35 sandwich fillers for back to schoolers!

Are you looking for lunchbox ideas for the kids going back to school? Packing lunch boxes can be a real headache and I feel your pain! I’ve been packing them, thinking about them, buying for them for the past 11 years and it's still a pain! For the average Irish child going to school (based on my own assumptions!) sandwiches are where it’s at. So I've put together a list of 36 back to school sandwich fillings for you to try out (if you haven’t already).

I’ve focused on the different types of proteins here because I think it’s so important for your children to be eating protein at meals. Protein keeps them fuller for longer and is vital for growing bodies.

This is in no way a complete list so I’d love to hear from you in the comments about what sandwich fillings you use in the lunch boxes?

Chicken

1. Plain roast chicken - leftover from the night before or cook one at the start of the week for sandwiches

2. Roast chicken with lettuce and tomato and mayonnaise*.

3. Roast chicken chopped up with mayonnaise, curry powder, chopped rocket and chopped grapes

4. Boil some chicken breasts and when cooled, chop or pull apart. Mix with mayonnaise and sweetcorn.

5. Cooked chicken mixed with finely chopped celery, chopped apples and mayonnaise

Egg

6. Hard boiled egg with butter

7. Egg mayonnaise

8. Scrambled egg with avocado - yes the eggs will be cold but still delicious!

9. Hard boiled egg mashed with ripe avocado

9. Egg salad sandwich - a throwback to the 80’s! Mix hard boiled egg with chopped lettuce, spring onion, diced cucumber and mayonnaise

10. Chopped hard-boiled egg mixed with slivers of smoked salmon, chopped lettuce, dill, lemon juice and mayonnaise (might be a bit posh for lunch boxes but try it at home first - starting with a small amount of smoked salmon if that’s not their thing and gradually increasing the quantity!)

Tuna

11. Tuna and mayonnaise mixed. Our favourite tuna is Shine’s Tuna.

12. Tuna, mayonnaise and sweetcorn mixed with finely chopped lettuce

13. Tuna, mayonnaise and grated carrot mixed

14. Tuna, mayonnaise, finely chopped pepper, chopped gherkin and lettuce

15. Mix a tin of tuna and a tin of salmon together (salmon is great for brain-healthy omega 3’s and a source of calcium from all those edible bones!). Add some mayonnaise, diced celery and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Cheese

16. Plain cheddar cheese sandwich with or without butter - try different types of cheese

17. Cheese and lettuce, tomato on the side**

18. Cream cheese mixed with slivers of smoked salmon with chopped lettuce

19. Cream cheese mixed with finely diced pepper, cucumber and spring onion

20. Cheddar cheese with sliced grapes or apples

21 Cheese and onion - use spring onion rather than red or brown onion which might stink out the lunch boxes!

22. Grilled halloumi with lettuce and roasted peppers

23. Goats cheese with caramelised onions - this one might need some practice at home before going in the lunch boxes (or maybe not - your child might love goats cheese!)

24. Cheese and banana - I send the banana in whole with a safe knife so the kids can slice the banana up in school and pop it into the sandwich.

Hummus

25. Plain hummus - we love our Happy Pear hummus if we don’t make our own.

26. Hummus with cheese

27. Hummus with lettuce, cucumber and roasted red peppers

28. Hummus with grated carrot, lettuce and beetroot

29. Hummus with thin apple slices

Turkey
30. Plain turkey - roast or panfried - leftovers from dinner

31. Leftover roast turkey with cranberry sauce

32. Turkey, lettuce, bacon and tomatoes on the side

Ham

33. Plain ham with butter or mustard

34. Ham and cheese - mix it up with shredded lettuce, tomato on the side, add some mustard etc.

35. Ham, cheese and apple - as the apple is in a sandwich with other ingredients, it is harder to

spot the browning and might be a good way to get your kids to eat apples

36. Ham and pineapple with chopped lettuce - dry the pineapple before you pop it into the sandwich and place it between the ham and the lettuce to minimise sogginess

A note on bread:

These fillings can be used in almost any type of breads - wholemeal sliced bread, rolls, wraps, soda bread, ciabatta, sour dough, bagels etc. We favour wholemeal everything in this house (much to my children’s chagrin!). If your kids are not brown bread lovers - try mixing one slice crown with one slice white to get them used to it!

And if your child is not keen on trying new fillings, at least try vary the bread from time to time.

*I know I’ve used mayonnaise in a lot of these options. You could substitute plain yoghurt instead although i’m not sure how well it would last in lunch boxes.

** we’re not a fan of soggy sandwiches in this house which is why the tomatoes are left on the side