Sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches!

[OldMaaa]

Background - I have a slightly fussy eating 9 year old DS.

Since starting school he's had school dinners, all fine and mostly he can find something he likes. But this year we've said he can have a mix of school dinners and packed lunches throughout the week.

The problem I'm having is working out what to feed him that isn't just a ham/pastrami/salami sandwich. I don't want him eating processed meat multiple times a week and also want him to have some variety in his diet. He loves peanut butter sandwiches but that's a no go for school due to nut restrictions. He will eat cheese in a sandwich but only a toastie!

At a push I can give him tuna and cucumber (says he doesn't like - after previously being a favourite - but he can and will eat it) and he also likes smoked salmon (although salty and expensive so not something for every day!). What other sandwich fillings could I try with him? Or any other creative suggestions for an easy lunch. I thought maybe cold pizza could be an option.

I'm also thinking of maybe sending pasta salad or similar, and looking into getting a hot flask thing to send in leftover chilli, bolognese, soups...

But I'd really like some different sandwich ideas... I'm sat here trying to write a shopping list so I can go out and do the weekly shop before school pick up and I'm drawing a big fat blank!

Dc has pasta salad (which I add some chicken in), cous cous with roasted vegetable, a sandwich or wrap (todays was chicken, sweetcorn and lettuce, tomorrowis chicken and stuffing). Dc is very strict about food (has asd) and we cycle through the same meals. I tend to do two days of each. I wish they'd take some leftovers from time to time.

Chicken is a good shout actually, thanks. He's definitely eaten that before in a supermarket sandwich.

Whether his younger sister would be keen is another matter. I seem to have bred two children who don't align on many food likes. 😆

Could he not just have school dinners everyday?

He could yes, but he has asked for packed lunches some days, and we don't mind making them. To be fair to him he's wanted some packed lunches since he started school but while dinners were free we kept him on them... he's been very patient!

Jam

I used to love cream cheese & cucumber sandwiches.
Lettuce, tomato, cheese & cucumber in a wrap with mayo.
Something different - Vegetable batons (cucumber, carrot, peppers) with a dip - cream cheese/cottage cheese & a buttered roll.
Does he like salsa? A wrap with small chunks of chicken, lettuce, salsa & mayo.
A pulled pork roll with lettuce.
Bacon, lettuce & tomato roll/wrap/sandwich.

Get a little thermos pot. Do pasta or noodles with sauce / veg. fried rice...
Humus / pepper wraps

Egg mayo and cress
cream cheese, marmite and cucumber

My DS never liked sandwiches so we’ve done just about every alternative!
savoury muffins
savoury flapjacks
sausage rolls
breadsticks and dip
pasta salad
cheese scones with marmite
mini quiche or frittata
leftover slice of pizza

Could you buy a couple of joints of meat, cook them and then slice up and freeze in portions. Then take out some the night before and defrost in the fridge.

We cook a whole chicken on a Sunday and use that to go into wraps, bagels or sandwiches for the week. My two will have salad with it also mayo and maybe cheese.

I'm loving these ideas, thank you everyone. Some he definitely wouldn't eat (cheese, egg, etc) but it's giving me some great ideas to try.

He used to love a cheese and carrot sandwich when he was little! I was wondering about carrot and hummus.

Mine liked cold fish finger sandwiches.

Marmite

Cold beef

Banana

Squashed felafel

lettuce and salad cream

You don’t need to be inventive, sophisticated or even vary them much.

I have a DS with food and sensory issues. (He's 15 now and it's getting better slowly).

sandwiches he likes tend to be very plain but he will manage; -

• cream cheese and chicken ham sandwiches
• cream cheese and cucumber with a tiny sprinkle of salt (the cucumber needs to be very thinly cut and peeled)
• cream cheese and a couple of very thinly sliced green olives in brine.
• jam and butter
• He has just recently decided he can cope with poached chicken, mayonnaise and sliced grape sandwiches with iceberg lettuce. Need lots of mayo... like a non-curry coronation chicken

Mostly white bread but he has now branched out to half and half bread.

Other sandwiches which might work (but don't on my child!) which i quite liked myself as a child

• cream cheese, grated carrot and sliced pineapple
• tahini and honey (although our school also limits sesame seeds as well as nuts due to allergies)
• cold meatloaf and tomato sauce sandwiches (this was a staple of my childhood as we had meatloaf once every few weeks). You could do it with cooked meatballs and tomato sauce.

Chicken mayo, homemade

I love sandwiches. I could live on them easily

Chicken and stuffing
Egg mayo
Smoked salmon blended with cream cheese
A crisp sandwich
Chicken tikka in mayo
Beef spread with salad
Primula and cucumber
Cheese and coleslaw

Teach him how to make his own -he may then reconsider the school dinners…

Chicken with lettuce and mayonnaise
Chicken with coleslaw
Chicken with mango chutney
Beef with mustard
Beef with red onion and mayonnaise
Corned beef and tomato
Corned beef and coleslaw
Corned beef and onion chutney

Today some of mine had chicken tikka and lettuce and the others had chicken and bacon leftover from yesterdays breakfast & dinner with mayo, lettuce and cucumber in wraps. Tomorrow will be ham and cream cheese bagels. Weds tuna and sweetcorn pasta, Thurs fajita chicken and salad and Friday pizza.

Mine at that age would love a ham bagel, a cream cheese and ham bagel, tuna and sweet corn wrap, chicken mayo wrap, a ham and cheese croissant, occasionally like a Friday a chocolate spread sandwich

Now he buys his own Tesco meal deal on way to college and seems to constantly get a chicken salad sandwich (?)

Assuming your school is flexible and he can have a school dinner on 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days a week, I would tell him he is allowed to have as many packed lunches a week as he can think of easy options that he will eat. If he'll only eat ham (or processed meat) sandwiches then that's fine, but he can only have that once a week, so it will mean a school dinner for the other four days.

If he wants more packed lunches, he needs to come up with ideas (with a bit of help).

I know he's only 9, but the sooner he learns not to outsource mental load the better (half joking).

My DS favourite sandwiches are brie and grape or prawn mayo?

DD won’t eat sandwiches, she likes all the constituent parts but when placed together apparently they become inedible 🫤

When she has a packed lunch 9/10 it’s a food thermos with leftovers of last nights dinner

Cream cheese and jam instead of PBJ.

DS used to love cream cheese with matchstick sliced carrot and cucumber (no seeds. Matchstick is way less soggy than slicing or grating. Bit of a faff but tastes good.

Chicken mayo - slice some breast from Sunday roast chicken - low fat, low salt, good protein. You can add a bit of shredded iceberg etc if he likes it.

Have you tried grating cheese and mixing it with some sweet apple or mango chutney? he might eat it more happily that way.

You could do falafel and humous wraps if humous is allowed (sesame could be banned) or chicken salad wraps.