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.
BellyBelly Life Member - Love all your MCN friends
Jun 2004
The Festival State
3,008
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.
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!
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
The Tupperware divided lunchbox is airtight, so no need for plastic wrap or bags. You can even put yoghurt directly into a compartment and it won't leak. Our school has a 'rubbish free' lunch box policy (pertaining to wrappers, although they also recommend no 'rubbish' food!). It's actually pretty easy when you get used to it and is much cheaper to buy things in bulk packets and put a handful in the lunchbox.
We haven't lost a lunchbox (yet!) and I have found Tupperware lasts longer than the other brands, my DD has had hers for almost 5 years with no problems. My DS dropped his and the corner of the lid broke (so not airtight anymore ) but Tupperware replaced the lid for free!
You'll be fine with it! Our school has a "nude food" policy and there is actually competition from the kids as to who can have the least rubbish. The class rooms also compete with it.
The other reason I found to stick with it is the cost. All the bars and snacks cost a fortune (when I haven't baked on the weekend I hate spending the money on them) and I also found the boys got bored with them and if I get lazy they whinge for cookies or slice.
Lastly I try my best to stick to a numbers free diet and commercial snacks are full of additives, preservatives and colours. Even natural colours can set off reactions according to the failsafe diet.
The only thing I can think of right now that no-one has already mentioned is... DS makes up a batch of jelly on a sunday night & devides it into smaller, snack size tubs (sometimes adds fruit) then in a seperate container he has either yoghart or custard which he adds to his set jelly at morning tea time. He's been doing this for years and still loves it!
Bek - Sorry darl, I have only just seen this thread. There is a fantastic cook book called 'Ready, Steady, Lunchbox' and that gives some great ideas!! I made a few of their muffins & would freeze them & just pop in Jess' lunchbox & it would be thawed & ready to eat after lunch. They also had some great breakfast & after school snack recipes in here & everything is really easy to make.
HTH!
Love Jayne
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) but Tupperware replaced the lid for free!
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