Packing a lunch box for you child can be a daunting task. There's lack of time, lack of inspiration, fussy children to name a few of the barriers to happy lunch boxing.
The lunch box is an important part of ones eating. For children its often most of their meals for the day. My little boy will sometimes have 5 of his 6 meals at nursery school. We should therefore try to plan the lunch box to ensure it contains foods from all the food groups.
In 24 hours I would like my child to eat:
2 servings of meat/meat alternatives
5 servings of vegetables and fruits
Cereals and grains with each main meal
2-3 servings of milk/milk alternatives
Plan the lunch box so the between breakfast and dinner these are covered!
Here are some ideas...
Cereals and grains:
Sandwiches/wraps/bagels
Hot-cross buns
Scones
Muffins
Pasta salad
Potato salad
Cous cous salads
Crackers
Rice cakes
Vegetables and Fruit:
Add tomato, cucumber, lettuce etc to sandwiches if you are allowed
Add roasted veg to salads
A salad
Veggie sticks - these are often better accepted with a dip like hummus or mayonnaise.
Fresh fruit
Dried fruit
Canned fruit
Gerkins
Meat and Meat alternatives:
Add chicken, tuna, egg, peanutbutter, roast beef, ham
Hummus
Biltong
Sliced chicken or other cold meats
Boiled egg - watch the smell!
Meatballs
Milk and Milk alternatives:
Add cheese to a sandwich or grated cheese to a muffin/scones - this can be cream cheese or a harder cheese like cheddar/gouda
Serve cheese muffins/scones
Add feta to salads
Blocks of cheddar cheese or wedges of cream cheese like Kiri/Melrose
Yoghurt
Drinking Yoghurt.
Trouble shooting
Soggy sandwiches? Wrap the sandwich in some paper towel.
Soggy cheese and tomato sandwiches? - Wrap the sandwich in some paper towel and salt the bread not the tomato.
Warm lunch? - Pack an ice brick into the lunch cooler bag
No time? - Prepare lunch boxes the night before
Let me know what works for you, and please share your own ideas. We can never get enough inspiration for the lunch box.