I always get asked how I keep on packing healthy lunch boxes year after year and still come up with so many new creative school lunch box recipes. In today’s post I will share with you some of my lunch box packing tips.
These tips will help you plan your lunch menu for the week, keep things organized and give you an idea of what to include in a healthy lunch box.
Using this post you will be able to pack a healthy lunch box everyday.
Let’s begin,
HOW TO PACK A HEALTHY LUNCH BOX EVERYDAY
PLAN AHEAD
Get into the habit of planning the mains for your lunch boxes for the week alongside your weekly family meal plan. Club both the menus when you go grocery shopping.
This takes away a lot of the stress and keeps things moving ahead in a busy week with less chances of hiccups.
THINK BALANCE
The lunch box menu is decided so that each box has some protein, healthy fat and fiber rich foods. This way I know I am covering all the essential macro and micronutrients my children need for their growth.
DO THE PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE
Prep as much as you can the night before. I like to keep pancake dry mixes, pasta sauces, chutneys, dips, and sandwich fillings ready the night before so that things move smoothly in the morning.
Now that my son is going for a full day of school he needs two boxes everyday, one for snack and one for lunch. Some nights I prepare one box completely and store in the fridge overnight to save me time in the mornings.
Recipes like the previous nights leftovers – rice dishes and curries are perfect for such overnight packing.
PLAN MEALS AROUND STAPLES
Another tip is to plan the entire week’s menu around staples, so you are not scampering to add new recipes and ingredients in the middle of the week.
We like to have a rotation of fruits, vegetables and dry fruits to go as sides in the boxes.
Having staple foods like peanut butter, oats, pastas, chapati flour, milk, cheese and basic spices around is important as they can be used and cooked in multiple ways adding a variety of meals without spending on extra ingredients.
Here is a look at some of the healthy and delicious school lunch boxes I packed him recently.
LUNCH BOX PACKING TIPS
INVOLVE THE KIDS
Try and involve the kids in the weekly menu planning so there is less fuss overall and more excitement as they wait for their favorites to show up in their lunch boxes.
BUY DIFFERENT TYPES OF LUNCH BOXES
Over a period of time I realized it is handy to have an assortment of good quality lunch boxes. Different meals require different types of packing.
Our go-tos are stainless steel lunch boxes for bento style meals, wraps and pancakes.
Here are some of our favorite bento boxes.
For an Indian meal you will need a thermos box or a stackable lunchbox that can hold liquids like dal or gravies.
I also like to have a separate cutlery holder and a napkin for the child to be able to setup and eat lunch with less hassle.
THEMED LUNCH BOXES
To keep things fun try themed lunch boxes from time to time. The theme can be your child’s favorite series or book themed lunch, a lunch box designed around the current season or inspired by school lunches from a different country.
Such ideas bring about fresh interest and create renewed curiosity within the child to try new dishes and foods that they otherwise may not be interested in.
My son gets a special birthday lunch box every year that includes all this favorites, then during specific Jewish festivals I like to do themed lunches for him around the holiday story or theme.
I hope you found these tips useful as you pack your child’s lunch boxes.
Do comment below your lunch box packing ideas too.