lunch box ideas

Tomorrow the Little Sister starts kindy. I've been through this once before, but that's no guarantee I won't shed a tear as I walk out the gate tomorrow morning.

The first day of kindy (and school on Wednesday) means a return to routine and to packing school lunches. So (after a few requests from readers) here's a few lunch box ideas that might just get eaten!

When I pack the girls' lunches I use a simple formula:

1 protein + 1 dairy + 1 fruit + 2 veggies + 1 sweet treat = lunch box

Not calculus, but it's a good rule of thumb for making sure that the lunches I pack are fuel for learning.

Lunch box ideas to fuel learning:

• sandwiches with protein fillings - ham, chicken, tuna, eggs, cheese
• wraps with protein fillings - ham, chicken, tuna, eggs, cheese
• baked beans
• savoury muffins
• mini quiches
• bacon and cheese wheels
• hard boiled eggs
• frittata

• yoghurt (frozen or to be eaten at first break)
• cheese sticks. The pre-packaged sticks can be expensive, but you can cut your own from a block of cheese and wrap them in foil.  They keep for a week in the fridge, so I do a week's worth on Monday morning.

• apples
• pears
• mandarins
• grapes
• bananas. Bananas don't fit into many lunch boxes. I pack them separately and label them (or write a 'secret' message in the skin) using a skewer. The air reacts with the peel and your writing becomes visible after a few minutes.
• mini pears

• snow peas
• cucumbers (and mini cucumbers for novelty)
• cherry tomatoes
• carrot sticks (cooked if your day care doesn't allow raw carrots)
• corn

• chips
• rice crackers
• dry cereal
• sultanas
• cake
• nut bars (if your school allows nuts)
• muesli bars
• biscuits
• brownies
• popcorn
• trail mix (choose a seeds only option for nut-free schools)

I'll be thinking of all the mums farewelling their babies tomorrow. I hope you find someone to give you a cuddle and hand you a cuppa. The time flies between drop off and pick up, I promise. x

a question for the seasoned lunch box packers:

what do your kids eat first?
what always comes home uneaten?