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How to pack a healthy school lunch box: Cheat sheet

Start the new year with healthy school lunches to keep your children (or you!) energised all day long

Secrets of a Nutritious Balanced Lunchbox:

• Unprocessed carbohydrates for energy, vitamins, minerals and fibre
• Protein for brain power and to fill them up between meals
• Fruit and vegetables (essential!)
• Water to keep them hydrated

Snack:

Choose 2 (add fruit or veg daily as one of the options - think quick and easy to eat)

• Fresh fruit (chopped or peeled or easy to eat, that doesn’t bruise easily e.g. grapes, strawberries, peeled mandarin, small apple, watermelon slices, blue berries)
• Rice crackers and hummus or other dip
• Cheese and crackers
• Snack container of baked beans with a fork
• Popcorn
• Corn on the cob
• Yoghurt
• Cheese wedge
• Cherry tomatoes
• Baby cucumber
• Boiled egg - peeled
• Falafels
• Meatballs and tomato sauce
• Biltong

Main lunch:

Think protein and healthy carbs

Choose 1 different option every day to prevent a monotonous diet and to ensure the rotation of grains

• Pesto pasta with nut free pesto and gluten free pasta (remember to pack a fork!)
• Sushi
• Hummus and salad wrap
• Chicken drumsticks and veggie sticks (carrot, cucumber, celery, capsicum, broccoli) and dipping sauce (pesto or tomato sauce or mayo)
• Tuna pasta (tuna, capsicum, cucumber, tomato, pasta) - remember the fork!
• Rice and bean salad
• Ham and cucumber sandwich (rye bread)
• Macaroni cheese – remember the fork!
• Quiche or frittata
• Turkey wrap
• Healthy nachos - Corn chips, refried beans dip, guacamole dip and salsa
• Pizza roll
• Zucchini slice
• Spaghetti bolognaise
• Egg, mayo and lettuce sandwich

Treat:

Think small (you want them to be hungry enough to fill up on the nourishing food)

• Bag of crisps
• Fruit juice
• Chocolate
• Natural confectionary snake lolly
• Biscuit
• Muffin
• Cupcake
• Piece of cake
• Banana bread
• Muesli bar
• Home baked slice

Note:

Allergies: Most schools have a no nut policy, but if your school doesn't of course nuts make a great snack and peanut butter sandwiches are always popular too!