What should I put in my child's school lunchbox?

• Sandwiches & Rolls - filling ideas include, ham, cheese, marmite, peanut butter, cream cheese, cucumber, tomato and combo’s of these.
• Wraps - filling ideas include ham or chicken avocado, cheese & lettuce
• Pasta - plain or add chopped ham, cheese, cherry tomatoes, corn or whatever you have in the fridge. Call it “surprise” pasta and just maybe it’ll get eaten….
• Sushi - with avocado, cucumber or tuna
• Cheese & crackers - plain square crackers, cheese crackers, rice crackers and more. There’s a huge range of crackers in the supermarket. Have a few different types in your cupboard to change out each day for variety. Add some sort of cheese (cottage, cream or a hard cheese) for something a bit more interesting. Some of the cheese will even double as a dipper for veggie sticks - win!
• Pinwheel scrolls - whether it’s marmite & cheese, blueberry & cream cheese or ham & cheese, the options are limited only by your imagination (ok, and maybe your kids taste buds!)
• Yoghurt - plain or jazzed up with chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts or fruit. Use individual pouches or purchase reusable pouches/containers to portion up a large tub, better for your budget and less waste.
• Fresh fruit - the key is variety and colour to keep interest. Use a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning.
• Veggie sticks - carrot, cucumber, celery, capsicum. Again, variety and colour is the key. Add a dip, such as hummus or cottage cheese for extra flavour.
• Muffins - banana choc chip, spinach & cheese, blueberry. Lots of options for variety!
• Eggy cups (or quiche) - Mix egg, cheese and veg or meat such as ham, then bake in a mini muffin tin. These can also be frozen for a quick lunch fix!
• Cheese - Cubes or sticks of hard cheese
• Fritters - Chickpea, corn or vege - add a dip for interest
• Popcorn (following age-appropriate guidelines)
• Weetbix Bites
• Bliss Balls
• Mini pancakes - plain, banana, courgette or “Hulk” (spinach) mini pancakes (because sometimes it’s all in the name)

• We may all dream of having our cupboards constantly filled with baking and a range of lunchbox items, but the reality is, most of us don’t have time. Many parents however have suggested baking / prepping in advance and freezing a stash of goodies, to pull out as and when needed. This not only saves time each day, but also helps keep the lunchbox cooler for longer.

  
  

  One mum started a Sunday afternoon baking ritual. She loves being able to fill the freezer, have the kids help (despite the mess!) and get the kids involved in choosing what to include in their lunches.   Sunday baking ideas include muffins, bliss balls, scones, scrolls and more. Another baking hack is to double (or triple) your batch of baking - double the amount for one effort!. Cookie dough is a great option for doubling / tripling the recipe. Bake a portion that same day and then split the rest of the batch up in the freezer, ready to bake when time is short. Great for those last minute “bring a plates” that you’ve forgotten about!

Let’s face it, morning’s can be a rush and it’s hard to provide variety when you’re in a rush. One way to avoid this is by making a bulk lot of dinner and then using it through the week. For example, if you’re making:

• Pizza, make an extra pizza then either use leftovers in your child’s lunchbox or slice and freeze, then whip a piece out the freezer in the morning and add to your lunchbox.
• Pasta, cook up extra pasta, then chop in some ham, cheese and/or tomatoes for the lunchbox as an easy pasta salad. It’s also easy to add variety every day by changing up the extra’s.
• Corn fritters, double the batch the freeze the leftovers. Whip them out in the morning to add to the lunchbox.
• Roast chicken, add a second chicken to the oven (or buy a larger size) and use the roast chicken for wraps, rolls or a chicken salad

• Other parents work on a lunchbox filling “formula” to keep a morning rhythm. This also helps save time when you're filling multiple lunchboxes and adding variety throughout the week. A formula usually starts with a list of food categories (with one for each compartment) and then a different type of food is used each day. Some lunchboxes, such as the Yumbox bento trays already have food category ideas in the box to give you ideas (eg dairy, protein etc). This is a great visual clue for us busy parents.