packed lunch on a budget ideas? same thing every day??

[bumbleandbumble]

my two kids will need packed lunch this september. One eats a ton, the other is fussy.

it seems they want sandwich and cheese and fruit/veg pieces...

do I send the same thing everyday? what else do you put in there?

Vary the sandwiches

Sometimes I stick in a homemade muffin or a flap jack (check school lunch policy)

Occasionally I'll do a picnic lunch - sausage roll, salad bits, cheese and crackers and fruit

Once every couple of weeks my 2 have a pasta salad or pasta with pesto for abit of variety

DD takes:

One sandwich - DD has around 3 fillings she likes and are lunch box suitable.

1-2 biscuits (check policy what is allowed)

a small tupper bowl with fruit, grapes, berries or apricots and cherries

small yoghurt like Actimel or a proper yoghurt and a plastic spoon

a small carton of milk, juice or a small water bottle

we do variations of wrap/pitta/sandwich/bun/those flat bun sandwich things which I think are warburtons etc.
then fillings are invariably chicken, cheese or ham or a combination. sometimes with salad if I can persuade them.

they then have fruit (normally the same each day) and a little cake or biscuit and water. one has those little yoghurts and the other often has a bit of malt loaf to fill her up.

I swap sandwiches for pasta once a week or so. DD has a piece of fruit and a bit of veg (different fruit/veg each day) she also has either a cheese scone, slice of banana bread, potato apple bread or bit of fruit loaf, a biscuit/crackers/mini cheddars and a small cake (usually Lamingtons as I can make up a batch on Sunday night for very little money and they keep til Friday). She'll sometimes have a bit of cheese but she goes through stages of loving and hating it.

Hee hee. For 2 years my son has had ham roll, frube and apple. He must be so fed up because he ever so sweetly asked of he could have pasta salad (I managed that) and then ................ can I have something different every day!!!
Yes - school lunches.
Luckily secondary in September and school lunches are great so money every day and his choice.

grating the cheese makes it go further.

soft cheese from aldi at less than 60p a box, with cucumber, grated cheese tomato in various combinations.

tuna and sweetcorn, chicken and sweetcorn,

pot of cooked sweetcorn or peas

raw carrots, cucmber,

Many children are perfectly happy with the same lunch, more or less, every day. I had Primula cheese spread sandwiches and a small apple pie every single day of my secondary school career, I think.

Ham sandwich, cheese sandwich - have a look in Aldi and Lidl. Or ham sandwich and a chink of cheese (I used to cut block cheese up into lego sized cubes: Cheese Lego, Ready prepared mini-cheeses are expensive)

Mine also likes cold fish finger sandwich with a bit of mayo or tartare sauce.

Will they eat a banana?

Try not to worry. I think DS1 had the same lunchbox from P1 to the end of 6th form. Only the amounts varied. I don't think anybody noticed.

bumbleandbumble:

Not sure the age of yours kids - schools meals are free to YR, Y1 & Y2. (www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals)

If you are low waged (I think

DS usually has a few crackers, a small pot of houmous, some cucumber and red pepper to dip in the houmous, either some ham or cheese and a yoghurt. He has pretty much the same every time (he has hot dinners several times a week)

DD has the same every day...ham sarnie/cucumber/yoghurt/fruit and some pop corn....