Ditch those old lunchbox go-tos and try these tasty wholesome wrapper-free lunchbox alternatives to keep your kids happy and healthy.
We all know real food doesn’t come in wrappers. Even though we want to avoid processed food and plastic packaging as much as possible it’s so tempting to reach for those convenient snacks when we’re busy prepping school lunches.
I hear you mama. I know the struggle of balancing your time and budget with wanting to feed your kids well, so in this blog we’re going to share with you our favourite wrapper-free lunchbox fillers that are wholesome, affordable, and quick and easy to prepare.
First you will need a bento-style lunch box. The little compartments make dealing with wrapper-free lunches a cinch. Everything is kept separate which means no soggy sandwiches. We use the Love Mae lunchboxes because they come in beautiful designs, are leak free and I can put them in the dishwasher. We also use Ever Eco stainless steel bento snack boxes which are great for smaller snacks when we’re out and about.
Here’s how we build our lunchbox.
- A tummy filler. A wholemeal wrap or sandwich; homemade mini bacon and cheese quiches or pizza scrolls (which can be baked ahead and frozen); or rice crackers with ham and cheese. When it comes to ham and bacon we try to use free range and naturally smoked/nitrate-free varieties.
- Fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, apricots, grapes, mandarins and bananas can all go in whole or with minimal chopping.
- Vegetables. Our faves are cherry tomatoes and mini cucumbers, again served whole or with minimal chopping. Being quite young, my kids don’t really go for the crunchy vegetables yet but I’m hoping to add sticks of celery, carrot and capsicum in the future. Sometimes I will accompany the vegetables with a dip like corn relish, French onion or hummus.
- Low-sugar natural yogurt. Confession: These do come in wrappers but they are still a natural food. I rinse out the used pouches and them into soft plastic recycling. We use Tamar Valley Kids Yogurt Pouches as they are low sugar and available in a variety of flavours my kids love.
- Seeds. With so many kids having nut allergies these days, my son included, I tend to send seeds in the lunchbox instead. We make a simple DIY trail mix with organic peppitas, sunflower seeds and sultanas.
Some other great whole food ideas I would like to try include boiled eggs, sushi, shredded roast chicken, pitted olives, meatballs and popcorn.
We hope we have inspired you to ditch some of those old lunchbox go-tos and try some of these yummy and easy wholesome alternatives.
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