Coming up with new ideas to fill your kids’ lunchboxes every day of the school week feels like trying to reinvent the wheel. Let’s be honest, for most of us, trying to provide food that is not only nutritious and filling but will actually get eaten by your kids is a bore of a chore.
Nutritionists and Dieticians’ websites are often the best place to find wholesome recipes but searching for them can be a time-consuming task.
To help you out, we’ve gone ahead and selected seven top recipes from Sydney-based nutritionists/dieticians that will make perfect lunchbox additions. They can all be made at least a couple of days ahead of time if you like to do your meal prep on the weekend, and your kids can even help you make them!
Healthy lunchbox recipes and treats
- Filling and kid-friendly, try this Fried rice from Nutritious Eats. Cooked rice will last for 5-7 days.
- The kids will love selecting the ingredients and helping you make Rice paper rolls from Vibrant Nutrition. If you want them to last for 2-3 days, avoid fresh seafood and use cooked tuna/chicken or go meatless instead, then wrap them individually and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
- Try this Cherry tomato omelette from Honest Nutrition or sub out the tomatoes for mushrooms, bacon or ingredients you know your child will like. Omelettes can last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- For the warmer months, pop this Potato, carrot and pumpkin soup from Nutrition Solutions Sydney into a thermos. Vegetable soup usually lasts 3-4 days in the fridge or can be frozen and thawed the night before.
- Fritters are very popular with kids and usually last about a week so can be made well in advance. Try the Veg, quinoa and feta fritters from Honest Nutrition
- Kids will hoe into these Sweet potato brownies from Kimberley Wright without even realising they’re eating their veggies!
- Wholesome and delicious, kids will love making (and eating) these Easy oats and carrot cookies from Whole Health with Emma.
Rice paper rolls from Vibrant Nutrition
Need more help filling your little ones’ lunchboxes?
The Cancer Council has put together an excellent FREE tool called the Lunch Box Builder.
It’s been developed by dieticians and is there to offer inspiration including sandwich filling ideas, nutritious recipes, snack ideas and healthy lunchbox swaps.
They also offer great advice of which fruits and vegetables are seasonal and how you can combine these to create affordable healthy lunches- it’s actually great for putting together meals at dinner-time too!
And if you need some even quicker solutions, then be sure to read our article on quick and easy lunchbox snacks.
What about after school?
It doesn’t matter how much kids eat at school, they’ll usually still come home hungry!
If you’re looking for post-school snack suggestions then check out our article full of healthy, dietician-approved after-school snack suggestions.
Over to you…
What are your go-to recipes for school lunches? Where do you turn for inspiration? And how do you fight-off the fatigue of packing the same thing day in and day out?
We’d love to know! Let us know in the comments below or tag @mumsoftheshire in your lunchbox creations on Instagram.
