Ideas for school lunch box?

Wantobe

Not sure if this should be on the food/recipes board or here, mods please move if inappropriate.

Just wondering if anyone has any good ideas for school lunch box. Especially things I could make ahead of time and freeze- soup is the only thing I can think of! Was thinking of making leek and potato soup and minestrone soup. Anyone know where I can buy a good thermos flask? Hmmm, is soup even a good idea for a smallie? She's pretty neat, but is a thermos flask maybe a bad idea for her first year at school?

Otherwise I suppose sandwiches- ham or cheese, any other ideas?

My little one would eat tortillas too and a cold pasta salad, or maybe couscous- is this nice cold? I'm coeliac so I don't eat it myself but I have made it hot for her before and she liked it.

Any other ideas? Want to be ready in advance so I don't go overboard on the ham sandwich routine!

Mr Magnolia

Nice pasta dishes. You can vary the sauce to change the flavours.

Nevyn

Soup may be a bad idea as it can and will spill on her and on her books and on her clothes.
If she will eat pasta salad then great. Mine love a mini bagel and fruit, carrot sticks, berrys in thier lunch box.

metrovelvet

Quiche
Risotto or other rice dishes
Pasties
Potato dishes such as au gratin or patties where you can throw in other ingredients
calzones
tarlets
fruit and cheese

You can get thermos flasks in tesco or any camping sporting good store.

Nevyn

You do have to remember that the chid will be expected to be able to sort out thier own lunch and won't have help eating it or opening it and they have a rather short ammount of time to eat in esp if they are going out to the yard.

Wantobe

Mmm, mini bagels, good idea- what kind of fillings do you use?

What are calzones- is that like a large round pasta with a filling?

Yes, on second thoughts the soup is a bad idea for now. Will stick with things that are easier for her to eat and less likely to be messy.

So far then, pasta salads, sandwiches, mini bagels, I like the idea of quiche too every now and then. Not sure about risotto/patties/other potato cakes as they would be nicer warm?

She loves every kind of fruit, nuts and cheese, and yoghurts so these would be the basis of snacks for her. Is any kind of yoghurt acceptable?

As for the pasta dishes- I usually pre-make a hidden veg tomato sauce and a creamy cheese sauce and freese it in ice-cubes, but these would only be nice warm, I think. I do a light honey vinaigrette for pasta salad- any other ideas for sauces that are nice cold?

deisemum

Bear in mind how the school runs the lunch breaks. In my children's primary school it's a "grab and go" system. They are not allowed take their lunch boxes out to the yard or hall on wet days. Before they leave their classroom they must remove their sandwiches from their lunch box and literally grab and go. They're only allowed take what they can carry in their hands. It just wouldn't be possible to manage pasta etc.

Also most schools have a healthy eating policy and would normally list what's "acceptable".

Cold pizza slices are another option if bored with sandwiches.

deisemum

In today's news and also on some of the radio shows I think it's the cancer society that are now advising parents not to include processed ham and other processed meats in childrens lunches as there may be a risk of developing bowel cancer later on in life.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8202188.stm

metrovelvet

Oh yeah. Processed meats a big no no. Bad for everyone!

MyDublin

Cheese pieces or cheese string in wrapper (very practical)
Cold chicken piece or drumstick (remove skin of course!)
Small tub of fresh fruit or piece of fruit even better to run and go in the yard.
Yougurt
Smoothie made that morning with all the very best included

deisemum

If you freeze yogurt such as frubes or ordinary cartons of yogurt and put the frozen yogurt in the lunch box it will have defrosted by lunchtime and will still be cool, also helps keep the rest of the lunch cool and reduces the chance of food poisoning especially on warm days.

Cheese scones are popular in my house, saves having to eat sweating cheese

mumto3

Mine like cheese strings,raisins,fruit,yogaurts,crackers with cheese/jam/choclate spread,rice cakes,carrot sticks,chopped peppers,sandwiches.
On a normal day they would have a hama nd cheese sandwich,yogaurt,piece of fruit and raisins(or cheese string,rice cake ect).they also have a small juice drink.
They rarely finish the lot,as they dont have time.
My daughter loves tuna so i put it in a small tube with a plastic fork,but the other kids teased her because it smelt,so that was the end of that,the same can be said for a hard boiled egg.

Quality

Boiled Eggs,
Cubes of cheese
Crackers
Carrot sticks, pepper sticks, cucumber sticks.
Cherry Tomatoes.

Mine love wraps for lunch.