Please help me with a) packed lunch contents and b) v quick hot evening meals!

[Pendulum]

DD1 about to start primary school and needs a packed lunch. No crisps, choc or sweets allowed.

Apart from the obv sandwich, fruit & yogurt, any ideas how to vary the contents a bit (she's an adventurous thing and eats just about anything)?

Also, she will need a hot dinner eveyr evening which is something I haven't catered for before (she is used to having main hot lunch at nursery, and DH and I usually eat after she goes to bed). I don't get home from work until 5.30 so need inspiration for meals that can be chucked together very quickly. Any top tips/ recipes? Thanks!

LOL I meant that thinking time is scarce! (but the same is true of leftovers- I would also need to reserve a lunch portion first)

Lol.

Sorry did miss-read your previous post. Something to do with my whingey children probably.

How very dare they be hungry when I am reading posts on mumsnet

Do you kow what sort of snack/s your dd will be given in between then end of school and you picking her up?

(btw, I'd check if the school has a no nuts policy for packed lunch, ours has recently introduced one)

Thanks everyone for giving me lots of ideas. DD woke up today and her first words were "Lunchbox day"! (this is the first time she's stayed for lunch.) She helped me pack it and then kept all the wrappers in the pack to show me that she'd eaten every mouthful.

Also, a couple of her friends were having school dinners so I remain hopeful that we will be able to move to that soon....

My dd loves having a few tubs of chopped up stuff ie ham, cheese, veggie (cucumber/carrots/peppers) and maybe some grapes, plus a treat (a cake/cookie), and perhaps a yogurt.

DS is starting to get more adventuresome, and he likes a tub of cream cheese, with a tub of smoked salmon, plus some little melba toasts to put it on.
Another fav is cold pasta with chopped ham, grated cheese, and some mayo mixed in.

Flasks of soup also work.

My friend does cold rice with tuna, and some veg, but sadly mine wouldn't eat that

But, actually, they both like having a sandwich most days plus a healthy item, and a treat.