With school returning in only a few short weeks for Australian kids, the inevitable daily task of lunch making is also fast approaching and with it a collective headache is already starting to gather for most Australian parents! Making the kids lunch isn’t as simple as it used to be, the old days of chucking in an apple and a sandwich are over. With the increase in allergies and food intolerances, an awareness of the nasties in processed foods and also the push for more environmentally friendly packaging, making the school lunch every morning is almost like a marathon! But never fear, sit back, enjoy a hot cuppa (while you can) before we have some tips, tricks & products to save you time, money and effort.
Tip 1 – Normally with these types of articles, people say pack lunch the night before, but seriously, who is that organised?? After dinner and dishes, there’s no way I’m going to pack lunches!! So my tip is Make Your Fridge/Pantry Work For You. Huh? That means, get your fridge or pantry into a system that works for you. Here are some ideas;
-Cut up a few days worth of fruit or veggies and store it in the fridge (berries & melons, carrot & celery sticks are awesome for this. Even make up pots of hummous or dip to go with them)
-Make up a few days of veggie muffins or slice and have them cut up, ready to go in a container in the fridge. You can also do this with sandwiches
-Bake up a big batch of snacks and have them stored in your pantry, ready to go each morning. Things such as bliss balls, fruit bars store easily for few days.
Then each morning, simply get out your containers, pop the food into easy fabric reusable bags or paper bags and pop them into your child’s lunch box. If you can get into a routine of sorting, cooking and organising on a Sunday and Wednesday, your mornings will be a breeze.
Tip 2 – Use Reusable fabric bags, paper sandwich bags or beeswax wraps – Not only are these storage solutions much healthier for your child (they don’t contain nasty chemicals such as BPA, lead and pthlates), much better for the environment (no wasteful plastic ending straight into landfill) but also save you time and money. Buying plastic wrap and baggies adds up over time, and fiddling around with plastic wrap takes up time and energy. Simply popping your snacks, sandwiches, slices into a reusable bag is quick and easy. When they come home soiled, either wipe them out or pop them in the wash! A lot of early childhood centres and schools are jumping on board the ‘zero waste’ lunch so it’s a good idea to get into this habit now.
Alternatively, buy a lunch box with compartments so you don’t need bags or containers. Bento boxes & compartment lunchboxes are a great idea and are very easy to pack.
Tip 3 – Bulk bake and freeze. So many simple, healthy snacks and lunches can be baked in bulk and frozen. Either make them from scratch or buy ready made mixes that take minutes to whip up (check the ingredients to avoid nasty additives and preservatives) Cooking snacks yourself saves so much money and is also far healthier as you avoid many additives and preservatives. Here’s some ideas;
- Carrot/walnut muffins
-Bliss balls
-Apple/Pear muffins
-Rice & pea muffins
-Banana bread
-Coconut & pineapple bread
-Healthy chocolate cupcakes
Tip 4 - Get your kids involved – Kids are very much capable of helping you pack their lunch, even those little kindergarteners/preppies. Let them get into the habit of packing their lunches, which is made simple if you have everything organised and ready to go. All they need to do is grab some fruit, pack everything into storage bags/containers and pop it into their lunch boxes.
Tip 5 - Have the right equipment - I personally have a drawer in my kitchen full of beeswax wraps, reusable snack and sandwich bags, small round steel containers and a shelf in my pantry with drink bottles and lunch bags and boxes. Having everything together makes packing lunches so much quicker and easier. When you think about the cost of buying stainless steel over plastic, also remember that stainless steel lasts forever and is far more sturdy and healthier. Investing in good quality pieces saves you so much money when you don't have to constantly replace broken or yucky pieces. Can't afford many pieces? Don't stress! Just use what you have and slowly replace each item as needed with something a little more quality. Excellent items to have include;
- Stainless steel small round containers - perfect for yoghurts, dips, snacks
- Stainless steel rectangular containers - perfect for salads, leftovers, omelettes, slices, etc
- Or a bento box style lunch box - The ones you can layer are best for school ages children as they tend to hold more food.
- Reusable fabric wraps - So quick and easy to use, just throw your food in and seal the velcro. Either wipe clean or throw in the wash
- Beeswax wraps - Simply wrap up sandwiches or snack in these and they keep food fresh
- Paper sandwich bags - Super easy to use and can easily be recycled
- Stainless steel insulated jars - Perfect for cold winter months, these will keep your food hot or cold
- Stainless steel drink bottles - So sturdy, these bad boys will last you years
Tip 6 – Change the way you think about it – This tip sounds so easy but quite honestly, packing school lunches is something the majority of parents will be doing for 13 years of their lives so changing the way you think about it can really help. The line I love to repeat when doing chores I like is ‘Not because I have to but because I get to.’ Believe it or not the fact you get to make lunch for your beautiful child who is healthy enough to go to school (and the fact you have food to pack for them) is a blessing in itself which millions of people over the world do not have. So when you put it into context, packing lunches really ain’t that bad.
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