Lunches in the school holiday

[scissorsandsellotape]

What do you allfeed them at lunchtime? this is the one aspect I am dreading!

We've just got a sandwich toaster machine (bit retro) but the kids bloody love having toasties for lunch

Lunch - sandwiches fruit/crisps
dinner hot meal

I usually give the kids the same thing I put in their packed lunches, sandwiches, pasta salad, kebabs, sausage rolls or other picnic food mini cucumbers/tomatoes, piece of fruit and a treat either yoghurt, yoghurt covered raisins. Raid the M&S 3 for 7 picnic food range.

Sandwiches, beans on toast, cheese on toast, fish fingers, tuna & pasta

Usually cold plates, basically the same stuff as would go into a packed lunch.

If we're in the mood for something cooked then it would be

• something on toast - cheese, beans, egg, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes
• omelette
• quesadillas
• pasta with sauce or cheese

If home a slice of pizza as they refuse sandwiches. I just buy a couple of large ones and cut them up and freeze individual pieces to use as needed.

Or offer eggs on toast.

With fruit and crisps, sometimes cake or something like a penguin bar.

Sandwiches, pitta and hummous, plate of random bits from the fridge - ham / salami : salad bits etc, toasted sandwiches, tomato soup with grated cheese, super noodles, frittata, dippy eggs, super noodles, pasta salad

Fish fingers and instant noodles are generally staples. I'm not proud but it's flipping hard enough working out what the fussy little creatures will eat twice a day let alone three times.

Toasties
wraps
sandwiches
beans on toast
scrambled eggs

Bread and cheeses, hummus, salad followed by fruit. Basically packed lunch stuff. This is our weekend lunch too. Dinner is our main meal of the day.

Little pizzas
Omelettes - cheese, ham, tomatoes,
Cheese plate - cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot, hoolahoops,
Wholemeal toast and pate
fishfingers & chips
pork pie
scotch egg from the butchers
hummus, taramasalata, salsa etc & pittas/nachos
Baked chicken drumsticks
Homemade vegetable & bacon soup & crusty bread.
Wholemeal pasta with tomato & frozen mussel sauce
Baked beans or fried egg on toast

As I'm home during holidays we convert to having a cooked meal during holidays unless out and about picnics are required.
It frees up our evenings when the children start to learn independence and make own 'teas'.

As a child I always loved poached egg and ham sandwiches, that’s the taste of school holiday lunches to me!

Pasta N Sauces are good!

Soup
Or things on toast eg egg, mushrooms, tomato, tuna, cheese. Beans, sardines etc.
Chopped up cucumber/ celery/ tomatoes/ apples/ oranges on the side.

Sandwiches with crisps and fruit, cheese and crackers, cheese on toast, eggy bread, pasta salad, soup and toast, wraps.

We always have something hot in the evening so lunches are normally quick, light meals.

Have you recently adopted OP? If so, congratulations!
If not, I would just feed them same thing that you fed them at lunch in the time before they started school or whatever you give them for lunch at weekends.

Pitta pizzas are fun and cheap
Pasta pesto
We've recently bought an air fryer so it's cheaper to cook things our fish fingers for a fish finger sandwich. You can also do toasties in there.
Falafel are a hit here too.
I know people hate the term picky bits but when mine were younger they loved a snack plate. A bit of cheese, sliced pepper and carrot etc
Eggy bread is another quick one (I used to cut shapes with biscuit cutters out of the bread before dipping in the egg milk mix.
Pancakes either crepes or American ones.

Thank you for your kind message.
I see that I was not clear about this. They are all my kids and it's not my first summer holiday. It's more that they moan at lunchtime.. I often do selection of stuff as mentioned above, crudités, bread, ham etc. i love it but they complain!! I was just looking for ideas to mix it up.

Thanks so much

Mine like

Pitta and hummus
Egg on toast
Beans on toast
Jacket and cheese those ready frozen jackets are really quick
Quesedillas with cheese and ham
Tin of soup and bread to dip

If I’m working, it’s the help-yourself- shelf in the fridge. It currently contains: dips (salsa, houmous, guacamole) for Doritos, carrot sticks, yogurts, scotch eggs, cheese and onion rolls, pepperoni , olives, sausage rolls, baby bells, chicken satay sticks, boiled eggs, grapes, berries, cherry tomatoes, pork pies.
If I’m not, it’s soup, Greek salad, noodles, egg and soldiers, beans on toast, bacon/ veggie bacon on toast, quesadillas.
Or sometimes DD 15 will make gnocchi or pasta pesto for them all.

Try toasted baguette with a hearty platter (ham, cheese, cured meats, olives/ pasta or potato salads/ coleslaw/ tomatoes and mozarella/ whatever you have left in the fridge. The kids will love it.

I buy a big tub of mayonnaise, too, and we have leftover meat/ vegetables/ tuna etc. with that on sandwiches and they feel like shop-bought ones to them.

Or leftover foods reheated if something hot is needed.

Or a vegetable plate with garlic bread.

Or sushi.

Basically, just about anything they will eat and keep quiet with for a while.

How old are they?

I’ve taught mine to make a toasted sandwich and a cup of tea

or they have scrambled egg or a jacket potato

it’s pain though to think of all the different meals each day

Make your own sandwiches. I put out a couple of platters of cheese/ prosciutto/ cooked bacon and a salad / fruit one. Kids make a sandwich/ have some fruit. Then they have to tidy their plates into the dishwasher.

We are away in Greece at the moment and every single lunch so far has been pita and dips followed by fruit.

My IBS has settled down and DS is actually eating (he is exceptionally thin and not a fan of food generally.... he has a range of SEN which contributes to this).

I am hoping to carry on as we are when we get home. The best hummus around is the sabra brand from Sainsbos and Tesco (and probably elswhere). Plus we have all developed a mad love for plain tahini in a bowl with pita dipped in.