Packed Lunch Ideas for a Child who hates bread?

hollyh

Hi,

Ds aged 8's school have just put school dinners up to £10 a week!

I hate making packed lunches and he won't eat bread so simple sandwiches that Dp and I take to work are out. What can i make/buy that is easy and quick and cheaper than £10 a week?

Thanks in advance.

FizzWhizz

What about pasta or rice salad? You can choose the veg you put in (sweetcorn, diced pepper and cucumber are always favourites with my DS2), some chopped cold meat, hard boiled egg or grated cheese for protein and salad dressing/mayonnaise etc to moisten. You could make a couple of days worth at a time and store it in the fridge.

Another option I sometimes use is crackers (ritz/tuc/cheddars) with small chunks of cheese, ham or the like and a little pot of olives.

My DS2 isn't fussy at home but I really struggle to get him to eat anything at school -- I think he has mild anxiety about eating in public -- so I am always on the lookout for new ideas that might pique his interest.

hollyh

Pasta salad is a good idea, he will eat that.

It's the stuff to go with it as well that i can never think of. He doesn't like yogurts so they're out. School don't allow cake, crisps, sweets or chocolate.

FizzWhizz

Maybe crackers could bulk out his lunch a bit? Or plain biscuits, such as digestives or rich tea. Y'know, the boring ones

All my kids eat fruit with less complaining if it's chopped up, obviously peeling a banana or biting a whole apple is too much like hard work. Grapes disappear as fast as I can buy them.

Dried fruit? Flapjacks/cereal bars? Carrot or cucumber sticks? Twiglets (eww) or pretzels? They're not technically crisps so you might get away with it...

cheeswright

my kids liked spreading things
so
individual cream cheese pots and crackers with some grapes

or substitute pate for the cheese
or cheese triangles

the "instant pre cooked rice ( 49p) makes the base of two good lunches - chopped salad veg and then throw in either tuna or frozen prawns in the morning so still fresh at lunch
bulgar wheat salad
cous cous with sultanas and apricots
although
the best thing we did was buy an aladin bento box ( insulated food flask ) bung in microwave in morning screw down lid and all the best leftovers are a hot lunch also an extra jacket potato from the night before..
and soup and a bread roll - they really caught on at my kids school too - so no.."oh whats that..ew!" more "mum I want one ! I want hot gnocci for lunch and I dont even know what gnoccci is !!!!!":rotfl:

mrcow

My kids take cheese and crackers. They make their own sandwiches out of them.

Or wraps (if he'll eat them?)

They also really like fruit in "stick" form eg. pineapple, melon, apples etc. Don't know why it's different to normal shaped fruit, but apparently it's better!

Banana chips and dried fruit are also nice alternatives to crisps (if they're allowed?)

FizzWhizz

What about custard? You can get it in individual pots, if your DS will tolerate that better than yogurt. Same with rice pudding.

Or a small pot of dry cereal, like cheerios? A sweet treat but not tooth achingly sugary.

Will he eat pitta bread? My DS likes cold naan bread (weirdo) but I've never thought of chucking a bit in his lunchbox until now.

I feel your pain, hollyh, it's a bit of a brain ache, trying to think of new things.

hollyh

Thanks lots of good ideas.

Auntie_Sceb

Cold pizza/quiche
Cous cous (often on offer)
Homemade soup in flask
Houmous homemade or bought (or other dip) + carrots, cucumber, celery, pepper, cauliflower, broccoli
Homemade smoothie
Cold vegetable fingers(similar to fish fingers) delicious and often on offer.
Homemade jelly pots add fruit

Steve059

Just wait until he learns that pasta is also made from flour. Sandwiches or an empty lunch box. Tough love. Who's in charge in your family?

adouglasmhor

You can make small wraps using lettuce leaves instead of bread with any soft filling in them that usualy goes in sarnies.