Hats off to all you packed-lunchers – how do you do it?

[Clary]

Have been making 5x packed lunches each day this week (DC in holiday club for four days) and it?s maddening. It?s not just the prep, tho it?s added at least 10 mins to my morning, plus hassle of debates with kids over merits of ham over cheese and apple or banana or both.

It?s the provision ? I shopped on Sunday for it (just back from hols) then had to make emergency raid on Asda on Tues pm as we were totally out of fruit and salad and bread.
I swear I bought two boxes of cherry toms but there were only 4 left this am. I?ve got no apple in my lunchbox as I had to give it to DS1 who doesn?t like bananas; the kids are nicking mini fruity flapjacks (and so am I, frankly) so there are barely any of those left; etc etc.

Is my lunchbox offering excessive? Today they all have 1 ham roll (tho DS1 I?ve just remembered said he needed 2), tomato or cherry toms, cucumber, handful of strawberries, baby orange, banana or apple and three mini flapjacks plus bottle of water.

Thank goodness for school lunches is all I can say.

[Clary]

want to make it clear btw that tho I have been making 5 lunches this week, I do not have five DC

I have three plus me and DH. I usually (of late) do lunch for me and DH when we are both working (economy drive) but it seems to have been the DC as well that has tipped me over the brink this week

[Tinkjon]

They defrost fine but we're not very adventurous with fillings. DD has ham (never sure about freezing that but I always have done and it's always been fine) or cheese or Vegemite. In the past I've also frozen coronation chicken and tuna mayo, though DH thinks that the tuna goes a bit soggy.

[mumwhereareyou]

I do 3 packed lunches a day, would love them to have schhol dinners but at £2.10 a day per child makes it v expensive.

They normally have wholemeal bread with either tuna, ham, cheese or jam, yoghurt,small choc biscuit ie penguin, carton of orange juice and then mixed fruit/veg platter ie cucmber, tomatoes,carrots, peppers, apple, melon, kiwi.

I shop on a sunday and then normally restock fresh veg and fruit on a wednesday.

In the winter normally do pasta or soup for the eldest, but have to agree it is nightmare especially if running late.

[desperatehousewifetoo]

Tinkjon, do they defrost ok without going soggy?

[bran]

What fillings do you put in your sandwiches Tinkjon?

[Tinkjon]

I always make a big batch of sandwiches and freeze them for the week ahead. I've even been known to do a fortnight's worth if I have enough room in the freezer

[collision]

imh school dinners are only worth it if your child eats lots and ds1 doesnt!

EVERY day he has sandwich, frube, veg sticks, apple juice, fruit.....so boring.

[Clary]

wow sidge that's a lot.

Ours are £1.55 a day so that's errm £7.75 pw.

I did cost out a packed lunch for DS1 once (he eats a lot) and based on buying wholemeal rolls and that MN touchstone, "nice ham", it did actually come out at more than school dinners. Not to mention the hassle.

Of course if all yr child want/needs/eats is half a round of sandwiches and an apple (like one I know) then I guess it costs a lot less.

[desperatehousewifetoo]

Ha ha, sidge. Thought you meant you did the weeks lunches for less than cost of just one school dinner for the day!

Still pretty good going though, economy-wise.

Cooked lunches not an option for us unfortunately. Has to be packed lunch but with ds' allergies, at least I can give him 'safe' food.

A friend of mine has to commit to a terms lunches at a time and give a term's notice to stop them. Apparently, everyone pays the terms lunch fees and gives notice each term so thay have the option of stopping the following term!

[Sidge]

Hi desperatehousewife glad you had good jollidays

No I meant school dinners for the week for 1 child are expensive! Unless they fed them Lobster Thermidor or summat And her school didn't let them do odd days of school dinners, they had to have a full week at a time (and they actually preferred you to do a full half term at a time!)

It's £9.50 for the week for hot dinners - I think that's a lot. And as DD2 starts school in September too it would be £19 a week just for the 2 of them to leave their dinner enjoy hot lunches.

[QOD]

My dd has 2 variations on her daily lunch.... either 2 slices bread sarnie, cheese & mayo, or cold pasta with a bit of... cheese & mayo stirred in!
Bag of crisps, grapes/banana/apple, drinky yog & something sweet.

[desperatehousewifetoo]

Hey sidge, how are you?

(Had good week in NF for our hol!)

Wow 5 packed lunches cheaper than one school lunch? Are your school lunches reeeeally expensive or do your dcs share one slice of bread between them?

[Sidge]

I do packed lunches, school dinners are so expensive! I can feed all 5 of us lunch for the week with what school dinners would cost for 1 child.

She gets pretty much the same thing every day - sometimes having a non-adventurous eater is a bonus!

[bran]

I only do 1 lunch box, respect to those who do 5 (feels a bit faint at the thought of 5 children, let alone 5 lunchboxes). We don't really eat sliced bread except for ds's lunchs so I buy a loaf and freeze the bread in bags of 4 slices. Then I make up his sandwich at night after he's gone to bed using the frozen bread. I don't know what it's like the next day but he always eats it and I haven't had any complaints.

He has a ham or chicken sandwich, a baby bel, a yoghurt or fromage frais, a carton of juice or bottle of juice with water, a mini pack of biscuits (eg organix or M&S) or a couple of ordinary sized ones, carrot or cucumber sticks (if I can be bothered chopping them) and/or some fruit, a humzinger or some raisins.

[Iklboo]

Morrisons do a pack of about 12 for 99p - stars, circles, teddies etc. Makes bite size butties that DS really enjoys

[citronella]

Good idea re cookie cutters Iklboo! Might have to try that.

[Iklboo]

Nah - we've taught him to shoplift

I'M KIDDING!!!!

I will admit though that I am secretly addicted to ham n cheese dairylea lunchables when I am tiddly and get the mid-drinks munchies so we occasionally have them hidden in the fridge for me

[stealthsquiggle]

Iklboo your first version sounds expensive

[stealthsquiggle]

Clary - when we have drop scones, etc it is normally for breakfast - I just make more batter than I think the DC and I can possibly eat (DH doesn't like 'stuff like that' ) and they get cooked and frozen immediately before anyone can find room for 'one more'.

Muffins are baked specifically to freeze and no-one is allowed near them (including DH when I make cheese and bacon ones!)

[Iklboo]

DS gets a dairylea lunchable, a fruit shoot, a suasage roll and and iced finger

Nah - just kidding. He's still in playschool so I make his packed lunch the night before after he goes to bed (about 7:30).
He usually gets a ham or chicken sandwich (cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters), cherry tomatoes, chunk of cheese, cucumber, diluted juice and a tub of strawberries or grapes and a mini apple

[TrinityRhino]

I'm recking that making packed lunch for dd1 is cheaper than the school meals

I wish we could afford to still send her to school lunches as they are fab but we cant

[ghosty]

"My sister's AND my friend's morning routine"

[ghosty]

We don't have school dinners here so I am used to making lunches but when I was in England last month I noticed how easy my sister's friend's morning routines seemed to be. Just get up, get dressed and go out ...

Re. the lunches: My children get a sandwich or roll and an apple. And something for 'play lunch' like a couple of biscuits or if they are lucky, something I have baked like flapjacks. I don't give them much choice, am not Jamie Bleedin Oliver. Anyway, DS doesn't want too much in his lunch box as it cuts into his playtime.

[Clary]

Ah you seee wrt money we pay for school lunches with a cheque at the start of term. Really easy.

Our lunches are very good too, maybe that makes the decision easier.

It really isn?t the time, it?s going to the shop every couple of days to get stuff that?s done my head in this week. I know you need to shop for fresh stuff often, but this was like a MUST DO on Tuesday eve when I really didn?t want to?.

That?s a good idea re treats in the freezer (tho lol at excess scones etc ? not likely here with DS1 the human hoover)

It?s not going to help with my tomato-nicker (can?t freeze those). I need Fennel?s special spot. Where is it?