to think a sandwich lunch is a "proper meal"

[SelfconfessedSpoonyFucker]

Teenagers are arguing that it isn't and they should have two hot meals a day.

We have bread and sandwich fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, meat, cheese, peanut butter etc) and fruit. Also beans and eggs that they can have on toast instead if they want. They can have as much sandwich stuff as they want so long as it is fairly balanced... i.e. no just eating five eggs and no veggies or half the fruit in the bowl.

They say it isn't a 'proper meal'.

My argument is that

1. please save the other food for family dinners
2. too expensive to eat two big hot meals a day. Two teen boys at home all summer can get very expensive.
3. it has the same nutrition... carbs, protein, vitamins, calories etc as a full meal.

sandwiches of the world unite

my minestrone is a complete meal

My son also prefers to drink coke or sprite to water even though he is fine drinking water. Should I buy that for him? He'd rather have chips for dinner than broccoli so I guess I shouldn't get him vegetables. White bread isn't as nutritious, he likes the brown fine, it just isn't his favourite. Sometimes we buy the bread he likes but it is not available every day.

I had sandwiches for tea for two days in a row.

I got some cold meat and cheese and some pasta salads/ salad from aldis but got too much so we had to eat it again tonight so as not to waste it.

It does fill me up and my teens but to be honest, I have missed having a cooked meal.

I don't eat lunch ever. My children are more than happy with sandwiches but do like to have one cooked meal a day.

My son also prefers to drink coke or sprite to water even though he is fine drinking water. Should I buy that for him? He'd rather have chips for dinner than broccoli so I guess I shouldn't get him vegetables

Stupid comparison and nobody has said that have they.

processed white bread is shit
processed brown bread is shit

Yours may be shit, ours is lovely with nuts and seeds and contains lots of fibre and nutrients like B vitamins and manganese.

No it isn't 'shit' sanfairyanne.
Typical mumsnet shite.

Actually on that programme with Greg where they blind tested the families on product and got a nutritionist to explain the difference in foods didn't all breads come out as much the same?

www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-01-29/gregg-wallaces-top-10-money-saving-tips-for-shopping-clever-and-eating-well

here

From that link: "I would advise a healthy supermarket 99p seeded loaf, packed with fibre from the grains, and minerals and protein from the seeds."

He is saying that price isn't necessarily the best indicator of nutritional value, not that white bread is as good as a multigrain option.

I don't really get all the references to teenage boys as if they are another species. The biggest eater in my household is my 6'5" husband. Unless they are doing lots of sports/ physical activities or actively having a growth spurt I don't see any reason to give my teens loads of extra food.

I bring my two up in a way that is fairly similar to how I was brought up. They get offered three meals and an afternoon snack. One of those meals will most likely be a sandwich equivalent. No eat whatever you feel like option, and several meals a week to be cooked/prepared by them.

mmmmm yummy
www.healthambition.com/white-bread-vs-brown-bread/

to be fair, i dont know what brown bread you buy but its a fair bet most uk supermarket bread is pretty dire

My DS 8 has 2 hot meals, in fact so do I most days. I find hot meals to be more filling for longer yet less stodgy at the time.

I am sure they are no more expensive than sandwiches as nice meat/cheese and bread can be costly. Jacket spuds or pasta are cheap enough. With cheese/beans or basic tomatoes and veg sauce. Packet pasta or savoury rice are cheap and are good to keep in (I add extra veg).

Another idea is to make extra for tea and the they can have leftovers for lunch. I do this all the time, DS has school dinners.

We make our own bread, just like the OP so I know exactly what goes into it. My dh makes a lovely white loaf but if I have my lunch sandwich with white bread I am hungry again very quickly compared with a brown/granary one.

I've eaten a sandwich for lunch most days for the last 20 odd years, I don't see it as a privation, just normal.