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In the land down under, we get the idea that americans eat out all the time and that there is a McDonalds and Burger King across the road from every school and that in American high schools at least, the kids either eat a lunch purchased at the school cafeteria or they go over the road and buy it at the fast food shop.
BTW, our kids, take their lunch 3-4 days per week and have "tuck shop" one day per week although if they want a second day they can but they have to pay for it from their pocket money. 1x high school and 3x primary (elementary) school. We do Maccas maybe once per month on a weekend.
My older kids are 12 and 13. They bring their lunches, except on Thursdays, when the younger one buys lunch because it's spaghetti day. I make them peanut butter and jelly (their request) on whole wheat, and then they get one carb thing (pretzels, goldfish) and one fruit or vegetable (baby carrots, unsweetened applesauce). My older daughter also gets a snack for her mid-morning munchies, usually a chewy granola bar. I'm trying to cut the HCFS though, so I have been looking around for a good alternative. I did make my own power bars this past weekend, which were very good. The older one also take a juice box (100% juice), and the younger one buys milk.
Our younger child is 5 and gets lunch at his daycare before they take him to kindergarten. They have a lot of different things, pretty healthy. Next year, he'll bring his lunch to school, and he'll get what the girls eat.
I have a Kindergartner and I pack her lunch almost every day. Usually a PB&J, chicken salad, boiled egg, bagel with cream cheese, carrots, grapes, apples, crackers, leftovers from dinner (if she liked it),homemade mac and cheese, soup in a thermos, honey almonds, banana, greek yogurt. If she buys lunch and milk, it is $5.75. So needless to say, we don't buy too often.
What do your kids have for school lunch. Do they buy it at school, at a nearby shop or do they take a lunch from home.
To put it in perspective, where are you and what grade are the kids in.
I have two kids in high school (in California). Their school has a closed campus, so they can't leave during lunch. My kids never buy a school lunch (they don't like the food), and only rarely will buy juice or water at school (too expensive, a water bottle is now $2.50). My son brings his lunch from home and usually has a sandwich of some sort on whole wheat or on a thin bagel, fruit, crackers or chips, and juice or vitamin water. My daughter usually isn't hungry at lunch time and waits to eat when she gets home from school at 3:30. Sometimes she'll take a bite of sushi or seaweed/rice or similar asian food from her friends (who bring in large containers of food to share with the group).
In the land down under, we get the idea that americans eat out all the time and that there is a McDonalds and Burger King across the road from every school and that in American high schools at least, the kids either eat a lunch purchased at the school cafeteria or they go over the road and buy it at the fast food shop.
That's funny...I always notice the movies have these cool American high schools with outdoor lockers and outdoor cafeteria seating...and I never saw such a thing anywhere I ever lived!
My son, first grade, packs his lunch most days since he is very picky, and I don't like paying $2.00 for what I consider foods with poor nutritional value. He does buy on pizza days, which averages about 3 days per month. His favorites to pack are Nutella on bread (he doesn't like peanut butter), bananas, cantaloupe, pretzels, granola bars, pudding cups, fruit bars, yogurt.
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