The holidays are nearly over here in Oz, which means it’s back to school and back to the daily concerns about lunchboxes. What foods to put in them? Will the kids eat it? Is it nutritious?
Lunchboxes don’t have to be the bane of a parent’s existence! Here are a few things you can do right now to end all lunchbox dramas and make the beginning of the school term a great time to start a new change in your family – a change to easy, additive free, healthy lunches for school. The benefits? No more morning hassles, wasted food and misbehaving little food werewolves, just happy, healthy calm kids who enjoy opening their lunchboxes each day!
Have a school holiday cook up
Educate the kids about the joys of fresh food and cooking their own lunchbox treats by having a school holiday cook up. Get the kids to pick their top three favourite lunchbox foods and have a day of cooking up delicious treats. The most important bit? Get them involved and cooking with you! Kids are far more likely to eat something they’ve created themselves.
Tip: Pick easy recipes that basically involve throwing a few simple ingredients into a bowl and mixing before cooking. Easy enough for kids to do, quick and economical.
Store your treats the smart way
Label and store your creations in the fridge or freezer in ready-to-grab portions for a quick morning lunchbox fill. It helps create independent little beings who pack their own lunch in the morning, saving you time and debates. Plus, it only takes a few recipes to stock your freezer for a month! By cooking up a few double batches of muesli bars, sausage rolls, savoury and sweet muffins, and freezing a few leftover dinners such as soups and quiches, you can have lunchbox fillers for a few weeks ready to go.
Want to go that little step further? 
For a comprehensive approach to creating calm kids with nutritious lunch boxes, sign up to my free newsletter and you’ll receive a free mini ebook The Silver Bullet Lunchbox – totally devoted to this very topic. You can sign up by clicking here.
As outlined in The Silver Bullet Lunchbox, making a menu plan with the kids can be the best thing since sliced bread! It takes the headaches out of morning choices, creates independent little beings and fills lunch boxes with their healthy choices, based on their favourite tastes. And it’s as simple as making a few rules about what they have to eat each day to keep the nutrition in their lunchbox (eg: dairy, savoury/vegetables, fruit, etc), getting some ideas from the kids on what they like to eat, then putting their favourite meal choices into a menu plan and mixing it up to cover a few weeks.
Are your kids gluten free?
How about making your own fresh bread to slice and freeze for guaranteed healthy additive free lunchbox options… Click here for simple tips to bake your own gluten free bread.
Still stuck for ideas?
If your kids aren’t forthcoming with ideas for lunchbox fillers, think outside the sandwich! Here are a few suggestions to get you started. You will find many of these recipes in my mini eBook. Otherwise, click here for some more recipes and ideas.
- Vege sticks with avocado and cream cheese dip
- Mini quiches
- Chia seed yoghurt with muesli slice
- Popcorn
- Cheese and crackers
- Rice paper rolls full of yummy veges and cheese
- Cheesy meatballs
- Homemade sausage rolls
- Honey soy chicken drumsticks
- Homemade vege chips
- Tuna pasta salad
- Mini cheese muffins
Remember, the more you involve your kids in choosing what to eat, the more chance you have of them eating it! So hop in the kitchen now and get cooking with your kids – a great way to end the school holidays!
What are your kids favourite lunchbox snacks? I’d love to hear some more ideas! Share yours by clicking here to visit my Facebook page.
Happy Cooking!
Loren x
