Summer holiday lunch ideas

The summer holidays are fast approaching and if you are anything like me i tend to fall into a real rutt with making lunches. My eldest has school dinners usually and so isnt as happy with just a sandwich as his little brother is, coupled with the cost of living crisis for many keeping our kids fed and full over the summer can be a real concern.

Firstly if you are in need of help i have added some contact details of local organisations who may be able to help, i would also recommend the Olio app.

Before we start:

This is by no means an expert list, im not a nutritionist and i don't claim to be but i've listed just a few meals that my children personally enjoy eating, i try and include a form of protein in as many as possible and serve veg with every lunch idea alongside a piece of fresh fruit and water.

I serve veg crudents a lot with lunches, as they are cheap and healthy. I buy a whole bag of cheap carrots for example which go a long way and my kids love. I havent costed snacks into the prices below but i typically give each child a little basket with their snacks for the day in and its up to them when they eat it. This might include fresh or dried fruit, nuts, crisps or flapjacks .

Dont forget

Save money and cut waste by getting economical with those left overs. Freeze leftovers for future lunches, just remember to label what is is and when you froze it.

Have left over chicken ? Use it in wraps or on your pizzas etc. Personally i love to cook a whole chicken in my slow cooker for sunday dinner. It then provides so much chicken which just slides off the bone and can easily be used for another one or two meals or lunches beyond sunday.

Do your kids love dried fruit? Think ahead and buy a large bag at the start of the holidays and portion into smaller pots. It all adds up.

What i have done is list 14 ideas for lunch that my children personally like and i have costed the price of ingredients from tescos unless otherwise started the ingredients provided would serve 4. The cost of these ingredients (to serve 4- 2 adults and 2 kids ) was £16.58. Obviously this could be done cheaper if you shopped around or made some swaps to your personal tastes etc but hopefully it gives you an idea. 

• Cheese Pinwheels- use our 2 ingredient pizza dough recipe and either some tomato puree or if you dont have some use ketchup or alternative and come grated cheese. This doubles up as an activity they love to help with too. Serve with your choice of dip and veg crudents. 
• Pasta and sauce- simple but effective, i like to set up little bowls of toppings for a top your own pasta station, i either make my own sauce (recipe here) or buy a basic one, i would serve with things like chopped pepper or sweetcorn and grated cheese.
• Ham and Cheese Toastie - simple but filling! 
• Home made lunchables- use your choice of cracker and use a cookie cutter to cut cheese and ham to size place of a chopping board and let them get creative, serve with cucumber and carrot sticks
• Beans on toast- another quick , cheap and healthy idea. My kids prefer their beans in a bowl to stop their toast going soggy!
• Mini Pancakes - use our pancake recipe here ( you can make ahead and freeze these if you like) top with banana and some jam or honey if you have some.
• Mini Pizzas - using the same recipe as the cheese pinwheels make your own little pizzas for lunch with the added bonus that you can up the veg content if you want to. Make my hidden veggie sauce for the toppings if you have time for a sneaky way to get a bit of extra goodness in.
• Ham and Cheese or Chicken and Bacon Quisedella - i havent costed in the chicken and bacon but if you have any lurking in the fridge or as leftovers from other meals id highly recommend that too. Simple sandwich your filling between two wraps and heat gently in a pan, flipping half way through. i like to serve with veg crudents and a plain yougurt dipping sauce.
• Sweetcorn Fritters - using the same recipe as the pancakes but add a large can of sweetcorn and salt and pepper to taste to make these savoury pancakes (top with a little cheese if you are feeling fancy) serve with you've guessed it veg crudents and your choice of dip.
• Boiled egg and crudents, not one for everyone ill admit but my kids love a boiled egg, Ill often serve with some leftover bread and crudents.
• Tuna Mayo Pasta, pasta, tuna, sweetcorn and mayo, simple and also makes a great picnic food when served cold.
• Fish Finger sandwiches - an old favourite serve with peas on the side.
• Pitta Bread and Houmous - another great picnic food and one thats packed with protein, serve with cucumber and carrot sticks.
• Jacket Potatoes with beans and cheese - an old favourite with slow releasing carbsand a good helping of fibre.

If you are in need of help this summer

If you are struggling to fill those cupboards this summer please know there is help and support on offer locally. We have linked two local services who may be able to help this summer and beyond. 

Hertfood 

Feeding Hungry Families| Jedidiah UK | United Kingdom

We hope these ideas help and we wish you a wonderful summer .

Kayleigh & The Boys

XxxX