Meals for a 3 year olds lunchbox

[HenriettaTurkey]

Our 3 year old attends nursery 4 mornings a week & stays for lunch.

Sadly though, he doesn't really eat much of the main meal so often comes home hungry. We are considering switching him to packed lunches as the nursery staff seem to think this would help.

I don't want to send sandwiches every day, especially as it's a nut free nursery and his favourite sandwich is peanut butter, but cheese sarnie once a week is fine.

So what I'm after is simple pasta/ couscous/ other lunches that can be prepared in advance but won't cost a bomb. Especially if we can have it as a hot meal and then freeze a portion for his dinner at a later date. Rice is not something I'd go for as I'm concerned about food poisoning.

Also would main, banana and yoghurt be enough?

Thank you!!

[MarchLikeAnAnt]

Left over couscous and mediterranean roast veg (add a veg stock cube to the water you cook your Couscous for extra taste)
Falafel balls and dip

[MarchLikeAnAnt]

Savoury muffin, scones, pitta and hummus, BBQ chicken pasta

Bump*

[HenriettaTurkey]

Love the idea of falafel! I bet ds would love them! Thanks!

[spad]

Chopped cold meat, cubes of cheese and crackers

[spad]

Pasta salad

[spad]

Quorn cocktail sausages

[HenriettaTurkey]

Thanks, spad, I'm definitely going to look up some pasta salad recipes. Ds struggles with bits of meat/meat substitute. (I think this is part of the problem he has with school dinners) so chopped up sausage wouldn't suit, but cheese bits might work!

[grabaspoon]

If I do a packed lunch for the 18 month old I look after I do
Chopped up ham, sweetcorn, olives,breadsticks, avocado and philadelphia whizzed together either in a pot or on an ricecake, I sometimes do muffins or a loaf cake (this week carrot and courgette) obviously fruit,

[HenriettaTurkey]

A loaf cake is another great idea!

[dancemom]

Tuna pasta salad

A wrap

Cold wedges of omelette

Boiled egg pieces

[HenriettaTurkey]

Thinking I may try homemade pizza too...

[sleeplessinderbyshire]

My 3 year old loves cocktail sausages and party eggs so I sometimes do cocktail sausages/party eggs, cubes of cheese, breadsticks, carrot sticks and cucumber with a yoghurt and some strawberries/raspberries

Remember the role of the lunch at nursery is to promote social eating and to fill him up for the afternoon so if it's not a "perfect" meal it doesn't really matter as you can balance out any imbalances at tea time at home

[dietcokeisgreat]

My just 4 yr old ds likes finger foods, won't eat any lunchbox contents that is a proper meal.
I do one of these options, always with some chopped up veg ( cucumber, carrot etc) separately.
Various sarnies with different bread/rolls/ wraps - likes best Salami, pates, humous. I find small soft rolls best consumed.
Pitta and houmous
Savoury muffins or scones
Sausage rolls
Cold pizza if available

Other favoured contents include babybels, raisins (small pot of nice fresh ones, not the tiny boxes with depressing dried up contents), chopped up melon, smoothie pouches, a jammy dodger or other biscuit, small bag containing some pom bears, humzinger/ fruit hero stick.

I think all this is ad good as a traditionsl hot meal, esp if they actually eat it!

[HenriettaTurkey]

Great suggestions! Do you have a recipe for savoury scones or just buy them?

[TiredOfLife]

I know everyone's suggesting hummus, but my daughters nursery don't allow it. I think it can have similar allergy issues to those with nut allergies.

[HenriettaTurkey]

Ooh I'll check. Thanks!