Sliding Salad Sandwiches

[moosemama]

Seems like a daft thing to post about I know, but I am having a hell of a week, am exhausted and can't think for myself.

So, ds2 is struggling with is packed lunches. Apparently its all my fault, because I refuse to let him have just cheese sandwiches (we are veggies) and 'force' him to have at least tomatoes and cucumber in his there as well. He says the salady bits make the bread slide off and he keeps dropping them (he is quite clumsy generally).

I pretty much dismissed him and this morning told him to hold his sandwiches tighter while he's eating - but ... I have just made my own salad sandwiches for lunch, picked up the plate, turned around and the whole top slice (which was cut into four triangles along with the rest of the sandwich) shot across the kitchen and into the dogs' bed, where it was duly scoffed!

So does anyone have any foolproof tricks for someone who is apparently a totally inept sandwich maker? What can I do to stop my sandwiches being slidey?

Dont put the tomato in. Thats always the culprit I find. (put it in the box whole instead & he can eat it like a plum)

Yes, don't use tomato.

filled pitta breads instead (split and stuffed from the narrow end)?
spear it through the middle with a little flag or cocktail umbrella?

Tomato separate or in a roll, cunningly only partly split

I always put salady bits in a separate pot as otherwise they make the bread go soggy by lunchtime.

Gosh, I didn't expect anyone to respond so quickly. Thank you.

Ah ha! So tomato is the trouble maker then is it? I don't think he would eat them if I put them in a little pot. I only use siced cherry or baby plum tomatoes, as I thought their smaller size would minimise the sliding - apparently not.

Filled pittas is a good idea. Don't they go soggy in the lunch box before lunchtime though?

I do give him wraps sometimes as well and we have had some success with that, but I like to try and vary it a bit, so he doesn't get bored.

I guess I will just have to leave out the tomato and make sure he has some at home instead.

I will also keep a tighter grip on my own sandwiches in future as the dog get plenty to eat without scoffing my lunch as well.

Taffetacat, you might be onto something there. Perhaps he'd be better with a partly split roll than a sandwich.

Thanks NorbertDentressangle, I don't think he'd eat it if I did that. He tries to tell me he didn't eat it all because he ran out of time, but strangely always has time to eat the things he likes.

I find the tomato doesn't slip if the bread has no butter or narge on it. It's the oily spread that makes the tomato slip, without it the tomato just sticks to the bread.

alternatively, use a thin spreading of cream cheese to 'stick' the tomato to the bread.

Wraps are great, as are pita breads.

Thanks, omdb. He hated cream cheese last time I tried him with it, but it was a while ago, so might be worth trying it again now.

Peanut butter is sticky, if he likes it.
A lot of children seem to like philadelphia and marmite. I add cucumber and it doesn't fall apart.

Thanks BuntyPenfold, the school doesn't allow peanut butter and he won't eat marmite or philadelphia, which is strange as generally he's not a picky eater.

Mutt, hadn't thoug about chopping it all finely and mixing, definitely worth a try.

Left the tomato out today and - no complaints. Still maintain he needs to have tomato some days though, so will try out a few of your ideas.

Thanks ladies.

thin spread of may on the salad side to make everything stick

Hmm, have tried mayo - it still slid. Maybe we have slippy mayonnaise?

Have you ever made yourself a sandwich with salady stuff in it, kept it packed up in a warm place and then eatne it for lunch?

It can be pretty horrid. Soggy wet bread, warm salad, slimy slimy.

I'd give him a plain cheese sandwich and pack some carrot/cucumber sticks in a separate tub.

dd2 won't even have cucumber on a packed lunch sandwich due to festering sliminess over hours. She is old enough to tell me exactly how unpleasant it is so I'd listen to your boy.

Agree with pointydog - i have horrid memorys of soggy sarnies at school and unless made myself or bought and examined for soggyness, they make me heave (shudders).

I would maby make a pasta salad with cubes of cheese in as an alternative to the sandwich, so he will still get his tomato hit and his lunch will be soggy no more!

I make dds and put them in a seperate little tub so they dont get squashed in her lunch bag by other things (i have a tupperware thing and have loads of all different sizes) eg today there was one for her sandwich, one for the strawberrys and one for carrot sticks! But at least its all in one piece when she gets it!

I have cheese salad sandwiches for lunch most days, made the night before and they are not nasty! Lovely crunchy lettuce.
No butter though - wonder if that makes the difference?

Butter certainly adds to slime factor.

It goes all melty and pervades the 'wich.

I've asked both my dses whether or not their sandwiches are soggy by lunchtime and they both said no. Don't know what I do that is different though, other than wrapping them in foil, inside their tupperware boxes. Ds1 has gluten free bread and that stuff flatly refuses to go soggy no matter what you do to it.

I like the idea of sending in carrot and/or cucumber sticks in a little pot and have always wanted to make pasta salad for them, but am not quite sure what to put in it. Do you literally cook up some pasta, add a few cubes of cheese and some chopped cherry tomatoes etc or should there be some tomatoey pasta sauce in there as well?

I sound like the worst cook in the world don't I? I'm not, honest, I just seem to have an issue with packed lunches for some reason.

My own mother used to make awful sandwich spread sandwiches and freeze a weeks worth in advance. Now - those were soggy sandwiches. Soggy, cold and often still dripping with defrosted icicles. We weren't allowed lunch boxes either, they were packed in little individual sandwich bags, which got crushed in our bags. So then we had soggy, cold, drippy, squashed sandwiches. I comfort myself with the thought that at least my dcs are getting better lunches than that!

Oooh HopeForTheBest, I could add pesto to the pasta salad. Now you've got me thinking.

We use non-dairy spread, maybe that has something to do with them not going soggy?

I had no idea there was such an art to making sandwiches for packed lunches. No wonder I've been getting it all wrong.

Apologies, I seem to be a bit emoticon happy this evening. (See what I mean.)