The summer has already come to an end, especially in the UK, and children have already gone back to school.
And the first thing that comes to me when I think about school is packing lunches for both of my children. I can say it is difficult to prepare lunch five days a week, but not impossible.
If you organise yourself and discuss the next week’s meals with the children in advance, that would be a piece of cake.
photo credit: unsplash.com
We often discuss the next week’s meals on Saturdays when we go grocery shopping and agree on the plan. However, we do have a theory at home, and it does work for us. We agreed that both of the kids would select what to eat for two days, the other one for the other two days, and I would choose one day.
So I created the pack lunch menu based on their ideas.
Preparing for it, making the grocery lists, and buying the lunch boxes might seem tiring but it’s not as long as you involve the kids. So the fussy eater in the family chose the peanut butter sandwich and the couscous with green beans, the little lady chose hummus&salad sandwich and avocado&pasta salad, and I chose an omelette with spring onion and cheese.
Based on my experience from the previous years (and have already taken into consideration my kids’ skills to open things) I decided the soup will be eaten at home after school classes.
If you still want to give soup in the lunch pack, consider using the thermos for more soups and noodles as a hot-packed lunch option. Also, pay attention when it comes to food allergies and respect the nut-free zone in school.
Here are some tips for packing a lunch your fussy eater will like:
- let your kids choose their lunch – doing this you give them power and make them feel special and responsible
- start with fun – functional lunch boxes – For example, we love bento-style lunch boxes because this type of box keeps all their snacks organized. You can also ask your kid to stick their favourite stickers on the lunch box
- turn meals into a surprise – delight moments – you can always put a treat in the lunch box (chocolate, gummy bears, marshmallows, buttons, m&m)
- go green with fruits and vegetables – colourful food rises the appetite
photo credit: personal
So here it is. 10 packed lunch ideas for kids:
- ham & cheese baguette with lettuce on top
- hummus sandwich with lettuce
- quinoa salad with avocado and red peppers
- pasta with roasted broccoli and nutritional yeast
- couscous with green beans/ broccoli, asparagus/mix of veggies
- chicken wrap with lettuce and mayo
- home-made pizza beagles
- red beans salad with lettuce and kapia pepper
- turkey breast salad
- ham& cheese skewers with cherry
Ideas for snacks:
You already know that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Besides the fruits and even vegetables that can be eaten as such, you can vary the snack with the following ideas:
- apple slices with peanut butter
- vegetable chips
- dried mango/figs/apricots
- plantain strips (special banana used for cooking which is cuts as chips and dried)
- dates with almonds inside
- Greek yoghurt with berries
- popcorn
- granola bars
- muffins
Enjoy eating responsibly and remember that it takes time to develop good eating habits.
Should you need further guidance for meal plans or lunch pack ideas for grown-ups, you can find me on Instagram.
Should you need a full meal plan for the entire family you can see the one I made for a family of 4 in my previous article How to start meal planning?
Love,
Andreea
