Packed lunch ideas for fussy eaters who won't eat sandwiches!

[Remmy123]

Hi there

So my 12 year old will not eat sandwiches or wraps makes life very hard! Only marmite toast and bagels.

I spend many hours hours making pesto pasta for only half to be eaten - it's boring.

Any ideas for packed lunches I can put in a thermo mask? Not soup (he don't eat soup 😬😬)

Thanks so much

Mine are sandwich refusers too. One will eat different types of crackers - I put in some babybels to have with those. Also breadsticks.

Sorry missed the actual question! Noodles might work?

Hot dogs in a thermos flask?

Mini sausage rolls / cocktail sausages.

Do you mean specifically only things in a thermos?

Otherwise, boiled eggs.

Stop spending hrs making pesto pasta, should take only the time it takes the pasta to cook!!! What does he have for dinner, can you just pack leftovers?

Cold chicken sate.

Breadsticks, cucumber and humous.

Does school have a canteen?

Wraps?

I put the constituents of the sandwich in separately. Baby bell for the cheese, maybe just ham slices rolled up, baby tomatoes halves, carrot sticks and hummous. Then put some carbs in that he will eat. Savoury bagel or cream crackers with marge or bread sticks. Is it the bread that he doesn't want to eat putting him off the sandwiches? I've eventually got mine into ones made with thins. The bagel thins are nice too.

Following this, I have a 7 year old sandwich refuser. He only has two packed lunch options on rotation currently. Tortilla pizza, a wrap spread with tomato puree and a sprinkling of oregano and grated cheese then baked so it goes crispy. He eats it cold. Other option is orzo pasta boiled with some ready chopped veg then a bit of olive oil and parmesan mixed through, again eaten cold.

at that age let him do his packed lunch himself.
give him options (including bread/wraps) and let him get on with it.

DD is a sandwich-refuser so she has a yumbox (bento box/different compartments) with either mini breadsticks, tuc crackers or mini pretzels with some ham, cheese cubes, cocktail sausages, cold chicken nuggets etc or some cold pizza. More interesting than an sandwich anyway I think!

Cheese & biscuits?
Chicken drumstick with potato salad?
Cous-cous with vegetables & tuna?
Buddha bowl with layered bean salad & vegetables?

Slices of frittata with salad?

I make mini quiches in muffin tins, with cheese, tomato and ham, then freeze them. He just takes them frozen in the morning and they are defrosted by lunchtime.

Thanks for our suggestions - he won't eat eggs / cous cous etc honestly it's painful!

Canteen he wouid eat rubbish and I have to be careful with his diet as he had tummy issues.

He eats breadsticks, I suppose I couid do bread sticks / fruit etc

Left overs I could do chilli or bolognaise

Be won't eat salad or omelette type food either

My other child is just as fussy, actually worse!

Breadsticks with cream cheese to dip into, Babybel or grated cheddar, fruit, cucumber, carrot, yoghurt, water biscuits, cream crackers…

My DD is fussy and starts high school this year. She will eat the food they serve (apparently they do sausage sandwiches and stuff!) but apparently it's notoriously difficult to have time to queue and eat your dinner in time. So I'm going to make sure she has a good breakfast and she can't take plenty of snack type stuff with her and then she can have plenty to eat at home if she doesn't get to have a proper lunch.

Pesto pasta takes 10-12 mins. If it's taking many hours, look for a different recipe.

Unless there are sn, a 12yo can make pesto pasta, so no problem with him making his own.

Make a batch for a few days at a time.

If he eats bagels can he not just have a bagel in place of a sandwich?

Otherwise just put in bits he will eat, like a packed lunch buffet.

Back in the day when i was a mad keen food blog-aholic I used to read a blog called vegan lunchbox. It's pretty ancient now and I do not think the blogger has posted for ages (I even bought her book from amazon!)

But there are some great ideas there that can easily be un-veganised.

veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

@NuffSaidSam I clearly don't mean hours In one day cooking pesto pasta I mean me standing there 20 days a month at 6am making it!

'I clearly don't mean hours In one day cooking pesto pasta I mean me standing there 20 days a month at 6am making it!'

Get him to do it the night before.

Make a batch so he only needs to do it 2/3 times a week.

Don't do it at 6am everyday!

Have a look at bento ideas, stay away from the Japanese children's bento, that will only depress you but basically 4-5 different things.

Do 1 protein, 1 carb, 1 fruit, 1 or 2 veg,

So bread sticks would be the carb, will he eat hummus? That could be the protein.

For fruit 2ither cut up or peel or put something like grapes.

Other ideas, meatballs, rice cakes, rice balls, satay or tandoori chicken.

Sorry missed the thing about the food flask.

Hot dogs? Just the sausage send the bread seperately.

Meatballs in passatta and add uncooked pasta, by lunch it will be cooked.

Tinned meatballs in sauce - easy to do if you have run out of other options.

Will he eat stew / casseroles?

Hot water/stock and have some noodles and veg he can add to make a home made type pot noodle.

Cous cous with veg.

If you can heat the thermos then you can add 'dry' foods to keep warm eg chicken nuggets or even a burger.

Will he eat tinned food? Beans, spaghetti, ravioli, sausage and beans. Lots of fussy eaters seem to like things like tinned food, no idea why.

Will she eat cold toast and marmite for lunch? Or a crisp bread / Dutch bread?

You could try savoury muffins, savoury scones, quiche cold rice or pasta salad. Soup if you want to faff.

I also second the batch cooking and get him to make it himself. Will keep in the fridge Sunday night for Wednesday lunch. Getting him involved in cooking it will hopefully motivate him to eat it all too, and he can have more input into his portion size etc.

Uncle Ben's rice. 2 min in microwave. Loads flavours. He can do himself. Mix in some chicken or ham etc