Mumsnet Talk

Ok so not in the UK, we have had 6 glorious weeks of no lunchboxes but kids go back to school on Monday.

Please share what the last lunchbox for your child had in it and inspire me.

BTW not a competitive thread just a shameless stealing ideas thread.

Not a child lunch box as such but seeing as you've no responses my last work lunch box was bulgar wheat, sweetcorn, peppers, tomatoes, sweetcorn and grapes. It's lovely and full of veg a nd goodness and easy to package.

thanks for answering, one of my two would eat that no prob and the other would if I swapped out bulgar for brown rice. Lovely and perfect for our season at the moment

Seriously? My DS (14) took

a sausage roll (not Greggs)
a carton of orange juice
a bottle of tap water
and 20p <mysterious>

That's it.

My DD took:

a ham salad sandwich
a small pasta salad
two cartons of orange juice

I have failed.

Ham sandwich
Black olives, mini tomatoes, chopped cucumber
Yogurt
Small cake
Apple juice carton

Hi thanks linerunner you have not failed. Neither of mine will eat sausage rolls or ham. A pasta salad is good for us though thanks will add that to list of ideas. Olives wouldn't go down here either.

Actually cold pasta salads have been a godsend for my DD's packed lunches, as you can vary them so much. Tuna, chicken, sweetcorn, peppers, onion, tomato, cucumber, etc etc.

DS is very sporty but eats utter rubbish. I give him school dinner money now, in the forlorn hope that he will eat something nutritious.

yum so I now have a heap of salad that I can mix and match
bulgar, rice or pasta with additions. Mine are smaller than yours and while ds is a great eater (not a sweet tooth at all and will give most things a go) dd is much pickier...she is only 2 so I think by the time she is 14 we maybe having a few battles about it. No school dinners here sadly!

Many variations over the years but the basic plan is a fruit, a grain and a protein. So... could be a muffin, an orange and a yogurt, or a bagel with cheese and an apple, or a peanut butter and jam sandwich with a pear....

can I be thick here and just ask do you mean a muffin, orange and yoghurt would be all there was in the lunchbox? Think my two would rebel big time.

For tomorrow I have made
Couscous with sweetcorn, baby toms, cheese and pesto
Blueberry muffins (2 mini each)
Frozen yoghurt
Cheese twist (flaky pastry with cheese twisted in strips and cooked)
Nectarine
Small pottle hazelnuts
Cucumber sticks

this will all be eaten and they will come home and want more. This is why I run out of ideas to change it up.

I have been doing a bit of experimenting this week.

I have made chicken strips, covered with polenta. Cooked them the night before, kept them in the fridge overnight and put them in a flask with some dip.

Also, bought a bag of cooked frozen prawns and put them in a flask with dip.

Bought sushi and put it in a packed lunch bag with an ice brick and took It to the park in the 34 degree heat. Still cold at lunchtime.

sushi is brilliant thanks.

I should also point out they have 3 meal breaks at school here so read and feed (am tea) lunch and brain booster (pm tea)

Oh I love a lunchbox thread.

Today dd took...
A cheese and salad sandwich
A cutted up apple
A little box of crackers, cheese and tomatoes
A slice of the banana bread we made yesterday.
A bottle of water.

Today ds took...
A tunafish sandwich
A cutted up apple
A fruit puree pot
A slice of banana bread
Some baby tomatos

Other things they often take include...
A warm pot of porridge (in one of those little food thermos's)
A cold tub of whatever pasta / rice / couscous we had for supper last night.
A 'dry' salad sort of thing - baby new pots with tomatoes and various veg.
Pesto salad.

Dd needs to take quite a lot as she has 3 snack times during her school day.
Ds is dairy allergic and we don't eat meat so he can be a bit of a challenge, especially when avocados aren't in season. I have recently started including fish in his repertoire but I don't want him to be The Kid Who Smells Of Fish so I try and think of other ideas too. Have been wanting to try making him some Japanese style bento box lunches, but it's hard getting hold of a recipe book for ideas.

Cheese Sammie, yoghurt, banana.
Will vary sandwich filling and fruit but ds is not a tryer of things.
For dd I would put raisins, carrot sticks as well. Sometimes they might have homemade cake.
Boring

But my mum used to give me a cold boiled potato cut in half and sandwiched together with flavoured cream cheese, yum!

A cheese and salad sandwich
ds would do the salad, dd would do both (my ds also has dairy issues. I am veggie but kids aren't but they don't often have meat/fish. Love the idea of a pot of porridge, the thermo's go in religiously in the winter with soups and hotpots in but hadn't thought of porridge...both children will think I am best mum ever!!!! Also love the potato salad idea.
DS would love Japanese style bento box lunches, but as you say it's hard getting hold of a recipe book for ideas but am going to do some sushi.
Again the potato idea is fantastic, both will like this...thank you. More. More. More.

Orange juice carton, apple, cheese and pesto muffin, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, raisins.

Oh and a leftover chocolate coin from christmas right at the bottom.

Dairy free ds takes Hummus sandwiches (or hummus and tomato / hummus and cucumber etc).

oh do you have the cheese and pesto muffin recipe please, sounds lovely and just so happen to have some pesto (will they freeze)?

Yes they freeze, it's a doddle. In fact I believe I put the recipe in the MN recipe bank. But basically 4oz butter, 2 eggs, 6-8 oz of flour (I don't measure I just make the consistency right, two tsp pesto, big mound of cheese, 1tsp baking powder, milk to get it to the right thickness. Hot oven (180) 15 minutes. Don't overmix the cheese in. It should look rough as badgers. Makes it come out all rustic looking and yummy. Note these are lovely reheated in the microwave as the cheese goes all scrummy again.

mmmm wonders if putting a bake on at this time of night is slightly insane but warm pestoey cheesy muffins sound devine!!!

A wholemeal, grated cheese sandwich, cut into four little trianges.
A peeled divided satsuma
A carton of Apple juice
A slice of cake or a cookie

EVERY SINGLE DAY! She is fussy, my dd, and I would rather give her what I know she will eat than risk her going hungry.

I don't think you'll find much inspiration in dd's lunchbox tbh OP .

thanks akaemmafrost. What is a satsuma is it a mandarine?