Packed Lunches Kids Will Love

Summer is over and school is in full swing.

''Teach them to make good choices, but don’t freak out if they decide to pack some Crisps or a pack of Oreo cookies. Your goal is to get them to eat fairly healthy and make smart food choices, not restrict all access to junk food.''

Packed lunches are a great option when your child isn’t too fond of what the school has to offer or you want a little more control over what your child is eating. Of course if your child has dietary restrictions or food allergies, packing lunches is a must. Frankly, packing a lunch allows you to include healthy foods your child will actually eat and it doesn’t have to cost you the earth.

The key then is to find things that your child loves and enjoys eating. So get your child involved, depending on the age of your kids, you could even put them in charge of making their own lunches. Not only do you know that they’ll pack something they will eat, being in charge of packing lunch will teach them responsibility. Getting the kids as involved as possible will make sure that they end up with lunches they will eat.

Top Tip: Strike a balance and compromise

So here are 4 lunchbox idea's both you and your kids are sure to love!

1. Soup And A Hot Sandwich

Who doesn’t love soup and a hot sandwich for lunch on a cool, crisp, fall day? If you thought those were outside your packed lunch capabilities, think again. All it takes is a small thermos, some aluminium foil and ideally an insulated lunch box.

Make the soup the day before from scratch, or heat up some canned soup in the morning, right before school. Get it piping hot, and if possible, run some hot or even boiling water in the thermos first to get everything as warm as possible. Pour the soup in the thermos and sit it in the insulated lunch box. Don’t forget to pack a spoon and small plastic bowl or cup.

Lastly, make the hot sandwich. Grilled cheese or grilled ham and cheese are always a favorite, as are any type of Panini. make the sandwich as usual and then wrap it in several layers of aluminium foil. If you’re worried about the bread getting soggy, wrap it in a paper towel first, then the foil. Keep the sandwich in the insulated lunch box and everything should be staying toasty warm for hours.

Mix and match the soup and sandwich combos for endless portable lunch possibilities.

2. Chilli and Stew

Of course you’re not limited to just soup. A nice hardy stew or a bowl of chili with a side of fresh bread make a nice addition to any lunch box.

Make a batch of your favourite chili or stew and put it in your kids’ lunch boxes for the following days. Another great option is to freeze it in smaller portions and take them out as needed to add to lunch boxes.

This is also a great time for you to take lunch to work or keep a bowl at home to reheat at lunch time. As with the soup we talked about earlier, you can get a short thermos, run hot water in it and then fill it with the piping hot chili or stew. That will keep the lunch warm until well past lunch time.

3. Get Creative With Bento Lunches

Have you heard of bento lunch boxes?

It’s a fun way to pack lunches that traces its origins to Japan. Bento is a great way to pack single serve meals your kids can take with them to school. they often consist of rice, fish or meat, and cooked or pickled vegetables. The internal compartments makes it easy for you to keep your food separate. This gives you a great canvas to get creative with food.

Yes, with Bento boxes it’s ok to play with the food and come up with some fun and creative lunches for the kids (or yourself). Cut the sandwiches in cute little shapes, make some fun roll-ups, and get creative with fresh fruit, raw veggies, cheese and the likes as sides. If you are ready to get even more creative, do a quick search online for bento lunch ideas. You’ll find ideas from gourmet food to fun and quirky kid-friendly lunch ideas.

Who knew that you could shape rice and make it look like an adorable panda? You’ll find entire Pinterest boards and Instagram accounts dedicated to creative bento boxes.

Of course there’s no need to go all out. You can make delicious and eye-pleasing bento lunches by taking just a little care with how you place the food in the boxes and taking advantage of simple little tricks like pouring raisins into paper cake cases.

Your child will have fun picking and choosing for lunch and you know he will still get a healthy meal. Plus what child doesn’t love a bunch of colourful finger food for lunch. Heck, you may even convince your picky eaters to try new fruits, veggies, cheeses and the likes if you cut them into cute little shapes.

What I like best about bento lunches is that it gives you the opportunity to pack several small, snack like items into one lunch.So grab yours today and give it a try!

You can go as simple or gourmet as you like. Or grab a few of your own favourite healthy snacks and call it lunch. The possibilities are almost endless with bento box lunches.

4. Make It A Wrap A quick and easy alternative to a sandwich is a wrap. Grab some tortillas and fix your child’s favourite sandwich as a wrap instead.

Wraps are also great for adding lots of lettuce and extra veggies. Hummus and cucumbers make a delicious vegetarian lunch option.

When you’re done adding your toppings, roll it up like a burrito and if desired, cut it in half. The wrap is great as it is, or you can pack a small serving of salad dressing to dip. Ketchup, mayonnaise and bbq are always a favorite around here.

Just make sure you pack it in a small, airtight container so your child doesn’t end up with sauce all over their lunch box or themselves.