Children's lunchbox ideas?

[ThoughtfulPenny]

Sorry I know this has probably been done to death but I'm using the app and haven't got a clue how to search.

What do you put in your children's lunchbox? My 4 year old wants to start taking a packed lunch after the Easter holiday and in my day a packed lunch was a sandwich, crisps, chocolate and a piece of fruit that I used to leave I'd like her to have fairly healthy lunchboxes without being singled out as the weird kid with alfalfa sprouts - also she needs to actually eat it and although she's generally a good eater she's not a massive fan of vegetables.

[YesILikeItToo]

I pack:
Sandwiches
Chicken skewers - mix fruit and veg on the sticks with the meat
Cold sausages, half and put Tom sauce inside
Tuna dip, blend tuna with yogurt and mayo, mixture of veg and breadstick type products to dip in (oatcakes would be the dream, but dd won't have it)
Pasta salad. Use tiny pasta, more appetising.
Cheese salad - chunks of cheese, tomatoes, apple, raisins
Cheese scone
Bagels
Baby Belles
Bits of smoked fish
Boiled eggs
Soreen
Banana bread
Blueberry corn muffins
Little cheesy biscuits
Popcorn
Yogurt
Bircher muesli
Dried fruit
Ambrosia custard or rice pudding in wee pots
Apple and pineapple crisps
Fruit: plums pears tangerines grapes physalis apples bananas berries
Veg: Tomatoes
Sugar snaps
Cucumber
Soya beans with soy sauce (edamame)
Grated carrot with orange juice and honey
Cold broccoli (!)

[parrotonmyshoulder]

My 3 yo DS has the same lunch every day for preschool. Variety comes at tea time and weekends.
He has:
Peanut butter sandwich
2 oatcakes
Cheese chunk or hard boiled egg
Apple, banana and another fruit
A biscuit or small wrapped chocolate.

[Bluecarrot]

Not all schools will allow peanut butter, or any nut product, so be careful with that!

[Robotgirl]

Quails eggs & smoked salmon

[Robotgirl]

Veg: Tomatoes

Not a veg

[Technoremix]

We do sandwich with tuna or ham, yogurt, babybel, chopped grapes and strawerries/ raspberries. And a banana ( which normally comes home again!). Crisps are allowed on Fridays in our school!

[ThoughtfulPenny]

Brilliant ideas thanks so much! I've never tasted an oatcake will put them on the shopping list!
For tomorrow I will do tuna & cucumber sarnies, cheese string (is that horrifically bad?), Apple, strawberries and some carrot sticks with hummus. Is that enough?

[YesILikeItToo]

How so, robotgirl?

[Technoremix]

It's got seeds so it's a fruit?!

[dementedpixie]

Yep, tomato is a fruit

Ds has a sandwich, fruit, yoghurt, biscuit thing e.g. Mini bag of biscuits or Rice Krispie bar

[YesILikeItToo]

Obviously it depends on the child but I'd imagine that's plenty. There shouldn't be too much choice, they can't handle choice. Just cover the bases - which I see as protein, carb, fruit, veg, possibly also dairy. If I'm concerned that something might not too down well, I don't include an alternative but I do I pack one of the heftier pudding items.

You can get lovely miniature oatcakes which should (should!) be appealing and useful lunchbox items.

[Technoremix]

Thoughtful- I do cheese strings instead of babybel sometimes because dc love them. (Especially Bart Simpson ones!). I think they are OK, not the healthiest thing but not terrible!

[woody2976]

cream cheese, ham or tuna sandwich
choice of -grapes
cherry tomatoes and cucumber
strawberries
raspberries
blueberries

quavers
nature valley bar
little mini cheese

[YesILikeItToo]

So you can't count it as a veg? Say you want a portion of veg in there - has to be something without seeds? That can't be right, surely?

[LexieSinclair]

Wraps with grated cheese and carrot/tuna and sweet corn/chicken mayo
Mini quiche
Pizza
Tubs with pieces of cheese, chicken, cut up sausage, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot sticks etc.

[KillBillHill]

i try to use as much left over dinner as possible. So pasta, rice, roast chicken in sandwiches all get used for lunch aswell.

Things my ds (4) likes:
Melon fingers (everyday)
Peppers (he likes the small long sweet ones that he pretends are lollipops)
Yoghurt
Cocktail sausages
Crackers and cheese (instead of sandwiches)
Cucumber
Popcorn
One biscuit bar
Orange
Olives
Gherkins (don't ask!)
Small block of cheese
Pomegranate in yoghurt
Mango
Sesame seed crackers
Crisps
Breadsticks and cottage cheese/Nutella
Small homemade pizzas

So on a typical day he'll have sandwiches, a yoghurt, 2 types of vegetable and 1 fruit and 1 treat. Treats are usually biscuit bars, popcorn or crisps or other sweet/chocolatey item.

I love making lunches. Usually my dd has one too but has been school dinners this term and is excited about having packed lunch again after holidays.

[dementedpixie]

Fruits contain seeds and vegetables don't so cucumber is actually a fruit too

[AuditAngel]

DD1 doesn't like bread. Sometimes she has buttered cream crackers (or Krackerwheat) plus sliced cheese.

I also make "Rice and bits" which is boiled rice (brown it white) with some frozen veg chucked in during cooking. Then chopped up ham, cucumber, raisins thrown in. Basically whatever is knocking about. Remember to use a pot they can open, plus a fork or spoon.

[YesILikeItToo]

Sugar snap peas are also 'fruit' botanically as are peppers and aubergines. you really don't think these things are vegetables?!

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

DD's tend to have

Sandwich - pate, ham, cheese, jam or sometimes just butter!
Pepperami (mini ones tesco own)
2 x fruit in small pot - grapes, satsuma, kiwi, mango or pineapple.
Salad item - tomato, cucumber or carrot.
Yogurt.
Few crisps in a pot - cheese savouries, tortillas or pringles.

Occasionally the sandwich is replaced with pasta, couscous, cheese dipper or houmous & breadsticks.

Mine tend to like having the same things. ..

[PhoebeMcPeePee]

Mine love Quorn scotch eggs & mini sausages, wraps with chicken or egg, salad & Mayo, chicken drumsticks, bog standard ham sandwich and they always have a frozen frube & piece of fruit plus a bit of cake or crisps on a Friday

[Forgetmenotblue]

Currently, wrap with grated cheese, raisins, mini pork pie, satsuma, crisps.

Sometimes banana bread, malt loaf, jam sandwich, mini sausages if I have them in.

[Juanbablo]

My children like to have the same thing every day which I think must be very boring but they like it.

Sandwich/wrap with ham/salami/cheese/tuna/marmite.
Veg: cucumber for dd, carrots for ds1.
Fruit: strawberries/raspberries/grapes/kiwi/mango/Apple/melon
Yogurt or babybel

Sometimes a biscuit or cracker.

[nightandthelight]

I read an interview with a nutritionist who said that she gives her child cheese strings as they aren't that bad :)

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Mine have got more unhealthy as I prepare them for secondary school! They tend have wrap/samosa/spring roll/pasta salad, then olives/ artichoke/ carrots, humous with crackers. Smoothie, jelly or cake. Should be ready for the onslaught of chips beans and sausage roll in secondary!