What do you do for lunches in the school holidays?

[riotlady]

DD is coming to the end of her first year at school and it’s just occurred to me I’m going to need to plan a whole extra 5 meals a week for 6 weeks. Don’t think I can reasonably do sandwiches/scrambled eggs/beans on toast every day for 6 weeks straight, but also I’m having a baby midway through the hols so we’ll be lucky to cook one hot meal a day let alone two! What does everyone else do?

Jacket potato, rice pouches, pitta breads - if all else fails Maccies d’s lol 😂

Cut yourself some slack if you are having a baby. A few weeks of ready meals won't kill her. I'd suggest things like oven pizza (even cooked the night before and served cold), pasta with tomato sauce from a jar, sausage roll etc. Maybe a roll with ham or cheese and some veggie sticks. And if you have visitors ask them to bring lunch. She could "make her own lunch" if your partner chops some veg and cheese and things in the fridge. Some yogurt tubes, mini cheddars and things and she could plate it up. (Or even have your partner make you both a packed lunch to eat when you get a moment).

Next summer you can be more adventurous.

Toasted sandwiches, soup and a roll, cheese on toast, pitta and dips, omelette, frozen pizza, quiche and salad, hot dogs, left overs from previous nights dinner

She needs to make her own lunches & she will enjoy it !

homemade pancakes
I buy cartons of fresh soup
wraps / quesidilla
noodles
scrambled egg / omelette
cheesy pasta
bacon sandwich

Chicken drumsticks and salad.
Boiled eggs and soldiers.
Beans/spaghetti hoops on toast.
Slice of quiche and salad.
My DD used to love tins of macaroni cheese, an acquired taste!

At age 5, maximum 6, years old? Without supervision? That’s quite a big ask!

We pretty much do do sandwiches every day! Either out or picnics in the garden.

DP works nights so it's 50% whatever I've packed him for work (I'll keep some aside for DS's lunch that day).
Other 50% of time it's:

• a hearty sandwich with sides (raw veg, fruit, coleslaw, pickles, etc)
• quick veg fried rice or stir fry noodles
• cold pasta salad (I'll do a big batch so it's enough for 2-3 meals, just add the pesto or other dressing at mealtime)
• a frozen pizza we'll share, with salad

Pinterest or IG can be good for ideas if you're concerned about giving her balanced meals. Just make sure you search for 'easy/simple kids lunches' or similar, otherwise you'll end up looking at intricately made, 5-course, animal-shaped bento box affairs.

She’s 5, she can barely reach the bottom shelf of our fridge! Am not sure I’ll be letting her free with the frying pan just yet 😂

Thanks everyone for the suggestions

If you have an air fryer, pitta pizzas are really quick. Buy a tub of cheap passata, a bag of grated mozzarella and whatever toppings your DD likes (torn up ham, tinned sweetcorn etc)…add to pitta and put in air fryer for 6ish mins. V quick and easy.

Crudités, houmous, cold meats, pitta / roll etc.

I’ll roast a whole chicken (which I’ve coated lightly in oil / herbs etc) on a Monday morning (hour max if you have an air fryer) and chuck it in sandwiches / wraps.

Are you serious? Thinking of ideas for lunch for young child is beyond you?You've got another 10yrs to go yet. Go online or better yet buy a recipe book? It doesn't have to take ages or cost a lot:
things on toast -eggs in all their guises, cheese, fish pate, marmite, honey, toasted sandwich fingers
potato wedges with grated cheese, yoghurt dip, cottage cheese
soups - Smooth or lumpy depending on ingredients.
mini pitta pockets with finely diced chicken and salad with tomato/cucumber slices.
Hope this helps!

Bit rude!

Alright, sorry for asking! 😶

What do you eat for lunch? Can't she just have the same/a variant?

I've never really thought about this before so I definitely don't plan ahead!
My daughter (11) will usually eat a sandwich with some extras (crisps and fruit, probably), pasta and pesto, super noodles, leftovers from the night before, omelette, toastie made in the Breville thing, eggy bread, some kind of 'fast food' (McDonald's, Subway, etc), filled pasta that takes five minutes on the hob, avocado and smoked salmon on a bagel, stuff from the freezer, etc.
Basically whatever is in the fridge/cupboards and quick and easy, or whatever we get if we're out for the day.
I'm a teacher so I also have six weeks of lunches at home for myself to think about, but it just seems to happen. I don't really give it much thought.
To be honest, our plans are always so fluid and she often goes to a friend's or brings a friend here, I must just have a variety of easy things in to cater for different scenarios.
The weather definitely has an impact on what she wants to eat, so I go with the flow.

I have a toddler at home anyway so mostly easy things like sandwiches and fruit or beans on toast, scrambled egg etc

In your situation there is nothing wrong with sandwiches or something on toast for 6 weeks. If you want me variety switch around the bread type (just freeze and take out on the day). Pita, bagel, baguettes, wraps, English muffins etc.
Tuna pasta is quick and lasts a few days in the fridge, I use sweetcorn,peppers, celery and red onion, to get some veg in.
Cheese and crackers
Hummus breadsticks and crudités
Fritata
Jacket potato/sweet potato and toppings

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a sandwich for lunch most days…different fillings, maybe wraps for a change.

DD is 19 now but used to love a ‘picky bowl’ - any combo ham or cold chicken, cheese cubes, dips, crudités and bread sticks, tiny sausage rolls, mini savoury egg bites etc. Plus fruit and yoghurt.

If I need easy lunches now I still hit the tapas section of the supermarket!

I think you’re massively overthinking this. It’s just lunch for your own 5 year old. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Agree with Levi .. you are seriously overthinking this. Nothing wrong with a sandwich & fruit every day, most kids who take a packed lunch to school presumably have the same sort of lunch every day? My DS had a ham roll and banana for lunch every day during his school years . Or just give her what you have ... assuming it's not half a cider and a cigarette ....

My kids mostly have sandwiches. I try and vary it a bit with wraps or bread rolls, but essentially it’s a ham and/or cheese sandwich most days with chopped up veg sticks.

We also have leftovers from dinner, pasta, beans or egg on toast, soup, pizza, sausage rolls fairly frequently. Exciting no, but they seem happy enough.

I eat lunch at home most days anyway (wfh) and I usually just have a sandwich.

Thanks, think some combo of ready made foods like soup and rotation of sandwiches/pittas etc is the easiest way to go. Am saving this page for when I’m doing an online shop and my mind goes blank 😂

My DC (18 and 16) usually have the stuff they were taking in their lunchboxes when they were 5. I've suggested not buying lunchbox stuff but they like it. Wraps, crisps, a frube, mini choco bar eg penguin. Occasionally a piece of fruit.

Mind you that was standard lunch box fare when they were small, I know schools are stricter now. And I guess a 5 year old gets universal fsm so is used to a hot meal.

Tim of Soup, macaroni, beans and sausages or a sandwich.

They make it themselves .