Am I kidding myself thinking DD can go to school with minimal pre packed foods?

[AnyDream]

The trickiest part to all of this is the containers, esp if you're trying to steer away from plastic bags, etc for the sake of the environment.

I learnt fairly early on that DD was a bit prone to leaving my tupperware items around, so get used to rummaging through the lost property box regularly (in the classroom and in the office) or stocking up on new ones every so often.

You can freeze your own muffins/slices/ready made sandwiches, and they come out fresh & lovely.
You can also freeze yoghurt in summer, keeps the lunchbox cold or they can eat it still frozen for a change
DD1 quite likes to take cold left over pasta from the night before.
A mixture of a few different things (ie crackers in together with dried fruit) provides variety
We send hot milo or soup when it's really cold in winter.

[Trillian]

I do it, but admit that I have gotten a bit slack lately because I've had a lot on and not a lot of time to do a full weeks worth of baking. But they will always have at least half a lunch box of things that aren't in a packet. Only one tip though - unless you are prepared to either lose a lot of containers, or have a lunchbox come home full of spilt yoghurt from a lid not being put on properly (either when it's full or after they are finished and they don't put the lid back on properly), then it might be best to only use small tubs of yoghurt. I learnt the hard way that it makes their lunch box smell like you wouldn't believe. Sandwiches are what they have for lunch most days because that is what they prefer, but sometimes during summer they have cold meat and salads.

[helle]

For DH (who needs to take a packed lunch everyday because he isn't near any shops etc) I make muffins, sausagerolls (load 'em up with all sorts of vegies! and you can have them cold or hot and they're still yummo), little mini pizza's and of course left over dinner.
There is also the obvious ones... fruit... grapes are a good one! The list is endless really... the only issue i have is containing it all!

I try to keep the amount of $ i'm saving in the back of my mind as motivation!

[Erin_25]

Oh totally it can be done easy, and there are some packaged foods also that are not terrible that you can use also. There are soooo many things you can make and freeze - I actually think it's harder to provide variety with all the packaged stuff and expensive, sure your child will see other stuff & might ask but they will eat what they are used to.

You can get kids thermo's for leftovers.

I always put 2 serves of fruit in Charlie's lunch for Kindy. Today was a banana and a pair, also I put in what I want to eat....given no choice if he is hungry he will eat. Toaday's lunch box was, banana, pear, yogurt, whomeal cruskits with vegimite and a couple home made cookies.

You can make Pikelets (plain, with banana, with appple etc), savoury slices, savoury muffins, sweet muffins, banana bread, cheese & vegemite scrolls, scones, pizza scrolls, pinwheels, pancakes, cookies, muesli bars, trail mix, sausage rolls (full of vegies), pasties (full of vegies), cakes soooo many things.

We also use raw nuts, dried fruits, cereals (some make good snacks), grain bread sandwiches, whomeal crackers with cheese, dips. Vegies with dips.

Ok that's all I can think of now with screaming baby at my feet. Hope that helps.

[Gigi]

the thought of the lunch storage items getting lost is a sticking point. i get the non-PVC lunchboxes, and hadn't understood what the Thermos lunch containers could be used for before, but thanks to Doodlebug, i think i understand now. We've been usign the Thermos Foggo bottles for last few years, but never "got" the lunch containers before.

i'm thinking the food won't be the expensive bit, it will be teh lost/missing/snatched by bigger kids for a joke storage containers that will be the expensive bit. I will send food that will "keep" for a few hours, especially in our heatwave summers (lots of plus 40 temps the whole time bilby has been alive, each of the last four summers.

the foggo bottles are best part of 30 dollars, i wonder if i'll have to switch to plastic bottles, for school.

Is it only the littlies (preps, early grades) that lose the lunch stuff, or is it all agegroups? Prolly sounds silly, but i just can't imagine bilby keeping track of all this stuff, without me around (to do it for her, remind her etc). i hope the preps eat in their classroom or something.

[Rainbow_Mumma]

not kidding yourself at all, DD1 has been at school almost a year now and has taken pre packaged maybe 3 times.

We usually have a sandwich (i also dont use sandwich bags i use a material lunch pack which i made which is more eco friendly and cheaper!)
Yogurt bought in the big tubs
We do baking every weekend and she picks what she would like for school - sometimes muffins, sometimes cake, muesli slice, scones the possiblities are endless just as long as you check with the school first about any allergies.
Veggie sticks - celery, carrot, cucumber
Cheese and sultanas
In summer we get skewers and different types of melon and other fruits (whatever you like really) and freeze them get one out of the freezer in the morning the kids love them.

I'll have a think more when they arent screaming around me!

[helle]

OH!

My SIL makes these little vegemite and cheese twist things...

you get puff pastry and slice it into inch wide peices (and however long you want) put vegemite and cheese on, then put another peice of puff pastry ontop and twist and then bake them in the oven... you can also do it using jam

ETA, this i sgiving me some more great ideas for hubbys lunch box too haha

[~clover~]

You can buy lunch boxes now that have all the seperate compartments.
Mine usually take a sandwich, capsicum, carrots, grapes, jatz & cheese, sao's, bikkies, cupcakes (I make), apple, banana, watermelon (on occasion).
DD2 loves the home brand le snacks, so will take one of them a day. Other than that its a heck of a lot cheaper to not buy the packaged stuff. We'll occasionally get chips or pop corn, but not often. I use resealable bags that I can wash & re use if I have the energy, or I'll put all their fruit in one & bikkies/cakes in the other. I try to use as little as possible. Next year I'm thinking about getting the lunch boxes that have the seperate parts.

ETA - I think DD1 looses more stuff than DD2! DD2 even brings her rubbish home. It all goes straight back in the bag.