Top Tips For Healthy Lunchboxes

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childrens lunchboxesSix winning lunchbox combinations by Nutrition Consultant Jenny Tschiesche.

As a mother and nutrition consultant I have a mental checklist of things that should be going into my children’s lunchboxes each day. Of course one must always consider preferences otherwise you would have a whole uneaten packed lunch coming home again. I’ve two children who eat very differently. Yet these 6 concepts work for them both.

“One of the most important aspects of any lunchbox is to make sure you put in a drink, ideally water. It is of increasing concern to me how little access kids are given to water for many reasons (including shockingly that “teachers don’t like them leaving in the middle of class time to visit the loo”). So that means that water is a definite yes on my checklist:

Water □

Furthermore I want to know that my growing children are going to have enough:

Calcium □

Vegetables □

Protein □

Carbohydrates □

Fruit □

With this mental checklist in mind I have come up with six of my favourite and most diverse lunchbox combinations that have been tried and tested on some very willing guinea pigs:

THE ‘BASIC’ ONE

  • Couscous with cut unsulphured apricots (the ones that look brown in colour – contain no sulphites which some kids can become allergic to)
  • Cold chicken – perhaps a drumstick with some kitchen roll to hold it with in case it gets a little messy
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Natural yogurt sweetened with fruit puree (I use Hipp Organic or Organix pots)
  • A bottle of water

THE ‘COULDN’T BE EASIER’ ONE

  • Individually wrapped organic cheddar portions (lots of supermarkets have their own branded ones now)
  • Grapes
  • 9 Bar (a carob topped flapjack jam packed with protein-rich seeds)
  • Carrot Sticks
  • A bottle of water

THE ‘YUM FOR MUM’ ONE

  • Cold vegetable fritter (lots of veggies – think carrots, sweetcorn and courgettes for example whizzed up, mixed with beaten egg and dipped into wholemeal or spelt flour to which dried herbs or spices have been added before being lightly fried in olive oil)
  • Mini sausages
  • Diced pineapple
  • Some natural yogurt sweetened with a squeeze of Sweet Freedom (a natural sweetener available in the Free From section of most supermarkets and all Holland and Barrett stores.)
  • A bottle of water

THE ‘BIT MORE OF AN EFFORT’ ONE

  • Filo pastry tarts – (keep filo in the freezer and use small portions at a time) filled with ricotta and pesto/spinach or mozzarella and tomato
  • A milkshake – whizz frozen berries with milk then return to the freezer. Take out in the morning and place in child’s lunchbox. It will be a yummy milkshake and still cold at lunchtime.

THE ‘LEFT-OVER’ ONE

  • Rice Salad – use left-over rice (do not reheat), add grated carrot, cheese cubes and raisins.
  • A fruit salad using up all the fruit in the fruit bowl
  • A bottle of water.

THE ‘DINNER WINNER’ ONE

  • Pizza slices – Buy a pizza base, spread passata over and add veggies (finely chopped) with a smattering of cheese and cook. When cooled slice and serve with lots of raw vegetables like peppers, cucumber and carrots.
  • A banana or loose skinned Satsuma – make it easy for them.
  • A bottle of water.

For more great child nutrition ideas and for your questions answered go to www.facebook.com/notjustsandwiches

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