Protein for school lunchbox

[Airworld]

DS(9) is a fussy eater and I’ve been finding it a bit hard to get protein-rich foods into his school lunch, which he has 2-3 times a week, so I’m looking for some ideas for some new foods to include please.

We do have a food flask which he occasionally takes baked beans in. He has yoghurt regularly and school is nut-free of course.

He won’t eat:
Cold chicken no matter how it’s presented (hot is fine)
Eggs - unless poached and dips toast into Spag Bol
Prawns
Tuna - unless in a pasta bake or toasted sandwich (but won’t take either in a flask)
Quiche of any kind - see eggs above

The Paediatrician has just referred him to a dietician who I guess can give ideas, but I expect that will be a long wait. We’ve noticed in the past year that he goes slightly chubby on the stomach then shoots up and slims down again, repeatedly, which the paediatrician said is common in children. However, we still want to focus on protein filling him up more as we’ve noticed his appetite increasing in the last 6 months or so.

I will add that he is tall for his age, and on the higher percentile for weight but is not overweight (all according to the paediatrician before anyone says my child is fat!).

Would he eat cold home made ‘sausages’ or patties?
If you get low fat pork mince, mix with herbs, then shape as sausages or patties and cook would he eat them?

Does he eat pasta or noodles?
He could take them hot in a food flask and you could make them with chicken or other meats

Are you in the US? As wondering if specific reason why you are seeing a paediatrician.

Anything with eggs or fish is probably quite stinky by lunchtime. That moment when you open your flask and every kid on the table goes “euuuughhh what’s that smell!” is really awkward and off putting, even if you usually like what’s in the flask.

You could try:

chicken and egg noodle in the flask
chicken soup in the flask
sausage casserole with a bread roll
bagel with hummus and grated carrot
cheese and lettuce sandwich
BLT sandwich or roll

A few high protein foods / snacks that might work;

• babybel light
• chicken sausages
• fridge raiders (bit salty and processed)
• yogurt. Skyr has higher protein that regular

Thanks for the suggestions.
@DarkDarkTimeOfLife I’ll try that with the homemade sausages thanks. Shop-bought ones seem full of rubbish even if they have a high meat content.
@dementedpixie very hit and miss with pasta, although he likes noodles so I’ll look into recipes with those
@SpringChiken no we are in the UK, but he was seeing a paediatrician for a few things, one being his eating. Thanks for the suggestions, although I forgot to say he will only eat melted cheese ie a toasted sandwich, and any kind of vegetable is a big-no 😬
@Chocolateorange11 thanks, I will try those foods with him, although I forgot to say he will only eat melted cheese

My dd often makes up packet noodles and adds chicken and other spices/flavours to take in a flask. Or you can make your own.

If it’s a lack of protein in general you’re worried about you could try paediasure. We get it prescribed from the dietitian (my child has ARFID) but it’s available to buy.

Yogurt pouch, cheese string. Cream cheese bagel.

While I'm a big believer in decent amounts of protein for children, I'm just slightly concerned you seem to be thinking you need to cut carbs in case he gets a bit podgy?

to go back to the protein question - babybel or other cheese (please don't go low fat), and yoghurt pots were always good options for us. DS quite liked a little salad of feta, cucumber, peppers and lettuce with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (he's such a little ponce ). We also used to let him have those meat sticks sometimes or cubes of chorizo (yes yes, UPF, bad etc) and as we're South African, when we had biltong we'd put a small pot with some biltong in his lunch box which he loved and outside of being a bit salty is much better than the prepared meat sticks/chorizo.

One weird way that DD would eat cold chicken was in the form of a "burger". I'd fry a small chicken breast (I'd use mini breasts or cut a normal one into smaller/thinner slices) and put that in a roll with some avocado and it was a "burger' and she'd happily eat that at lunch.

Overall, it sounds like he prefers hot food. In which case a food flask with pasta with whatever preferred protein and veg based sauce might be the way forward for you. DD sometimes takes leftover spaghetti bolognaise in hers.

Dd is very limited in what she eats but I make her tomato pasta made with this red lentil pasta www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/297484755
She also takes one of the Yazoo No added sugar chocolate milk drinks.

Meatballs?

If he only likes melted cheese have you tried cheese spread or cream cheese in a pot with breadsticks for dipping? Or just with crackers?

Maybe try him with a dairylea lunchable and if he likes the construction element you could make your own?

I would start with what does he love to eat rather than what he refuses.

Honestly, I don't think you need to stress about having significant protein in a packed lunch 2-3 times a week, if he can eat decent amounts of protein at other meals.

If he loves pasta, give him pasta. If he loves tomato soup, give him tomato soup in a flask. If he loves sausages, give him sausage rolls. I think soups/chillies are an easy win, but really I'd focus on getting him fed and happy at lunch, even if it's like pasta or tomato soup, not rich in protein.

And then focus on protein in the meals when he can eat fresh food at home - breakfast, after school snack, dinner. A peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast or after school. Or mine often have salami/ham sandwiches after school. A good filling dinner. You won't need to stress about protein in every single meal.

Would he eat falafel? If you make your own you can bake rather than fry and they freeze well.

One of mine has ASD so incredibly fussy, been to the dietitian etc. She has a pot of grated cheese - she used to say she only liked cheese on pizza but we tried a few times she now likes grated.

Dietician will almost certainly tell you to just keep giving what he likes in the packed lunch. Looks like you could hit protein needs at home.

I really don't think you need to worry about the amount of protein. Please don't go down the route with giving loads of UPF snacks, like fridge raiders, sausages, babybels, any yoghurt apart from natural / greek yoghurt.

If be will have melted cheese will he eat cold pizza slices or cold cheese toasties?

What about toasted/crunchy chickpeas

Fried tofu

How about tofu? You could buy the smoked, or soy-flavoured type, or marinade it yourself. I love the texture of it, especially when the liquid is squeezed out, cut into squares, coated in cornflour & fried - apparently air frying has the same effect of crisping the surfaces, whilst leaving the inside squidgy. Could be put in a flask to keep warm as you have been doing with different protein foods.

A few replies mentioning light or low fat food.
I wouldn't be going that route personally.
When they're fussy meeting calorific needs is the highest priority.

Cheese/ cubes/ grated / on its own, in bread or on pasta

Cheese straws / pinwheels a possibly with ham?

Pepperami type things are protein - I wouldn't eat them myself but lots of asd kids at work love them.

You can roast or air fry chickpeas with salt or cumin or other flavours and they go like crisps

Whole grains have more protein white bread - if that's something theyd eat?

Yoghurt has protein.

I'd avoid fish & eggs at packed lunch

Hummus or vegetable spreads? My DD will eat Dahl cold (prefers hot).
I'm struggling for ideas given your limitations too. I've got one that won't eat melted cheese.
Cold samosas? Pork pie? Although these are probably by some people's standards a bit starchy/lardy a small portion a couple of times a week for a growing child is fine

Not cream cheese?

Mine had cold fish finger sandwiches.

A bag of nuts or nuts and raisins / trail mix with nuts?

A chilly bottle with nice cold milk?

Proscuttio has salt but no nitrites, little pinwheel sandwiches with proscuttio?

A lamb chop to eat from the bone as if it was a chicken drumstick?

Felafels

Little meatballs without sauce

Beef sandwich

@TempleOfBloom you can't send nuts into a school!

Peanut butter sandwich

Ooops, sorry. We could in our schools unless a ban went out.. which it didn’t

@TempleOfBloom please stop making these nut based suggestions. It's very dangerous. You cannot send nuts in any form into school as some children have severe allergies. Please just stop spreading misinformation.