Healthy lunch box ideas
School children have different nutritional needs to those of preschoolers or toddlers. Once children start school, their energy requirements increase as they become more active and grow more quickly. School children usually have a high energy requirement for their size and require foods that are high in energy but also rich in nutrients.
A good supply of protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and D is necessary during the primary school years. Calcium is needed for healthy tooth development and, together with vitamin D, helps make bones stronger. Of course, most kids would love to live on lollies, chips, convenience food and all the other things parents know have very little or no nutritional value - so how can parents get their children to eat their protein, fruits and veggies?
The first step is to be creative. Children, especially those that are younger, love to eat food that is fun to look at, as well as fun to eat.
Healthy sandwich ideas the kids won't turn their nose up at:
- Try using a variety of breads to keep things interesting. Bread rolls, baguettes, bagels, mountain bread and crispbread crackers can break up the monotony of a Vegemite sandwich on sliced white.
- Try making sandwiches with one slice white and one of wholemeal, or use white bread with added fibre.
- Use spreads like butter or margarine sparingly and try using sticky fillings that pack in some nutrients. A smear of avocado or hummous might do the trick.
Try these recipes to create healthy sandwiches:
- Make your own healthy bread rolls
- Irish soda bread recipe
- Soft poppy seed milk bread
- Damper recipe
- Easy tortillas
- Olive focaccia
Lunch box sandwich inspiration:
- Curried egg and ham wraps
- Ham tortilla pinwheels
- Mexican chicken sandwich
- Mini croissant sandwiches
- Monster pitas
- Pulled pork buns
- Skyscraper sandwiches
- Spicy lamb wraps
- Two ways with lamb
How to add more fruit and veggies to a lunch box:
- Use fruit and vegetables from all colours of the rainbow, as they offer a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
- Seasonal varieties that are easy to peel and eat are good choices.
- Peeling and chopping fruit and vegetables into ready-to-eat bite-sized pieces makes them more appealing.
Lunch box salads:
- Boys bean salad
- Pumpkin, feta and chickpea salad
- Pasta salad
- Potato salad
- Tabouli salad
- Resealable bag salad
- Tuna and egg salad
- Traffic light salad
- Watermelon salad
- Chicken noodle salad
Don't forget to keep kids hydrated:
- A drink bottle is important to make sure busy and active kids stay hydrated.
- Water is the best fluid to serve, but if your child won't drink water, try diluted fruit juices.
Drink ideas to pack with a lunch box:
- Home made apple juice
- Zingy citrus and mango juice
- Carrot, apple and ginger juice
- Strawberry smoothie
- Fruit juice slushie
- Malted honey and apricot smoothie
- Purple shakes
Nutritious lunch box recipe ideas:
- Make your own healthy bread rolls
- Irish soda bread recipe
- Soft poppy seed milk bread
- Damper recipe
- Easy tortillas
- Olive focaccia
Lunch box meals with a twist:
- Vietnamese rice paper rolls
- Home made sausage rolls
- Stuffed crusty rolls with mince
- Vegetable spring rolls
- Risotto cakes
- Bolognaise rice bake
- Noughts and Crosses pizza
- Lamb samosa
- Impossible quiche
- Honey soy chicken legs
- Lunch box pasties
- Little meat pies
- Egg and bacon pies
- Sweet potato frittata
- Upside down tomato pie
- Vegetarian pasties
- Tomato glazed meat loaf
Lunch box scrolls:
Adding cheese to a lunch box is a great way to serve children some dairy to boost their calcium intake. Lower fat dairy foods are a good choice and you can try packing a tub of low fat yoghurt or fromage frais, or packing a carton of low-fat milk (flavoured or unflavoured). You could also make these lunch box scrolls and pizza ideas to serve more cheese:
- Cheese and bacon rolls recipe
- Cheese and vegemite scrolls recipe
- Apple and cinammon
- Cheese rolls
- Pizza rolls
- Pizza pinwheel scrolls
- Cheese and tomato finger puffs
- Pocket pizzas
- Pizza strips
- Tuna melts
Lunch box scones:
- Cheese scones
- Buttermilk scones
- Lemonade scones
- Potato scones
- Quick scone recipe
- Pumpkin scones
- Berry scone wedges
Healthier lunch box alternatives to packaged sweets and treats:
- Zucchini bread
- Banana bread
- Carrot cake
- Easy five cup loaf
- Easy coconut loaf
- Date and pecan rolls
- Dotty sultana cake
- Almond oat yoghurt muffins
- Apple muffins
- Honey orange dairy-free cake
- Lemon iced Weet Bix slice
- Mini rock cakes
- Oat, date and honey muffins
- Wholemeal apricot and coconut cake
Lunch box savoury treat ideas:
- Cheesy corn muffins
- Corn pikelets
- Gluten free pikelets
- Veggie sticks with dip
- Hummus dip
- Nan's zucchini loaf
- Olive and feta muffins
- Sneaky pumpkin muffins
- Parmesan toasts
- Pesto and parmesan muffins
- Plain pikelets recipe
- Quiche
- Veggie pikelets
