooking for a pregnant wife whose tastes change randomly. Lately I've been just making sure there is not too much spice and just enough food in her lunch container. Then I'll have other things separately to snack on. She likes eating a lot, but in smaller increments.

As a teacher, I appreciate lunches that don't require a long line at the microwave. Let kids help you decide from your menu of healthy foods. Big hit: encouraging notes, riddles and jokes for kids.

My kids get bored with plain old ranch dressing and they don't love lettuce, so to make their veggies appealing, I chop a variety of veggies into bite-size pieces (cucumbers, carrots, yellow cherry tomatoes, canned beets, celery, baby portabella mushrooms, yellow sweet peppers, etc.) and give them one or two choices of store-bought salad dressings for dipping (such as Fatoosh dressing, Italian dressing, honey-mustard dressing, carrot-ginger dressing, sesame-ginger dressing, etc.) (all dressings I get from Whole Foods or my local natural foods market to enure they are free of MSG, preservatives or other unhealthy additives). The kids love the variety and they love finger foods and dipping!

I actually have 2 innovative ideas I use: every couple of weeks, I make "Sandy's Soup" which is just whatever veges I have on hand, whether fresh, canned, or frozen, throw in a can of tomatoes, add turkey sausage if I have it, then cook for about 30 minutes. We all take it for lunch during the week. The other idea is when I buy Hormel no preservative Beef Tips (or something similar) and pair it with a personalized container of whole grain rice. Tastes like homemade!!

The recipe looks great! What is the nutritional info for this recipe?

i think crackers and cheese are an all time classic. along with celery and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

I am not very creative. I would like to learn to be more creative and give my boys healthy lunches. I pack a lunch for them every school day. One is 5 and one is 10. They enjoy taking a thermos with hot food in it. I think it makes them feel special because it's different from the regular sandwiches that everyone else has...

I put hummus on a wrap. Then layer cheese, turkey, pickle and lettuce. That's it. Light but filling. But best of all it's good!

It's not very innovative but it sure is yummy...lettuce and tomato sandwiches with salt-and-pepper. Of course it's best when tomatoes are at their prime!

Small chicken drumsticks are a big hit in my house. I bake a large package on Sunday and store them in the fridge. They are great for "grab and go."

My best suggestion is for the kids to research their recipe, come with me to buy the ingredients, then help me make it. They are more likely to eat it and enjoy it when they see how much work goes into making the lunch.

Using an apple corer/wedger, core and wedge apple and place prepared tuna salad, chicken salad, brown rice mixed with chicken and chopped veggies and a touch of sauce of , or whatever ingredient makes your child (and you happy). Everything becomes a dip, and children love that. Fun and yum!

Hummus with carrot sticks and zucchini slices for warm weather . . . soup in a thermos when it's cold out. (and a thermos of Throat Comfort Tea when battling a scratchy throat while telling stories)

I used to pack bento lunches every single day - for me at work and then for my daughter to take to school. I loved using fun shapers, picks, and containers to make even the most simple lunch kind of exciting. Hard boiled egg shapers were my favorite, but I also liked using regular cookie cutters to cut bread into shapes for sandwiches. Lunch should be delicious AND cute!

I have gotten into a horrible lunch rut. I have 4 kids in 3 schools (elem, middle & high school); and the older kids don't like school lunch so I make lunches 5 days a week. My most creative is probably yogurt and fruit or when I fill small thermos's with soup and give them pita chips.

i liked to send lot of whole grain crackers, cheese, sliced veggies and fruit.

Whole wheat pasta that I add to sauteed asparagus, lemon zest, lemon juice, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese. Great hot or cold and both my kids devour it!

I've liked your page on FB for a while :)

My kids love Lunchables, but they are so expensive and not all that healthy. I make my own Lunchable with wheat crackers, chicken or turkey cut into shapes using a cookie cutter, and some fresh fruit. I also include a small bottle of water.

My boys go to a Chinese daycare and LOVE rice balls. When they're ready to go to school, I'm going to have to go get a tutorial from their daycare providers on how to make all of their favorites!

I put laughing cow cheese with veggies in my son's lunch and he loves it!

Lettuce wraps, my 11 year old son prefers his "turkey sandwiches" to be in lettuce wraps.

I make lunch for myself and use lots of colorful containers that have multiple compartments. That makes it more fun!

My best innovative lunch idea was to buy a Go Green Lunchbox (http://www.gogreenlunchbox.com/) and sign up as a follower of all the other creative moms that publish lunchbox ideas and copy them! My kids think I am the best ever!

No kids yet but i make lunches for my boyfriend and myself. Our favorites are: fresh spinach on any sandwich makes it prettier, cut up cold watermelon to eat all week, throw avocado in with chicken or tuna salad on toast, wraps rolled with laughing cow cheese, turkey and cucumber. Not always super healthy, but better than bologna on white.

We love to have tea party foods for lunch. Cucumber sandwiches, pinwheels, scones with Devonshire cream and fruit for dessert. Soooo good. My 12 year old daughter makes the scones from scratch. We eat lunch mostly at home because we homeschool, but the containers would be great for field trips!

I use handy Ziplock brand containers with three compartments - one for a main (sandwich or salad), one for cottage cheese or yogurt, and one for some fruit or the like!

A lunchbox favorite for my teens is pasta salad full of veggies, grilled chicken and light Italian dressing! They also like a cup of homemade salsa and a bag of tortilla chips.

Adopting the "eat the rainbow" concept has helped. Lunches have at least 3 picks so it's always very colourful and festive.

Maybe not too original,but I don't like carrots or celery, so instead I pack cucumber and red pepper sticks, along with greek yogurt, mixed with a bit of dill and garlic powder, for dipping. It makes a boring dry sandwich pop. I also pack a whole tomato - eat it like an apple, without cutting, so that the juiciness is preserved.

As some others have mentioned, making things small and bite sized seems to really add a lot to the appeal. Kids just love little things!

I wish I had a lot of innovative ideas for lunches and snacks. I just try to keep everything healthy - for the family and the environment.

I love packing marinated kale salad with blueberries and snap peas in my bento. I use kale from a friend's garden, which makes the salad almost free. When you marinate kale in lemon and olive oil it becomes toothsome and tender. Best Kale Ever. And it packs well because it doesn't wilt.

I am following on Facebook and Twitter. Look for things to get my kids to start eating health.

tortellini. It's not innovative, but it's well-received.

Rolled up lunch meat and cheese cubes. My son doesn't like bread. He Used to eat all his cashews/almonds/walnuts until his school went "nut free".

We do mini kebabs on toothpicks. Turkey rollups and cheese, fruit of all kinds, mini caprese salad with grape tomatoes and mozzarella pearls. Not innovative, per se, but the kids like them!

My kids' fave lunch is taco salad in a bag. Make your taco flavored ground meat the night before. Put it in a baggie, in the morning, and in another baggie put your lettuce and cheese, and in another baggie put your tomatoes. Buy those small size bags of taco chips, my kids loved the cheese flavored. The boys would heat the meat, add the cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. Then they would have fun crushing the chips and pouring them eat. Now, the best part - eating!

I like to take a whole grain gluten free wrap spread a little natural unsalted peanut butter sprinkled with cinnamon and then roll a banana inside. Slice in half or in quarter slices.

I put notes in my sons lunch that are written and signed from our various pets. Sometimes they are in English and sometimes they are in animal speak (sqwak) with an English translation. He really looks forward to them. It is hard to come up with new things for the pets to say each day. Often they are just asking to eat his lunch for him.

My 15 yo is very picky about what she takes for lunch - when she was younger, I had no problem with putting notes, cute shapes to fruits, veggies, cheese, etc., but now, she's "too big" for that sort of thing. Now she's into salads and non-sandwich foods that will prove more challenging when school starts in less than a month. Thanks for the ideas, though. I did invest in a Bento box - looks great to me and if she doesn't like it, I'll use it for myself!

My daughter's favorite lunch last year was oatmeal. It was so quick to come together... 1/3C oats, 1/3C water, 1/3C Almond milk nuked until hot and then put in a thermos and topped with fresh fruit, chia seeds and ground flax seed. She couldn't get enough. :)

The most innovative we get is spaghettio's in a thermos...that is why I NEED to win this neat prize!!!

HELP ME! My son eats a pbj every day! Every day! It's natural pb and no added sugar jelly on 100% whole wheat but it's pbj every day:( help.

NONE I need serious help as I always seem to go back to the old favorites

I don't know that this is an innovative lunch idea, but I was trying to get my husband to eat more veggies and it turns out that different people have different ideas of snack carrots. He did not like baby carrots that are marketed as snacks, but prefers to munch on the full-sized variety.

My child loves fruit -- I let HER pick out what she wants in her lunch box at the grocery store. This really helps the most - since she gets to pick it out, she does eat it! We try new, exotic and different fruits about once every two weeks. We are eating Champagne grapes this week. Marvelous!

I'm not innovative at all! This is the first year I've diligently sent my kids' lunches (for all of the two days they've been back!) and so far the most innovative thing I've done is sent black olives for my daughter (she loves those things) and carrots with ranch for my son (one of the few raw veggies he'll eat). I did pit a bunch of cherries last night and was hoping to send them, but my kids both voted for the familiar white grapes versus the new and "exotic" cherries (hey, what can I say? we're new to eating healthy!) :)

I'm not entirely innovative but I've gotten a huge collection of cookie cutters and will cut designs in my kids bread so it's not always the same boring square (or triangles, etc). I do however make them a broccoli "tree" every couple of days to make it fun... I'll spread out hummus in the bottom of a small bowl, then form a tree with cut up broccoli on top of that, sometimes carrots from my garden will be added, along with cherry tomatoes.

Hairy Hot Dogs! Take any hot dog, ( chicken, turkey, nitrate free...) cut into thirds or quarters (depending on the length) sick small pieces of uncooked broken thin spaghetti into the cut ends and boil till pasta is done! My grand kids love them!

Love turkey rolled with cream cheese, or a sandwich with W W bread or lettuce leaves...love salad, spinach leaves hold up better...p.butter and fluff or nutella on bread adn use cookie cutter for shapes...soup, cheese sticks, rice krispie bars, celery sticks or apple with pbutter...Orange slices, something crunchy like pop chips or sweet potato curls...

Peanut butter and banana slices on wheat or a wheat wrap with spinach, tomato, feta, 3oz chicken breast, and some balsamic vinegar or cucumber dill dip (if I use the dip, no feta).

I just started packing lunches last year for my preschooler. I love those ziplock containers that have the three compartments! They are perfect for little ones lunches.

the most innovative I get is salami and cheese in a wrap...that why I really need this book and containers!!!!

besides Notes of Love and Gift Certificates to the School Store..... My Daughter loves Sushi for lunch :) All the kids are jealous when its Sushi day ! to the point others are now starting to bring Sushi!Love it

I have no innovative lunch box ideas... that's why I need this book! My oldest starts kindergarten in a couple of weeks and I am nervous about maintaining a healthy variety of foods for her lunch.

I made hot dogs and put them in thermos! Always a hit!

My Daughter loves Chicken ceasar wrap with avocado, tomatoes and shredded cheese always a Hit !!!!

I make the whole week of lunches on Sunday night, packed in Easy Lunchboxes. The hardier stuff (carrots, orange slices)wait until Friday, while things like strawberries are on line for Monday or Tuesday. It saves so much time during the week.

I pack my lunch and always seem to run out of ideas - i usually resort to the same old, same old sandwich and/or salad.

Leftovers are a must. I do this so no one gets bored from eating the same food everyday for lunch, and it's really easy to put in a container and reheat the next day.

My daughters favorite lunch is a chicken leg (or two), cut up veggies and Roasted chick peas.

I'm always looking for new and interesting lunches for my 8 year-old princess. She enjoys finding the little notes, jokes or letters I place in her lunch box.

I am gone 14 hours on most weekdays (work and then grad school at night) so I need to pack not just my lunch, but my breakfast, dinner, and snacks to keep me going throughout the day. I bought this lunch bag on Amazon and I love it! It houses all my food for the long day...

http://www.amazon.com/eBags-Crew-Cooler-Tropical-Turquoise/…

Right now one of my favorite things to eat is some good hearty bread (preferably toasted), topped with avocado slices and tomato slices and a little bit of kosher salt! Mmmmm - it is so delicious!

My son swore off sandwiches about 3 years ago. It's total nonsense, but he has stuck to it! I had actually resorted to ...school lunches. However, I am committed to breaking this horrible habit for the new school year. I am in desperate need of some good ideas!

I like to make extra of whatever rice or noodle dish we have for dinner and then use it in lunches, cold. Like rice bowls with black beans and lots of veggies, or Asian inspired noodle dishes. My daughter and husband love those (and makes preparing lunch so easy for me)!

My kids don't like crust so for my son I buy the whole grain round bread and for my daughter a wrap, it's better than cutting the trim off square bread each morning. As for the inside, not innovative at all. They like pb&j, turkey or ham. They don't like condiments though so that's easy.

I wish I was innovative...my son is so picky it's pretty much pb&j or a bagel every day. Sigh.

Good old warm oatmeal with dried cranberries and nuts/fiber one. Or on those hot days, cool sweedish oatmeal. Love it! top the lunch off with a message, tongue twister, or joke on a small piece of colorful construction paper.

Both of my kids love rice balls in their lunch box. I take sushi rice and put a little piece of avocado or cucumber in the middle and roll into a ball. Sometimes I roll them in seasame seeds. Easy to make and the kids like to help

I like to grill some apple slices with cinnamon. Then, serve them with a bit of honey and granola bar crumbles. LOVE IT! It's like eating an apple pie!

I enjoy making different shapes out of the sandwiches and introducing different meats and cheeses. Also a fan of homemade healthy desserts for the kiddos

I make my daughter a grilled pizza wrap made in a whole wheat tortilla.

not innovative, but my favorite growing up was leftover meatloaf sandwiches.

Often, left-overs from the night before (or skip a day and use a previous evening's meal) make for a hearty and healthy lunch that has good ingredients.

When the doctor switched us to low carb, sandwhichs and wraps went away. I use to make peanut butter with honey and pecans roll ups - a favorite. Now, the most interesting was mashed up avocado with chicken on celery sticks. He liked that well enough that he was happy just eating the avocado and chicken. He now eats many more vegetables than I use to see him eating. The tomato and mozzarella kabobs sound like a really good try for this school year coming. Have seen those as fruit too. How would you pack that though?

Homemade Miso Soup with tofu and few scallions and Udon or Soba Noodles. I send noodles and soup in two thermoses. When it's time to eat, my daughter pours soup into the noodle thermos (actually I'm not really sure what she does exactly -- I just offer instructions -- but the thermoses are EMPTY when they get home).

I really don't do anything too innovative either, the big hit with my daughter last year was using those re-useable cupcake cups. They are the perfect size for finger foods, great for portion control, and helps reduce wasted food. Other ideas for lunch come from websites like yours. :)

Both of my children love my homemade fruit cups as part of their lunch, using fresh fruit. I use different combinations of fruit depending on the season & availability but their favorite is strawberries, grapes and kiwi.

My daughter absolutely LOVES Chicken Stir-Fry with brown rice. I use fresh veggies, chicken breast, and LOW sodium soy sauce, to add that sweet flavor I will add molasses and crushed red pepper for a little kick! :P YUMMY!

I like to half a cheese stick, lay it on a slice of turkey and a little mustard then roll it up. I usually make two rolls then cut it into three pieces then add a few whole wheat crackers and vegetables with dip and their good to go.

I make all lunch sandwiches Sunday night for the week and freeze them. Saves soooo much time during the week!. For the PB&J, spread the peanutbutter on BOTH sides of the bread & it prevents the jelly from seeping through & making the sandwich soggy: who would have thunk???? :-)

My kids prefer a sandwich containing whole-wheat bread, mustard, a fried egg, and spinach. They love it and so do I! :)

My daughter is very picky about what she will eat-never know from day to day. We have tried frozen go-gurt and applesauce which keep other items cold as they thaw for lunch.Also nutella or peanut butter with pretzels for dipping.

Salad layered in a jar or container. Dressing goes on bottom

followed by layers of chopped veggies, cheese, beans, etc. and salad greens on top. Then dump to eat!

Packing a balance of fruits, veggies and dips are always fun. And including fun/colorful napkins and plasticware.

I could use all the innovation I can get, because the best I've ever done was using the cutter that let me make my own "uncrustables". I got tired of most of the sandwiches always coming back because my son was determined never to eat the crust or anywhere near it. By making my own "uncrustables" I could turn any sandwich into one that he had no excuse not to completely eat...it worked!

I'm not very innovative either. My kids pretty much get the same lunch all year. I like to give them a Hershey kiss and a note most days.

My most innovative idea for lunches is using pint mason jars and making different salads in them.

If anyone is feeling energetic, wonton or potstickers (gyoza) are easy to make and a nice nourishing surprise when added to fried rice or soups. Wonton wrappers can be filled with so many different fillings. If one is a vegetarian, many options are available and one of my favorites is mashed yams or sweet potatoes seasoned with nutmeg, a little salt, broth and onions. Many shredded veggies like carrots, zucchini, onions, napa cabbage, combined with tamari sauce are great too. For those who eat meat, ground pork mixed with tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil and grated veggies make great potstickers. Potstickers should be steamed and then they can be browned in olive or coconut oil and served with or without a dipping sauce.

One more item I like are the miniature ravioli and tortellini added to soups. These filled little pasta pockets make a nice surprise and add a chewy, filling and satisfying element to lunches.

I kind of have to be innovative because my son is gluten free (as am I). We do a lot of hot lunches, like spaghetti, chili, chicken noodle, etc. But I also will try to make different things with corn tortillas and other ingredients. Yesterday, we went camping on the river and we couldn't just bring sandwiches, so I brought a can of beans and a bottle of hot sauce and we just made pseudo burritos while sitting on the raft.

I like to put rice in my bento box and then throw in whatever I have leftover on top!

We just use cute little containers to make things a little bit more exciting for kids.

For my kids, the more colorful the food, the more they will eat it. I send them with several small, clear containers each filled with something colorful but fairly healthy, such as cheddar cheese cubes, carrot sticks, blueberries, pretzels, trail mix, and always a container of milk. It may not be fancy, but I know it will be eaten.

I like to make different kinds of "pinwheels"- just whole wheat tortillas that are filled with either cream cheese, shredded carrots and raisins or peanut butter and chopped fresh fruit. Roll it up and slice into about 8 pieces.

I'm all about cottage cheese these days. Great source of protein and you can go sweet or savory with it.

I like to make "kabobs" of cheese and deli meats and fruit with little "forks" from the Japanese store. They are so cute with a panda, kitten or dog on them.

I love using a larger sandwich sized lunch container send instead of a sandwich, I put colorful cupcake liners filled with chunks of chicken, cheese cubes, grape tomatoes and fruit!

I am out of the school-lunch packing phase but I do make lunch for myself everyday. My new favorite is making my usual tuna salad (1 can tuna, 2 boiled eggs, mayo, etc.) then adding it a bag of broccoli or rainbow slaw. To that I add some sliced red bell pepper,chopped tomato and a few toasted slivered almonds. Gives you a lot of veggies and is delish! Makes at least 2 servings.

I have a vacuum sealer and it is real easy for me to seal up leftovers and toss in freezer. In the morning, grab a sealed leftover. At lunch I just snip off a corner and heat. I have some plastic plates and silverware I keep in my desk, wash and reuse! I'd love to win a new style lunch box to inspire new lunch ideas!

I always pack a "travel size" package of baby wipes because you know kids and adults don't always wash hands before and after eating..........NO EXCUSES NOW!!!

I always use any leftover pasta or rice in my children's lunches...

I would love this! My daughter eats the same thing every day. I really need to find something else that she would eat.

Peanut butter and pickles!

A favorite lunchbox favorite for my older son was a honey sandwich. Several slices of whole wheat bread and some locally sourced honey in a bear-shaped bottle. He could assemble the sandwich himself, and was in a bit of lunchtime heaven.

My girls enjoy simple salad's in their lunch as part of the regular routine. I try to rotate between the PB&J, Ham/Cheese standards with a salad at least once per week. Some type of different fruit has to be in every lunch. The difficult part is remembering which kid likes kiwi or which prefers mayo or mustard on their sandwich!

I spoiled my kids. For the most part they get thermos lunches: spaghetti, fried rice, chow mein, mac & cheese, soup. They complain when I make them sandwiches more than one day in a row!

I will be packing my kids lunches for school this year. I plan on inserting either a nice note or a funny movie line from a movie we like into my daughters lunch. For my son who's in preschool I'm going to put a sticker or a funny picture in his lunch.

I love edamame, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and grilled chicken! Light but satisfying!

My most innovative lunch box item IS PB&J on whole wheat, that's why I so desperately NEED this book! :)

just had left over pork roast and sauerkraut...warmed it up on rye bread...delicious

I can't to it all of the time but...when we are lucky enough to get Blue Crabs I will pick some extra for my daughter (she is 3) and send it for lunch the next day. It is great cold as well as warmed! On Pinterest I also found an idea for putting hot dogs into corn muffins. I know it is not ideal BUT I only want her to eat the hot dogs that do not have Nitrates/Nitrites so it is my corndog alternative and she loves it! Recently we began adding her favorite Parmesan cheese to it as well to change it up some. She will start at a new preschool this year and they also value healthy eating so this kit would be highly appreciated by our family!

Involve the kids in making their own lunch. They can fill containers and cut sandwich into fun shapes.

I have a list of proteins, starches and fruits and vegetables on the fridge so the kids can pick what they want in their lunches. It helps avoid wasted lunches. :-)

Well, I make my own lunches. They're usually not too exciting, but my favorite is a simple peanut butter and Nutella sandwich. It's really filling and makes me feel energized for the rest of my classes! I take fruit like a sliced up apple or grapes on the side. I'd like to make some more innovative lunches too!!

Packing leftover dishes that the whole family loved that and cutting things into neat shapes

My daughter didn't like sandwiches, so I cut the meat, cheese and bread into different shapes with Play Dough cutters. She would eat all the pieces separately.

Sometimes I make myself a little bento box with the odds and ends that need to be eaten....a few olives, some carrots, the last half cup of stew, etc.

Sometimes I make a little bento box with the leftovers or ends of things in the fridge....a few olives, some carrots, the last half cup of stew, etc.

i'm not very innovative, which is why i need this book!

colored Ziploc bags make the food a different so I tell my son his cashews change colors when he takes them out of the bag like magic. He loves it!

Whole grain tortilla spread with a little mayo, topped with avocado and mango slices, a few pumpkin seeds, a sprinkle of bacon bits and lettuce. Roll it up nice and tight, cut in half and secure it with fun frilly toothpicks. Pack along a few baby carrots and a cookie. Mmm, voila!

My kids love it when I bake fingerling potatoes and toss them in their lunches.

The only way I get creative with my kid's lunches is I cut the sandwich in different shapes and I include a note in their lunch every day.

I just don't have any innovative lunch box ideas. Lunch is the hardest meal for me to plan for. This cookbook would be great! Thank you for the chance.

My son gets stuck in a rut of eating the same thing everyday, so sometimes I pack several containers of the things that don't have to be refrigerated at the beginning of the week...makes the rest of the week easier.

My daughter is not a huge fan of sandwiches so I have to get a little creative sometimes. One of her favorite things to have is breakfast for lunch with pancake dippers that I have made, fruit, and yogurt.

I don't know about innovative, but it's a timesaver: I get a pack of 20 large wheat tortillas, spread them with a little light cream cheese, add sliced turkey and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. Roll them up, cut them in half and put in plastic wrap then stash them in the freezer. My 11 and 16 yr old daughters grab them each morning and I only have to make them once every two weeks.

The best is packing up small containers of various salads from Whole Foods and including some crackers and grapes for dessert. Anything from coleslaw to broccoli salad to curried chicken salad works well and the variety of tastes is something kids enjoy.

After throwing away countless sandwiches and pieces of fruit, I now treat my son's lunch as if I were prepping for a children's cocktail party. Appetizer size hummus and chips, grapes, cheese and crackers, apple bites with peanut butter, carrots and dip. It works!

i've been making lunches for 10 years and i'm desperate for some new ideas. I NEED THAT BOOK!!

Quick, filling and very tasty. Boil white or brown rice. Add one can of drained tuna. Top with light soy sauce, stir and voila! Yummy!

I love PB banana and nutella wraps for lunch!

My husband makes veggie sushi on Sumday nights and an extra roll for the kids to take to lunch on Monday.

I really need to win a book like this!

My most innovative lunch box technique consists of soup, leftovers or Mac and cheese. :(

I like to put fruit in little mason jars because it allows you to see all of the colors you are eating.

The most popular lunch for my daughter last year was when I made her a sandwich on a stick.

I love my chicken salad that I take with me to lunch every day.

My most most innovative lunch idea is turkey sandwich with sun dried tomato pesto with a side of baked sweet potato fries.

We use left over breakfast food embellished- whole wheat french toast with peanut butter and banana is a very satisfying sandwich.

Boiled egg with dash of sea salt and pepper, apple slices with peanut butter to dip, dried apricots and edamame. Not all that exciting but really yummy for a 4 year old!

I love bringing hollowed, mini red bell peppers filled with spicy corn salsa for lunch. It's so light and delicious!

A lunchtime favorite of mine is slicing apples into discs and making peanut butter, granola, and sometimes chocolate chip sandwiches with the apple slices serving as the 'bread.' They're so cute and make a yummy snack or even a desert!

I'm not innovative at all...the most creative thing I have done is cut up apples and natural PB.

My kiddo was always big on wraps, her favorite was cream cheese and strawberry jelly! I also did lots of crackers and cheese, veggies and dip, and we would even stuff a grilled cheese into the thermos from time to time. An all time favorite was a mixture of broccoli, ham, and cheddar cheese in a pouch made from pizza dough. Made it the night before and heated it up for lunch the next day.

Mine loved homemade snack lunches like those you buy. Good leftover meats with some cheese, a pudding cup or fresh fruit, and a drink.

They also like pizza made on an English muffin.

My daughter is not a sandwich eater, and she doesn't like flavored yogurt (which is good since it has too much sugar anyway). So we have been doing "make your own yogurt parfait" for camp lunches this summer: she gets a small bowl of plain Greek yogurt, a small container of fresh fruit (blueberries are her fave) and a small container of her favorite crunchy cereal or organic granola (her fave cereal is Kashi Heart to Heart). Then she mixes her own yogurt bowl. Yum!

My kids are older teenagers and like to take their lunches to save money. I make a Mexican roast (pot roast with diced green chilies)shred it and put it in a thermos. They roll the roast in corn tortillas and add some sliced avocado!

My daughter is very much into healthy foods, but has a hard time with them being mixed together. If I let her do it herself, she's more inclined to eat it! :)

My kids love taking dry cereal and a obj. They can get their milk at school. Add some fruit and it is like breakfast for lunch!

My children are always asking for lunchables, so i make a healthier organic version with thick sliced organic ham cut with a cookie cutter to fit Late July crackers, apple slices, organic chocolate milk and 2 homade cookies. I call it my "able lunch." :-)

My kids love it when I make pizza rolls - just like cinnamon rolls but with cheese, sauce and veggies instead.

My kids love bean burritos in their lunches. They eat them cold!

My most innovative lunch idea is cutting up cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, red peppers, zuchini and putting it in wide-mouth Mason Jars to bring to work. I also bring some balsamic vinegar to pour on it.

I make a snack box like the one a popular coffee shop sells and calls a Protein Box. It's about $5.50 after tax, and I make four at that price! It has a hard cooked egg, apple wedges (with lemon juice over them), grapes, cheese cubes, and a couple of crackers (or half a whole grain pita or tortilla or a mini bagel) with peanut butter. This gives my daughter and I each a lunch for two days.

my lunches are boring. usually left overs made into a sandwich

It's bad over here. I think the most daring I've ever got is using crackers & peanut butter instead of bread. We are in such a rut. I need this book desperately.

My oldest son prefers all his sandwiches on club rolls. I toast the rolls up some so they will be slightly crispy. Then I do a variety of lunch meats--Italian mix, roast beef, ham, & turkey. I vary the kinds of cheeses, too. He likes American and Swiss. I also add veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. For a snack, I pack plain Greek yogurt topped with some sugar free jams or sometimes mini candies for a change.

Pack a healthy lunch isn't iust for kids. For someone in college like me who has no money in the first place, the price of buying healthy food on campus almost makes you want to grab a burger. A healthy, filling lunch is almost a miracle.

Getting the children involved in shopping, food prep and menu is key to getting them to eat lunch!

I gave my son chicken Alfredo over spaghetti squash and spinach. That was a big hit!

I love to make my children bento boxes! I use plastic divided containers and then fill each compartment with something healthy, such as already peeled boiled eggs, ready to eat oranges, raisins, celery, and natural peanut butter. Homemade Larabars are a big hit! Also, little sandwiches cut into fun bite size pieces, made from homemade bread. Yum!

Anything can be made into a great lunch including just plain rice and veggies, but the key to making kids love their lunches is to make it look good as well as good for them. I use the Japanese bento accessories and shape the foods into cute shapes.

My son begs for those "lunchable" style lunches- so unhealthy- so we bought an eco container with many little compartments and he makes his own- with healthy choices like tiny cut up fruit and veggies, cheeses, whole wheat crackers, roasted almonds, pumpkin bread- etc- always different- but since he fills the box he usually will eat it all!

Not especially innovative but black beans with some kind of green (spinach, bok choy, chard, kale or cabbage depending on the time of year), sriracha sauce and a little cheese. Fruit after. And my daily soda (1 can of diet caffeinated something - I don't drink coffee or tea so this is the only thing I drink other than water).

My daughter is allergic to eggs, wheat, dairy and nuts, so a favorite lunch that we developed together is corn tortillas with melted cheese substitute, like a quesadilla, along with a variety of cut up fresh fruits and veggies, and a homemade allergy-friendly cookie.

I pack lunches for my grandson and really need to make sure he is eating healthy. I am out of ideas.

Again, not so innovative but a little nutella goes a long way in my son's peanut butter sandwich!

I give a variety of items.

My family's favorite lunch is a Roasted Veggie Couscous salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. It's a great way to use up whatever veggies I have in the fridge, and it is tasty eaten warm or cold.

I really could use some good lunch box ideas! I always start off the school year determined to give the kids more lunches from home... but I don't manage to keep it going for very long!

Texas style chili with puréed carrots or sweet potatoes added in so the kids won't notice but they still get the goodness. Would live to have this book to get more creative!

I desperately need some lunchbox ideas

I like to have roasted chicken, then come up with 4 or 5 different ways I can have it for lunch - sandwich, chicken salad, soup, kebobs, stir fry, plain with veggies.

Leftover pizza or quesadillas are great served cold in a lunchbox! They fit nicely in a lunchbox, too, when cut into small triangles. Fun to eat! I also make corndog muffins from time to time and freeze them to pop in a lunchbox when I'm in a hurry. I mix shredded yellow squash into the batter, but don't tell my kids. :)

My girls love when I make veggie smoothies for their lunch. A favorite snack for lunch is kale chips. Their teachers don't love the mess but my girls love the crunch!

I struggled with the lunch packing process all school year until I finally developed a system that works for me. High quality, insulated lunch box with a divided reusable container. I bought enough so that I don't have to wash them every night (I struggled with this with my work schedule and after school activities). Insulated thermos for drinks fit in the side pouch. Only having one container per kid per day to switch out makes it easier. Plus, having the divided container gives me a visual for amounts when I start packing each morning. Not one complaint since I've switched to this system (from me or my kids!).

I am easily appeased. I truly love a good peanut butter and banana and/or honey sandwich. Appreciating the caloric intake, I reserve these for special treats. But I am always thrilled to have that for lunch!

Another thing I love to add to the kids lunches is sliced apples and instead of putting lemon on them so they don't brown I use oranges. Makes the apples sweet and the kids love the taste.

My sons love nutella on wheat bread then cut with a hand held cutter OR I will do a slow cooker chicken over rice - two frozen chicken breasts and a jar of salsa cooked for 6 hours. EASY AND YUMMY!

rice in a bell pepper!

My son loved frozen grapes, but by the time it he got to lunch to eat them, they were all thawed out. So, I froze the plastic containers(good 'ole dollar store) as well. Worked like a charm. Cookie cutters for sandwiches and fruit. Stick men for snacks. And if it was a special day, notes of what he had to look forward to when he got home. :) I miss those days. He's a college man now. More cute ideas, variety, for me!

I am not innovative at all! I would love to get some ideas from this book!

I like using cute bento boxes and accessories.

my most innovative lunch was baked stuffed tomatoes (with quinoa and mixed veggies). bake a few at a time sunday night and they're quick go-to one dish lunches

My most innovative idea is sending applesauce or yogurt in a reusable Beaba silicone squeezy container that allows little ones to easily eat it while replacing all those little disposable packages.

(I love your site, Snack Girl!)

As soon as my kids started school they started asking for lunchables. So I bought a bunch of the little cookie cutters and make cheese hearts, turkey stars and so forth. all the little scraps I put in my lunch on top of salads and so forth so nothing goes to waste. We call them Lovables because I love my kids too much to buy lunchables.

deconstructed lunch box is fun. I put all the items for say Nachos with instruction on how to create MUCHO Nachos, skyscraper cobb salad. It makes lunch fun.

I let the kids help. I made a chart showing the 5 things to include in their lunch box with a few examples - a main ( sandwich or taco), fruit, veggie, side (cheese stick or pretzels), treat - and then they can pack what they want from each category.

Skip the white bread and just roll up the fillings instead. Roll up ham or turkey with cheese, with tomatoes or carrots or peppers in the center. If you have a lettuce eater, roll everything in a lettuce leaf instead of bread or pitas.

Oatmeal in a thermos or cold overnight oats! There are so many different ways to "jazz" it up and flavor it! Doesn't have to be sweet either, can be savory as well.

Love making fruit kebobs and giving yogurt for dipping. Tuna salad on slices of cucumber make cute little finger sandwiches.

My favourite lunch food.... Omelette. The trick is when preparing it to not fully cook the eggs. That way when u reheat it will finish cooking

I love making wraps with corn tortillas and filling them with leftovers or turkey.

Not really innovative but I always try to tell my kids about how they will BENEFIT from eating the nutritional stuff I pack for them and they can't seem to get enough of it. :)

Lunch favorite - cheese, crackers, and fresh fruit.

Whole wheat Israeli couscous with chopped fresh veggies or even leftover roasted veggies from dinner. Throw is some chopped fresh mozzarella...yum!

My little one loves pepperoni so I send pepperoni slices with shredded cheese and crackers (she doesn't care for sauce or I would send a little cup of tomato sauce). She also likes raisin bread and cream cheese sandwiches. Whole grain waffles with a packet of any kind Justin's nut butter to squeeze on top are a hit. I found some little stainless steel sushi cutters in flower shapes so I cut bell peppers and carrots into slices and then cut them out into the flower shape..it's a colorful veggie garden!

My grandchildren are frequent visitors to my house and I like to make things special for them. Their sandwiches are usually rolled into a tortilla or lettuce wrap or mock taco bar and always cut up fresh fruit to round things out.

Left over rice or couscous and then left over vegies or beans - complete meal - add a little hot sauce or any kind - easy

I make a variety of lunches for kids and teachers find my children's lunches interesting. Here are couple of ideas: 1) Homemade hummus (with kalamata olives or cilantro & jalapeño, black beans & chickpeas, or roasted garlic) on wheat tortilla with sliced carrots. String cheese and fruit or steamed broccoli with sprinkled salt for the sides. 2) Homemade pizza on whole wheat naan bread with either homemade basil pesto or marinara sauce with eggplant, different cheeses and seasonings. Along with veggies for sides. We use the Indian small rectangle stainless steel bento box with a tray.

My 17 mo old's food preferences change on a daily (sometimes HOURLY) basis. So sending breakfast, lunch and snack to daycare each day can be challenging. My go-to favorite for breakfast is scrambled eggs with pureed kale & spinach mixed in or the same ingredients baked in mini muffin tins as baby-frittatas. For lunch, I often make up a large batch of veggie rotini pasta (or switch up the pasta shapes once-in-awhile), with sauce that is made up of whatever veggies are in season (sweet potato, broccoli, tomato and some cheese). Sounds kinda gross but she gobbles it up every time and asks for more! For snacks, usually a variety of fruit that is in-season and mini sweet potato or zucchini muffins. I try to come up with nutritious options even if I have to disguise the veggies sometimes.

My daughter is insanely picky and I've yet to have much luck with anything outside the basics. My most "inventive" is probably strawberry cream cheese on a sandwich flatbread!

I like to sauté vegetables the night before. Then, I pack them with some lettuce and protein (usually lentils). At lunch time, I make myself a salad with the vegetables, lettuce, and protein.

Hmm...most innovative lunch? My most innovative lunches involve innovative left over dinners most of the time! But if leftovers aren't an option, I love any time of quinoa salad, such as Southwest Quinoa Salad. It's tasty hot or cold. Yum!

My son, 16 is very into fitness and health. We usually grill a batch of chicken during the week and use it for wraps, salads- to ensure that he's getting clean, low fat protein. I cut the chicken into chunks and package small salads (W/spray dressing) to go..

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