It’s back to school for 2023 in the ACT next week – and now’s a good time to think about what to pack in a healthy school lunchbox to best support your kids.
Whether you’re dealing with picky eaters or food sharers, coming up with fresh and healthy lunchbox ideas for the whole school year is no joke. Dietitian, nutritionist, and mum of twin boys, Susie Burrell shares her top tips for tackling the lunchbox.
1. Sneaky veggies: Being a mother of two growing boys, I know just how hard it can be to think of new and creative ways to sneak a vegetable or two into school lunches. Corn fritters are my go-to and they’re a great way to include a range of vegetables and essential nutrients into a lunchbox – they’re always a crowd pleaser!
2. Mood foods to keep away the grumpies: Mood boosting foods, such as berries, salmon, bananas, and yogurt, are all rich in essential vitamins and minerals that correlate with supporting your overall mood and energy levels. Ideally, you want to aim for your lunchbox to include a nutrient-rich protein-based filling to ensure your kids have the essential nutrients they need to keep them satisfied throughout the day.
3. Get the kids involved: Having kids pack their lunch is a great way to teach them to take responsibility for their meals, while also educating them on what foods are healthy. I like to spend each Sunday afternoon with my twin boys creating fun meals, and then spend time with them in the morning while they assemble their lunchboxes.
4. Food safety for back-to-school post-lockdown: Going back to school is hugely exciting for kids, especially when they get to hang out with their friends again at lunch time. Make sure that you remind your children to not share their lunches with other kids and teach them to wash their hands before and after eating.
5. Pleasing a picky eater: To encourage them to eat their lunch, try using cookie cutters to cut their sandwiches into fun, interesting shapes. I also like to use colourful vegetables to replicate objects that they’re familiar with, such as creating salmon skewers with cucumber, capsicum, and squash to make them look like traffic lights.
6. Good sugar or bad sugar? Fruit is a source of natural sugar which, in controlled amounts, is part of a healthy diet, as opposed to added sugar found in processed foods. It’s one of the simplest ways to include good sugars in a lunchbox. However, I recommend only including one to two pieces of fruit in a lunchbox per day.
7. Make it “aesthetic”: For a cute lunchtime surprise, try making snacks or sandwiches that look like your children’s favourite animals. For example, you can use bananas, berries, and a spread to create a bear face on a slice of bread. Use fruit to make ‘sushi’ by covering frozen bananas with a spread and oats, and cutting them horizontally. And remember, always include a freezer pack in lunchboxes so leftover fruits or vegetables can be reused in a healthy platter for an afterschool snack.
Susie’s Lunchbox Corn Fritters
150g smoked salmon
2 large zucchini, grated
1 cup frozen corn kernels
3/4 cup self-raising flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
100g goats’ cheese
Combine zucchini, corn, and flour in a bowl. Add eggs, milk, and season with salt and pepper to form a thick batter.
Heat oil in a large non-stick pan. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbles start to form on top and then flip fritter and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Repeat with remaining mixture.
To serve, stack 3-4 fritters on top of each other, top with smoked salmon and crumbled goats’ cheese and enjoy!
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