I think it safe to say that nearly all mums struggle making school lunches.
Why?
Some reasons are:
- Time – working mums don’t feel they have time to plan lunches.
- Uncertainty – what is, or isn’t, healthy?
- Fussy eaters – some kids are very choosy, especially when it comes to school lunches, so what to pack?
If you have experienced any (or all) of the above, I know how you feel. I used to struggle with lunches until I decided I would figure out how to make it easy for myself and get the kids to eat the lunch at the same time.
The aims are to pack foods that will give them energy and to reduce the reliance on packaged products. So pack foods that are high in protein and healthy fat as these will keep them fuller for longer while helping to keep the brain alert. It’s also important to pack some healthy wholegrains for energy, see my article on bread here.
This is what I do
- Get kids involved, and ask them what they will actually eat and get them to write a list. (with your guidance). This means they are more likely to eat what you prepare. Take into consideration the weather and how much time they have at each break.
- Plan and prepare in advance. Choose an afternoon where you bake a treat/snack and plan what you are going to give them. Cut it up and freeze it. (Here’s my muesli slice recipe)
- Use real wholefoods instead of packaged/processed food: veges, fruit, protein (meats, fish), good quality fats like avocado, and wholegrains.
- Don’t pack too much food and expect them to eat it. There is a tendency to over pack lunches, just in case they are hungry, and in my experience this is rarely the case. (If your kids are consistently coming home hungry pack one more thing, or increase the proportion of protein, fat or wholegrains.)
- Keep it simple, don’t spend hours getting it ready.
Following my process will make life easier for you, but to make it extra simple, here are some tips to success:
- Give them a good breakfast! After a filling breakfast they will not be craving the sugar hit in their lunchbox, so breakfast is super important. You can read my blog post on Healthy Breakfasts here.
- Use easy to open containers and present food in an appetising and interesting way.
- Chop up or grate vegetables all at once and store in the fridge for the first 3 days then do it again for the following 2 days. Keep chopped veges wrapped in a damp cloth or paper towel to keep fresh.
- Have a 2 week rotating menu, so you are not packing the same thing every day or every week.
- Pack a main dish, for example a tuna/chicken/meat and salad spelt wrap, or frittata, chicken drumsticks/breast, sushi, chopped up left over sausages, burgers, or patties etc.
- If you are packing sandwiches, make them easy to eat by cutting them up and not over filling them. Use good quality bread or wraps. See my blog post on healthy breads here.
- Pack fresh fruit instead of dried fruit. Dried fruit is a concentrated form of sugar, so keep it to a minimum.
- Use fruit that is cut up or whole berries, grapes, cherries, or small plums.
- Kids generally don’t want to take a lot of time to eat, so pack foods that are easy to pick up and eat. Avoid whole pieces of fruit like apples because they take too long to eat and always get half eaten.
- Pack food in an insulated cool bag with one or two ice bricks (depending on time of year, you may need 2 in summer), especially if you are sending yogurt, dips, or meat.
- Pack a homemade treat for them instead of packets of biscuits or other packaged products that are filled with additives, preservatives and colours that can affect their behaviour and concentration. It doesn’t take long and you can get them to help you. Choose just one recipe and give it a go, either a cake, slice/muesli bar or biscuits.
- If you are packing lunch for yourself, you can incorporate a lot more salad ingredients.
Now, I would love to hear from you! Do you have any tips for school lunches? Leave me a comment below, or you can come and join the conversation over on my Facebook page
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Until next time. Happy swapping!