by Rebekah Hunter –
The new school year brings the return of the dreaded lunch box! You want to fuel your kids from the inside out to be the best learners they can be, and by incorporating their ideas – and even enlisting their cooking skills – you might find that lunches become less of a tedious chore!
With three goals in mind – to make it healthy, keep within our food budget and try to be “cool” so it will be eaten – start by brainstorming with your kids for ideas. Find ways to incorporate protein, complex carbohydrates, fresh local veggies and fruits. Make bars using grains and dried fruit; send along a container of plain yogurt and frozen berries or apples off the neighbourhood tree. Planning ahead with a menu makes it more likely you’ll stay within your weekly food budget. Experiment with beans and grains, like Mexican red beans and rice – they make excellent lunch foods.
Looking to get creative? Google bento boxes … tons of ideas for the crazy Pinterest parent in you! One of the best and most economical strategies is to make extra for dinner meals and pack leftovers for lunch. But here are some other ideas to get you going!
Cold lunches can be more than just a sandwich: experiment!
• Pita triangles with hummus & tzatziki, a cold Cuban sandwich or a pretzel bun BLT
• Spread coloured tortillas with pesto, cashew butter or bean dip and layer thinly-sliced leftover meat, cheese, sprouts, grated carrot and cucumber. Top with mixed greens, roll and slice or wrap it!
• Fresh salads: mix and match with what you have on hand; aim for colour and crunch and separate wet from dry to avoid it becoming slimy before lunchtime.
• Spears of fresh veggies: peppers, carrots, celery and broccoli with a dip of thick plain yogurt spiced with chipotle or dried curry.
• Mini quiche, hardboiled eggs or grilled chicken strips with spicy mustard dip.
Hot lunches in a good quality mini thermos. Preheat thermos with almost boiling water and fill with hot, hot food.
• Hot leftover spaghetti and meatballs
• Whole hot corn on the cob
• Leftover crockpot pulled pork or jerk chicken for soft tacos
• Soups or stews: minestrone with beans, tortellini or macaroni
Breakfast on the go? In a thermos, no problem! Keep frozen fruit, protein mix and fresh greens on hand – blend and go. Cold cereals or hot oatmeal work equally well.
Send off the kiddies with a hug and a kiss, knowing they are fuelled for the day and ready to learn. Of course all these delicious ideas work for your lunch too! Reducing your reliance on eating out can make a big difference to your wallet. Go on: bring some passion, colour and nutritious fun into everyone’s brand-new lunch kit!
