Healthy Lunch Boxes For School Kids

Many challenges can get between us and healthy lunch boxes and well fed healthy school kids, including:

School break times generally allow two breaks, between 20-45 mins. in this time children generally get 15 mins to eat, then the remainder of the time to play, drink and go to the toilet
Younger grades may get an early morning "munch and crunch" or “brain snack” time
School kids are busy! They don't actually get much time in the day to eat
Yet they need a sustaining source of energy, and fast!
On top of this, parents experience lunch box fatigue in coming up with suitable ideas
Plus schools have allergen policies which may exclude some foods e.g. nuts
Parents/carers need to consider food safety and palatability ie. how to keep food cool (a warm squished ham and cheese sandwich and banana is not appetising and will come home uneaten!)
Food needs to be easy to handle and eat ie. easy to eat with hands rather than needing cutlery

Lunchbox menu planning needs to meet the nutritional needs of your children. So what are the nutritional needs of our school kids? The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating for children recommends:

2 serves of fruit
4-5 serves of vegetables
4-5 serves of grains (bread, cereal, pasta)
1-2 serves of protein (meat, fish, legumes, nuts)
1-3 serves of dairy

Note a serve is usually what fits in your hand. Examples of one serve:

1 piece of fruit = 1 handful = 1 serve
1 vegetable = 1 handful = 1 serve
for grains = 1 slice bread
for protein = 1 egg or 65g ham/tuna/chicken
for dairy = 20g cheese or 120g yoghurt or 1 glass milk

School time encompasses one main meal (lunch) and one or two quick snacks so you don't have to get every food group in - there are plenty of other opportunities in the day outside of school.

A balanced lunch box might contain (as a guide):

Snacks - 1 grain, 1 piece of fruit
Lunch - 2 grains, 1 vegetable or fruit +/- protein and/or dairy
And of course a drink

A healthy example of a packed lunch box:

Snack - homemade muffin + apple;
Lunch - sandwich (2 slices of bread) with any filling (spreads are fine) + carrot sticks + yoghurt pouch
Drinks - water is the best drink

Of course all healthy lunch boxes require food hygiene to be maintained. Some food safety tips:

Look for an insulated lunchbox (look out in sales) - this will help to keep food cold and also prevent it from being squashed in the school bag
Invest in some freezer bricks - usually only a few dollars from a supermarket
Freeze foods where possible e.g. muffins, pikelets, bread to help keep food cool during the day
Think ahead and prepare, chop, peel, freeze where possible e.g. making vegemite or jam sandwiches the night before, chopping vege sticks - spending 5-10 mins the night before a few times a week can make a difference in the morning rush

Other points to consider:

Protein and dairy can be difficult food groups to get into lunchboxes - focus more on these foods at home, e.g. a good breakfast, nourishing after school snacks, on weekends
There is no need to make lunch box foods fancy and complicated - if you enjoy making food different in presentation, and you have the time - that's great - but there is no need to spend more time and energy than you have available. As with any consideration in family life, aim to keep it simple, practical, achievable and sustainable
Involve your child in making some of the decisions about their lunch, e.g. choosing new recipes to try on weekends, selecting their fruit or veges, choosing their sandwich filling

This advice is considered to be general nutrition advice for children who are generally well and growing consistently. For specific nutritional issues or concerns eg. faltering growth, food aversions, or food allergies and intolerances then please seek individualised, professional advice.

Healthy Lunch Box Recipes

Need some help on how to make a healthy lunch box? Here are some quick lunch box recipes that are great nutritional additions to your child's lunch box.

Mixed Berry Muffins

Ingredients:

300g wholemeal self raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

1/3 cup caster sugar

100g fresh or frozen raspberries (do not defrost frozen berries)

100g fresh or frozen blueberries (do not defrost frozen berries)

1 egg

1 cup milk ½ cup canola oil

Method:

1. Grease and line a 12 hole muffin tray. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Then stir in sugar and berries.

3. Whisk egg, milk and oil together. Then pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined.

4. Spoon mixture into prepared tray.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

6. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

1 small ripe banana
1 cup wholemeal self raising flour
½ cup white self raising flour
½ cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup canola oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 12 hole muffin tray.

2. Mash banana in a large bowl.

3. Sift flour into the bowl. Add the husks left in the sifter.

4. Add in sugar, egg, milk and oil.

5. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until just combined.

6. Spoon mixture into prepared tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack

before storing in an airtight container or freezer.

Pikelets

Ingredients:

1 cup self raising flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon oil

Method:

1. Sift flour and sugar into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the egg, milk and vanilla. Beat with a fork until smooth.

3. Brush a non stick frying pan with the oil and place on the stove over medium heat.

4. Put spoonfuls of mixture into pan. Cook for one minute or so, then turn and cook for a

further minute. Remove from pan and leave to cool.

5. Spread with favourite toppings – butter and jam, cream cheese, or enjoy plain!

Apricot Buns

Ingredients:

125g wholemeal self raising flour
125g white self raising flour
125g butter
100g caster sugar
90g diced dried apricots
1 egg
¼-1/2 milk

Method:

1. Grease and line a baking tray. Preheat oven to a hot 225 degrees Celsius.

2. Rub flour and butter together with fingertips.

3. Add sugar and apricots and mix with a wooden spoon.

4. Mix egg and milk in a separate bowl.

5. Stir egg mix into the dry ingredients.

6. Drop spoonfuls of sticky mixture onto a tray.

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until buns lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

8. Recipe makes approx. 12 medium sized buns. Store in an airtight container or in the freezer.

Growlife Paediatric Dieticians

Growlife clinical paediatric dieticians provide services to help with infant and toddler nutrition. These dietician services are available at our Highgate Hill Medical Centre and Sherwood Medical Centre.

We are also Brisbane's leader in Telehealth Consults, Growlife Medical now provides easy and secure Telehealth Consults with your doctor. You can easily book online or over the phone, for a video or phone consult with our dieticians or GPs.