Can a packed lunch be done cheaply?

[UndertheCedartree]

My 8 yo DD has FSM at school. When they go back in September the provision for meals is going to be much reduced. There will be only 1 week menu rather than a rolling 3 week menu, only 2 options (instead of 3) and no jacket potatos and salad bar available. Consequently 2 of the days per week there will be nothing she will eat. So I'm going to have to make her packed lunches that I can't really afford. Has any one got good ideas of a frugal lunch box, please?

My dds packed lunches cost me less than £5 for a week...she has a sandwich, veg sticks and then a biscuit bar or small cake.

You could do her sandwiches, filled bagels, pitta bread. You won't use a whole packet if she's only having packed lunch two days a week, so keep them in the freezer and get out when you need them. Fill with ham or cheese or whatever you have.

Cut a carrot or cucumber into sticks

Give her a bag of crisps or a biscuit

Job done.

Oh and just give water...it's better anyway than spending money on cartons of juice

Ask the school if they're providing a 'packed lunch' type option. Ours are as they're eating in their classrooms and is similar to what they'd get on a school trip

I also use these small water bottles instead of buying juice cartons.

check school policy
our school has a few rules wrt to packed lunches

• no hot food/flasks
• no sweets/chocolate/biscuits
• no chrisps/savory puffs
• all packaging has to be brought home (=dirty lunchbag)
• child has to be able to manage lunch themselves

ours take
a sandwich of choice
yoghurt (decanted from a larger container)
fruit (often a cut up apple or cherry toms or bell pepper)
a cereal bar

we use those small clip lid containers to yoghurt and fruit.

if there's been a yoghurt explosion, the lunchbag gets a rinse&spin in the washing machine.

You don't need a specific egg cooker to make a frittata. Just use a frying pan!

Someone's suggested peanut butter but many schools are nut free so I'd check.

Sandwich/wrap/pasta etc. Carrot and/or cucumber sticks. Either a packet of crisps or a biscuit or two from own brand multipacks. You could include something like a boiled egg if you wanted. I used to make cookies out of oats, mashed banana and raisins. Get a refillable bottle for water then you don't need to keep purchasing and it's better for the environment.

Something else for a treat, make pizza out of a wrap. My 5yo loves it and thinks of it as a real treat.

If money is tight, you need to go to somewhere like B&M if possible, and get bread there, they ALWAYS have Warburton's bread, bagels, muffins, sandwich thins etc reduced to 50p or less, sometimes 20p. Bung them in the freezer. Job done.

Then just give her a sandwich with a cheap filling, such as cheese spread, you can nu. 300g tun for about 50p. Then look at cheaper fruits, pears, bananas etc. For example, we bought a watermelon for £1.50 the other day.

Maybe make a cheapy pasta salad, with any pasta, frozen veggies etc cheap as chips.

I forgot the fruit! I like bananas as they're cheap and filling. Apples and oranges are good too. Berries are too expensive.

keep it simple it’s lunch not a competition. Jesus. A parent on a parenting forum is asking how to make cheap packed lunches when they are not used to doing so. And some posters finda way to be arseholes. The OP wasn't making it a competition. She simply dared to ask for advice.

Utterly depressing that the school is giving gristle and fat burgers and fish eyes and scales fingers! I thought school nutrition had improved. So much for the obesity/junk food drive.
The OP's DD is much better off with a tuna sandwich and another apple.

She's really not that fussy if there are only 2 meals she doesn't like. Not fussy enough to justify derailing a thread which was actually about lunch box ideas.

And actually as a former fussy eater and someone who has dealt with lots of fussy esters I can tell you the path of least resistance works best with them. Turning the next few weeks into a battle over a fish fingers would be bonkers when you can just make a sarnie.

DS used to take a packed lunch to school, I found one of his favourites was a wrap with hummus and grated carrot. Not expensive at all and pretty tasty too.

leftover pies - mix leftovers with egg and bake in cupcake paper.
my dc like them instead of a sandwich (cold).

Ds takes soup in a kids thermos all year round. Make big batch for pennies then freeze. Otherwise mine get one sandwich, an apple and refillable small bottle of apple or orange juice.

Surely if she is FSM she can have the rest of the meal and you just provide the sandwich / wrap? She can still have the fruit, drink and dessert from school.

Best tip I have is to try to avoid buying food FOR packed lunches. Have a look at the things you would normally have in and try to plan from that. Sorry if that sounds stupidly obvious! I just found I was buying little packs of biscuits etc when DS was just as happy with an oat biscuit from the big pack we have at home anyway. Maybe look at getting a decent leak proof pot so you can decant yoghurt etc if you can stretch to it, it’ll save you money in the long run.
Oh and BTW - mine won’t touch burgers or pizza, I’m not going to force the issue either

[quote UndertheCedartree]@1Micem0use - the Monday is fish fingers and the Friday is a burger and she doesn't like either - don't feel I need to really push her to eat those foods. The other days are more 'normal' meals which she is happy to eat.[/quote]
But there's 2 choices each day? So if she doesn't like burgers and fishfingers (which are incidentally a small slab of grilled minced beef and grilled white fish with breadcrumbs so not inherently "junk" when served with vegetables and carbs.) she can have the other option. Or fill up on the vegetables/rice/potatoes etc and leave the fish finger/burger to one side.

A child who won't eat anything from a choice of two meals is very, very fussy indeed, and personally, since you've confirmed no SEN, then I wouldn't pander to her. You are teaching her that her fussiness is to be rewarded. Especially if money is tight, this isn't a good route to go down.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/126738/recipe/easy-cheesy-biscuits

These are good, easy and cheap to make and you get loads, a batch can last a week of packups if you don't eat them first.

A bag of apples is about £1.50 Carrots are 60p a bag you can just cut a load up into batons will easily be enough for the week there.

@NameChange84 - thanks for the advice. I'll have a look on that board.

From your update op that’s she’s just going through a fussy phase I’d definitely give all meals a try say until half term. Ignoring the fact money is tight. Just don’t get into it. Just say you are on school meals. She will eat some of the meal. My DD is fussy but ate stuff at nursery and primary that she’d never eat at home. Her primary didn’t have a packed lunch option just 1 option a day and she managed. Don’t make any comment or fuss.

@mintjulia @LemonadeAndDaisyChains @raspberrydream

@WorraLiberty - we eat vegetarian food at home. We prefer freshly cooked meals. I don't really want to cook a lovely stir fry or something for the rest of us and give my DD fishfingers. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with eating them or they'll be bad quality but neither of my DC have ever liked 'Children's food'. They don't like the potato smilies or oven chips that the school meals are served with. I'm fine with that. Would rather do a cheap packed lunch on those days.

@JingsMahBucket - thank you. DC can have preferences too! Yes, she is going through a fussy stage meaning her preferences are more extreme but she eats a healthy balanced diet at home and I don't think she needs to eat fishfingers or burgers tbh.

No if she has school lunch then that is what she has. Don't pander to fussy eaters. It's a case of eat what's given or go without. You have made her this way!

@DancingInDespair - vegetarian versions of the same - so doesn't really help, unfortunately!

Make quiche and cheese (or whatever rolls) I can make pastry but use ready shortcrust pastry from Aldi, freeze and add fruit and carrots!