If your toddler doesnt eat sandwiches...

[Tinks15]

what do you serve up for lunch? I need hot & cold ideas please. Stuck in a bit of a rut at the moment. Thanks!

There ate a zillion foods that aren't sandwiches!
Beans on toast
Cheese on toast
Houmous and pita bread
Pasta
Pizza
Quiche
Chicken
Jacket potatoes
Tuna
Etc

Ah, you have described DS1 at that age. He also rejected eggs which are my quick-lunch mainstay for DS2.

I got into the habit of doing lots of batch cooking - eg stews or bolognese - and then would defrost and heat alongside some rice/pasta/cous cous.

You've made me realise we never have sandwiches for lunch, or ever really. Are you at home with him? We have all sorts for lunch, pasta with stuff, pitta and hummus or cheese, omelette, yoghurt and fruit, scrambled eggs on toast, porridge (he's obsessed), leftover dinner so curry, stew, fish pie, etc.

Thanka. Yes i know there are a zillion options, i should of stated that DD is quite picky she isnt keen on eggs or cheese. Well she eats cheese it if it is melted i.e. on a pizza but wont eat cheese on toast .

Ds is exactly the same, now 3! Will only have eggs, cheese or sandwiches at nursery. At home we do cous cous with tuna or similar, pasta in some sauce or yesterdays leftovers! If being naughty sausage roll, croissants.

Crackers and soft cheese
Soup
Pasta with a little grated cheese
Scott pancakes
Would your dd eat a wrap?
Half a jacket or a small jacket potato
Beans

A fridge plate....chop any fruit/veg you have in the fridge. A slice or two of meat. Cubes of cheese. Box of raisens. Crackers with butter/soft cheese. Few crisps. A biscuit. Yogurt

Sandwich fillings work with some cucumber or oatcakes, crackers or breadsticks , salad or cold veg or any of the million different bread types.

Sandwich thins are very popular here - less bread.

Bagels with cream cheese and then ham. smoked salmon or tomato/cucumber slices on top.

French toast

"pasta" soup - a very basic minestrone soup with peas, onion, carrot and sweetcorn then either tiny soup pasta or something like orzo or macaroni and chicken stock (I use the proper fresh stuff for this)

quiche is very popular

Falafels

My ds is 17 months and tends to have 'bits' for lunch- so bits of cheese, fruit, ham, maybe a cracker or breadstick. He likes soup so will dip all these things in his soup, maybe with toast and pate or cheese on toast as well. Sometimes left overs from previous nights meal such as some cooked veg or pasta. He likes hard boiled eggs cut up as well. He seems to eat a lot at these meals!

Soup - lots of different ones
Pitta, hummus, grated carrot and raisin
Scrambled egg on toast
Beans on toast
Savoury muffin
Pitta pizza

Mine will eat sandwiches but not everyday we need some variety so

Cheese & broccoli muffin ( so easy to make)
Pancakes
Soup
"Snack box" peanut butter on crackers, chopped cucumber/ peppers, chopped banana/orange, little piece of flapjack
Quiche with little bit of salad

Mine eat the same sort of thing for lunch as for tea, mostly. So meat & some veg, pasta & sauce, risotto, curry and rice, fish fingers sometimes... Often topped up with nuts, dried fruit, cheese, oatcakes a whole second meal sometimes if still hungry.

I like the savoury muffins idea, never tried that. Do they freeze and defrost well by any chance? Any links to good recipes please?

Yes, the muffins freeze and defrost really well - either at room temperature if you have time or if not just in the microwave. We tend to use them more as snacks rather than actual lunches now DD is a bit older. The ones we make the most are cheese, spinach and red onion - the recipe comes from the Baby Led Weaning cookbook - think there are some very similar ones online if you google, or I can check when I get home. We've also made the carrot and orange ones but they don't seem quite as filling for a lunch although again make good snacks (and are sugar free).

I once tried broccoli muffins but they smelt disgusting while cooking and weren't as popular, despite DD's bizarre love of broccoli stalk.

I sometimes take DD's muffins as a snack for work too.

Mini scotch eggs used to be a popular snack here too.

minipie Yes muffins freeze fine

My broccoli and cheese ones are a huge hit especially with DS I use this recipe clareslittletots.co.uk/2014/07/broccoli-and-cheese-muffins/ I use a string cheese as that's what ds like
I also make cheese, carrot and courgette ones, plain cheese ones and peppers with sundried tomaroe ones

Brilliant thanks, I will google. Cheese and spinach very popular in our house

Do you make your own scotch eggs?

Haha no I'm not that organised - I buy those in a tub!

Pink thanks for the muffin suggestions, some more flavours to try. Had forgotten about courgette, think we've done those in the past too. I might give that broccoli recipe a try and see if it's any nicer than the one I've used in the past.

Mini Greek salad - chopped up cheese (or ham/chicken) with chunks of cucumber/tomato.

Wraps or a roll?

Fritters.

Make a batter of 1 egg, a few spoonfuls of flour (this is a VERY forgiving recipe) a pinch of salt and thin it down with a bit of milk. The thiness will depend on what you want to put in.

Now add your flavorings. Successful ones have been:
Cheese
Cheese and onion
A tin of sweetcorn
Leftover curry (a slug family favourite)
Random, slightly scabby veg lurking at the bottom of the fridge

You want the mix to be able to hold together, anywhere from slightly whipped cream consistency to thick cake batter consistency.

Drop spoonfuls into a hot frying pan, cook until the top starts to set, flip and cook until brown on the other side. You can chuck in extra flour if they spread too much or thin down with milk if they are clumps that refuse to cook quickly.

These are a slug household staple and can be eaten hot or cold. They were the first thing I taught DH to make when he left work to be a SAHD. The day I was met at the door by a toddler DD waving a half eaten black pudding and spinach fritter I knew I didn't have to worry about her veg/iron intake.

Quesadillas? Big favourite in our house. Ds1 likes shredded duck with cheese (don't ask!), ds2 has houmous, avocado and cheese.

deconstructed sandwiches here. Literally bread and butter soldiers, chunks of cheese, ham and cucumber.

Like something you would see on the menu of an over-the-top trendy gastro pub

Thanks for the savoury muffin tip guys, tried them tonight and they went down a storm with the whole family (inc elderly relative who struggles to eat)! We did them gluten free and it worked out fab. So great to have as a stand-by quick lunch!