The lunch box fills me with dread. I likened it to a monster in this article I wrote for Coles: The Lunch Box Monster. You see, every school day, I need to think of food items to include in 3-4 lunch boxes that are healthy, yum and will keep well. It’s a huge challenge for me.
Thinking Differently About the Lunch Box
This past couple of weeks, I’ve been chatting to mum of two and dietitian Kate Di Prima about lunch box food. There are two main things I’ve trialed:
1. Including More Protein: Protein provides long lasting energy for kids. I now look for ways to include some form of protein like lean red meat (beef and lamb), fish, egg or legumes (like baked beans). Kate tells me these deliver a boost of essential nutrients – particularly iron – needed for concentration and being active.
2. Using Leftovers: Saving food from dinner to convert into food for the lunch box, saves both time and money.
In the past, I have been afraid to use meat in the lunch box because I’m worried it will spoil. However, by using a insulated lunch bag with an ice brick, meat keeps, and my kids eat it at the first break. Kate tells me this is safe and has more brilliant lunch box tips here: Lunch Box Tips.
A Week of School Lunches
This is the sort of inspiration I needed: For a week, I converted our family dinners into lunches for the kids. It was fabulous and changed the way I think about lunch box food.
All the recipes are easy and delicious (especially the Tandoori Lamb Chops and Chicken Burrito Wraps) and are here on the blog via the links below. I have also listed all the food items I used in the lunch box too.
1.
Sunday Dinner: Tandoori Lamb Chops
Monday Lunch Box
Lunch: Tin corn, cherry tomatoes, lamb chop
Baked: Banana cake
Fruit: Blueberries
Snack: Rice Crackers
2.
Monday Dinner: Tuna Pasta Bake
Tuesday Lunch Box
Lunch: Cold Tuna Pasta Salad
Baked: Hot cross bun
Fruit: Nectarine
Snack: Carrots and Snow Peas
3.
Tuesday Dinner: Winter Meatloaf
Wednesday Lunch Box
Lunch: Snow peas & cherry tomato with mini meatloaf with tomato sauce as a dipper.
Baked: Mini coconut bread
Fruit: Pear
Snack: Corn on the Cob
4.
Wednesday Dinner: Mexican Chicken Burrito Wraps
Thursday Lunch Box
Lunch: Chick Wrap
Baked: Fruit Salad Muffins
Fruit: Pear
Snack: Corn on the cob & carrot stick
5.
Thursday Dinner: Corned Beef
Friday Lunch Box
Lunch: Corned beef and mustard sandwich
Baked: Fruit Salad Muffins
Fruit: Banana
Snack: Half an avocado (leave the seed in and sprinkle a bit of lemon juice to ensure freshness)
6.
Friday Dinner: Family Pizza
Lunch Box Idea
Lunch: Pizza
Fruit: Black grapes
Vegetables: Tin corn & carrot
Snack: Rice Crackers
Printable
If you want all the recipes in one PDF, click here: Family Dinners and Lunch Box Ideas
What I Have Found
This challenge has changed the way I think about food for the lunch box. We now eat less protein at dinner, and include more during the day. I noticed a marked difference in my own energy levels, and my children too. My daughter came home from school one day and said, “The meat in my lunch box makes me fuller.”
As a bonus, it takes less time to prepare the lunch boxes because they already half done. So, if you’re looking for lunch box inspiration, think about converting leftovers from dinner into lunch the next day. This makes it easy to include some form of protein in the lunch box.
I still don’t love making lunches but I feel inspired as an entire new range of food ideas has been opened up to me.
Links
*Kate Di Prima provided me the dinner recipes and I made up my own lunch box ideas.
Lunch Boxes
I purchased the lunch boxes in the photos from Lunchboxes With Love. They are a Bento brand which are brilliant.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Some great ideas here , though we don’t have many leftovers. I need to cook more maybe so we do.
We don’t usually have many leftovers either but I planned to cook a little more and it saved me heaps of time…plus I found the kids weren’t quite as hungry at dinner.
What lovely lunches you create! So much more inspired than the Vegemite sandwiches I grew up with. Your kids most love opening up their lunch boxes. Everything looks fun to eat and great idea to use leftovers, I love your photo guide too.
Kelly you are an inspiration. My lunch boxes have been getting a little daggy lately. It’s funny my kids want plain foods for school (Spread sanga, piece of fruit and homemade something for morning tea) – but will eat just about anything at home (vege slices etc).
So it’s what they want for school and what I want them to have when they get home! Tolerated compromise
What an awesome post Kelly. Leftovers are great to use! Time & Money saver for sure.
Thank you for the inspiration. I’m totally going to try corn on the cob in Annie’s lunch – she is almost vegetarian and I’m struggling to find food for her lunch box. Cheese and boiled eggs are great. We’ve always included extra protein in Heidi’s lunch boxes as I learned early on it helped avert meltdowns.
I actually like doing the lunches, I use food picks etc from Lunchboxes With Love & they’re great. I was a bit wary of including meat in the boxes but might give it a try more often. We use little lady beetle shaped silicon pans to make ricotta bakes with spinach & corn which the kids love. Bought the pans from a cheap shop for $2.
Can you come live with me Shannon? Ha. LOVE the fruit picks from LBWL too.
LOL sorry Kelly, already had a teacher ask me to adopt her. Sad but true, it’s my only creative outlet at the moment.
My mum must have been before her time, I often had leftovers in my lunch box
She always put meat in there – no cooler brick, no fridge and I ate it at lunch time. It never spoiled and I never got sick. Perhaps I have a tough stomach
I like making mini-quiches in muffin trays. They freeze and can be thrown into a lunch box still frozen to defrost before lunch. Also, we often use left-overs such as sushi and left-over pasta. The boys love sushi. I usually have to cook extras anyway as my husband has left-overs while he is working night shifts.
Oh my. Can I just say I’m very jealous that your child get’s to eat those amazing lunches! He must think you are the best Mum in the world! Great photos too.
okay……I’m 40 but can you adopt me as your child??? Unfortunately my fusspots would turn their nose up at such delights. (sigh)
Love these ideas but unfortunately my children don’t have access to a microwave to heat any of these types of lunches. I’ve ended the complaining about lunch in my household by having my kids make their own once they enter kindergarten. Call me a lazy mom, but I haven’t had any complaints either. LOL
My kids don’t have access to a fridge either but all of these things can be enjoyed cold too. When I talked to the dietitian, she said protein can be kept very safely in a lunchbox with a cold pack. Read more of her tips here –> http://beafunmum.com/2012/03/lunch-box-tips/
Just a FYI our Kindergarten was advised by the Office Early Childhood Education and Care that we are not to have children bring lunches in cooler bags with or without ice bricks because once the bag is opened (just say morning tea) and leaves warm air in it then closes the warm air in when you pack it away for lunch. As a result we bought large fridges so we didn’t have to worry about it anymore as everyone is contstantly telling you something different!!
If only that was enough food for my 7 year old boy!! I send 3 peices of fruit, cheese and crackers, muesli bar, sandwich, yoghurt and a salami stick or some deli meat and nothing comes home!!
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