School Dinners or Packed Lunch...

jakes-mum

Eldest has packed lunch, youngest has a cooked dinner at nursery once a week rest of week its sandwiches with me. They tend to have a yogurt or banana at about 3:30/4pm when they assure me they are 'starving' and then we have cooked dinner in the evenings at 6pm.

Eldest used to have school dinners but I just found they didnt fil him up, were blinking expensive (think its over £2 now per day!) and i'd still be giving him sandwiches/toast/anything he could find after school so was kind of a blessing when he was diagnosed and they couldnt cater for him.

Oh and I make DS and DH's sandwiches either while im cooking dinner and everything is in, or after dinner as im always first one finished and we eat in the kitchen, so will make pack ups while they are finishing off before chucking everything in the dishwasher and doing pudding.

minimoneysaver

Have you thought about doing all of your food prep on a Sunday and freezing meals or getting things ready the night before? Your children are also old enough to help out. Sounds like they need a piece of fruit and a large drink as soon as they get through the door. Many children mistake thirst for hunger. At least 1/2 of water or sugar free juice, before they eat anything and that should buy you some time and make them feel less desperate to eat.

twiggy100

My kids used to have school dinners which cost me a fortune. The school didn't actually produce the meals on site, but they were shipped in from an outside caterer, so we had to book and pay for a the meals a term in advance. I dreaded them coming out of school waving their menus as I would have to stump up between £80 - £90 each time.
My kids would come home starving, almost ready to chew the back door!. Then I got talking to one of the Mums at school who worked as a dinner lady. She told me the almost everyday the portion sizes would be short for the amount of kids needing hot dinners, so they would have to stretch the food out as best they could. I then started asking my children exactly what they had had for lunch and was very shocked. Often they would have 1 fish finger, or even half a sausage with one or two tiny potatoes, then a yohurt or a cookie. Certainly nothing like what we were ordering. I complained to the catering company many times but they never bothered to respond. Need I say more, they both have a pack up now and are far less hungry when they get home.

Kimberley82

I do packed lunches as I am so fussy about knowing hey are eating well.

But on another note get a slow cookers

andrealm

Started off with school dinners at first last year as dd wanted to try them, she liked them at first but after a few weeks, she said she wanted to have a packed lunch instead. She's stuck to packed lunches since then, not complaining as it's cheaper and everyone else would still need to have a dinner in the evening anyway.

*Louise*

My DS1 just started having school dinners last week when he started high school, he was aways packed lunches at primary.

I have never seen a menu for the place but he never seems to have a hot meal so I still make him a normal dinner (I would be cooking for everyone else anyway)

Dunno if I will leave him on them much longer tbh. Today he had just a cheeseburger and some water, which isn't much for a lad that needs feeding up (he is so skinny but eats loads at home!). If he had a p/l he would have sandwiches/yoghurt/fruit/cheese and a biscuit or cake with his water.

adamantine

its seems i am lucky up here! school dinners at my kids school cost £1.20 and are all freshly cooked onsite.

tomorrows menu for example is
turkey steaks in a bun
beef lasagne
baked potato with tuna mayo

sides are baked beans, pasta shapes, garden peas and pitta bread.
the "sandwich tray" is cheddar cheese, tuna mayo on a selection of breads, grated carrots and pasta shapes.

puddings are selection of fresh fruit, cheese and biscuits or shortbread with milkshake.

what kind of things are your kids offered at school?

sazziecee

Mine used to be on school dinners but it was getting too expensive, and as they were asking to go onto packed lunches anyway, I switched them onto packed lunches.

Every so often my youngest asks to go back onto hot dinners but I just tell him it's too expensive now they are both at school. I do still order a hot meal when they have special occasions, such as Xmas lunch, Royal Wedding meal etc etc though.

But.. talking about portion size, before my eldest was diagnosed as Autistic and school just thought he was naughty (grr) they said due to his behaviour he had to come home for lunch or have a parent sit with him at school. His dad went and sat with him and said the portion was absolutely TINY, so I am happy I am not paying £2.20 per day for it now.

But... some days my youngest son wants to be straight out and playing after school, so asks for sandwiches for tea as a hot meal takes to long for him... so guess I am having the opposite problem to you, he sulks when I tell him he has to have a hot meal, and he hates beans on toast etc so I can't win, lol

My husband has just gone onto JSA after being made redundant, so we may be entitled to free school meals (got the forms here) so if they get it free then of course I am going to take them... but will be fully expecting them not to be full from them and in need of a snack after school.

Sammy85_2

*Louise* wrote: »

My DS1 just started having school dinners last week when he started high school, he was aways packed lunches at primary.

I have never seen a menu for the place but he never seems to have a hot meal so I still make him a normal dinner (I would be cooking for everyone else anyway)

Dunno if I will leave him on them much longer tbh. Today he had just a cheeseburger and some water, which isn't much for a lad that needs feeding up (he is so skinny but eats loads at home!). If he had a p/l he would have sandwiches/yoghurt/fruit/cheese and a biscuit or cake with his water.

If its anything like it was when i was at school (9 years ago). There was a choice of a set meal of dinner and a pud and then various other options, burgers, chips, pizza etc. Drinks we had a choice of bottled water, milk or juices. Then there were crisps and a couple of choices of choccy bars/buscuits. I think i used to get £3 a day, of which £1 was bus fares. I think chips, cheese and gravy used to cost around £1, and i would get a carton of milk at morning break and one with lunch, leaving me around 50p for the sweet shop on the way home. Mum gave me £3 based on the set meal and a drink being £2.

I knew kids that had packed lunches so that the parents knew what they were eating but still found the money to have a plate of chips at lunchtime with the rest us.

DaisyFlower

DS usually has school dinners but we still cook in the evening as portions are small and they eat very early. Never crossed my mind not to cook tbh.