When putting together a “Magical Lunchbox” include a variety of healthy foods from each of the food groups (breads and cereals, fruit and vegetables, lean meats or protein substitutes, and dairy foods). Healthy lunchbox suggestions are outlined below under the following headings: 1) The Main Meal, 2) Dairy, 3) Fruit and vegetables, and 4) Snacks. This way you can mix and match healthy ideas, provide variety and interest and ensure a balanced meal. Time and space precludes me from outlining recipes, although there are many recipe books available on the market.
1. The Main Meal
- Leftovers from the night before
- Sandwiches with simple fillings on different types of breads (pita, rolls, jaffles, bagels, french, paninis, muffins, crumpets, mixed grain, wholemeal, high-fibre white, rice or corn cakes etc) cut in small sizes for little people.
Try these sandwich fillings:
- Light cream cheese, grated carrot, sultanas and celery
- Low-fat cheddar cheese, sliced apple and celery
- Cottage cheese, celery tuna and sprouts
- Cottage cheese, chopped dates, pineapple and sprouts
- Avocado, celery, tomato and lettuce
- Avocado, grated carrot and bean sprouts
- Lean ham and fruit chutney
- Chopped skinless chicken, cottage cheese and tabouli
- Mashed bananas and cottage cheese
- Homos, dried tomato and sprouts
- Quiches
- Pastas and noodle dishes
- Rice dishes
- Fish cakes, nuggets
- Potato baked or as salads ie: withtuna, cheese etc.
- Meat and vegetable filled triangles
- Boiled eggs (kept cool in the lunchbox)
- Chicken nuggets
- Pizza
- Baked beans or tinned spaghetti
2. Dairy
- Plain or flavoured milk (or Soy with calcium added). Try freezing the night before.
- Yogurts, fruche, fromage frais, fruit and custard packs, tropical smoothies, mousses, ricotta and yogurt dip, yogurt jellies, and rice custards, plain custards.
- Cheese fingers, slices, triangles
3. Fruit & Vegetables
- Fresh fruit (children tend to prefer it sliced which is easier to handle). For cut fruit that tends to go brown i.e. Apples - squeeze lemon juice
- Fruit snacks
- Dried fruit
- Jellied fruit
- Canned fruit
- Fruit juice (frozen popper used as ice block) 100% fruit juice preferred.
- Fruit salad
- Fruit kebabs (ie. piece of banana, strawberry, rock melon and paw paw per kebab)
- Frozen oranges
- Fruity yogurt salad
- Cherry tomatoes (for children older than 5 years as they can be a choking risk)
- Fruit smoothies and fruit whips
- Celery, carrot or zucchini sticks topped with soft cheese and sultanas
- Corn (canned or microwaved\steamed)
4. Snacks
- Healthy cakes, fruit buns and biscuits
- Pikelets, Muffins and scones
- Muesli and fruit bars (check food labels and choose brands lower in sugar)
- Celery boats
- Rice cakes or low-fat cracker biscuits with scrape of reduced fat cheese or vegemite
- Rice crackers or baked wheat pretzels
- Mini wheat or weetbix breakfast cereal
- Popcorn and you could add a small amount of dried fruit for variety
- Pita chips (cut pita bread into triangles, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes)
Despite all the theory and best intentions in the world, children can be unpredictable, unfathomable and exasperating, and therefore, putting theory into practice is always a challenging.
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