What do your secondary aged dc take in their packed lunch?

[lucysmam]

I don't think I can afford 5 days of school meals atm so dd1 is likely to have a pack-up, at least a few days a week.

She wants it to be a bit more grown up though - unfortunately this extends further than buying a grown up lunch box.

Any ideas? She'd usually take sandwich/pasta/wraps, fruit, yogurt and something like a bun.

I thought that was ok but apparently it's not because it's pretty much what 8yo dd2 takes for her lunch

My DC 16 and 18 - filled roll/s or pasta salad or wrap, often pot of pepper/celery/cucumber sticks, fruit, cereal bar or home baking if we have any in, water. They make their own lunches, have done for years, I just stock the fridge.

What does she think is more grown up?

Mine takes a roll, some fruit, popcorn and maybe a couple of biscuits, sometimes crisps.

Never heard of a grown up lunch A sandwich and a yogurt with fruit sounds like my lunch.
Maybe try Hummus with pita bread/carrot sticks, pasta salads etc
Or does she mean the type of yogurts/fruits. So not these little yogurt/fruit pots made for children but the bigger yogurts/ whole fruits.
I would still put them in as they are good snacks for during the day.

DS13 has a wrap, sandwich or pasta. Some fruit, mixed nuts and a cake or packet of crisps.

I have no idea what she thinks is a grown up lunch

She's seen my pack-up for me when we go out - sarny, fruit and crisps. Sometimes a chocolate bar too!

She will have a hand in making it so maybe inspiration will strike when she starts doing it for herself.

Filled roll or wrap, crisps, cereal bar, piece of fruit in a bog standard tupperware box (saw some cute ones in Asda at mo with pics of cats and dogs) water from school water fountain

What does she want?

My secondary school child usually takes a sandwich, cake/biscuit and fruit. Sometimes he has food in a hot flask.
He also likes toasted sandwiches, quesadilla, filled pita breads.

Can you make at home similar to what you buy in Subway?

My 13 year old takes a wrap, cucumber, some fruit and crisps or a biscuit, water. She packs it all in a large Ikea sandwich bag. Apparently no lunch bag or box is a must

Mine make their own - usually a filled roll, wrap or bagel, fruit and either cake or bag of popcorn/crisps. I think they buy those bottles of flavoured water sometimes, they never take a drink from home.
Also in a plastic bag, never lunchbox (how embarrassing )

My DD takes either a wrap-chicken and salad for example, or bagel with smoked salmon, or some left overs. She has a toastie maker in 6th form common room so sometimes something for that.
She takes an apple for first break and a clementine and popcorn (trying to eat more fruit) She also takes a banana for way home on the days she goes to her after school job.
She likes pasta salad type things-had a look at the ones in M&S and just get stuff in to re-create at home-that might seem more grown up?
I think she will see that most bring the same as your 8yr old DD

And she should get a re-usable water bottle and fill that. DD has one with the hours marked off so she drinks enough. Think most of her friends do the same

*and def no lunch box

Ask her what she wants. Then negotiate down to reasonable.

Definitely aplastic box or a carrier bag rather than a proper lunch box. And ds takes stuff that can last more than one day (crisps, a cereal bar, popcorn-stuff like that) and either leftovers or an incredibly cheap sandwich (bread and marmite for example) so it's not a massive waste if he decides to spend his own money on something from the canteen or a trip into town after school.

I think a lot of kids at secondary school eat on the run or very quickly to fit in sports practice, revision classes, art catch up etc in their lunch hours. So things that are quick and easy to eat. Rolls and wraps are ideal, pasta salad a bit of a pain.
When I was at school I insisted in cold toast wrapped in foil, not entirely sure why though!

Don't their dinners get a bit squashed being just in carrier bags? I saw some nice looking Sistema boxes the other day when we nipped to our little local Asda...

I think she will end up with the same stuff as usual...but what do I know

(Sorry for the delay in replying; we faced the joy that is uniform and shoe shopping today

Yes lunch gets pretty squashed but hey, that’s cool! To be honest I wouldn’t worry too much, let her pick whatever it is she considers grown up, it will soon revert to ‘just lunch’!

Yes but what a squashed sandwich when you can be cool (note the word cool is very uncool).

My 15 the old generally does her own. Sandwich : Philadelphia/gouda/ or ham in brown seeded roll seems to be the current favourite. Bunged in brown paper sandwich bags. Accompanied by apple or grapes plus home made flapjack bar or biscuit. She likes to keep it simple; something she eats quickly so she can spend rest of time with friends.

Maybe just cut her sandwich into two triangles instead of four?!

Can I pipe up and say 12yo DD’s Sistema box (the one with the hip flask style water bottle and divided lid) is very much admired!
Last year, 4 days a week, she always had a juice box, a three slice cheese and ham/chicken/corned beef sandwich and fresh fruit/veg in the top compartment. All small things like grapes, carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes so she could share.
This year I’m thinking of eliminating the juice box as they’re very sugary and putting more salad based stuff in the sandwich.

BUT... the coolest thing in her school is having money to spend at the vending machines. VERY occasionally she was given money for one hot drink in the Winter and she was one of the “IN” girls. The machines are censored for content by the school, so no pop or high calorie chocolate bars, but I think it’s just the coolness factor of having cash to spend!

BTW, lucysmam, have you seen the YouTube videos of making waterproof quilted lunchbags from placemats?? Very cute and it would be unique... But maybe the opposite of cool. How should I know!

Ds uses a sistema tub from asda.

Cool(?) placemat lunch bag.

@Sgtmajormummy nope, I haven't seen the videos, but I will look them up later on now you've mentioned them!

You must have been linking as I replied...off down a youtube rabbit hole now ©