Kids Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

It's almost time for the kids to go back to school (can I hear a big sigh of relief? Or was that just in my head? ;) 

As it's the new year, what better time than now to start introducing healthier alternatives in their lunch? You can still make their lunch fun even when its healthy. 

We all need to think about what we're really putting in their lunch box. Will that sugar loaded cereal bar really help them to concentrate through class and work to their best ability or will they be on a sugar rush and burn out quite quickly during class? I know it's hard to find time for much these days but this is our kids future and it's been reported that the eating habits children grow up with are sometimes what they revert back to when they are older.

I'm sure many of you, like me are working mums/dads and find it easier to throw whatever in the lunch box in the morning and then rush out the door? That's why I find it easier to prepare my sons lunch in the evening either while I'm making dinner or just after. It doesn't really feel like extra work if you do it that way and it's much easier than rushing around in the morning. You can even do a heap of the preparation for the week on the weekend (short post on that here) and just pop it in the lunch box the night before. 

Listed below are some easy lunch box ideas for your kids to try and steer them off the junk while also keeping it fun. In my sons lunch box I load it up with healthy items and add in one little treat so he doesn't feel like he is missing out (we all know kids compare what's in their lunch box!), like a little chocolate or biscuit or something like that.

• Carrot & celery sticks
• Any fruit cut up into pieces in a container (kids seem to like their fruit cut up for them)
• Good quality unprocessed cheese, cut into cubes
• Organic crackers with cheese slices and butter
• Little Rollie's - Gluten free or wholemeal bread rolled out until flat with a rolling pin, then add in fillings then roll them up and cut them in to rounds, similar to sushi if you know what I mean:)
• Raw Chocolate Truffles  - these are great as they are full of protein and double up as a treat. Check first if your school allows nuts
• A mix of raw nuts, sultanas & seeds in a little container. Make sure they are preservative free.
• Organic yoghurt's. I give my son the five am organic yoghurt's. I know they have a bit of sugar but he won't eat plain yoghurt. I think they're ok for kids occasionally.
• A plain boiled egg with a little sea salt 
• Plain cherry tomatoes
• Mini zucchini or corn fritters 
• Egg & Bacon Cupcakes
• Make a homemade bread or loaf for the week. I often make this Paleo Banana Bread (grain free) or Spelt Banana, Date and Walnut Loaf and cut it into slices and freeze them, then take them out the night before to put in the lunch box. They still taste delicious even after they've been frozen.

I'd love to hear what healthy items you use to fill up your kids lunch box. I would love some more ideas! :)

Bee xx

Photo credits:

http://www.womenshealththailand.com/food/

A Couple DEEEELICIOUS Smoothie Recipes

How good are smoothies in summer?! You can pack them full of anything you like to give your body exactly what it needs. They are such an easy way to get extra fruit & vegetables into your diet.

There are many different variations to smoothies that you can make and if you are a regular smoothie maker you have probably mixed and matched many different flavours. For the newbies, it's nice to have a couple of recipes to follow.

Below are a couple of my favourite summer smoothie recipes. So refreshing & delicious!

Green Tropical Smoothie
1 cup of coconut milk ( I use coco quench by Pure Harvest instead of canned coconut milk, it is a milk blend of coconut milk and brown rice milk, you can find it in coles and health food stores). If you can't find coco quench, you could use half a can of coconut milk with half a glass of water, or almond or rice milk).
1 frozen banana (the frozen part makes all the difference!)
1 mango, all of the flesh
1 big handful of kale (stems removed)

Blend all until smooth. You may need to add a little extra water to get the right consistency.

I like to have this one for breakfast sometimes instead of the usual green smoothie (Bee's Glorious Green Smoothie - recipe for that one here).

Summer Pink Goddess Smoothie
1 cup of coconut milk - Coco Quench (see my notes in the above recipe regarding the milk)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup chopped cold watermelon

Blend all until smooth. You may need to add a little extra water to get the right consistency.

This is so refreshing in summer. You could even use it as a base to make popsicles, the kids would love it!

Let me know what is your favourite combination in the comments section below.

Enjoy! 

Bee xx

Time saving tips - helping you to save time & pack your kids healthy lunches!

As mentioned in other posts, I know how stressful it can be sometimes running a household while working full time. Even if you don't work, running a household in itself is a job so hopefully these tips help to make life slightly less complicated. 

Below are my tips to help you be a little more organised when it comes to packing lunches. It is easier to give your kids healthy & nourishing meals when you have them ready to go.

1. Preparation! Write a list of what will go into your children's lunches for the week ahead and add it to your shopping list for the week.

2. Invest in a box of zip-lock bags. Seriously. They are so useful for packing lunches. (Don't worry, I  re-use all the bags. My son brings them home in his lunch box of an afternoon and I wash them and re-use them the next week. No wastage here folks).

3. Use Sunday afternoon/ evening as your preparation time. You will only need an hour maximum and it will save you so much stress throughout the week.


4. Getting organised.

What to do in your hour preparation time?

• Cut up a range of salad ingredients (cucumbers, carrots, capsicums, tomatoes etc) & put them in lunch time portions in your zip lock bags.
• Cut up pieces of fruit to make a fruit salad and pack them into small containers or zip lock bags
• If you/ your kids eat eggs, hard boil a handful to keep in the fridge.
• Make all of your children's lunches at once for the whole week (or at least a few days worth). Ham & cheese wraps, salad sandwiches etc keep fine in the fridge or freezer. Just take them out of the freezer the night before and put them in the fridge.

5. Pack the lunches the night before. I can't think of anything worse than running around in the morning packing lunch and trying to get everything else organised. It takes about 30 seconds to pack the lunch the night before if you have prepared everything in advanced. 

Example lunch ideas -

Piece of fruit

Greek yoghurt
Boiled eggs

Salad wrap/ sandwich

Homemade treats   I sometimes pack these truffles or banana bread.

Prepared cut up salad snacks
Prepared fruit salad

Crackers and cheese

These are some very easy tips but it does really help to keep the week stress free and running smooth.

Do you have any time-saving tips? Would love to hear from you :)

Bee xx


fruit salad image sourced from here http://mewkeirin.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/how-to-stay-healthy-and-fit-during.html