Packed Lunches for School

aliwali

Homemade pittas are lovely and cheap to make. HM cheese straws, cheese and marmite whirls, flapjack. Also you may do this but put raisins from big bag into a pot, it's much cheaper than the little boxes. Also you can get value sultanas but not raisins in my mr T so i often give them those instead of raisins!

coldcazzie

I am liking this thread DH takes lunch to work, and from tomorrow I will be making a weekly packed lunch for myself and the kids to eat in town. Some of the ideas wouldn't work due to personal tastes, but I'm sure we can trial a few things and see what sticks.

My only question at this stage is: little pots of strawberry/chocolate whip; jellies and rice pud - do they freeze well? I know most things can be frozen, but some things don't freeze well, I don't want to compromise taste considering I'm dealing with at least 2 fussy eaters!

hollyf86

I have never tried to freeze them, you would have a try, I tend to make packed lunches in the evening before I go to bed, although sometimes I chuck them together in the morning if I'm feeling disorganised.

My other half has packed lunches too, he has all sorts of random things and left over, I just don't want my kids lunches to be considered as wierd as mine always were as a child! But then I think most kids lunch boxes are just full of crisps and chocolate from my experiences from going to school trips.

I take packed lunches out everywhere with me, there always picnic benchs if your having a day out or a nice bit of grass at the park is always good. If I go in the city shopping there is a lovely park in town I go to, to have lunch.

My tip on a day out is always take extra sandwiches. My children are just eating machines and will always want more food later and if I fail to take extra food out I end up having to buy them something.

freyasmum

My 6 year old, who's also just gone into primary 2, prefers to take a packed lunch rather than have a school dinner.

I've tried her with chicken legs, quiche, pasta salads, etc - all of which she devours at home but, due to the comments of the boy she has to sit next to at lunch time, doesn't eat at school. As a result, the only thing I can send her with that I know will be eaten is either a sandwich/roll. Thankfully, she's not fussy about the type/filling - last week was brown sourdough with roast beef and tomato - but it can be limiting. Also, if I send her with a salad, she'll eat all the salady bits and leave the meat :doh:

Sainsburys had a big roll of beef on offer for £5/kg, so it was cooked and sliced and we have enough to keep her going for about a month! Other than that, she has ham, chicken, sometimes egg.

As well as her 'main' component, she had a little tub of dried apricots/raisins and nuts (pecans are her current favourite) and another little tub filled with cucumber/carrots/peppers/grapes/berries/other fruit.

She has a frube every day as well because it's easier to eat than a tub of yogurt - not to mention that it saves me losing spoons :rotfl: However, I buy them on offer. At £2.50 a pack, I think it's ridiculous, but I don't mind getting them when they're 3 for £3.

She takes a water bottle for the liquid component.

zippychick

we have a packed lunches for school thread and healthy snacks for kids

ill merge this later on

Zip

cutestkids

Hi

My two take packed lunches every day and it can be hard to make them not too repetitive.

How about some veg sticks with salsa, Morrisons do there value brand of salsa in the crisp isle for about 70p, you could add some pitta or breadsticks.

I usually put a yogurt in I buy whatever is on special offer, sometimes I will by frubes but only if they are on offer.

Crackers with a little bit of cheese spread sandwiched between them.

Rather than one piece of fruit I make a fruit salad up and they take that, it makes it more appealing and again I buy what is on offer,

They do take crisps sometimes, and the occasional chocolate biscuit but I bake scones and muffins and freeze them for lunches.

I don't know what the policy is at your daughters school but at our school the kids are allowed to take in a food flask with soup but they have an adult helper at each table of 12 kids so you may have to find out if this is allowed.

I think the main thing is that the kids are eating it, they may be perfectly happy with what you are giving them already.

narabanekeater

does the jelly still say set when out the fridge please and the same with value whip?

coldcazzie

I have made up some angel delight - 1 packet made 4 little pots, so one for me, and one for each child I've popped them in the freezer so we'll see tomorrow lunchtime whether they're any good! I shall report back with feedback?

Making extra food is always a good idea! My son especially eats like a horse - he's only 5 and eats more than I do sometimes!

Possession

I always put a freezer block (can't think of the proper name for them!) in the packed lunch box, and the jelly is fine. the whip doesn't need to be chilled so it would be set, but as it's made with milk I would think it needed to be chilled.

freyasmum

coldcazzie wrote: »

I have made up some angel delight - 1 packet made 4 little pots, so one for me, and one for each child I've popped them in the freezer so we'll see tomorrow lunchtime whether they're any good! I shall report back with feedback?

Making extra food is always a good idea! My son especially eats like a horse - he's only 5 and eats more than I do sometimes!

My six year old has skating lessons after school and usually stays on the rink for a while after so it's quite late for her when we come out. As it's in a different town, I sometimes let her have a burger as a treat, then she'll more or less go to bed straight after we get in.

One day, we were in burger king (not a favourite, but she chose it) and I had eaten perhaps a 1/3rd of my chicken burger. I sat it down to take a drink and she said aren't you eating that last little bit?! Cos I will! And she did too - after scoffing all of her own burger and chips Thing is, she's like a little beanpole - I'd like to know where she puts it! :rotfl:

Possession wrote: »

I always put a freezer block (can't think of the proper name for them!) in the packed lunch box, and the jelly is fine. the whip doesn't need to be chilled so it would be set, but as it's made with milk I would think it needed to be chilled.

I half-freeze her water bottle and put in her frube (which is frozen) and this, I'm told, keeps her lunch nice till it's time to eat.

I love the idea of the freezer block but if I were to put one in, I'd never fit any food in!