It’s that time of year all the kiddies are heading back to school and kinder, you’ve organised the books and uniforms and are just waiting for the first day. But have you thought about lunch? New Years are a fresh start and it may be the first year of your little ones schooling or just a new year but either way I hope this post inspires you with lunch ideas and things to include if you want to jazz up the old lunch box.
To start off what are you going to pack? Here’s a list of some examples to get your mind working. It’s great to try to introduce new things but if it’s their first year maybe try to include some old favourites you know your child will eat and add other things for them to try. School can cause some anxieties with all the change so just go slow.
Get the printable here.
Yoghurt: if your little one loves yoghurt why not save money and the earth by packing your own in reusable pouches? You can either buy a big tub and divide between the pouches or if you feel the need you can Make your own.
Stop Apples from Browning: I pack sliced apples often and I just sit them into a bowl of water with some lemon juice after I’ve sliced them and then dry off on some paper towel and into the lunchbox, I find keeping the slices together helps too.
Use cookie cutters: add some fun Ito lunch by cutting their sandwich or fruit into shapes using a cookie cutter. It’s super effective and kids just love it (the cut offs taste pretty good too 😊)
Include a Note: add a cute printed note, write one on their banana, or turn your banana into a person by adding some features with a marker (it gets peeled off so no worries there)
Make some kebabs: Fruit kebabs that is! Kids love to eat things on sticks so why not try a rainbow or some of their favorite fruits and veg. You can even make sandwich kebabs by first chopping the sandwich into small squares or circles.
Pack a hot lunch: we invested in a thermal food jar and my son loved having hot food at lunch time, when they open it at lunch the food is still hot so it’s a nice treat. You can pack things like leftovers from dinner, something baked or you can also use them for cold food too such as watermelon. In this picture my son had nuggets, tuna mornay and leftover butter chicken.
Foodoodlers: it might sound funny but these are nifty markers made with food colouring so they are completely safe and edible. I use them on sandwiches, eggs, cheese and fruit. They really make lunch come alive.
Food picks: Some people love em some people hate em. We are in the love camp! You can have as few or as many as you would like but even a couple makes lunch much more fun in my sons eyes. Alphabet letters, eyes and leaves are our favorites.
My best tip of all is to pack lunch the night before, I do this every day! I pack my sons lunch and refrigerate overnight. His bread is just as soft and things don’t go yucky like you might think. Give it a try and save yourself some time in the morning.
I hope you feel inspired going into the new school year, making lunch doesn’t have to be a daunting process or a mundane thing. I made it a fun thing for me and my son and the bonus is they are so much more eager to eat it, and I am more eager to make it.
Enjoy the new school year and don’t put too much pressure on yourself, raising little ones is one of the hardest and most rewarding things that we do.
– Mel
Healthy Kids Bento 