Kids Lunchbox ideas

archiesdad · 5 October 2009 at 9:58PM

Hi all

Am trying to become more OS and as part of my quest need to get ideas for packed lunches for my son who goes to school full time as of next week.

He is not a big fruit fan but will take a banana or raisins as his mid morn snack. Am trying to avoid the crisps and choc bar routine.

So far I am thinking of making cakes/traybakes etc so any recipes that can be frozen or keep well would be gratefully apreciated.

was gonna alternate between sandwiches, pittas, cheese and crakers and maybe small sausage roll and was also going to put in a yog every day

I know a lot of you don't by crisps and junk so what do you give your kids?

He won't eat dips and carrot sticks and the like but loves couscous and rice do you think at 4 he is to young to sit and eat these at school?

Any ideas greatly appreciated as need to go shopping tomorrow.

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billy858 · 5 October 2009 at 10:12PM

My girls are a bit older but every day they get
Filled roll - I find rolls better than sandwiches, no crusts to be left.
Piece of fruit.
Something savoury like a samosa or savoury egg.
Rice cakes or bread sticks with a dip or hummous.
Tray bake.
Small chocolatey treat (the bite size ones), although not all schools allow this.
As someone who used to be a midday supervisor I would advise against yoghurts. I lost count of the amount of times there was a yoghurt explosion in someones lunch box which ruined the sandwiches (even the pouch ones do this). I dont even eat yoghurt any more because the smell gets to me now because of this. Also if you are putting in something like a satsuma or kiwi fruit please send it ready chopped up in a little pot- children will eat it if it is no hassle for them. I used to peel them even when my two got older because they just want to eat luch as fast as possible then go out to play!
For the very young lots of different 'little bits' are better. Couscous and rice are great if they are in an easy open pot. I used to send my youngest(messy eater) with a baby wipe in a small poly bag to keep damp, or a piece of kitchen roll in the lunch box.
Hope this helps.

pretz_2 · 5 October 2009 at 11:16PM

ok my DD is 3 and has just started full time pre-school where crisps and chocolate are not allowed at all, she takes in her lunchbox a cream cheese or ham sandwich, cucumber and cherry tomatoes, 2 hm flapjack cut into 1x1 squares, hm yogurt and stewed fruit (found a brill tub in asda its the size of a fromage frais tub for 35p and it has a screw on lid), normal a piece of fruit like melon, apple or grapes (bannanas just get smoshed) and either a chicken drumstick or sausage rolls.

hope this gave you some idea but i just send in what she would normally have for lunch at home.

thriftlady_2 · 6 October 2009 at 7:01AM

:)If you have a look here at this post from the indexed collection you will find loads of threads on the subject of 'lunch'. Also if you do an advanced search of titiles only using the words 'packed lunches' you will find a number of threads.

There's also this recent thread.

archiesdad · 6 October 2009 at 8:25AM

Thanks all that helps a lot anyone know any good traybake recipes?

thriftlady_2 · 6 October 2009 at 8:33AM

There's bound to be something on this thread;)

Traybakes

LJM · 6 October 2009 at 10:18AM

my girls have a sndwich,yoghurt and a jelly on fridays,fruit,they love cheerios so they take these in a little pot,chopped peppers,drink,rice cakes,extra fruit for breaktimes usually apple/banana or apricots and some cheese cut up or grated

nuttybabe · 6 October 2009 at 1:42PM

My ds is 5 and has packed lunch every day. He usually has a sandwich or wrap, a piece of fruit, a frozen frube, packet of snack a jacks and a home made cake or biscuit. He usually only eats the sandwich, frube and cake and eats the rest on the way home.

plzhelpmesave! · 7 October 2009 at 9:37AM

I have 2 boys aged 5 & & and my DD aged 3 at nursery on packed lunches.

I give them sadwiches, rolls, pittas, wraps - with tuna sweetcorcm cheese & cuecumber, chicken etc - one fruit a day, a yoghurt and something else, e.g. flapjack, raisins.

I have bought little thermoses for them and as it gets cold will give them soup, rice & pasta so they can still have a hot lunch. They do generally eat all of their lunches every day.

I stock up on lunchboxy type things,e.g. frubes, cheesestrings when they are on offer at whichever supermarket or homebargains!

angie_baby · 7 October 2009 at 10:11AM

My DS (7) has packed lunches,

Its usually a choice between

Sarnie/Roll/wrap or Pasta Salad

x2 fruit portions, 1 is usually raisins

Flapjack or Twinks hobnobs or slice of tray bake - for a tray bake i usually throw what ever fruit is in the freezer in it

Chicken drumstick / cheese wedges

Over the summer he had a mini ploughmans, crackers / cheese / ham / sliced toms, etc

But now the weather is getting colder the thermos will come back out for HM soups and a plain roll or bread

I strangly really like making his lunches! I usually cook up on the weekend and freeze the cakes etc into lunch box sizes and then pop them all in a small plastic that i keep in the freezer. Also the same if i see any reduced rolls or bread i make up plain cheese / ham sarnies and freeze them, great if i dont have time to make bread!

grandmabea · 7 October 2009 at 10:30AM

Hi, my 4 year old granddaughter recently started school and started full time this week and has packed lunches and had them in nursery too. She eats practically anything, loves home cooked food the best and doesn't eat much junk food so as I do the lunchboxes in our house, I know she is easily pleased with whatever I put in. She loves spaghetti bolognaise and any pasta dishes, so when I am making it, I do extra and then whatever it is, when cold I pot it up into small pots and freeze them. They just need taking out the night before to defrost and then put into her lunchbox and she will eat it cold and loves it. I do the same with puddings - she loves apple crumble and custard and I make small pots up of that and freeze them too and just defrost and put them in her box. You could also make up a jelly, either plain or add fruit to it, and pot them for a couple of day's puddings in the lunchbox. They are another different item to add to the list of lunch box fillers. I also do small salad boxes with the usual items, shredded lettuce, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber and celery with grated cheese and grated carrot, or ham, chicken and cooked cold potatoes added to it. She loves that. She hates crusts so I usually use a small shaped biscuit cutter to make them look nice and it is just the nice soft sandwich that goes into the box and everything is eaten from it. If your children like Marmite, I cut the crusts of a slice of bread and make marmite rolls, butter the bread and spread a very small amount of Marmite on it, roll it up into a long tube shape, and then cut them into small pieces or whatever size best suited. Rather than yoghurts as previously mentioned which can burst, I put in those little bottles of yoghurt drinks as they are simple and easy. There are also those nice little packets of yoghurt coated fruit pieces you can buy, about 35p and fruit sticks as well can be bought from the supermarket, which all add to the range of food you can put into the lunch box to differ it every day.

Sorry to have waffled on here - but I hope it all helps.

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Kids Lunchbox ideas

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