Lunch boxes have always been a nemesis of mine; I want the girls to eat well, but – if I’m completely honest – I’m not very inventive when it comes to preparing fresh and healthy school lunches.
When Big Sis started reception class two years ago I used to include things I’d never look twice at now, like dried fruit flakes and yoghurt-coated raisins. It’s not that they’re horrifically bad for you, but they’re just not that good for you either, and they’re full of sugar (something we’re making a concerted effort to cut down on at the moment).
Then I discovered Grace and her fabulous EATS AMAZING blog, and it was like a whole world had opened up before me! Grace doesn’t just make her own kids’ fresh and healthy school lunches, she uses bento boxes to make amazing culinary creations that they can’t wait to eat each day. She gave me SO much inspiration, that when I heard that she was involved with the Organix NO JUNK lunchbox challenge I couldn’t help but get excited (yes, I’m THAT sad!).
The concept of the challenge is simple – to remove unnecessary junk from school lunches. And it wasn’t nearly as hard as I anticipated it would be, in fact, all it required was a bit of thought, and some common sense. The bento box idea (pinched straight from Grace) works brilliantly, because it’s actually kinda fun to fill the little compartments. The fact they’re all neatly sealed means you can include fresh food like boiled eggs, apple slices and grated cheese.
I’ve been using them all summer for ‘breakfast picnics’ that I fill with fruit, and dry cereal. When the girls wake up, they sit and eat their #NoJunk brekkie boxes and listen to their Paddington Bear audiobook, buying me another precious half hour in bed.
When Big Sis starts back this week she’ll be getting school meals, so I won’t have to make her lunch anymore (which I’m actually slightly sad about) but Lil Sis will still need hers for nursery. Above is a typical ‘new style’ lunchbox (clockwise, from top L): grapes (cut in half), cucumber slices, Organix rice crackers, Organix maize snacks, tuna wrap sandwiches (cut into heart shapes, of course) and plum tomatoes (also cut into halves).
What would you include in your fresh and healthy school lunches?
I’d put in hummus & things to dip into it, like cucumber, carrot, celery & pitta bread 🙂
YUM! I hadn’t thought about hummus *writes down on lunchbox-inspiration list* 😉
[…] spoken before about how we’re huge ORGANIX fans in our house, and how the girls genuinely love their range of healthy corn puffs, gingerbread […]