Inspire me to start sending my daughter to school with a pack up

salt_and_pepper

Hi please can some one give me some ideas for packing my 11 year old daughter up for lunch. She's at senior school where they are starting a new payment system for lunchtimes which looks a bit of a faff so i would like to start sending her pack up and saving a little money too if possible- she currently spends £10 a week. There's no hard and fast rules as to what she can take but i would like it to be healthy. It's just in the past she has come home with her sarnies still wrapped up, untouched which is a bit demoralising for me. She's not a fussy eater particulary but has learned how to be fussy from her siblings. She won't have tinned fish though. I'm gonna spend the next week compiling ideas and getting stuff in, then i'm quite happy to report back how the lunch went down. If any one fancies joining me, please do- i could do with some one to keep me in line!

seabright

What does she say she likes? Get her to do the list with you, she's much more likely to eat it if she's choosen it.

Does she like bagels? They're a nice alternative to bread and quite "grown-up" if that appeals to her. Of course she might just want to not stand out, so you might be making cheese sandwiches on sliced white forever!

What about something like flapjacks for a sweet snack? Oats are cheap & healthy and will fill her up

seabright

BTW, are you in East Anglia? Never heard the term "pack-up" used anywhere else!

Minxy_Bella

seabright wrote: »

BTW, are you in East Anglia? Never heard the term "pack-up" used anywhere else!

I've never heard it at all!

My Geordie husband 'puts up' his sandwiches though

ubamother

I've just finally given in to my 9yr old boy's pleas for packed lunch - school dinners were Ok but the same portion size for a 6 yr old and a 9 yr old! I make a load of muffins each week and they freeze well - I healthy them up by using half white/half wholemeal, mashed bananas, frozen blueberries. He hasn't noticed they're healthy and loves them. I buy subs/cheese topped baps/bagels when on special, slice and freeze. He thinks a blt sounds a very cool sandwich, so keep cooked slices of bacon ready, top with lettuce and cucumber (I know its a blc really, but he eats it!). Wraps are quite grown up as well. I would suggest you make a packed-lunch shopping list together - her involvement early on means she can't complain you've foisted stuff on to her!

tanith

I family member made lovely lunches for her son and was so pleased he came home with an empty lunch bag every day, then discovered he was selling his lunch to his mates and buying the usual rubbish.:eek:

iamana1ias

seabright wrote: »

What about something like flapjacks for a sweet snack? Oats are cheap & healthy and will fill her up

While the sugar and syrup will send her blood sugar flying and as for the butter.................:rolleyes:

salt_and_pepper

I'm in Yorkshire, pack up i thought was quite universally used- maybe not?
Yes she likes bagels- i wouldn't have thought of using them for a sandwich- maybe she will try one with some cream cheese. The sandwiches i usually try are ham, but then she plays up saying it's the wrong ham. I can buy the same pack and then al of a sudden she decides it's different and won't try. Then, tut tut i have been known to do a crisp sandwich and she likes cucumber ones as well. She also like sausage rolls.
What i would really like to do is to make a pile, bag them up individually and then freeze and get out the night before just to cut down on wastage because i do find that the ham will get left in the back of the fridge.
Is there any pasta recipes i could do and let her take in a pot to eat cold?

seraphina

How about getting her to make them? She's more than old enough to rustle up a sandwich. Sit down with her, ask her what she wants and tell her that you'll make sure you have things she likes in stock (well, within reason, no prime roast beef every day for example!) Also don't forget things like pasta salad etc.

It gets out of the whole "but I don't like that" issue. Also if I were providing things to make a packed lunch out of, I certainly wouldn't hand over dinner money - if she wants food at school she either brings it herself or pays for it out of her usual pocket money.

tim_n

Pasta bakes are nice cold and can be frozen in portions to defrost during the day - don't need to refrigerate then even during the summer as the pastabake keeps everything else cold too...

ubamother

how about a food flask with a hot pasta dish or soup in? (I'd never heard pack-up either - when I moved to Geordie-land I had to learn that lunchtime food is called bait and comes in a baitbox.)