Healthy Lunch Ideas from real parents!
We had a huge response to the Macro Wholefoods competition and so here are some of the best ideas on how to make school (or work) lunches a little more healthy!!
We also had an important note from WA based Natropath Kris, who raised a very important point - not all things that are organic are healthy and that some organic foods can still be high in sugar and fats. The CleanLife team agree with this - so be sure to choose healthy organic options as much as possible.
We are sure you will find the tips below useful and if you have some to ad, please feel free to BLOG us.
Tips from Francesca
If opting for the convienient sandwich a good quality organic butter is always a good start, but as an alternative to this a good quality, organic tahini tastes great especially with honey and/ or banana as a sweet alternative to chocolate/ muesli bars. Then, of couse, there is the humble avocado which tastes a treat, spread thickly onto bread to accompany most savoury fillings - cheese, ham, tom,tuna, egg etc.
Sometimes i make sushi for Sol and Tim (my husband) to take for lunch. The Nori seaweed sheets are so easy to get hold of, and I fill these with brown rice with a splash of tamari or soy mixed in, which can be nice and sticky, perfect for making sushi. The filling ideas for sushi are as endless as for the sandwich but I tend to make either egg (which I fry into an omlette leave to cool and then cut into strips), tofu again lightly fried in strips or tempeh bought ready to eat, or tuna mayo. With all these fillings you can add strips of raw carrot, cucumber, asparagus, avo, even lettuce, some pickled ginger, wasabi (not for the kids) or plum sauce rounds it all off nicely -YUM !!!
Another thing that Sol has been enjoying recently is coleslaw. Pretty self explanatary, just grate up carrots, beetroot, cucumber, apple and chop cabbage, red and green, celery, capsicum, whatever you can find that you think will go well. Mix it all up with a good mayo some saltanas and even some grated cheese! Kids just love it, it is so colourful, yummy and full of goodness.
Tips from Elsa
I'm not a mum but rather a nanny. The children I look after are pretty fussy and they are used to a lot of processed foods. I opt for making their lunch and snacks fresh- avoiding packaged goods. Here are some yummy lunch box ideas that even they have enjoyed;
1. Carrot, cucumber and celery cut into sticks served with guacamole or hummus.
2. Savoury pikelets with vegemite or peanut butter.
3. 100% fruit juice, frozen over night in a bottle. Remove early in the morning so by lunch time it has melted and becomes slushy (ideal for summer with the warm weather).
Tips from Shana of WA
Mountain bread roll ups, mountain bread is a flat bread based on barley corn or rice, you can also get wheat. Fill with grated carrot cheese chicken and mayo, ham, cheese and cucumber (or any other filling your child will eat). My kids aren't huge salad eaters but they will eat these combo's. After rolling up cut into 2or 3cm pieces and wrap in foil.
I have a child who is suseptable to Add type inattentiveness, we find that eating protien with each meal keeps here blood sugar stable and she can concentrate better. For this reason I always put protien in the sandwich or roll up and a small containor of nuts and seeds is a good snack (eg cashew nuts and sunflower seeds)
Carmons Museli Bars are great for a low sugar wheat free snack.
Small size "lunch box bananas" are not only good for lunch boxes but a managable size for kids. Carrot sticks are an obvious one. Small containor of cheese and olives- not all kids like olives but the ones that do really love them.
Homemade muffins, I've got some good recipes if you are interested, I often make them with spelt flour. Homemade Anzac biscuits.
Yogurt
Fruit jelly cups with no added sugar, colours or flavours. Are available at most supermarkets.
If you want to avoid flavour enhancers in the 600's Sacata rice crakers plain, sesame or seaweed. All other flavours have 600's and all other brands do too. Cut up some cheese to go with them (avoid sliced cheese for the unwanted preservatives) an put it in with a cold pack from the freezer especally on a hot day.
Plain soya chips.
Tips from Sarah
homemade muffins, fruit loaf, fruit purees, agar fruit jelly (dissolve 1 tsp agar agar powder in 500ml fruit juice by bringing to the boil & simmering for 10 mins then pour over fruit & leave to cool & set for 30 mins = a totally natural fruit jelly), sandwiches with homemade roast meats, a little pot of homemade hoummous with raw carrot & cucumber sticks to dip in it; or a mini tub of philadelphia, and the best thing in his world which even the teacher commented on is fruit kebab. (Very easy to make; just thread your fruit of choice on to a skewer, cutting the sharp end off first). No additives in this lunchbox if you choose organic ingredients & do a little bit of home baking, & his lunchbox comes back with just a few raw veggie sticks left.
Tips from Christine
1: Apple Waffle-wich
Top a homemade waffle, toasted & cooled, with cheese, thinly sliced ham & ½ thinly sliced apple. Add some spinach leaves if the kids will eat it.
Top with second toasted waffle, wrap in foil or wax paper. Pour 2 tbsp pure maple syrup into container for dipping waffle sandwich into.
Round the lunch off with a carton of milk & some grapes.
2: Shake it yourself Salad
Place 2 cups mixed salad greens, ¼ cup grated carrot, 6 baby tomatoes, ½ cup cubed turkey breast, ¼ cup cheese in small bowl with lid. Place organic corn chips & salad dressing in separate containers to add to salad.
Round the lunch off with diluted apple juice & homemade muffin.
3: Pinwheel sandwiches
Flatten wholemeal bread with rolling pin (crusts removed), & top with mayonnaise, thinly sliced chicken breast, & thinly sliced cheese.
Roll up tightly, cut crosswise into 4 pinwheels. Stack pinwheels on top of each other & wrap in wax paper.
Round the lunch off with sliced cucumbers, milk & homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Hope you like these ideas as much as my kids like eating them. It is very hard to come up with lunch ideas & they get bored with eating the same things over & over again.
Tips from Anna of WA
My little boy has just started at school (pre kindy)and has begun the whole experience of LUNCH BOXES!!! We are finding that little easy to open containers filled with cooked chickpeas in one, cherry tomatoes in one, grapes in another, cut up cheese cubes etc seem to be more exciting and going down more easily than a sandwhich! We practised opening the containers and eating from them on a few picnics the week prior to school starting! Hope that helps!
Tips from Marnie of Queensland
By lunchtime, children’s packed fruit can sometimes be less than fresh!
In summer I find it better to pack organic dried fruit when I go out with my toddler, it’s also a lot less messy than banana everywhere!
‘Bellamy’s’ makes organic dried fruit which tastes fantastic! Best of all it’s made in Australia.
Tips from Jenny of WA
I have an 8 year old boy, and 10 year old girl. We try to avoid bread for lunches, so its not often they go to school with sandwiches. That means thinking outside the box for lunches. Here are some of the ideas (and we wrap in greaseproof paper) --
My kids love steamed rice with a can of smoked tuna on top. I usually steam the rice in the morning so its hot, and then just mix the tuna on top. Pop it in a thermos and remember to pack a spoon.
boiled egg, chopped carrots/snap peas, little container of guacamole or other type of dip
we freeze grapes and yoghurt and they are both nicer on hot days
sushi is always well received, with smoked salmon and chopped cucumber. I'm lazy, I don't include vinegar in mine, just sushi rice, pop in the salmon and cucumber, roll up and slice. Easy to make the night before and leave ready in the fridge.
Pasta is a big favourite, and we do use gluten free. Again, its easy to cook quickly in the morning, and just mix through bottled pesto or a little cheese.
We buy mountain bread because it is thin (no big slices of bread), and it rolls nicely. So some leftover chicken from last night's roast, cucumber, lettuce with avocado (instead of butter)
I do give the kids a chicken drumstick and chopped capsicum/carrot for lunch, but generally they don't like a large piece of cold meat, so this one is not overly popular with my two.
yogurt with fruit in a thermos is another favourite as morning tea if I hadn't been organized enough to freeze the yoghurt before. Then for lunch its often some rolled up cold meat, chopped capsicum/carrot/cucumber/lettuce. Then I include some rice or corn crackers, and the kids like to make their own sandwiches at school.
Tips from Michele from Queensland
I've got two school age girls and lunchboxes do present a challenge!
But I find it quick and cheap to make a batch of home made organic popcorn and put it in a paper bag for snacks. A few nuts like almonds and pistachios get eaten too.
Also, corn thins and hommus are a great option. I've cooked up small chicken drumsticks on the weekend for use in lunchboxes during the week - very popular and a change from a boring sandwich.
I try and avoid poppers - instead I give the kids a small amount of juice in a drink bottle. This saves considerably on packaging. Similarly with yoghurt - invest in small containers which can be reused, rather than disposable yoghurt tubs. Also, this gives you the option of using your favourite brand of organic yoghurt.
It takes time but homemade anzac biscuits and muesli bars and muffins are good too. Cook in batches and freeze some for later.
Tips from Marnie of Tasmania
My top tip for getting kids to eat healthy organic fruits and vegies is to make it fun. My son loves it when I make his cut up fruit and veg into a lions head or a cats face on his plate. He loves eating the 'eyeballs' and 'nose', etc. Works every time, even for things he would not normally eat if Id just given them to him plainly on the plate.
We also had an important note from WA based Natropath Kris, who raised a very important point - not all things that are organic are healthy and that some organic foods can still be high in sugar and fats. The CleanLife team agree with this - so be sure to choose healthy organic options as much as possible.
We are sure you will find the tips below useful and if you have some to ad, please feel free to BLOG us.
Tips from Francesca
If opting for the convienient sandwich a good quality organic butter is always a good start, but as an alternative to this a good quality, organic tahini tastes great especially with honey and/ or banana as a sweet alternative to chocolate/ muesli bars. Then, of couse, there is the humble avocado which tastes a treat, spread thickly onto bread to accompany most savoury fillings - cheese, ham, tom,tuna, egg etc.
Sometimes i make sushi for Sol and Tim (my husband) to take for lunch. The Nori seaweed sheets are so easy to get hold of, and I fill these with brown rice with a splash of tamari or soy mixed in, which can be nice and sticky, perfect for making sushi. The filling ideas for sushi are as endless as for the sandwich but I tend to make either egg (which I fry into an omlette leave to cool and then cut into strips), tofu again lightly fried in strips or tempeh bought ready to eat, or tuna mayo. With all these fillings you can add strips of raw carrot, cucumber, asparagus, avo, even lettuce, some pickled ginger, wasabi (not for the kids) or plum sauce rounds it all off nicely -YUM !!!
Another thing that Sol has been enjoying recently is coleslaw. Pretty self explanatary, just grate up carrots, beetroot, cucumber, apple and chop cabbage, red and green, celery, capsicum, whatever you can find that you think will go well. Mix it all up with a good mayo some saltanas and even some grated cheese! Kids just love it, it is so colourful, yummy and full of goodness.
Tips from Elsa
I'm not a mum but rather a nanny. The children I look after are pretty fussy and they are used to a lot of processed foods. I opt for making their lunch and snacks fresh- avoiding packaged goods. Here are some yummy lunch box ideas that even they have enjoyed;
1. Carrot, cucumber and celery cut into sticks served with guacamole or hummus.
2. Savoury pikelets with vegemite or peanut butter.
3. 100% fruit juice, frozen over night in a bottle. Remove early in the morning so by lunch time it has melted and becomes slushy (ideal for summer with the warm weather).
Tips from Shana of WA
Mountain bread roll ups, mountain bread is a flat bread based on barley corn or rice, you can also get wheat. Fill with grated carrot cheese chicken and mayo, ham, cheese and cucumber (or any other filling your child will eat). My kids aren't huge salad eaters but they will eat these combo's. After rolling up cut into 2or 3cm pieces and wrap in foil.
I have a child who is suseptable to Add type inattentiveness, we find that eating protien with each meal keeps here blood sugar stable and she can concentrate better. For this reason I always put protien in the sandwich or roll up and a small containor of nuts and seeds is a good snack (eg cashew nuts and sunflower seeds)
Carmons Museli Bars are great for a low sugar wheat free snack.
Small size "lunch box bananas" are not only good for lunch boxes but a managable size for kids. Carrot sticks are an obvious one. Small containor of cheese and olives- not all kids like olives but the ones that do really love them.
Homemade muffins, I've got some good recipes if you are interested, I often make them with spelt flour. Homemade Anzac biscuits.
Yogurt
Fruit jelly cups with no added sugar, colours or flavours. Are available at most supermarkets.
If you want to avoid flavour enhancers in the 600's Sacata rice crakers plain, sesame or seaweed. All other flavours have 600's and all other brands do too. Cut up some cheese to go with them (avoid sliced cheese for the unwanted preservatives) an put it in with a cold pack from the freezer especally on a hot day.
Plain soya chips.
Tips from Sarah
homemade muffins, fruit loaf, fruit purees, agar fruit jelly (dissolve 1 tsp agar agar powder in 500ml fruit juice by bringing to the boil & simmering for 10 mins then pour over fruit & leave to cool & set for 30 mins = a totally natural fruit jelly), sandwiches with homemade roast meats, a little pot of homemade hoummous with raw carrot & cucumber sticks to dip in it; or a mini tub of philadelphia, and the best thing in his world which even the teacher commented on is fruit kebab. (Very easy to make; just thread your fruit of choice on to a skewer, cutting the sharp end off first). No additives in this lunchbox if you choose organic ingredients & do a little bit of home baking, & his lunchbox comes back with just a few raw veggie sticks left.
Tips from Christine
1: Apple Waffle-wich
Top a homemade waffle, toasted & cooled, with cheese, thinly sliced ham & ½ thinly sliced apple. Add some spinach leaves if the kids will eat it.
Top with second toasted waffle, wrap in foil or wax paper. Pour 2 tbsp pure maple syrup into container for dipping waffle sandwich into.
Round the lunch off with a carton of milk & some grapes.
2: Shake it yourself Salad
Place 2 cups mixed salad greens, ¼ cup grated carrot, 6 baby tomatoes, ½ cup cubed turkey breast, ¼ cup cheese in small bowl with lid. Place organic corn chips & salad dressing in separate containers to add to salad.
Round the lunch off with diluted apple juice & homemade muffin.
3: Pinwheel sandwiches
Flatten wholemeal bread with rolling pin (crusts removed), & top with mayonnaise, thinly sliced chicken breast, & thinly sliced cheese.
Roll up tightly, cut crosswise into 4 pinwheels. Stack pinwheels on top of each other & wrap in wax paper.
Round the lunch off with sliced cucumbers, milk & homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Hope you like these ideas as much as my kids like eating them. It is very hard to come up with lunch ideas & they get bored with eating the same things over & over again.
Tips from Anna of WA
My little boy has just started at school (pre kindy)and has begun the whole experience of LUNCH BOXES!!! We are finding that little easy to open containers filled with cooked chickpeas in one, cherry tomatoes in one, grapes in another, cut up cheese cubes etc seem to be more exciting and going down more easily than a sandwhich! We practised opening the containers and eating from them on a few picnics the week prior to school starting! Hope that helps!
Tips from Marnie of Queensland
By lunchtime, children’s packed fruit can sometimes be less than fresh!
In summer I find it better to pack organic dried fruit when I go out with my toddler, it’s also a lot less messy than banana everywhere!
‘Bellamy’s’ makes organic dried fruit which tastes fantastic! Best of all it’s made in Australia.
Tips from Jenny of WA
I have an 8 year old boy, and 10 year old girl. We try to avoid bread for lunches, so its not often they go to school with sandwiches. That means thinking outside the box for lunches. Here are some of the ideas (and we wrap in greaseproof paper) --
My kids love steamed rice with a can of smoked tuna on top. I usually steam the rice in the morning so its hot, and then just mix the tuna on top. Pop it in a thermos and remember to pack a spoon.
boiled egg, chopped carrots/snap peas, little container of guacamole or other type of dip
we freeze grapes and yoghurt and they are both nicer on hot days
sushi is always well received, with smoked salmon and chopped cucumber. I'm lazy, I don't include vinegar in mine, just sushi rice, pop in the salmon and cucumber, roll up and slice. Easy to make the night before and leave ready in the fridge.
Pasta is a big favourite, and we do use gluten free. Again, its easy to cook quickly in the morning, and just mix through bottled pesto or a little cheese.
We buy mountain bread because it is thin (no big slices of bread), and it rolls nicely. So some leftover chicken from last night's roast, cucumber, lettuce with avocado (instead of butter)
I do give the kids a chicken drumstick and chopped capsicum/carrot for lunch, but generally they don't like a large piece of cold meat, so this one is not overly popular with my two.
yogurt with fruit in a thermos is another favourite as morning tea if I hadn't been organized enough to freeze the yoghurt before. Then for lunch its often some rolled up cold meat, chopped capsicum/carrot/cucumber/lettuce. Then I include some rice or corn crackers, and the kids like to make their own sandwiches at school.
Tips from Michele from Queensland
I've got two school age girls and lunchboxes do present a challenge!
But I find it quick and cheap to make a batch of home made organic popcorn and put it in a paper bag for snacks. A few nuts like almonds and pistachios get eaten too.
Also, corn thins and hommus are a great option. I've cooked up small chicken drumsticks on the weekend for use in lunchboxes during the week - very popular and a change from a boring sandwich.
I try and avoid poppers - instead I give the kids a small amount of juice in a drink bottle. This saves considerably on packaging. Similarly with yoghurt - invest in small containers which can be reused, rather than disposable yoghurt tubs. Also, this gives you the option of using your favourite brand of organic yoghurt.
It takes time but homemade anzac biscuits and muesli bars and muffins are good too. Cook in batches and freeze some for later.
Tips from Marnie of Tasmania
My top tip for getting kids to eat healthy organic fruits and vegies is to make it fun. My son loves it when I make his cut up fruit and veg into a lions head or a cats face on his plate. He loves eating the 'eyeballs' and 'nose', etc. Works every time, even for things he would not normally eat if Id just given them to him plainly on the plate.
posted by Gina Cacho | 4:52 PM
|
43 comments
links to this post
