When you’re getting the children up in the morning, making breakfast, getting ready for work and then dashing off to school, there’s precious little time left to be creative with lunches. So a sandwich, a bag of crisps, an apple and a ‘treat‘ can easily become the default option, and it’s popular. Many people opt for packed lunches because their children are fussy eaters, yet making the same lunches can mean children become more reluctant to try new foods. So how can we make things healthier without adding extra work?
Use leftovers wisely. If you make a soup, pasta bake, chilli, shepherd's pie, etc. for dinner, make a little more for next day’s packed lunch or to freeze in portions for another time. This is a great way of cutting down on work for you, reducing waste, being thrifty and also introducing more variety into lunchboxes.
Invest in some good kit. In the winter a wide-necked vacuum flask keeps things hot, and it also keeps salads and fruit cool in the summer. I love collapsible silicone lunchboxes with individual compartments. These make it easy to include ‘bits‘ of different things whilst keeping them separate and reducing packaging, and they can be flattened for taking home afterwards.
Make the food look nice and inviting. Making food more visually appealing and fun encourages children to try new things. For young children, you can buy fun cutlery and “food picks” (basically toothpicks), and themed cutters and food cups/dividers. But you don’t need to spend money – you can simply jazz things up with a few toothpicks to skewer fruit and veg, or a little note or picture for your child to look at at lunchtime.
Set down some rules. We have a general rule about eating a portion of fruit and veg at lunch each day, and a similar rule about the frequency of things like crisps. And I love snack swaps!
Have some healthy swaps. Small changes and tweaks that keep your children happy but ensure they have eaten something nutritious are a winner. As snacks are usually the biggest problem in lunchboxes, here are some ideas:
Crisps – plain tortilla chips, homemade popcorn, dried pulses, vegetable crisps, rice cakes and poppadoms.
Chocolate/cakes – make a batch of minicakes at the weekend when you have time, and then freeze portions to defrost each night for lunchboxes. It’s easy to cut the sugar in recipes by 50%, and I try and add in fruit or veg (carrot, courgette, beetroot, etc.), and chia or flaxseed as an egg replacer for more protein. Your children probably won’t notice, yet you’re helping curb their sweet tooth and packing in some extra nutrients. Next time you’re at the supermarket, check out the ingredients of your favourite treats and swap for something less processed and with less fat and sugar for a healthier standby at home.
Cover all the food groups. Make sure you’ve packed a balanced lunch. It helps to be creative: swap bread for pitta, wraps, bagels, and use wholegrain and granary where you can. You can easily increase the amount of veg by cutting carrot and cucumber sticks and having a dip, as children find this fun. Or grate veg like carrot into wraps and add in a lettuce leaf for extra crunch. Grated veg are also great in savoury muffins and sweet cakes. Pots of fruit salad with plain yoghurt work well, and small amounts of dried fruit – too much isn’t good for teeth – and a homemade smoothie also make a welcome change. Beans and pulses pack a protein punch and make great salads and dips, and also snacks if they are roasted till crispy. If your child eats dairy, try chunks of cheese to eat with the fruit. For drinks I always recommend water, which you can flavour with lemon or other fruits.
____
Nicole Freeman is mum to Ella and Oliver, and runs award-winning children’s cooking school The Kids’ Kitchen. Classes are all about showing children how much fun cooking can be and, by involving them in preparing and cooking their own meals, encouraging them to try new foods. thekidskitchen.net
Published in issue 57. Accurate at the time this issue went to print.
