Back to School Blues: 3 Healthy Packed Lunch Ideas for Kids
Stay away from soggy sandwiches and brusied apples with these 3 healthy packed lunch ideas for kids. Read on for more!
And, just like that, summer is nearly over. Before we know it, we’ll be replacing evening BBQs and beachside cocktails with ironing school uniform and 6am wake-up calls. But if you’re already dreading the back-to-school grind, we have something that may just make your life a little easier.
Say goodbye to soggy sandwiches and bruised apples; these 3 healthy packed lunch ideas are full of goodness, quick to prepare, and will keep your kids happy, too. Keep reading to discover our secret to packed lunches that will add a little flavour to your children’s day.
1. Veggie Pasta Salad
A delicious pasta salad is a healthy, versatile, and wholly underrated lunchtime snack which your kids are guaranteed to adore. Add chopped vegetables such as tomatoes, red peppers, and peas, a sprinkling of mozzarella, a pinch of basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pasta salads are easy to prepare the night before and can be stored in a lunch bag with an ice block to keep it fresh: perfect for warm summer days! For an alternative recipe, try tuna, pesto, and sweetcorn.
Top tip: when cooking the pasta, try cooking for 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time. This will prevent your pasta from becoming either too dry or too soggy in the pasta salad.
2. Simple Chicken Soup
The perfect healthy packed lunch idea for a chilly autumn day, soup can be prepared, frozen, then re-heated when needed, making it a popular choice among busy parents. All you’ll need is a good quality thermos (which won’t spill in transit!) and a portion of delicious soup.
Chicken soup can be created from the leftovers of a roast dinner: simply break the chicken into a saucepan and cook with garlic, onion, and any desired herbs or spices before adding boiling water and simmering for 2 hours. Sieve the contents of the pan into a bowl and blend the chopped onion with sweetcorn, before adding both mixtures back into the pan. Add extra chicken and sweetcorn pieces, along with extra garlic and some ginger for a slight kick.
Level up on healthy cooking. Try this recipe with our selection of the best free range chicken.
3. Fruit, Yoghurt, & Granola Pots
An exciting and healthy dessert alternative, creating a granola and yoghurt pot is a great incentive to make sure your kids’ lunchboxes arrive home without that uneaten piece of fruit. Reuse an old jam jar to make this nutritious layered dessert, and start by chopping your child’s fruit of choice into small cubes. Layer this at the bottom, before adding sweetened natural yoghurt, then a sprinkling of granola. Repeat these layers until the jar is full!
This recipe can also be altered depending on what you have in the fridge, or on whichever fruit is in season. It’s an enjoyable way for your kids to get their daily nutrients!
