Friday 23 January 2009

Empty Lunchboxes = Hungry Tummies


Given the Doctor is starting pre-school next week, I've been giving lunchboxes a bit of thought. A lot of thought actually.

I've got the basics covered off, fruit, yoghurt, sandwiches - all the usual suspects, but I'm looking for something a little more exciting to start serving up for the small fry. And the lunchboxes have a pre-requisite of being healthy, nutritional, low in salt and not too sugary...

What are some nifty little things you include in your kidlins lunchboxes?

I'm thinking mini-muffins, maybe some ANZAC biscuits, popcorn, carrot/celery sticks & dip... Gimme gimme gimme some ideas. I know there's a whole world of goodness out there.

14 comments:

Jemma. said...

My mum used to always give me dry cereal and sultanas mixed together. Normally nutrigrain from memory. Other dried fruit is yummy and banana chips. Umm. Cheese cubes, nuts (if they're allowed) and crackers are all favourites of my nephew!
-Jemma

CurlyPops said...

Mini muffins are great because you can make a big batch and freeze them separately. Vegemite saladas are usually popular too (although rather messy)!

Leonie said...

Rice crackers (plain or flavoured) and dried fruit. Homemade muesli bars. Rice or corn or multigrain thins (polystyrene as my husband calls them ) near the rice crackers at the supermarket, plain, flavoured or add your own flavour, we do vegemite, cheese spread, jam or honey.

Anonymous said...

One thing my youngest loves to take to school is cherry tomatoes!!

Cath @ chunkychooky said...

my little one loves dates! loves 'em. was one of her first words.... it does get hard, i feel like I am giving her the same thing a lot of the time so I will be intersted to see what everyone lelse comes up with.

Anonymous said...

dried juicy apricots, sultanas dried apple, apple peeled and "wrapped" back up with the peel, tiny yoghurt,popcorn (but check school policy), frozen drink,tortilla wrap of ham 'n avocado, cheese, sandwiches cut out with cookie cutter.....bana bread,hummous and bik,cristini,pretzels,

Cindy said...

Me giving out food advice, that would be funny. Perhaps I should just get you to keep me posted on any ideas that work - as long as they are beige in colour.

Jodi said...

i always loved celery with peanut butter but I've recently heard that peanut butter is banned from schools. Is this true?

Monique said...

The rooster started preschool last term and as we couldn't send yoghurt, as it apparently was just a bit messy, I had the same dilemma. We send those babybell cheeses, a container of sultanas, seaweed rice crakers and mini muffins and the popcorn packets are good too. Hope all goes well next week for you (and the Doctor as well!)

Cass said...

Lunchboxes, then bane of my existance. I try to be creative but Charlotte always wants the same things.

Megan.K. said...

This is not to everyone's taste - but both my girls love nori rolls filled with rice and avocado... or any filling you you want. They're super-easy to make, fun for little hands to hold, fun to eat and you can make them in advance.
And they're healthy too.
x
megan

Anonymous said...

We do carrot sticks and hummus or tzatziki. Rice balls with whatever inside are good. I always have beef jerky in the cabinet for those days I have nothing, works in a pinch. You can take regular slice bread and roll it out to make a good pinwheel sandwich, mine likes cheese and mustard but the possibilities are endless. I also do cubed apples with honey and cinnamon for dessert sometimes. I'm looking forward to seeing what suggestions other folks have!

Good luck with it! Are you going to cry on the first day? I did.

gemma @ loz and dinny said...

My Mum used to peel an orange around and around like a a road wrapping around a mountain but leave it attached when she got to the bottom and then wrap it back up - so then when I opened my luch box you had hours of fun eating the orange and then playing with the rind slinky ...cool

JustJess said...

Little tubs of left-overs work for us, mainly pasta or fried rice. These can be eaten cold too. Meatloaf, hard-boiled eggs, little tuna tins with flavours (tomato one a hit here), stras wrapped around cheese with a toothpick in it, finger-food salad, dip and crackers, sandwiches cut out with cookie cutters, or rolled up like sushi, wraps, and plain old vegemite sandwiches!