Lunchbox tips

[Misanthropy]

Child-oriented but good ideas for anyone who has to eat on the go. Ignore all mentions of ham, chicken, salmon etc.

Originally Posted by www.guardian.co.uk

1 Ditch the crisps

Crisps are really bad for your kids - however much they love them. But there are options. If your child's school allows them, nuts make a fantastic alternative: just a handful can boost levels of B vitamins, iron, calcium, selenium and the omega-6 essential fatty acids that are important for brain function and energy production. If nuts are a no-no, opt instead for the equally healthy option of seeds. A small potful of sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds will provide a powerhouse of nutrients from B vitamins and calcium to iron and zinc. Pumpkin seeds are also one of the few foods to contain the brain-boosting combination of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. To make them tastier, try toasting them in a dry frying pan for a few minutes until slightly golden, or sprinkling them with a little low-salt soy sauce and roasting them in the oven for 10 minutes.

2 Experiment with fancy breads

If you are going to give them bread, offer wholegrain options: complex carbohydrates help prevent yo-yoing energy levels. But there is no excuse for sticking to the run-of-the-mill sliced variety. Pitta bread, soft tortilla wraps, mini naan bread, focaccia, ciabatta, soda bread, bagels or chapatis all make for an interesting change. If your children are still small, surprise them with a "secret roll" - slice off the top of a seeded wholemeal roll and remove the inside, then fill with layers of cheese, pesto, ham and spinach (or filling of your choice), then replace the lid.

3 Try new fillings

Children, like adults, get fed up with the same old thing every day. Put the ham and cheese on hold and try out some of these nutricious mixtures on them: vegetarian or meat sausage with chopped, seeded tomato, alfalfa and mayonnaise; hummus and grated carrot; mashed avocado, chopped, seeded tomato and falafel; bean or lentil pté, spring onion and grated carrot; tinned or smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber; roasted vegetables with mozzarella and pesto; roast chicken with pesto and sliced tomato; cream cheese, ham and chopped pineapple; prawn, mayonnaise, ketchup and lettuce; grated apple and cheese; grilled halloumi, pesto and chopped tomato; mashed hardboiled egg, grilled bacon, mayonnaise and lettuce; good-quality ham and cottage cheese with chives; tuna, mayonnaise, alfalfa, chopped spring onion and red pepper; tinned sardines in tomato, chopped tomato and lettuce; tortilla or omelette.

4 Include plenty to drink

Most kids don't drink enough fluids, especially while at school - and that can affect how well they work. Make sure you provide a bottle of water, diluted fresh fruit juice or milk with your child's lunch; avoid carbonated sugary drinks and shop-bought "fruit drinks", which rarely contain much in the way of fruit.

5 Smoothies

Fresh fruit smoothies are a brilliant way of getting fruit into your child: each one counts as one of the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. There are plenty to choose from in the chilled cabinet of most supermarkets but if you have time, they are simple to make at home. Just blend a banana - or the fruit of your choice - with natural yogurt and a little milk.

6 Soup

The colder winter months often turn parents against packed lunches in favour of a warm school lunch, but until the school catering services have pulled their socks up, you might be wise to invest in a small flask - in fact, many packed lunch boxes come with a flask - and fill it with hot soup. Chunky homemade vegetable and bean or pasta soups are a complete meal in themselves and there are some good ready-made options if you don't have time to make them yourself. Those found in the chiller cabinet are more nutritious than canned but you could boost their nutritional content further by adding some canned chickpeas or cannellini beans, cooked pasta and cooked chopped or pureed vegetables. Serve with a chunk of wholemeal bread, spread with hummus or top with a slice of cheese and you have a nutritious, sustaining meal.

7 Bits of veg

Many of us struggle to get our kids to eat the recommended three portions of fruit and two of vegetables a day, but actually the lunchbox provides the perfect opportunity to boost their consumption of fresh produce. Throw in some raw vegetables: cherry tomatoes or sticks of carrot, cucumber and pepper are a popular choice. But you could also try slices of fennel, mangetout, sugar snap peas or baby corn.

8 Salad-based lunches

Sandwiches don't have to be the centrepiece of a lunchbox. Plastic tubs make the perfect container for a range of salads. What is vital when providing salad is to keep it chilled, so invest in a packed lunch box that also acts as a cold bag. Pasta salads have a somewhat sad image but it's time to shake it off: combine cooked pasta with diced red pepper, canned corn, tomato, cubes of cheese and lubricate with a spoonful of mayonnaise and pesto. Couscous and bulgur wheat are great with chopped tomato, cucumber, spring onion, olives and mint, then dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Melon and feta cheese, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice make a refreshing summer salad as does avocado, tomato and mozzarella. If providing a pot of salad leaves, serve the dressing separately to avoid a soggy mass. Blue cheese dressing, Caesar dressing or balsamic vinegar with olive oil make a change to the usual vinaigrette.

9 Sweet treats

Yoghurt is a top-class food for kids, but if you read a label on a ready-made fruit yogurt you may be surprised to find that some actually contain very little, if any, real fruit but plenty of nasty additives. Making your own fruit yogurt, however, is very simple and quick to do. Simply puree or finely chop a handful of strawberries and blend with a cupful of natural bio yogurt and a teaspoonful of runny honey or maple syrup. Adding a tablespoonful of oats and seeds will make the yoghurt mixture even more nutricious.

Other relatively healthy sweet treats to bear in mind include sliced fruit bread, scones, malt loaf, flapjacks, fruit muffins, carrot cake, fruit cookies, cereal bars (but avoid those that are high in sugar), small amounts of good-quality chocolate and home-made popcorn sprinkled with sesame seeds and sweetened with maple syrup.

10 Added extras

Children have high energy requirements relative to their size, so they need energy-dense, nutritious foods in small but regular amounts. Give them some extras in their lunchbox: breadsticks with a dip such as hummus, bean dip, guacamole, or cream cheese; a hard-boiled egg; a box of raisins; a mini quiche; pure fruit leathers or bars; rice cakes or oatcakes - all will help fill a gap between regular meals.

[Lindsay]

yum.

[~smack]

Thanks.

[Lovecat]

Thats fine if you have lots of money and time. I make a packed lunch for work in five imutes on a saturday. Plain old ham and a packet of chrips for me

[Rainbow_brite]

yeh me to, i always tend to make pack lunches for wen im working and uni etc.
but its normally sandwich, crisps, juice. im gonna get rid of the crisps from now on and put carrotts etc in there and i know i need to drink more water..

[earmuffin]

i never have packed luncehes. but if i did, all they would consist of would be a packet of pistachios and a toffee.

[Loosea]

I love packed lunches

[Ge'd]

In my lunchbox today, I had:

Tuna sandwich (brown bread); 1 of.
Squares Crisps, Vinegar; 1 packet of.
Penguin chocolate biscuit, 1 of.
Purple Grapes; an array of.
Apple Juice; 1 carton of.

I loved it.

[corduroyboy]

Originally Posted by Ged

In my lunchbox today, I had:

Squares Crisps, Vinegar; 1 packet of.

I loved it.

What happens to the salt?

I had stuff with me, but I bought stuff.. heaven knows I'm miserable now.

I like cheese & pickle sandwiches, I like roast beef Monster Munch, I like Purple Grape Juice, I like Kraft cheese slices and maybe a cheeky Flake or something like that.

[Ge'd]

I love Flake deserts!

[gord]

in primary school we had our lunchoxes inspected, and if there wasn't a piece of fruit the teachers gave us one and wouldn't let us eat our sweets until we'd eaten the fruit

they'd never get away with that nowadays though.

[Loosea]

I used to like in primary school when my mum had made up my packed lunch and it was like a wee surprise when you opened it, she always put nice stuff in it and when my dad made it he'd always put in an extra chocolate bar or something! (y)

[corduroyboy]

Originally Posted by Loosea

I used to like in primary school when my mum had made up my packed lunch and it was like a wee surprise when you opened it, she always put nice stuff in it and when my dad made it he'd always put in an extra chocolate bar or something! (y)

I used to get meat paste sandwiches (which disgustingly I used to love) and for some reason, rather than buy me a new packed lunch box after I outgrew the Thomas The Tank Engine one, I had to take my lunch to school in a big FLORA tub!

True story.