I am not a big sandwich eater and as a result we tend to eat other foods for lunch at home. This tradition has continued since both girls have started school. They will go through short spurts of requesting sandwiches but most of the time they ask for alternatives. While cold meat and salad is my go to sandwich alternative, with many days and years of school lunches ahead of us I like to have other choices on offer. Here are some or our favourite sandwich alternatives, and some tips for general tips for school lunches from my years as a teacher and a mama.
15 Lunch Box Ideas for Kids Who Don’t Like Sandwiches
- Fried rice in a child’s lunch thermos (here’s our favourite fried rice recipe)
- Tuna patties (eaten cold with salad)
- Homemade bangers (sausages)
- Baked beans in a child’s lunch thermos (here’s the recipe for our homemade Baked Beans)
- Rice paper rolls filled with chicken, cucumber, carrot and bean sprouts
- Homemade, oven baked chicken nuggets
- Pizza rolls or savoury scrolls
- Boiled egg and salad
- French toast/Eggy bread (here’s how I make French Toast fun in lunch boxes)
- Sushi
- Rice or pasta salad
- Toasted sandwiches – they eat them cold! Here’s how I stop them from going soggy
- Mini quiche (here’s my go-to, super easy mini quiche recipe)
- Omelette, chopped into strips
- Cold meat, salad and pasta or crackers
A few lunch box tips from my years as a teacher and now a Mum…
- It is always a good idea to introduce (potentially) new lunch box foods at home first and school holidays/vacation offer the perfect opportunity to do so (though weekends work well too). For example, Immy and I experimented with pizza scrolls (like those shown above) during the recent school holidays.
- A small, wide mouthed thermos is great for keeping lunch foods warm. We have a Foogo by Thermos. Just like new foods, give your child the opportunity to use any new containers at home first.
- I try to balance Immy’s lunch box by being sure to include a serve of carbohydrate (preferably those of the slow release kind for sustained energy), protein and dairy each day, alongside with a fruit and a vegetable.
Our favourite lunch box containers
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If you are looking for more ideas, and hang out on Pinterest, my Lunch Box Ideas board which contains links to recipes for many more suggestions. You can follow me on Pinterest here.
These suggestions are based on my research and experiences as both a teacher and a Mum, they do not constitute nutritional advice.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of sandwich alternatives?
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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
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