to ask you your "perfect" kids lunchbox food?

[WittiestUsernameEver]

Lots of conversations and discussions about lunchboxes etc, comments about UPF, too much sugar, too many carbs etc.

If you packed a "perfect" lunchbox for a 4 year old - what would you pack? (cold/ambient food)

DD4.5 lunchbox today was:

• Wholemeal roll - unsalted butter, leftover roast chicken, 2-3 spinach leaves
• 1 x slice of mature cheddar cheese - probably about 20g
• 1 x satsuma
• 1" cucumber
• 4 halved cherry plum tomatoes
• 4 sugar snap peas
• Bottle of water

I think that's a good balanced box?

What would you pack?

My dd (8) usually has

ham sandwich on white bread (I know, upf)
cucumber pieces
3 cherry tomatoes
Little slices of peppers
3strawberries
A few grapes
a little snack malt loaf or a babybel
freddo

It sounds very balanced and plenty but some things you could add or substitute that aren't UPF:

Dip for veg - sour cream/yoghurt based or avocado or hummus either homemade or I think some are UPF free.

Pot of greek yoghurt (plain or throw in some frozen berries) and honey or maple syrup (or add granola, either check ingredients or make it)

Homemade flapjack or cake

Pasta salad

I do a picky selection normally that features:

One carb: oat cakes or crackers or bread sticks or sandwich or bagel or wrap or pitta bread.

One protein: chicken or ham or mini sausages or tuna or egg or peanut butter or cheese.

Two or three veg: carrots or pepper or cucumber or tomatoes or sweetcorn or avocado.

One or two fruits: any fruits, sometimes one fresh and one dried or both fresh. I avoid soft fruits and banana because they get too bashed up by lunchtime ime.

Occasionally a snacky treat like: malt loaf, pack of mini cheddars, pom bears, hula hoops, yoghurt rice cakes, biscuits etc.

Occasionally a yoghurt.

Bottle of water or occasionally a smoothie or juice.

What's the point of what? Giving small kids food, because they might not eat it at 13?

She gets sweet treats - don't worry. She had a mini colin the caterpillar with her dippy egg breakfast so didn't feel the need to put biscuits/cake or whatever in her lunchbox. Plus she gets biscuits at nursery

yes, sometimes she'll have greek yoghurt, berries and honey in her lunch as well,

well, it really depends, some days she needs more, some days she eats less - i guess it depends a bit on if she's growing and stuff? like yesterday she had very similar, and she had only eaten something like, half her wrap, some pepper sticks and a bite of cheese and an apple. Other days she'd have more provided if she's going though a hungry phase ( so maybe on top of today's he might get yoghurt, flapjack and some oatcakes with hummus to dip) and you'd think she's licked her lunchbox clean LOL

Plus she does get her milk and a snack provided by nursery.

i wish i could send her in with nuts/nut butter! we have those for weekend p packed lunches!

Today my daughter (7) got a

• Peanut butter sandwich
• pepperami
• brunch bar
• an orange
• a handful of grapes

on other days there may be a packet of crisps, often sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, cheesestrings, apples

probably a few processed things in there but it is what it is!

That sounds pretty good to me.

Mine generally have
a flatbread with roast chicken or homemade hummus
fruit (strawberries, grapes, satsuma, whatever we have in)
veg (cucumber, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes), a pot of Greek yogurt
and an extra snack (piece of cheese, oat bar, mini muffin etc).

Mine usually has

olives
Mixed berries/fruit
sandwich on seeded bread
cherry tomatoes
2 babybels
water

Oh so do I, not only as a consumer but it was a damn sight easier to make! I used to have sandwich spread on white bread with a club biscuit and a bag of monster munch. I think I'm going to the co-op to see if sandwich spread still exists!

@ToadofTOADhall9 I fear my DD4 is having 80's lunches!

How do you all get kids to eat so much variety?!

Today her lunch was

Small brioche roll jam sandwich
Strawberries
Cheddar cheese cubes
Pom bears
Mini cookies

She LOVES peanut butter sandwiches but it's not allowed due to an allergy in the school. Most days she will only eat the pom bears and cookies :-/ I've tried other veg, tomatoes, peppers, she just shouts YUK!!!

She used to have cheese and crackers and sometimes tuna mayo, but it's like when the 'phase' ends, that's it, she won't eat those anymore! I was getting worried that she wasn't eating enough to fuel her day so gave in to the jam. But even those don't get eaten! Ham and chicken are a NO. Help!!!! Lol

My youngest dd is 12, her lunch , packed/chosen herself today was:

Small tub of houmous
Veg sticks (peppers, carrots, cucumber)
4 oatcakes with cheese spread
Mini packet of chocolate fingers
Few grapes

(I don't know if this is filling enough, but she chose, so let her crack on, sometimes she takes a salad, sandor bagel)

She's also taken a trek bar for her morning break.
Sometimes she takes crisps or rice cakes

Now thats my kind of lunch box!

My kids are teens but have ham or cheese sandwich, mini cheddars/crisps, sausage roll or similar and a cereal bar/penguin etc.

Not a vegetable or fruit in sight!

Teen (13) DS took
Salad wrap with ham
Watermelon
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Cereal bar
Yogurt
He may eat all of it or some of it, just depends on how much time he has. Eats us out of house & home most of the time.

My kids lunch box is usually:
cheese and marmite sandwich
cucumber sticks
crisps (quavers or discos usually)
fruit
pack of mini biscuits/malt loaf/fruit roller etc
They also have to take a snack (this is for holiday club they have school dinner term time)
Not the best but fine. They’re always starving so I make sure there’s plenty in there they burn a lot of energy!

actually @WittiestUsernameEver I think what you were trying to say was look at my child's perfect lunchbox, can any of you beat that, in a round about way.

Otherwise there isnt much point to the thread

Your lunchbox is fine, totally. There's flip side to the UPF obsession which is this hyper focus on everything being 'perfect' which contribute to unhealthy food behaviours and there can and do get passed onto children.

Lightheartedly, unsalted butter is for baking, get the salted stuff in!

Not too bad
But wouldn't give them bread or butter
Perhaps some quinoa or buckwheat with the chicken would be better
also maybe add some greek yougurt.

What's wrong with butter?

I save that for me 😁

Sounds really healthy with me. My children would never have eaten that much fruit and veg sadly.

Mine today had oatcakes and cheese (had run out of bread), chopped strawberries/apple, a packet of hula hoops, a homemade raspberry muffin and some cucumber.

It was to get ideas 😞

This wouldn’t fill my DD up. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with children having a packet of crisps or a couple of chocolate biscuits in with their lunch. I think children should eat healthily but not like rabbits - that’s balance.