Most mornings I open the fridge and say to myself “surely school dinners is the best answer”. But, Logan requested packed lunches and being the type of Mum who uses food to express my love, I could hardly say no to him, could I? He has though agreed to have a school dinner once a week on pizza day – he gets a treat and I get a day off!

In my day (god I sound old), we had a tupperware dish and a flask to bring our lunch in. If we were lucky we got an official character box with matching drinks cup. These days most children have a variation of a bento box. I was recommended the YumBox and it’s fab. The different compartments actually make it easier to add variety and sort of forces you to add something from each food group –protein, carbs, dairy, fruit & veg and fats & sugars.

So, lets talk lunch box fillers.

Sandwiches/wraps

We all love a sandwich. It’s a lunch box staple, but let’s be honest they can get boring. Try mixing it up by making sushi rolls. You can cover at least 3 of the food groups in a sushi roll – bonus.

Take a couple slices of bread, remove the crusts (pop them into a freezer bag and freeze for bread crumbs). With a rolling pin or tin of beans roll out the bread until thin. You can have fun with the fillings. 

• Cream cheese, cucumber and red peppers – spread the cream cheese on the bread. Thinly slice the veg, place on one edge of the bread and roll into sushi. Cut into small bits or leave whole.
• PBJ – Logan goes to a nut free school, but we do this at home all the time.
• Cheese & Cucumber – spread butter on the bread. Thinly slice cheese and cucumber and roll.

Pasta salads

All you really need is some pasta, salad cream or dressing of choice, left over meat, tuna or salmon, some veg and you’ve got yourself a cracking pasta salad.

Tuna pasta – make some pasta as per packet instructions (I always use wholewheat). Meanwhile chop some cucumber and black olives, drain some sweetcorn and add to a bowl. Drain the cooked pasta (keep some of the water aside), run it under cold water to cool. Add to the bowl with some of the cooking water and a good dollop of salad cream. Mix well. 

Snacks/alternative bits

• Sliced boiled eggs
• Chopped avocado
• Chicken thighs torn into strips
• Savoury muffins – see recipe for broccoli cheese muffins, or anything in the Snacks & Bakes page
• Veg kebabs – alternate different veggies on little sticks
• Veg & Fruit – if you don’t have mini kebab sticks, just cut up little bits of fruit and veg. I try to use different colours for a bit of fun. Oranges, apples, melon, pear, peppers, carrots, cucumber, sweetcorn, plums, peaches and kiwis.
• Homemade fruit yoghurt – get some reusable pouches, I exclusively use Nom Nom Kids. In a bowl add a few tbsps of natural yoghurt and mash in a banana, strawberry or blueberries, any fruit that can be easily mushed. You’ve got yourself a fruit yoghurt with less sugar.
• Sausage Rolls – try one our veg filled version
• Lunchables/dunkers – so many fond memories of dairylea dunkers and lunchables from my childhood. But, as a parent I read the labels and shudder. However, I still let my two have them (there’s no such thing as bad food, just food we should limit). I love a fakeaway and these are so easy to make yourself. Get some wholewheat/grain crackers and layer one with good quality meat and cheese, pop another on top and voila you have a lunchable. 
• Breadsticks and cream cheese – boom, you have dunkers.
• Oat bars 
• Pancakes

Happy lunch boxing!