Simple Ideas To Help Ease Lunch-Box Dilemmas

Packing school lunches day in and day out can leave any Mum exhausted! It often seems as if there are not enough ideas to get one through the week, never mind the whole term.

Disastrous school lunches

It is no wonder that so many Mums’ allow the tuck-shop or canteen to look after their children’s nutritional needs. However, this is proving to be a national disaster, as the numbers of over weight children mount yearly.

Furthermore, as the links between bad food and future disease increase, it’s wise to take the lunch-box back into the kitchen and make wiser choices.

120 school lunches each year…

When you consider that your child eats, on average, 120 lunches in a school year, those are great opportunities for you to give them nutritious meals.

Use lunch containers that are sturdy, with lids that are airtight. Bright colors, such as the Tupperware options are a great idea.

Some ideas to ease lunch box dilemmas

1. Discover what foods your child really doesn’t want to eat at school. For example, some children will happily eat a mandarin at home, but don’t like the stickiness that can accompany this fruit, at school.

 

1. Find out what foods they really like to eat at school, as then variations of these foods will generally be met with acceptance and be eaten. For example, if your child enjoys tofu sandwiches, then adding tofu to stir fries, and even chopped up into sticks, should also meet with success.

 

1. Make a list of their favourite vegetables and fruits. Adding these to lunch boxes will meet with much more happiness, than trying to get them to enjoy an item that they really don’t like.

 

1. Don’t use new, unknown foods, that they may be unsure of, in lunch boxes. Of course, some children may enjoy this novelty, but generally children are pretty suspicious of new foods at the best of times.

 

1. If you remember that each lunch box should have four main groups in it, it will make packing their lunch a little easier. They should have a main dish, with carbohydrates, protein and good fat in it, a vegetable side, a fruit side, and a snack, which may be seen as a mini-dessert. An example of these four groups could be, a sandwich with hummus and salad, some carrot sticks, an apple and a healthy fruit and nut bar, if nuts are allowed at your child’s school.

 

1. If you ever prepare a lunch box that they really enjoy, make a note of what was in it, and use that as a template for other ideas. Remember, you’ve got a lot of lunch boxes to make in your life, and anything that you do to make it easier is a smart idea.

 

1. If you are planning to make a simple stir-fry for dinner, make a little bit more than you will need, and use the left over’s for your child’s lunch box. Sprinkled with soya sauce, it will have reached room temperature by the time your child eats it, and it will be tasty. Just make sure the vegetables are still crunchy! I normally use plain rice noodles, in the stir fries, which are great the next day too!

 

1. If we’ve had bean nachos for dinner, I simply add some corn crackers to the lunch packet, with the beans in a separate one, and the kids dip the cracker into the beans and enjoy a crunchy, nutritious lunch.

 

1. Having some dips as stand-bys is also a good idea, and the one we find very useful is hummus, as you can use it on sandwiches, or as a dip with crunchy carrot, cucumber and celery sticks. If boys don’t go for the dipping of veggies into humus, you can try the rice roll wraps.

 

1. Veggie sticks on their own are also a nice addition to the lunchbox, as children do enjoy the crunchiness of most foods. Try small cauliflower and broccoli florets too, as well as baby tomatoes.

 

1. Crackers, such as rice, oat and corn varieties are great with hummus or guacamole, as long as you ensure there is a thin layer of lemon juice over the avocado when you pour it into the lunch container, otherwise it turns a sickly brownish color that will put any child off.

 

1. Make some extra salad the evening before, and save it – without any dressing – for rice roll wraps. This is a very simple way for boys to eat a salad, because it’s hidden away inside the roll. You have to make these rolls in the morning, but it only takes a few minutes, as the salad is already done. I usually use some rice noodles too, as they are really simple to soak in warm water for 5 – 10 minutes, and are great in the rolls. Simply soak the rice paper roll in some water, take it out and lay it down on a wax proof piece of paper. Add a tablespoon or so of salad, some rice noodles, if using them, a few drops of soya sauce, and some cubes of tofu if your child enjoys that, and roll it up. Dribble some olive oil over it, so it won’t stick to its neighbors, and then make another one. In the beginning you will think you are all thumbs, but it soon becomes easier. The kids can always try to help with this on the weekend, so they can get into the habit of making them too.

 

1. Salad wraps are even simpler, as they are easier and less fiddly. If you have the salad and some good, uncolored cheese to use, simply fold the salad and other ingredients you are using into the wrap and wrap well so that the ingredients don’t fall out.

 

1. Sweet corn pikelets, or baby pancakes, that have been part of the dinner the night before are also a nice addition to the lunch box the next day, as are fish cakes. They are easy to eat and taste good the next day at room temperature.

 

1. Sandwiches are always the traditional standby, but don’t fall into the trap of using the same ingredients every day. Use hummus, and a variety of salad ingredients to make them interesting and nutritious. If you use cheese or meats, add salad ingredients too, so that they get fresh, raw nutrients too. Although boiled eggs don’t smell wonderful on sandwiches, they are nutritious and some children love egg-salad sandwiches.

 

1. If you’ve made sushi for dinner, then adding that to your child’s lunchbox the next day makes for a really fuss-free morning. Ensure there are crunchy veggies in the sushi rolls.

 

1. People often wonder what to use as a spread for their sandwiches, if they wisely choose to avoid margarine. Organic butter is a great choice, as is a sprinkle of olive oil, which the Mediterranean people have been using for hundreds of years.

 

1. If the school allows you to send nuts to school, then a variety of nuts with some dried cranberries, blueberries, sultanas, raisins or apricots make a nutritious addition to a healthy lunch. If not, provide them for your child after school.

 

1. If you’re making a batch of muffins on the weekend, make a few extra, and freeze them for use during the week. This makes a nice change and a treat for your child.

 

1. Save some cookies, from weekend baking, and add one or two to their lunch box.

 

1. Ditto for cake, which would also be an occasional treat, but much appreciated because of it.

 

1. If you’ve made some coconut chocolate clusters, keep them hidden away in the back of the fridge and send one or two to school on Fridays as a special treat.

 

1. Fresh fruit should always be an addition to your child’s lunch box, with the minerals, vitamins, natural sugar and fiber that the contain increasing their overall nutrient content.

 

1. Chocolate Goji berries are a great treat, if you make sure the variety you are purchasing contains unrefined sugar and it is only a rare treat.

 

1. If you choose to buy the so-called healthy bars that are so useful for after school snacks and additions to your child’s lunch box, first check the ingredients, as most of them are not healthy at all, and use as much sugar as normal snack bars, and contain damaged fats too.

 

1. If you choose to give them potato crisps as a treat, then purchase organic ones, which don’t use damaged oil in their production process. They are better than the ones that are covered in artificial additives, and damaged oils, although they should still be an occasional treat only.

 

1. Popcorn is a great snack, if drizzled with some olive oil and sprinkled with a good herb salt. If you don’t yet have a popcorn maker, invest in one. Your children can make their own bowls of popcorn for movies at home as well as taking some to school to share with their friends. Popcorn is much healthier than crisps and so easy to make with a popcorn maker.

 

1. Rather send unsweetened rice or nut milk drinks (if the school allows nuts), instead of juice, as the acid in the fruit juice is no good for their teeth, and the concentrated fructose in the juice simply gets them used to overly sweet food and drink items. However, water is still the best choice and that should form part of your child’s lunch pack everyday.

Don’t lose hope of converting them to healthier lunches

Don’t try to convert your child to healthy, packed school lunches overnight if they have been used to tuck-shop or canteen food for years. Start slowly, with small snacks at first, working your way up to full lunches. You will be rewarded with a healthier child, who is more attentive and focused at school, and you’ll feel proud of being a Mum who is making a difference in the long term health of your child. You’ll also be rewarded with your child’s better moods and improved immunity.