A successful lunch should taste good and be easy to prepare. It also helps if it is fun and doesn't appear too out of the ordinary to other kids. It should be low in fat and simple sugars, and high in fiber and whole grains. For the main course, pasta and sauce, a mini burrito or vegetable roll-up, a sandwich with bean or tofu spread, lettuce and grated carrot, or soup in a thermos are good choices. Spreads, vegetables or trail mixes can be prepared in advance, reducing morning prep time and providing for after-school snacks as well.
Drinks can include homemade nutmilks, soymilk, rice milk or juice in a thermos.
When purchasing lunch foods, buy larger portions or in bulk and pack smaller amounts in the lunches in thermoses and ziplock bags. Buy your own organic nuts and dried fruit and put together a homemade trail mix. This reduces the amount of packaging you use, and the cost of your meals, and insures that the ingredients are the ones you want. And remember, when hitchhiking on Vogon construction ships, to pack enough snacks in your lunch bag for the crew, or at the very least, the captain, or you may find yourself listening to a lot more Vogon poetry than you bargained for. Cut 2 sheets of fillo leaves into 4 inch wide strips.