Annual 2010 back to school packed lunch thread

[VoldemortsNipple]

This year I have splashed out buying DS a Concentrate lunch box Now I just need lots of healthy ideas to fill it.

I expecially would like ideas for a sweet snack which would pass as a healthy option. I was also wondering if there were any recipies where I could make a batch to freeze, and cook as needed, such as cookie dough or oaty biscuits.

Anybody else looking for ideas please feel free to ask, so we can have all the ideas in one place. Thank you

DD and I generally make some flapjacks on a Sunday that she takes to school during the week. Currently she is at a nut free school, so the almonds we normally use are out. She occasionally takes a handful of mixed dried fruit, but, really occassionally.
Out of sheer nosiness, what does a concentrate lunch box do that my minging mismatched collection doesn't? Genuinely interested.

Not much Kreecher, but it has rounded spaces at the bottom to place your fruit to stop it rolling and getting bashed, which is a constant complaint from DS. The bag works as a cooler bag which is supposed to keep lunch cool for around 5 hours and it has a thermo spot to let you know if your lunch is too warm.

Personaly, I just liked the round spaces for fruit and snack pots and I hope it will help me be a bit more creative with his packed lunch. He is the only one left at primary school which has strict guidelines on healthy packed lunches. I work as a cook for the nursery attached to the school, so I always feel they look closer at DSs lunch to see if its healthy.

Can you roll flapjack mixture into balls and freeze them. If I make a batch on Sunday, there is non left by Tuesday. Im not very good at flapjacks, they are either too soggy or you break your teeth on them.

I think I'll have a look at some recipies and get DS to choose some. We could have a bit of a cookathon over the weekend.

I was also thinking of looking at some recipies for diabetics as they will be low sugar.

I think you could probably freeze them VN I've never tried it though.

I like that idea of the fruit holding bits - bruised apples are not good! Although I'm a bit underwhelmed by the cool spot - what do you do then, if it tells you your lunch is too warm?! I would probably just grumble, then eat it.

We do pots of pasta salad often as my girls don't really like sandwiches much.

Also dried fruit and homemade scones or flapjacks. Lots of nibbles goes down well with mine - babybels or cubes of cheddar, sliced up fruits, chunks of sausage or falafel.

Thanks Smash. I think I will look for a nice recipe and have a go at freezing some.

I read somewhere that you can freeze muffins, put them in the packed lunch box and they will be thawed and ready to eat by lunch.

IMO with muffins it might be safer to just thaw them the night/day before and pop them in. In winter they might not get warm enough and it'd be all icy in the middle

To keep lunches cold in hotter months I tend to freeze a box of juice or small bottle of water - always nice to have a cold drink!

I make a fruit tea loaf fairly regularly and they get a slice of that twice a week in their lunchboxes. It obv has sugar in but no fat and lots of dried fruit.

Are they allowed Actimel or other yoghurt drinks?

Smash the school is very hot so I think they would be ok. DS is 8 though so he would tell me if they hadnt thawed in time. I will test to see how long they take and if need be put them in the box the night before.

taffeta Yes they can have yoghurt drinks. I put them and frubes in the freezer and just pop them in the box of a morning. It stops the packed lunch fairies who live in my fridge pinching them.

DS likes scones but doesnt like fruit loaf. I will try him with malt loaf and banana loaf I think.

I've just made a double-batch of Rachel Allen's Oat & Raisin cookies from her Bake book - quite sugary but plenty of oats for slow-release carbs. Now have 4 week's worth in the freezer for school lunches. Also do teabrack, a couple of other cookies and fairy cakes all to alternate. I loathe doing packed lunches esp when DS1 brings his home uneaten as the other boys tease him and say it looks revolting (and we're just talking about a ham sandwich or a roll with a cold sausage in - nothing special). Makes me

Blimey Millie - he gets teased for a ham sarnie?! What on earth are those kids eating?

Ah I see VM - should be a brilliant plan then

It doesnt surprise me. DD asked me to make her a tuna sandwich one time, when she came home she hadnt touched it. When I asked her why, she said she wasnt allowed to eat it because the girl next to her told her she couldnt, because she didnt like it was allergic to it grrr

You could try some natural fromage frais (in a little tub) and some slice of fruit to dip in, my kids enjoy this as a dessert, plus doesn't have all the sugar of a flavoured yogurt.

In my dc1 lunch it its usually

1 one of these - sandwich, pasta, crackers and cheese,cous cous fritters or wrap

2 pieces of fruit or veg - eg carrot, cuecumber sticks,peppers and some kind of fruit

1 of these - raisens, cubes of cheese, fairy cake, cereal bar or flap jack.

I got a lovely Flap jack recipe from one of the Gordon Ramsey cook books although he calls them cereal bars.

Im always on the look out for new ideas as i dont want her to get bored, going to try hot pasta this year with one of those thermos cannister things so she can still have a hot meal in winter.

Can I just ask a couple of questions about the lunch box... is the youghurt container leakproof? it'll be sideways in there surely.. and if it is leakproof, would a reasonably determined to get at his pudding 5 year old be able to get it open (without a splatter incident that would make the school newsletter). and will the whole shebang easily go in the dishwasher (pants very scarred by useless piece of crap less than ideal quad box.

Pant, I wouldnt put loose yoghurt in the containers personally, I think it would definatly splatter. The containers are big enough to place a small yoghurt put inside which would protect it from popping IYSWIM.

Asda do tupperwear pots which are about the size of a yoghurt pot which are ideal for natural yoghurt with fruit or homemade yoghurt. Ive even made up fruit jellies in them. The lids have a good seal but can usually be managed by children. I think they are 65p for two.

The lunchbox is dishwasher safe and the cooler bag can be washed in the washing machine.

I make shortbread and you can add 'healthy' things to the recipe such as dried fruit. These seem to last forever in the freezer - I found some from last Christmas and they're still ok