Stuck for lunchbox ideas?
Do you dread doing school lunchboxes each day…?
I thought I might share a week of lunchbox ideas, in case anyone needs a bit of inspiration!
I recommend trying to include the following things in your child's lunchbox each day:
a source of protein
wholegrains / healthy carbs
fruit
vegetables
a healthy snack/treat
a source of good fat
If, like me, you have a child who is too busy to eat at school, I recommend investing in a ‘Fridge to Go’ lunch bag. These lunch bags keep food cool for 8 hours which means they can safely finish any leftovers when they get home in the afternoon! They are not cheap (around $40) but they last a long time and do a great job of keeping food fresh. I’m not affiliated with them, I’ve just had plenty of experience in the lunchbox department!
My three kids all had bento-style lunchboxes when they were at primary school (see photos). I love that type of lunchbox and find them so much easier to put together (and they last for years) but unfortunately my twins informed me that bento lunchboxes are not cool at high school. They still take a healthy, balanced lunch but prefer to have their food in separate containers instead.
A special note for parents of picky eaters:
My third child is a picky eater and there are several things in these lunchboxes that he refuses to eat. He is happy to eat the same things on repeat so I try to find healthy options he will eat and focus on those rather than turning it into a battle. I give him a lot of say in terms of what goes into his lunchbox each day. He doesn’t tend to eat much at school so I make a special effort to give him a good breakfast and dinner!
I hope your children have a happy and stress-free start to the school year :)
Recipes
If you are looking for gluten-free lunchbox ideas, check out this blog post!