to think its a bit tight when parents count a school dinner as THE main meal of the day

[MariahScarey]

all other things being equal (money activities etc)

have a colleague who makes her kids have sandwiches for tea " as they eat at school"

they have money, they can cook - is this laziness?
I know they wont starve or out, but I wouldnt count a tiny school meal that is then burned off as a main meal.

USUAL DISCLAIMERS

Yes there are worse things to worry to about
YEs its none of my business
Yes I am judging

*of course i dont know much! do you expect me to go around with a clipboard saying " I am about to start a thread on mn , i need ALL THE FACTS first"
*

Fair enough. Why let facts get in the way?

My dds have a cooked school meal and a cooked dinner in the evenings. They'd look at me like I had 3 heads if I gave them sarnies. The school meals are much smaller than what they would get at home. I have been at school at lunchtime and seen the portions. They are actually nutritionally balanced and look healthy but the serving size is the same if you are 4 years old or 7.

The meals that get served at my ds's secondary school can definitely count as a main meal. They are huge!

Okay, so a sandwich at tea time doesn't suit your kid, none of your business if it does/doesn't suit others.

I don't understand the point of the OP.

My 6 year old has a school dinner most days. And they are substantial dinners like roast chicken dinner, for example. When he gets home he has something like beans on toast or a jacket potato - sometimes sandwiches and snacky food.

Can't see the issue myself

"Nutrient-based and Final Food-based Standards for School Lunches

The Education (Nutritional Standard and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007 requires school food to meet exacting standards and in particular requires the school lunch to positively contribute to a young person?s nutritional requirement.

A school lunch must provide the following as an average over the menu cycle:

Energy or Nutrient and amount of measurement Min or Max Primary Schools: From September 2008 Secondary Schools: From September 2009
Energy in kilocalories (kilojoules) 530 (2215) 646 (2700)
Fat (grams) Max 20.6 25.1
Saturated fat (grams) Max 6.5 7.9
Non-milk extrinsic sugars (grams) Max 15.5 18.9
Sodium (milligrams) Max 499 714
Total carbohydrate (grams) Min 70.6 86.1
Fibre (grams) Min 4.2 5.2
Protein (grams) Min 7.5 13.3
Iron (milligrams) Min 3 5.2
Zinc (milligrams) Min 2.5 3.3
Calcium (milligrams) Min 193 350
Vitamin A (micrograms) Min 175 245
Vitamin C (milligrams) Min 10.5 14
Folate (micrograms) Min 53 70

The above is applicable to primary schools from September 2008 and secondary schools from September 2009.

These nutritional requirements are in addition to the food based requirements for school lunches which are:

Not less than two portions each day from fruit and vegetable
Oily fish must be provided at least once every 3 weeks
Meat products have been subdivided and can only appear on the menu once a fortnight.  Divisions are burger, sausage, individual pie, shaped and coated.
Food cooked in fat or oil is restricted to no more than 3 days a week
Deep fried food, including cooked in manufacture, is restricted to twice a week.
Starchy food i.e. pasta, rice, potatoes must be available daily
Only drinks permitted are water, milk (skimmed or semi skimmed), pure fruit juice, yoghurt or milk drinks.
No table salt is permitted.
No confectionery, chocolate or chocolate-coated products (excluding the use of cocoa powder) can be available.
Bread must be available as an additional item, daily." <a class="break-all" href="http://www3.hants.gov.uk/caterers/hc3s-food/hc3s-nutritionalguidelines.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www3.hants.gov.uk/caterers/hc3s-food/hc3s-nutritionalguidelines.htm</a>

Op is just asking a question, and opening up a discussion. And it seems we are all different to how we feed our kids.
Now she knows, but I don't understand why some people are giving her a hard time about it

The size and quality of the school meals i've seen - I don't think qualify as a decent warm meal imo. They are tiny!

Also although supposedly healthy, are really just a bit of wilted lettuce, baked potato and beans. It could be very different in some schools but my local school, no definitely not good enough as the only hot meal in a day.

Sorry OP, Totally diagree.

Our DC love sandwich type meals and are more than happy to have that in the evening if they've had a school dinner at lunch time.
A sandwich doesn't have to be thin slice of white bread and jam or whatever -it can be a a healthy and substantial mix of carbohydrate, protein and Vit C (and probably lots more).

My DD wouldn't be able to eat 2 cooked meals a day. She often leaves a lot of one and she doesn't snack either

...which is why she doesn't have school dinners. If she did however I'd have no qualms or guilt about doing soup/ toasties etc for her tea

If DD had the opportunity for school lunches I know she wouldn't want a cooked meal at night. She much prefers a 'picnic meal' that she can eat on the go. She's eating less and less at lunchtimes because she wants to play rather than sit still.

Getting her to sit long enough to eat a meal in the evenings usually involves bribery.

I tend to eat only breakfast and evening meal. I think DD will be the same soon.

Big sandwiches ?

Mine only have a sandwich or the like for tea but they can help themselves to fruit and yoghurt and they have a big and often cooked breakfast. We are up quite early in the morning so breakfast is our sit-down family meal as dh isn't around at tea time.

Judgy much OP?

My DDs have school dinners as their main meal. It's nothing to do with being tight. They have their cooked meal at school and sandwiches at after-school club. If they're still hungry when we get home at 6pm they have small snack.

I suppose I could spend that one precious hour an evening I get with my DDs before bathtime in the kitchen cooking instead of actually spending time with my children...

I assume you don't work full time.

Mine need a second main meal at tea time, but we don't eat until between six and seven as I cook the same meal for the DSs as for DH and I, so they have plenty of time to get hungry. They also have as many snacks as they can get away with when they come in from school. Primary school dinners are tiny!

I do have three boys though, my fridge empties almost as soon as I fill it.

Not read the whole bun fight, (just assuming) but actually OP, I agree with you.
It's nothing to do with the food being "hot" or not.
At my sons school the school dinners are tiny. He has burned it off by 2 pm, and is starving when he comes out of school, whereupon he gets a buttered bap, or similar to munch on the walk home.

I have tea on the table before 6 pm, and it's always cooked, it always contains some kind of vegetable, and protein, meat or eggs-something hearty.
He eats it all, probably because a) he is physically very active and b) I don't really do snacks, other than the bit of bread on the way home.
(I see friends give their kids an endless array of "organic" rice cakes, yogurts, crisps, dried fruit etc etc. Then their kids won't eat proper meals. I am on a really tight budget, so it is cheaper for me to do proper meals, and healthier to not encourage snacking imo.)

This is not because I am perfect (although I am of course) its just that the very least I can do for my kid is feed him decent food! I can't bear it when people claim to be too lazy to cook. Feeding your kids nutritious food is a basic!

Another one whose reception age DS just wouldn't eat another main meal for tea. He asks for sandwiches!

Charming, AnnieLobeseder
And you say Op is judgemental ?

I work Annie, not FT though, but I am a lone parent, so do everything, and when I am cooking ds is with me in the kitchen chatting,doing homework, or helping.
Besides, I can knock out a meal in twenty minutes. If you cook a lot you can do things pretty quick.

I agree with OP.
In this season a sandwich for tea is a bit stinge...

ha! i do work full time!

as i cook my kids shoot things on wildly inappropriate computer games

lures

How is my post judgemental, LadyBeagle? I'm just assuming that people who have time to cook a whole meal in the evenings don't work 9-5. Nothing wrong if they SAH, just don't judge those of us who work for not having time to cook.

Your argument is rather flawed, time to prep a sandwich is not small. Unless its a bit of bill bear ham rammed in some processed white ;)