Clever lunch box ideas for the new school year
Well the holidays are over and the new school year has started already. If you want to kick the new term off with something a bit different in the way of food for the kids, then we’ve got some great school lunch box ideas that are pretty healthy but with a few treats on the side!
The main event
To make things a bit more interesting, try a few of these awesome lunch ideas for kids:
- Make some quick and tasty pinwheel roll-ups using your favourite flat bread spread with:
- Cream cheese and ham
- Lettuce and a mixture of chopped hard-boiled egg, cottage cheese and mustard
- Left over chicken with asparagus and onion jam
- Try your hand at making tasty rice paper rolls – there are some great recipes to try out over at kidspot and Best Recipes
- If you’re looking for something a bit different, taste.com.au have some pretty awesome ideas. Check out the cauliflower cheese cups, prosciutto and pesto muffins and cheesy-mite pretzels
- For a child who’s a bit fussy, swap out the usual lunch box with a fun and healthy bento box that’s full of surprises. You’ll find 20 easy bento lunch box ideas over at parenting.com
Healthy treats
Make sure you include some treats for your child when you send them off to school but try to keep them nutritious!
Try some healthy Nutella bites that are sure to please (just don’t tell the kids there’s actually no Nutella included!). Simply whiz together in your food processor 2 cups of hazelnut meal, 12 medjool dates (seeds removed), 2 tbsp of cocoa powder and 1–2 tbsp of milk. Once the mixture is well combined, roll into small balls (about one tablespoon at a time), toss in some desiccated coconut, chopped nuts or cocoa powder to coat and refrigerate. Healthy and delicious!
If you’re trying to wean your child off naughty snacks like chips, twisties and burger rings, try adding some healthy roasted chickpeas to their lunchbox. OK if you’re not a chickpea lover this one might not sound so good but trust us, this highly nutritious, crispy little treat might just become your family’s favourite snack! Just rinse and drain 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas and then pat dry between sheets of paper towels (the more moisture you remove, the better they’ll be). Toss the chickpeas with 2 tsp of olive oil and a tsp each of garlic salt, pepper, dried thyme and dried rosemary, then spread in an even layer on an oven tray. Bake in a pre-heated oven (210oC) and roast for 25 minutes. Shake the tray to move the chickpeas around and then continue to roast for another 20–25 minutes until they turn golden brown. Oh my, these are addictive little morsels!
You really can’t go past fruit for a healthy snack, and if your child always reaches past the apples to get to the less healthy options, try making things a bit more interesting by giving them fruit kebabs. Just thread the fruit on to a skewer or paddle pop stick – and if you want to up the game a bit, buy some fun shape cutters to make the fruit even more interesting for little hands!
Thermomix lunches
If you’re time-poor but still want to send the kids off to school with some interesting and nutritious food each day then investing in a thermomix to help you whip up some tasty treats is a great option!
Thermobliss have 12 freezer-friendly lunch box snacks that you can rustle up on the weekend and freeze for later. Make sure you check out the mini zucchini and cheese muffins and the 2-ingredeint apricot slice.
Likewise, Thermohub list some seriously awesome school lunchbox recipes, including spinach and three cheese rolls, lunch box meatballs and sugar free fig and banana bread. Yum!
For novice thermomix converts, check out the ultimate lunch box guide at the road to loving my thermo mixer. If you can’t find a tasty recipe here that you want to try out, you’re seriously not trying hard enough!
Don’t have a thermomix? They are a little on the expensive side but these versatile little machines will save you a whole heap of time and money over the long term! If you don’t have the cash right now, just check out our flexible mini-loans to find out how quick and easy it is to get your hands on some extra funds. Once a loan is approved, we can usually get a payment into your bank account within 24 hours - so you can get your thermomix order in today!