To think this packed lunch is fine?

[Lunchwoes]

So about a month ago DSD switched from hot lunches to packed lunch. She goes to school from our house Monday and Tuesday so I pack her lunch.

Today her Mum has text DH and said she's always starving when she gets in Mon and Tuesday so she needs bigger lunches. He said no problem we will make them a bit bigger or pack an extra snack for later as she has netball on a Tuesday after school.

Now this is the crazy bit, she said she just buys her Tesco meal deals as they fill her up and asked that we do the same!

For info she had a cheese and tomato omelette with a slice of toast for breakfast. Her packed lunch was a roast chicken and salad wrap, apple slices and peanut butter, a Greek yogurt and some celery sticks with hummus.

I will obviously very happily pack extra if she's hungry but a tesco meal deal?!

I'm also surprised you are allowed to send peanut butter @Lunchwoes . I would double check that, most schools are nut free.

Your lunch sounds way more nutritionally balanced and nutrient-dense. Keep at it 🙌🏼

Playing devil’s advocate I suppose, but how is a roast chicken wrap better than a chicken salad sandwich? Assuming OP hasn’t made her own wraps or bought UPF free versions. How is a strawberry yoghurt protein pot from a meal deal worse than peanut butter and hummus which are likely shop bought and UPF?

Secondary school I would be asking what they wanted me to buy for lunches. I would try to encourage them to make their own. Fitting in with others is so much more than primary. It does sound a bit try too hard although quick solution would be two wraps instead of one as the lunch sounds nice. Fruit yoghurts they choose to add as they think want they would like. What does the DSD think?

Peanut butter is not allowed in schools.

Yes it is. Some schools don’t allow it, but it is not a blanket ban/rule. Depends on what allergies the children or staff in the school have. My children’s primary school has no rules on what is allowed re. nuts etc.

It is!

Can you do my packed lunches please? Sounds delicious and yes plenty of food other than the netball day. Easily as filling as the meal deal, my guess is she wants a bit more junk to match her friends. I have this issue with my 7yo, I get ‘so and so had crisps and chocolate and coke in their lunch’ when im stricter with the upfs, it’s tough when they think they’re missing out

I would def prefer your lunch. DD would def prefer the meal deal.

If she’s getting sandwiches and crisps then why not just the meal deal? Unless it’s begrudging the cost, which I get.

OPs lunch sounds fine to me- she's a 12 year old girl and it should be enough. I supsect she wants crisps and chocolate bars like her friends probably have. So many children are overweight and eat far too much!

Can you pack my kids packed lunches please? Gracias.

Peanut butter and houmous are not UPFs in most cases- they are natural foods. Nautural greek yoghurt is much better, but flavoured yoghurt on the other hand is often full of thickeners, flavourings, sugar, artificial sweetners etc.

My DS would have found that a bit babyish for a packed lunch once at high school. Quick and easy suited him. Maybe her friends all go for a meal deal at lunchtime and she feels like she’s missing out? I’d up it to two wraps and ask her what she’d prefer as a side? Banana and a (home made) muffin maybe? Packet of crisps on sport days? Save the hummus/greek yoghurt/peanut butter type snacks for when she gets home?

I dunno it's just my gut feeling. Teaching convenience foods are fine for everyday options just doesn't sit well with me. Also everybody else in the house is having packed lunches or leftovers apart from the odd one off.

Out of curiosity I did ask DH to ask what the preferred meal deal is and it's chicken and bacon pasta, crisps and a smoothie.

I'm going to make pasta for her to take with fruit and she can have crisps if she wants and maybe a snack for later. I do tend to just send her with water though as I just can't bring myself to send a sugary drink. If she buys one in the shop then that's her choice.

Maybe provide a tub/food flask for a pasta or rice meal. Carbs are important for active kids.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a meal deal - I semi regularly get one when I don't have the time (or the inclination!) to prep food for lunch at work and don't want to pay loads for a fancier bought lunch. There are a lot of options within 'meal deal' and there's a big difference between eg a sushi/wrap main, fruit/protein bar snack and say coconut water or smoothie/healthy fruit drink (these are my go-to options) vs a big bag of crisps/chocolate bar, processed meat/cheese sandwich and a full sugar coke! I would guess part of it is embarrassment on your DSD's part - there's a big change in what's seen as cool/grown up between primary and secondary school and I remember most of my mates would definitely opt for canteen chips/pizza etc or a meal deal rather than have a (seen as babyish) packed lunch

Alot will be about the practicality of eating and what friends have.

Offer her the choice is best. Crisps can be eaten outside in the yard, humus and celery can't.

I'm amazed at people saying it's not enough. The common packed lunch when I was at school was a sandwich, one or two pieces of fruit, and a bag of crisps! Yes I was always hungry when I got home for tea which we had at 5pm, but I definitely wasn't wasting away!

Does she like nuts? They are a healthy fat that keep you fuller longer. Or something like cheese sticks? Or even crisps on some days!

As a side note, one of my fave lunches is pasta salad. So pasta, mixed beans, pepper, cucumber, tomato, and walnuts, left overnight in a salad style vinegarette. Or just do her an extra wrap 🤷

Sending your kid with a meal deal everyday is ridiculous imo. Fine as a Friday treat, not everyday.

DD 12 thinks she'll die of embarrassment if she takes anything she deems faffy, smelly or her friends think "weird" so things like eggs, tuna, onion or hummus, or anything in little pots is off the table. She also doesn't get a lot of time to eat once she gets to the lunch room so a lot of times food was coming back untouched. I now just top her lunch account up and let her crack on.

Maybe look at the caloric value of the lunch, versus the meal deal that her mum is suggesting. Roast chicken can be very lean, the salad & celery has virtually no energy, and even the (large) wholemeal wraps we buy only have about 60% of the calories of the seeded bread I'd use to make a sandwich. Your lunch is probably better quality in terms of fruit & veg, fibre, vitamins & so on... but an active 12 year old does need energy too. Maybe just do bigger portions, if she likes the food you make.

Healthy enough but you need more carbs and protein to get her through the day. Especially if she’s playing sports.

Pack a small pasta pot which has protein too if she has sports or even a protein bar.

They both sound like extremely small lunches! For example my DD has a wrap, apple, carrot sticks, yoghurt, Crisps, a small chocolate or sweet treat, berry wafers and a smoothie. (A separate snack for break)

You do need to send more in - not a meal deal, but an extra wrap or yoghurt or something - mine would have been starving on that, especially after sport!

Just looked it up, the Tesco one is about 900 calories. Id have to sit and work mine out but yeah I doubt it's that high. How many calories should a 12 year old girl be averaging do
you think.