Leftovers In The Thermos

One of the better investments I made is buying a thermos for each of my kids. My personal preference is warm lunch every time over any cold sandwich. So I was trying to see if I can influence their preferences. I think it makes lunch more substantial. My younger son does not always open his thermos -- "I did not have time!" he says. My older son brings it home empty every time! Favorite leftovers in the thermos:

Pasta
Any time we have pasta for dinner I keep some for the next day. Heat it up steaming hot. I always put a little extra cheese on top to melt.



Pizza
The crust will not be crunchy in the thermos but my kids call pizza lunch their favorite anyway. I cut it up into strips to squeeze them into the circular-shaped thermos, tops facing, to make a little sandwich.


Soup
Soup is another natural for the lunchbox, since we eat it a lot. When I put it in the thermos I sometimes add a little pasta to make it more like a stew, and I add a good adult-sized spoon they can spoon it out with.


Chicken Nuggets
Chicken nuggets work because they can hold it in their hands easily to put it in the ketchup-dip container. I often put the whole-grain dish dinner under the nuggets (rice with vegetables, quinoa, bulgur, ferror, all of which I rotate for dinner meals).