Baking for lunchboxes - any ideas?

grumblybum

Hi
I am a long time reader, not often poster! I have had a dramatic change of circumstances due to ill health, and am now trying to save money every which way I can as we are now on half previous income until I can increase my work hours. I am planning to start my children on packed lunches when they return to school next week (school dinners for 4 children is £40 pw, and feel I can supply a healthy packed lunch for less than this), and need some ideas (and poss recipes) for baking ideas. I test ran some pasties last week, which seemed to go down well, but any ideas, especially those that incorporate vegetables/fruit would be greatly appreciated. I would like them to have a bit of variety so any imaginative ideas welcome!

lickylonglips

cheese scones with grated courgette?
frittata with onion, courgette, peppers, sweetcorn, peas?
minestrone soup - passata, carrot, onion, swede, beans, small pasta?
pitta pockets with grated carrot, cucumber and hummous?

lickylonglips

sandwiches made from grated cheese, grated carrot, a little salad cream, chopped spring onion
home made potato salad with chopped spring onion and sweetcorn or peas, a little salad cream or natural yoghurt to bind
mashed boiled egg and tomato sandwiches

sorry - just read it says BAKING ideas.... sorry.... cheese scones, then! lol

OberonSH

My kids love the granola bar type things we bake (plus it's an activity for the weekend!). Little bread buns to fill, cornflake cakes that sort of thing

grumblybum

Sorry, was just thinking baking as I could do it in bulk and freeze it, any ideas welcome, baking or not

OberonSH

Homemade soup in a flask, pasta salads, wraps can make a nice change from sarnies. My kids like little pots of dips like hummus and veg sticks to dip in it. Homemade versions of Dairylea Dunkers go down a treat (I'm not paying £3 for a bunch of breadsticks & some cheese spread!). Even tried them with bubble and squeak, they seemed to like that!

tanith

Cheese straws freeze really well, small individual quiche, jam tarts.

parsonswife8

Flapjacks, made with syrup and oats.

Rockcakes made with dried fruit.

Mini muffins made with cheese and spinach, cheese and onion, cheese and sweetcorn, cheese and sundried tomatoes.

emg

I have made this carrot cake from the cfr site, cut it up and frozen it for lunch boxes. I make it as a traybake and just wrap the individual bits in foil, it lasts really well in the freezer, is yummy and is fairly healthy (for cake) as it has carrots and raisins in.

emg

Not baking but I thought I would also add that I make cheese or ham sandwiches in bulk and freeze them too. I take them out in the morning and they are defrosted by lunch time.

Pink.

Hi grumbly,

Savoury muffins and scones are great in lunchboxes, so are sausage rolls, pinwheels etc. For sweet things how about fruit muffins, flapjacks, twinks hobnobs? You can also make a cake and freeze it in individual portions just ready to lift out and pop into the lunchbox...it will be defrosted by lunchtime and has the added advantage of keeping the rest of the lunchbox cool.

These threads might give you some ideas:

Packed Lunches for School

Freezing Sandwiches

pasta salad

Healthy snacks for kids

cheap/ healthy snacks

I'll add your thread to the first link later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink