Today is my oldest baby's first day at "big" school! I know she's going to love it as we choose a school that's all about the kids - barefoot, no uniforms, the kids make their own rules, really small class sizes, they can climb trees and play outdoors whenever they like and the whole focus is on bringing out the kids natural interests and talents.
The school (Brisbane Independent School) also has a wonderful community feel and I feel so blessed to have already made friends with some of the other parents who seem like fantastic people.
So that's all great, but then there's this other part of me that's mourning the fact that her days at home with me are kind of over (emotional mummy face..).
Anyway, this blog is about healthy school lunchbox ideas. To me, one of the most important responsibilities in being a mum is building our little ones up to be healthy and strong (and hopefully emotionally resilient as well!). Imagine if you could start again and instead of having the repair the damage from years of eating badly you could choose to only put good foods in your body? That's kind of how I see my children - as clean, pure souls that should be nurtured with only the best foods.
You might think I'm a controlling overbearing mother but trust me, my kids aren't missing anything! They get chocolate (the organic, healthy kind), chips (organic or home made), cakes and sweets (gluten-free, no refined sugar) and loads of other delicious treats.
What they don't get is chemicals, preservatives, crap like soft drink and packaged junk foods, and they have no idea what McDonalds or KFC are. Our fast food is sushi (not perfect I know but one of the better choices in my opinion) or healthy cafe meals (from cafes that use clean ingredients).
So what am I going to pack my little miss for lunch? If you're making the switch from sandwiches and packaged foods to more wholesome, homemade foods you might think your options are limited at first - but they're endless!
Now the container you choose is also important - I try to steer away from plastic as much as possible and to limit the amount of waste from packaging, so I love the Lunchbots Stainless Steel containers (you can get them from Biome). Lots of compartments are great for kids who like variety like my kids who like to have little bits of a lot of things. If you get a 5 compartment one it also means you'll probably only need to pack the one lunchbox rather than several smaller containers.
Here's a few ideas for things you can include in those compartments:
- veggie sticks - carrots, capsicum, cucumber
- dips - hommus, avocado, cashew cheese, pumpkin dip
- eggs (for protein) - boiled, fritatta, quiche, mini egg muffins
- fresh fruit (spray-free of course)
- homemade rice paper rolls or sushi
- homemade healthy cakes, slice and biscuits (gluten and refined sugar free)
- leftovers - fried rice dishes, gluten-free pasta dishes, chicken stir-fry
- salads - grated ones are particularly easy
- homemade chicken nuggets, tuna or salmon patties
- homemade pizza - use gluten-free wraps or your own base (almond meal and/or cauliflower bases are great)
- half an avocado sprinkled with sea salt and lemon
- healthy chocolate pancakes (I'll be sharing a recipe for these next week)
- chocolate avocado mousse
- nuts and dried fruit (depending on what your school allows)
- chemical-free rice crackers (Ceres Organic are my favourite) or organic popcorn
- chia seed pudding
- potato rostis
- lettuce wraps or gluten-free wraps
- kale chips
- bliss balls.
Do you have other ideas to add to this list? Let me know in the comments below and happy lunchbox packing!
