What do you put in packed lunches

[leothelioness]

My Dh wants to start taking packed lunches so I am looking for ideas. It has to be able to be eaten cold as he has no microwave.
So what do you all put in packed lunches?
Also do you make it the night before or in the morning?

I make it up the night before. I leave the pack lunch box on the side with any thing that doesnt need fridging like a fruit bar or fruit flakes.

I always give a sandwhich
Drink in a flask so i can see how much he has drunk
a fruit bar or fruit flakes.
carrots sticks/cucumber etc

He wont eat fruit or yoghurts so thats about it. He doesnt tend to move away from that but he now has different fillings which is good.

I also have the little frozen ice blocks that are great for pack lunches.

The school will have rules, so beware the food police...!
We have one round of bread as a sandwich - various fillings or a tub of pasta salad - usually pasta and pesto with beans or something like that.
Piece of fruit.
Small tub inc. some of the following: small tomatoes, cucumber slices, apricots, olives, cashews.
Sometimes a small pot of humous and carrot sticks.
Sometimes a yoghurt.
Sometimes a small amount of plain popcorn in a small tub.
Always a small bottle of water.
I used to give him more but he moaned those eating school dinner were out in the playground before him.
I throw it together in the morning. Takes only a few minutes once you get into a run of it.

DS (4) has....

A sandwich/bagel/roll with either tuna mayonaise/grated cheese/egg mayonnaise/chicken.

A banana.

A fromage frais/yoghurt.

Small bottle of water or sometimes an innocent smoothie as a treat.

I usually make the sandwich whilst DC's are eating their breakfast

A round of sandwiches/a wrap/ pasta salad/leftovers from tea night before so sometimes spag bol/shepards pie/lasagna in a little pot- I only do this in the winter months when the meat in it wont go bad, and ds is happy to eat it cold.

a flask of water
a yogurt
tub of exotic fruit so chopped up kiwi or melon
piece of everyday fruit like a banana apple or plum.

sometimes carrot or cucumber sticks

very occassionally a couple of plain biscuits like malted milk or shortbread.

I usually add an extra piece of fruit and yogurt if ds is going to after school club as he has to go till 6pm without anything.

Oh and on the 2 days a wk i work, i make the sandwich the night before, on all other days i do it as they are eating breakfast.

Sorry I was just PMSL at smee I am looking to make packed lunches for my DH not DS so I hope the food police is not checking his packed lunch. JellyJelly I don't think that I need to know exactly how my DH has drunk in a day either
What kind of sandwich fillings do you use?

A nice crusty baguette or tiger roll are nice for packed lunch sandwhiches as are wraps or pittas

A pasta or rice dish that can be eaten cold

Chicken drumsticks / Kebabs can be eaten cold

Sausage rolls (morrisons bakery ones are nice)

Then fruit, crisps, flapjack, or something like that too.

A hot flask may be nice if he can't have hot food with either soup or tea, coffee.

I'm also enjoying the DH/DS confusion.

If he's a grown-up can't he think of what he wants, even if he's to busy to make it himself.

Things like cold pasta are good as you can make a big batch at the beginning of the week and just dish it up. Making sandwiches every night is a hassle.

lol TrillianAstra I was having rather ammusing vision od DH having his lunch confiscated by the food police in the office
Yes I have asked him and his suggestions are limited to cold meat sandwiches whihc may not be great every day of the week so cam on MN to get some ideas.
He will probably end up making his sandwiches some fot he time but I need to have some suitable stuff in the fridge either way.

Sounds lovely to me aSilverLining but the food police at our school would surround your lunchbox and destroy . We have a note about once a term listing what should not be included; Sausage rolls, crisps, flapjacks, kebabs are all vetoed. The flapjacks really irked me as school dinners often include crumble and custard and such like, so not sure how they square that circle. They also said something like 'oily fish such as fresh salmon should be included once a week' - this for an inner city primary school. Am waiting for them to insist we only shop at Waitrose..

Get him to make his own... surely?

tee hee, I make the same mistake not once but twice - must be the cold gnawed into my brain. Am amazed you're worrying over what to put in a lunch for your DH though. I honestly would never even consider doing such a thing for mine. stinkypinky gets my vote

I include 4 things and a bottle of water for my 2 DS's -

sandwich
fruit
yoghurt
cucumber/tomatoes etc

and I always make it the night before because that'll be the day you wake up late

OMG surely if this is for your DH he'll make his own?

My DS's are 7 and 5 so I don't mind making theirs...

I was thinking more in terms of what to have in the fridge so he could make a packed lunch as I do the weekly shop.

How about asking DH what he would like, and meal plan from there. My DH makes his own, and I make sure he knows what he can and cannot have from fridge. He usually takes couscous salad as very easy to do.

Put some responsibility onto him I say!

such an apt thread after the news report today about children's packed lunches

LOL. I was just reading this thread after hearing today's report and reckon we must be the 1% then! I wonder if the research also explored what 'school dinner' children were eating at home & vice versa....

smee I would not put these things in my 5 year old son's packed lunch (I don't know why but I feel the need to point that out), I read the op and answered her on what she should put in a grown adults packed lunch.

OP I don't think you have stated you will be making them have you, just that you want ideas of what to buy? Nothing wrong with that.

It's okay aSilver, 'twas me being dim. I apologise..

lulubellarama will you make my packed lunches for me please? They sound yum

I usually have in the fridge/cupboard ham, salami, cheese, tuna, eggs, soup, different sorts of bread (wraps, pitta etc.) Hummus to have with pittas, smoked mackerel sometimes, salad, coleslaw, yoghurts and fruit. Then whatever he makes with it is up to him - sometimes a rut of ham salad sandwiches but sometimes more adventurous.