8 clever school lunch ideas
Packing an enjoyable lunch for your child can be challenging, especially if they’re a picky eater. So how can you ensure lunch boxes don’t return home uneaten?
First, give them choices. For example, if you include five items and they eat three, at least you know they’ve had a good meal. Second, be creative.
Here are eight versatile school lunch ideas you can adapt to your child’s liking.
1. Cheese and zucchini muffins
If you enjoy baking, you can make a batch of cheese and zucchini muffins. Homemade rather than shop-bought means you can include other ingredients. It’s a great way to sneak extra veggies into your child’s lunchbox.
2. Pinwheel sandwiches
Pinwheel sandwiches are a fun way to make an ordinary sandwich more appealing. Add colourful ingredients like red cabbage, cranberries, and capsicums. You can swap the bread for lettuce, rice paper or tortilla wraps.
3. Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a versatile lunch item as there are lots of fillings you can create. Toast them lightly in a pan and cut them into triangles that are easy to grab and eat.
4. Mini quiches
A mini quiche, or frittata, is another tasty easy-to-eat lunchbox snack. Again, you can play around with different fillings. This is another way to add vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, onion, and tomato.
5. Pasta salad
The great thing about pasta is you can eat it hot or cold. A cold pasta salad is ideal for the school lunch box and is quick to make. Most kids like pasta, and you can choose fun shapes like bowtie or alphabet pasta. If you want a healthier dressing, use an olive oil-based rather than a mayonnaise dressing.
6. Meatballs or falafel
Whether beef, lamb, chicken, pork or seafood, meatballs make a tasty addition to the school lunchbox. You can include a dipping sauce like tomato sauce, barbecue sauce or tzatziki. A good vegetarian option is falafel balls made from chickpeas and fava beans.
7. Fritters
Fritter cakes are another versatile lunchbox snack that allows you to get creative. Here are a few ideas for fritters:
Tuna and corn
Zucchini, spinach, and feta
Carrot and pumpkin
Cheesy cauliflower or broccoli
Pea and sweet corn
Potato and leek
8. Pigs in blankets
Pigs in blankets are pork sausages, chipolatas or hot dog sausages wrapped in pastry. You can substitute it with vegetarian sausages if your child doesn’t eat meat.
When packing a lunchbox, add variety and include plenty of small healthy snacks like fruit, veggie sticks, yoghurt and nuts. Even if they don’t get through all the food you’ve prepared, at least they’ll fill their tummies with some healthy food.
If your child’s school uses Flexischools, you can pre-order and pay for your child’s lunch via the Flexischools app when you run out of lunch ideas or don’t have time to make lunch.
Flexischools is Australia’s #1 online canteen ordering app for parents, schools, and suppliers. Find out more about Flexischools here.
Want to learn more about Flexischools? Click here.