Kids pack lunches (school)

Jagraf

We all take packed lunch - one teen two adults. I make 2 loaves worth Of sandwiches - grated cheese with one loaf, ham with the other. Freeze them individually. Personally I don't take them out of the freezer til the morning and then they are cooler by lunch but we are all virtually adults so can tell when defrosted.

Apple and/or banana, breakfast biscuit and bag of low fat/low cost crisps. I think it probably comes to £15 a week for the three of us . Boring but DD is usually revising and oh and myself have lunch on the run. We make up in nutrition in other ways during evenings - I very often do slow cooker too which is cheap and easy.

alba7

I also hate making up sandwiches on a daily basis so I make up a week's worth on Sunday, chicken (leftovers from sunday roast), ham or cheese, usually. They freeze well and I take one out each morning, which also keeps the pot of salad cool until lunchtime.

The only problem I've found is that chicken takes longer to defrost, so it's no good if I have to have an early lunch, and boiled egg sandwiches don't freeze well - they go really mushy, so have to be made fresh. Add the salad and take some grapes. Making my lunch takes only a couple of minutes in the morning now.

Kynthia

Things I put in my packed lunch as well as sandwiches can include:
Bananas
Grapes
Skinny popcorn
Mini cheddars (Aldi cheap version)
Mini babybel
Oat biscuits
Nuts
Raisins
Soreen
Yoghurt
Boiled egg

Tigsteroonie

Continuing the frozen theme, I used to work with someone who would make a monthly batch of ham rolls; and then remove one each morning to take for her lunch, it defrosted during the morning.

I'm not that organised. I make my sandwiches the night before, when I'm cooking dinner (aka heating up what Marley made earlier).

elsien

I make a load of frittatas and freeze them. They're the emergency standby for when I've run out of bread.
Or the store cupboard staple of tuna bean salad. That's really quick because it's just opening tins and slinging it together with a bit of spring onion, celady and whatever else is in the fridge. Plus some boiled egg if you want it more substantial. Easily done the night before.
I do get bored with sandwiches all the time.

suki1964

I make a mix up of hard boiled egg, grated cheese, scallions, peppers, gherkins, olives and a dab of mayo. It lasts 3 days in the fridge, just spread over the bread in the morning. If I've scraps of chicken or ham, that does in as well, then top with lettuce and your done

I make sausage rolls if I'm using puff pastry that week. I make mini quiches when I'm baking and freeze them individually so just need to be taken out in the morning. I also make cookies and muffins for treats in the lunch box

Apples and satsumas last so can be bought in bigger bags to last the week

I'd say the biggest expense is crisps, 89p a week ( reduced salt lower fat ones from lidl, tiny bags but enough of a treat)

Jagraf

A work colleague of mine was laughing last week as he's just used the last of a 400 batch of sandwich bags. I worked with him years ago when he used to buy his lunches at £5 a pop. He's saved nearly £2000 by making his own

Jagraf

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

Continuing the frozen theme, I used to work with someone who would make a monthly batch of ham rolls; and then remove one each morning to take for her lunch, it defrosted during the morning.

I'm not that organised. I make my sandwiches the night before, when I'm cooking dinner (aka heating up what Marley made earlier).

That's the kind of thing I do - freeze as many as possible. I am so disorganised that if I don't do this I will either go without lunch or pay for a sandwich which I hate doing.

My slow cooker is also brilliant stops me going to the co op on the way home.

onlyroz

A packed lunch in our house is usually a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a yoghurt. The school has banned crisps or chocolate.

I make the sandwiches for everybody up the night before. Common fillings are:

Ham/bacon/cheese and cucumber/coleslaw/pickle
Chicken, spring onion and mayo
Tuna, sweetcorn and mayo
Salami/prosciutto ham/Serrano ham with avocado

Sometimes we make sausage rolls with apple sauce or mustard.

pigpen

I did ours the night before.

defrosted bread is even more disgusting than non-frozen bread.. it goes soggy and gross if wrapped or hard and stale if not.. I wouldnt eat it and wouldnt expect the children to either.


Make them together.. you do sandwiches, they get fruit/yoghurt/drinks.. one task each.. you could make them up while cooking dinner .. all sorted in next to no time!