Packing a school lunch box is a not-so-easy task, so we’ve created this colllection of tasty lunch box ideas for the year ahead.
When packing your child’s lunch box, it’s all about clever ideas to keep it interesting and appealing.
How to pack the perfect lunch box
The key to keeping children alert and active throughout the afternoon at school is through a balanced lunch. There are various components to include in your child’s lunch box:
- Lean protein such as meat, chicken, fish or eggs.
- Dairy such as yoghurt or cheese.
- Healthy carbohydrates, including wholemeal or wholegrain bread, wraps, crackers, pasta, rice or other grains.
- Fresh fruit and vegies, packed as whole pieces (apples, carrots, cherry tomatoes and mini cucumbers, for example) or cut up and in small containers.
As well as recess and lunch, many schools will break for ‘crunch and sip’ during the mid-morning. Fruit or vegetable sticks and a drink of water are usually good ‘crunch and sip’ options.
Plan & prepare
To make your mornings easier, think about what will go in your child’s lunch box with these ideas:
- Choose foods that can be prepared either the day before or even on the weekend, and then frozen or refrigerated.
- Cut a week’s worth of vegetable sticks on Sunday; they’ll keep all week, portioned in containers.
- Bake double batches of muffins, cakes, scones, pastries etc. and freeze.
Another great tip is to use the leftovers from your dinner. A roast chicken makes great sandwiches, a piece of quiche or zucchini slice can be saved, or put a little pasta aside and turn it into a pasta salad.
Fresh fruit is nature’s ‘no preparation required’ individually packaged snack food. It’s high in fibre, vitamins and minerals and ideal for the lunch box. If you do want to give your child cut-up fruit, however, you can do this the night before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Food safety
Once a box is packed and on its way to school, keeping the contents cool is the key to food safety. There are some great and affordable lunchbox and refrigerated bag options out there with frozen ice packs. If you don’t have one, freezing a plastic bottle of water or juice will do the same thing, and will go down a treat on a hot summer’s day once thawed. Yoghurt can also be frozen overnight and will be thawed and ready to eat by recess. Packing sandwiches straight from the freezer will also keep things chilled for just that extra bit longer.
The lowest risk foods for spoilage are vegies and fruit, dried foods (crackers, biscuits etc) and items such as muesli bars, dried fruits and popcorn.
For hot food, a thermos flask will hold foods at the right temperature for hours. It can keep soups, casseroles, rice dishes, pasta etc. hot for up to six hours. Consider pre-heating the thermos by carefully filling with hot water from the kettle for a few minutes, then draining, wiping dry and immediately filling and sealing.
Tasty lunch box recipes
Easy, cheesy savoury muffins
Air fryer muesli bars
Tuna sushi sandwiches
Raspberry muffins
Pizza scrolls
Mini crustless quiche with bacon & tomato
Julie Goodwin’s muesli slice
Our best banana bread recipe
Air fryer banana muffins
Oven baked pumpkin fritters
Cheese and Vegemite scrolls
Banana and date muffins
Air fryer popcorn-coated chicken with honey BBQ sauce
Air fryer banana bread
High-fibre mixed berry Weetbix smoothie
Pick-your-protein rice paper roll
Cheese and bacon scones
Basic cheese muffins
Brekkie bliss balls
Our go-to basic muffin recipe
Date and apricot loaf
Apricot bliss balls
Lunchbox eggs with everything-bagel seasoning
Corn and buttermilk fritters
Blueberry breakfast muesli bars
Apricot choc-chip muesli bars
Wheaty banana muffins
Leftover cereal slice
Chocolate Weetbix slice
Zucchini and sweet potato loaf
Zucchini and corn bread
Classic beef and vegetable pasties
Zucchini slice with carrot and bacon
Zucchini and cheese fritters
Date scones
Tasty tuna croquettes
Zucchini slice
Cheesymite scrolls
Zucchini and corn muffins
Raspberry and banana mini muffins
Quick chicken nuggets
Ham, cheese and zucchini pizza scrolls
Mini ham, cheese and tomato frittatas
Mini tomato and cheese quiches
Chicken and mango rice paper rolls
Lunch box pasta salad
Banana and blueberry bread
Spotty cookies
Lemon and currant loaf
