Lunchbox ideas

[littlemousebigcheese]

Please help! As if planning dinners every night isn’t enough of a bloody pain, I also need to do packed lunches. my children are ridiculously difficult as they hate sandwiches and wraps no matter how many different styles/fillings/varieties I come up with. I’ve also tried those food flasks to send in hot food but they say they smell funny, taste weird etc. I’ve tried two different flasks (one from Asda, one from SHO) and both have been rejected. Cold pasta is also out as they complain it’s slimy or stuck together (even if I drizzle with olive oil or butter!) I’m just so fed up of the daily battle to pack a lunch. At the moment they get grapes, cucumber, yoghurt, some ritz crackers and a cheese dunker. I’ve been trying lots of ‘main’ things like the previously mentioned flasks and pastas but need ideas! If any other options even exist?!

they aren’t allowed nuts or hummus so nothing with those in!

any help would be amazing! Thank you

What do they have for lunch at the weekend?

It doesn't sound too bad, a fair amount of vitamins although a little upf heavy. I'd start with expanding slightly the current offer eg. babybel or cubed cheese instead of cheese dunker, bread roll instead of Ritz biscuits, other cracker types. Not all at once, maybe once it twice a week.

Savoury muffins
Slices of quiche
Slices of frittata
Cheese & ham rollitoes
Greek salad with feta cubes
Slices of pizza
Box of mixed cubed ham, salami, cubed cheeses, semi dried tomatoes, olives, grilled artichokes & peppers

On weekends we have lots of pasta dishes, snacks plates and LOTS of hummus with breadsticks, cucumber/carrot/pepper batons! They like chicken but not ham so I could try something with that?
love the quiche idea, I’ve only had it warm though - is it nice cold?

You could send the veggie batons with a pot of cream cheese to dip in, make some mini chicken skewers and a dipping sauce, I also send mini sausages with ketchup dip or a salad of small cut cucumber, peppers, red onion, pomegranate seeds with a balsamic dressing, some cubed chicken pieces and cheese (feta goes well).

Look at your.lunchbox.lady on Tik Tok.

A cold roasted chicken drumstick, or thigh. Maybe with a non hummus dip!
Mini pork pie, or slice of gala pie.
Falafals.
Spring rolls.
Cherry tomatoes.
Potato salad and coleslaw, if they will eat it.
I know you said they don't eat sandwiches/wraps, but what about a cold cheese and/or ham croissant? You've probably tried it 😃
Cold sausage roll.
Cold sausages.
Hard boiled eggs.
I also like cold fish fingers, but that might not be for everyone!
Scotch eggs.

Scotch eggs
Pasties
Quiche
Cold sausages
Apple and cheese
Savoury muffins
Couscous salad
Pork pies
A chicken leg
Pizza

Vegan sausage rolls
Wholegrain crackers
cheese cubes (medium cheddar)
Olives
Cornixhons
Salamu Slices
Carrots
Peppers
Pitta
Humous
Pasta Salad

Honestly? I’d just find a couple of things they like and then give them virtually the same thing every day. It’s not worth the headspace and kids often seem to prefer knowing exactly what they’re getting.

Cheese cubes or a little pot of cream cheese
Crackers, a bagel or a plain croissant if they won’t eat bread (Gouda slices in a croissant are nice - maybe worth a try?)
Grapes, carrot sticks and/or cucumber
Yoghurt
Apple

Mine likes a snack selection/deconstructed wrap. It's always some combination of:

Protein (one from this section)

Cheese
Chicken
Ham
Mini sausages
Boiled egg/Spanish omelette
Tuna
Salmon

Veggies (two or three from this section)

Pepper
Cucumber
Baby carrots
Tomatoes
Olives
Avocado
Sweetcorn

Fruit (two from this section)

Mango
Melon
Apple
Grapes
Satsuma
Kiwi
Strawberry
Raisins
Other dried fruit

Carb (one from here)

Pieces of wrap cut up into small squares
Bread and butter
Breadsticks
Oatcakes
Crackers
Rice cakes

And maybe a yoghurt.

Occasionally, a 'treat' like a few sweets/biscuits/bit of cake/chocolate.

It's really easy to put together, easy to make different ones for different kids and they're happy because they have what the like.

Sushi
Scrolls
Savoury muffins
Cheese and bacon roll
Mini pizza
Wraps with cream cheese rolled and sliced into suchi size rolls
Toasted pita bread with dip

With pasta I run it under cold water and give it a shake immediately after cooking and store it in the fridge. It is never slimy or stuck together the next day.

So many great ideas, thank you all!! I’m almost looking forward to making lunchboxes next week (almost..!)
Found some mini pots of Philadelphia to try so going to use those with some breadsticks and veg sticks! Also got a nice quiche so fingers crossed they like it. Scotch eggs aren’t a hit here but they do like mini chicken skewers so I’ll try those too!

Well there's your packed lunch

Chicken, bread sticks, veggie batons. It's only lunch.