Top tips for making kids packed lunches less work for me!

[Lovage]

DS1(8) and DS2(6) have up to now had hot dinners four days a week (free in DS2's case this term as he's an Infant) and packed lunch only once. But this afternoon school rang me to say that they were worried that they were both consistently not eating their lunches and would it be possible for them to have packed lunches a few more days a week. Both kids are veggie and that means they don't get any choice and the veggie options are heavy on tomato sauce, which they don't like.

We talked about it at tea tonight and agreed they could have packed lunches 3x a week but my heart sinks at the thought of all the extra work of making them in what is already a packed evening schedule (I'm not even going to think about trying to do it in the morning). DP and I have packed lunches most days, but we have leftovers from tea the night before (we deliberately cook too much) and can heat things up in microwaves at work. The kids can't.

They could do some of it themselves, but I don't think it would actually save me any time and effort - e.g. they can't peel carrots or cut bread. And it would make such a mess in the kitchen. I'm sure that's the right long-term way to go but I'm not sure I can face it. I will talk to them about them doing some of the work at least (like getting dirty boxes out of bags at the end of school).

But apart from that, has anyone got any good tips for making packed lunches less faff and quicker to assemble? Whilst still being healthy and nutritious and not costing much money?! This is probably the holy grail...

Could they load the dish washer while you make the pack up. Or visa versa

1. Remember it is not a competition. It is perfectly OK to give them the same 2 sandwiches every day if that is what they like.
2. Remember that it I only a few meals out of the week. You can make up any perceived deficiencies at other meals. It's what they eat overall that counts.
3. Make a list of basic options and stick to it on a rota. Put the ingredients on your shopping list.
4. Use rolls, pull them apart, bung stuff in, wrap.
5. Don't bother with messy stuff like yogurts or anything that needs a spoon.

Suggested simple variations:

Rolls with:
Cream cheese and sliced cucumber (no need to butter)
Peanut Butter and something (ditto)
Hummus and lettuce (ditto)
Cheese and pickle.

Cut cheese into small blocks and cubes and keep in the fridge - bung some in the small 'snack pack' bags fro Tesco / Sainsbos etc.

Put in fresh fruit

Put in a ready wrapped snack such as cereal bar, those little bon maman cakes, or a wrapped biscuit.

Just don't go complicated.

Self assembly at the school end of the equation lessens your input - ie, rather than making sandwiches pack some cherry tomatoes, some cubes or slices of cheese, some grapes and some crackers. Plus a yogurt and an apple. All you're really doing then is putting the things onto a box.

As amy but hot x buns good change from crackers!

Cadmium that. Is great advice. DS gets the same lunch every day. Boring. But mixing it up more would be expensive and he likes what he gets.

It's really not that much hassle. I don't know why you have worked yourself up so much with it. Packed lunches are all.part of having kids and don't need to be complicated.

Sandwiches-cream cheese and cucumber, egg mayo, cheese, grated carrot cheese and celery mixed with mayo, peanut butter, salad, quorn ham, roasted veg and hummus, falafels;

Pop corn, crisps, toasted nuts and seeds

Veg sticks and maybe a dip. Guacamole or hummus or cream cheese or on their own

Fruit. Yogurt. I make muffins or banana bread and freeze.

Sometimes I make fruit bred and stick a little pot of jam.

Keep it really simple, I never understand why people say it is a faff to make a packed lunch - am I missing something .

Slice bread (or use sliced bread ), butter, add filling. Piece of fruit. Biscuit. Put in lunch box.

Don't add 'extras' like messy yogurt or expensive 'child friendly' food.

Sorry, just said exactly the same as amy.

I find making packed lunches a lot simpler than many other household chores .

Wraps and pita breads can be frozen.

Do they like couscous and roast veg with pesto?

Roast veg, add little pesto and the cooked couscous. Put in fridge. Serve the next 3 days for lunch with a banana

Thanks for all the speedy responses!

Yes, figgieroll, definitely thinking that some kind of 'if you want more packed lunches you have to do more of the work' discussion is on the cards. I expect they'd accept that. And thanks CadmiumRed for those great helpful suggestions - I can see that kind of batching and processing will help. And yes it's probably one of those things that once you get into the habit of it is less bother. I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed anyway and this is just one more damn thing I have to do (or DP but he'd find it even worse than me, I think).

Our school is nut-free, which rules out the peanut butter sandwiches and lots of the nutty things they eat at home. I don't want them getting into a complete rut with lunches because DS1 is already very prone to wanting to eat the same 3 meals over and over again. One of the reasons I wanted them to have hot dinners was so that they would have a greater variety of foods. But clearly if it just going in the bin that plan wasn't working anyway...

I hated making my own lunch when I was at work. Really hoping my dc will have school dinners. I would hate to add another chore into an already packed evening schedule when I'm back at work and dc go to school.

As a child I ate cheese or ham sandwiches and nothing much else. There may have been the odd tuna one but that sounds unlikely

Sarnies can be made in advance and frozen without salad ingredients.things I know work well:

Cheese
Chicken and stuffing (or any leftover meat from dinner, buy a larger cut than you need when making a roast,
Tuna mayo
Tinned red Salmon & mayo

I have been known to slice up leftover meat and batch make sarnies. Wrap ready to go. It's great to take a pack out the freezer in the morning and it's defrosted by lunch . Good for impromptu picnics as well.

The tinned salmon ones were an experiment after I had too many rolls left over and needed to freeze . Made them into sarnies using store cupboard ingredients and they were lovely. Not having had to make the the night before was also a bonus!

Oh and the assembling at school tip is a great one too, thanks amy and Tanaqui. Not sure they can open packets of oatcakes yet but I guess they'd learn quickly!

Yes, figgieroll, definitely thinking that some kind of 'if you want more packed lunches you have to do more of the work' discussion is on

They are kids they need lunch. Please don't hold having something edible over their heads as such an inconvenience or something they only deserve of they help out.

There's nothing wrong with having the sane three or four sandwiches and a few other bits. They are growing kids they need lunch and it's your job to provide this.

I was going to say the same thing about freezing sandwiches.
Works a treat.

I only learned you could freeze sarnies from mumsnet! It's great because the bread is that much fresher.

I've just started doing everyday lunches for ds who is 5.

Cream cheese, or cheese & pickle or meat substitute sarnies, wrapped little soreen loafs, yogurt in a tube. Little tubs of cherry tomatoes, slices of cucumber, gherkins, carrot sticks, grapes, apple, banana. When dh does it, he'll put in a biscuit or couple of squares of chocolate :-0

I've found over the last couple of days, sorting it out before teatime makes it easier. Also having emergency things like crackers & tubs of raisins & cereal bars in will help at some stage I think!

Freeze batch sandwiches on Sunday
Bananas
Cereal bar
Yoghurt
Bottle of water
2 minutes in morning

My sister and I made our own packed lunches for primary school (after months of begging to be allowed to have packed lunch!). We must have been about the same age as your DCs. We had a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a carton of juice. I'm sure we didn't make loads of mess, or my mum would have put a stop to it, she only agreed to it if we did it ourselves.

I think they're plenty old enough to do it themselves if you want them too. The more often they do it, the better they'll get at not making a mess. And it'll be good at encouraging them to be independent.

Having said that, I do remember feeling jealous of my best mate who's mum made her lunch! But not because her mum made it, but because she got loads of great stuff and I only had a sandwich and a piece of fruit. (I wasn't hungry, I just wanted the cool stuff!) I always try to put something fun in DCs lunch as a result.

If it was me, I'd get them to make their own sandwich, and one piece of fruit from the fruit bowl, one piece of veg (cherry tomatoes / cucumber slices you've cut for them) a yoghurt tube and something extra, and prepacked they'll like (baby bel cheese perhaps, or raisins, or cereal bar or something) and a drink.

my fusspot DD1 loves oatcakes/crackers with a purple (cheddar) babybel and an apple as "cheese and biscuits lunch". add a yoghurt tube (no spoon needed, get Yeo Valley if worried about sugar, I often just get whatever is available though) carton of orange juice, little box of raisins.

otherwise she has marmite sandwiches every day (she'll only eat marmite or peanut butter in sandwiches and the school if nut free)

Thanks all. I suspect I either have to change my ideas about what they should have for packed lunch (particularly that it should be quite varied), or I have to accept the faff of planning and doing it myself. I'll see if they're up for learning to do it themselves. DS1 hates doing things for himself though - he won't spread butter or pour milk or anything unless we make him. DS2 might go for it though - he likes doing things for himself.

I know you don't seem keen but training them up to do as much as possible is thr wag firward. Ab eight year old will be able to peel a carrot. They can both make sarnies.

Is there a reason why your 8 year old ( and 6 year old) can't peel carrots? I get my two age 3 and 4 to help with dinner prep regularly. Peeling carrots is the easy job I give to youngest. He uses a peel rather than knife but they get done

Thanks all. I suspect I either have to change my ideas about what they should have for packed lunch (particularly that it should be quite varied), or I have to accept the faff of planning and doing it myself

With all due respect I don't know why you have such a resentful attitude about it all. You are building it up into something it's not. It's not catering for the masses at an hours notice it's a packed lunch for two kids.it really isn't hard to keep aside a slice or two of your Sunday roast chicken fir a sandwich or put a pan of pasta on when your cooking your dinner in the evening. Wraps, rolls, breads etc can all be bought then frozen. Varying means merely selecting brown or granary or white.

You can buy tubs of egg mayo or tuna or hummus in ten supermarket with your weekly shop if you can't face opening a can and mixing with mayo

I really doesn't take much doing.

I want them to eat a wide and varied range of foods. If they are having sandwiches everyday, that is not what I mean by varied. Especially because they are vegetarian and quite fussy. The school doesn't allow anything nut-based, which just leaves cheese (neither likes egg or hummus in sandwiches). At the moment I have been doing them very varied packed lunches for the once-a-week they have been having them. Comments here have helped me to recognise that I have to either let go of that aspiration, and they will have cheese sandwiches every day, or I have to put the work in myself. That is what I was saying that this thread had helped me to work out for myself. I am not resenting, I am articulating a choice I have to make.

But they still can eat a variety. In fact when they aren't hungry and exhausted from being hungry at school they may well end up more receptive in the evening.

Anything is better than the nothing they are currently eating.

It doesn't need to be perfect just something they will eat