A Guide to Putting Together Healthy School Lunch Boxes

Encouraging healthy eating habits in children is setting them up for a nourished life, where they are able to thrive and feel their best. While kids can be fussy, it’s so beneficial to find healthy options that they enjoy and it’s my intention to help make this easier through the below suggestions. Following is my guide for putting together a healthy school lunch box that I hope your children will love!

Lunch Ideas:

• Sandwiches / Rolls / Wraps / Pitas

A common lunch box option that’s often a popular choice with children. These can be done in a number of ways and I’ve written more about how to make them healthy and keep them exciting after this list of lunch ideas.

• Homemade pasties and/or pies

Making pasties and pies at home means you can control exactly what goes into them. From a simple spinach and ricotta, to mince and veggies or curried beans and veg, you can get creative with the fillings and flavours. While it can be hard to find a healthy puff pastry, another option is to use corn tortilla for an open pie made in muffin tins.

• Egg Cups / Mini Frittatas

Like any frittata, but these are made in muffin tins to be easy to pick up and eat. Simply whisk together some eggs, season them with salt and pepper and pour them into your muffin trays. Then all you have to do is add in some veggies. Great additions to these are tomatoes, spinach, feta, olives, zucchini, carrot, etc.

If they’re not too fussy, you can also whisk some ground turmeric through the egg mix for extra flavour and goodness.

• Fritters / Fritter Muffins

Fritters are a fun option and easy for children to pick up and eat. They’re usually packed full of veg making them a great way to boost their veggie intake too.

A hack to make these less time consuming is to make the fritter batter, pour it into a muffin tray and bake them in the oven - I call them fritter muffins and it saves you having to individually fry them all up. Along with the time saving factor they’re also less oily and mean they’re healthier by being baked not fried.

• Burritos or Mini Burritos

Who doesn’t love a burrito?! Make them feel like they’re getting a take away lunch by making some homemade burritos. Simply fill a wrap with any combination of brown rice, avocado, kidney beans or black beans, tomato, spinach, greek yoghurt. I like to sauté some onion and garlic, add ground cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and cook the beans with some diced tomatoes. You can also make mini taco wraps by using corn tortillas to create small versions of these or fill them with any choice of fillings.

• Rice Paper Rolls

A family favourite and great portable option. Fill some rice paper sheets with a protein source, accompanied by veggies of their liking. Some popular rice paper roll fillings include carrot, cucumber, radish, red cabbage, etc. You can even add some rice noodles in to bulk them up.

A dipping sauce or some tamari goes great with these. For the purpose of school lunch boxes, making the dipping sauce and adding it in before you wrap the rice paper roll means they don’t have to take a seperate container for the dipping sauce.

• Mini Pizzas

Using a bread roll or slice of sourdough bread as the base, just spread some tomato paste over the top, add their favourite toppings and grill it in the oven. Once cooked, allow to cool before add them to a container or wrap them in foil to add to their lunch box. This homemade option is also a much better than a pizza roll from the bakery.

• Pasta Salad

Pasta is generally a crowd pleaser with kids and a pasta salad can be a great way to change up their lunch. There are so many combinations of ingredients you can add and because pasta salads are best served cold it makes it easy for them to take it to school and enjoy it for lunch.

Tip: You can use pulse pasta for added protein and fibre.

• Grain Salad

With brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, or barley as a base, this feels less like a salad and is more likely to go down better with the kiddies. Think tabbouleh style salads or rice salads and combine these grains with some of their favourite veggies.

• Soups

A great option in winter or on colder days, soups can be a warming and nutritious lunch option. Simply get a good thermos to keep it warm and prevent spilling and you’ve got a delicious lunch for them to enjoy.

Making a Healthy Sandwich/Roll/Wrap/Pita

Tips:
- Go for a sourdough where possible
- The less refined the better, choose wholemeal, multigrain, etc.
- Fill them with a combination of protein and vegetables (see below)

Fillings: 
Choose at least one from each category (protein and veg):

Protein Sources:

• Tuna

• Roast chicken

• Hummus

• Beans

• Cheese

*I advise against common deli meats like ham, salami, etc. unless you’re sourcing them from places that don’t spray them with nitrates. One example of this in VIC is Gamze Smokehouse.

Vegetable Sources:

• Leafy greens

• Cucumbers

• Tomatoes

• Grated beetroot

• Grated carrots

• Grated zucchini

• Avocado

• Roast Capsicum

• Grilled Eggplant

Ways to make sandwiches more fun:

• Toasted sandwiches

• Sandwich Kebabs (like a deconstructed sandwich, cut small squares of the sandwich ingredients and layer them onto a bamboo skewer)

• Pancake sandwiches (make savoury pancakes and use in the place of bread)

• Pancakes on a stick (mini pancakes on kebab sticks)

How to make a savoury pancake:

• Use any pancake recipe just leave out any sweetener

• Add a handful of spinach or some mashed veg (pumpkin, sweet potato, etc.) to boost the veg content and flavour it nicely

• One example is my Pumpkin Pancakes, which are delicious as they are, or can be made into a pancake sandwich.

Snack Ideas:

• Veggies / Veggie Sticks

Some examples include green beans, snow peas, carrots, capsicum, celery, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. These are perfect to snack on and are satisfying when they feel like something crunchy, while being much healthier than chips.

• Crackers / Corn Chips

There are some great seed crackers on the market these days, or you can easily make some at home in the oven. Seed crackers are higher in fibre and less processed so they’re definitely my pick when going for this option. Corn chips can also be a great option to snack on and either of these go well with dips or guac (see below).

• Dips

Dips are not just delicious but are generally very nutritious. In saying that, there are many dips available in the supermarket that are not good options so homemade is best whenever possible. Depending on their taste and preferences, you can make a dip like hummus, eggplant dip, roast capsicum dip, etc. Here are some dip recipes I have for an easy Chilli Hummus and a Basil Pesto & Butter Bean Dip.

• Guacamole

You can’t go past some delicious guacamole as a popular snack with kids. It’s as simple as mashing up some avocado - I also recommend add lemon or lime juice to stop the avocado from going brown and to enhance the flavour. Avocados are a great source of healthy fats, which also means they make a filling snack. This is a great option when paired with veggie sticks, seed crackers or corn chips.

• Cheese & Crackers

Now of course there is a spectrum of healthy cheese and crackers and not so healthy cheese and crackers. As always, the less processed, the better. Opt for a good quality full-fat cheese and some crackers made up of seeds.

• Seaweed snacks

Make them at home by cutting up nori sheets into strips, or purchase them in ready made snack packs. Seaweed is a great source of iodine, which will help keep their thyroids healthy. This isn’t a filling snack, so please include other snack options too, but it can be a good option when they’re looking for something to pick on.

*One thing I want to mention about the ready made seaweed snacks is that they often use vegetable oils, which I recommend avoiding. There is also a lot of plastic packaging involves, which is not sustainable and better avoided where possible. My advice would be to go with the homemade option.

• Popcorn

Chips don’t make the list, but popcorn certainly does! You can go for a homemade popcorn or purchase a healthier option like Cobs. Please note that popcorn isn’t a balanced or filling snack due to the lack of protein and healthy fats, but it’s great when they want something crunchy.

• Bliss Balls / Healthy Slices

A brilliant snack option that has so many possible flavours and types. You can’t go past bliss balls and slices for a great snack for the kids and they tend to be a crowd pleaser! Here are some nut free and school friendly options from my recipe collection: Choc Superseed Bliss Balls, Healthy Choc Crackle Slice, Lemon Slice, Cookie Dough Bites and Orange & Ginger Bliss Balls,

• Greek yoghurt

Always a good option (unless there’s a lactose intolerance), greek yoghurt is filling because of the mix of protein and healthy fats - making it a great snack to keep kids going throughout the day.

My advice is to buy a big tub and scoop some out into smaller containers, rather than buying individual serves. This will save you money and help the planet by minimising plastic and packaging.

• Yoghurt and Muesli Pots

DIY yoghurt and muesli pots are a great option because you get the benefits of the filling greek yoghurt with the added crunch and flavour of the muesli (or granola). Just add a couple of scoops of yoghurt to a small container and top it with some seeds and grains. This also boosts the fibre content, so the combo of the probiotic yoghurt and fibrous seeds and grains is a match made in heaven for your child’s gut health.

An example of a nut free granola you can use for a yoghurt pot that’s school friendly is my Basic Nut Free Granola. You can also turn this into a muesli by leaving out the liquid sweetener and coconut oil and skipping the part where you bake it in the oven.

• Fruit

Of course we can’t overlook the wonderful thing that is fruit. Such an easy thing to add to school lunch boxes and full of vitamins and antioxidants, fruit is not something to be feared. You can add things like berries, banana, kiwi fruit, apples, pears, grapes, oranges or stone fruit. Aim to go for what’s in season so you’re giving them the freshest and most nutritious option for the time.

• Chia Pudding

Filling, fantastic for gut health and tasty, chia puddings are another great option to include as a snack in a school lunch box. Simply combine chia seeds with a milk of your choice. I like adding some vanilla or cinnamon to the mix for added flavour and topping it with fresh fruit.

• Bircher / Overnight Oats

A small serving of bircher or soaked oats can be a good go-to snack and an easy one to change up with a number of different flavour combinations you can try. They’re high in fibre from the oats and can be made more filling by adding seeds like chia seeds or a bit of greek yoghurt. My Red Velvet Oats are just one example of what you can do with this and they even have a hidden veg inside.

• Hard Boiled Eggs

Eggs are quite literally the whole package when it comes to nutrition. They are FULL of nutrients and the combination of protein and healthy fats will keep your children full. Peel a hard boiled egg or two and add them to their lunchbox for an easy snack option.

• Kale Chips

If they like kale, making kale chips can be a great alternative to chips and gives the same satisfying crunch. You can find a recipe for kale chips here, if they don’t like spices simply leave out the turmeric and paprika and season them with just salt and pepper.

• Roast potatoes or Sweet Potatoes

Instead of potato chips, roast veggies are a fantastic snack option. Cut them into chunky fries and roast them in the oven with some salt and pepper, then leave them to cool before adding them to a container for school the next day. Cooked and cooled potato is also a form of resistant starch, which is fantastic for gut health.

So there we have it, a whole range of healthy lunch and snack options to include in school lunch boxes to keep your kids nourished!