This post is brought to you by Sunbites
I don’t know how it goes in your house but here we start the week well – great snacks and lunchbox treats on Monday and Tuesday after the big grocery shop. Then it’s a downhill slide and on Friday you might get an apple and some plain biscuits with a ham sandwich if you’re lucky otherwise it’s vegemite. I make 3-4 lunchboxes each day and feed hungry kids at the end of the day too so we work our way through the fridge and pantry each week.
Twice a week I need to make a lunchbox for my little miss who is my fussiest eater so it’s been an interesting challenge this year. We tried Sunbites Airpopped popcorn in mini packs and it was super popular and a bit of a change too. It was so popular that my little ones kept wanting more. So I’ve put them up out of sight and kept them for lunchbox treats and after school. And the ‘lightly salted’ and ‘sweet and salty’ flavours are our favourites.
Here are my top tips for packing a lunchbox for your fussiest eater
– lunchboxes with individual compartments are great for dips, crackers and adding variety and colour to a lunchbox. I love my tupperware lunchboxes and this yellow one has been going strong since for over 4 years and had well and truly paid for itself.
– go for variety and try out new things. I loved putting popcorn in the lunchboxes this week and I regularly check out the healthfood aisle/snack section.
– fruit, fruit and more fruit
– sultanas and dried fruit are great to keep in the pantry. Our OT actually recommended sultanas as it’s a chewy food….just get prepared to find those little suckers around the house, under the couch. Also try to buy organic/preservative free dried fruit as I find that little ones with sensitivities don’t do well with preservative 220 which can be found in a lot of dried fruit. Even my stomach doesn’t like it.
– sushi and anything with rice is a great way to add some variety to a lunchbox. When I’ve got more time on the weekend I like to cook brown rice as it takes longer but is more filling than white. Plus I feel better eating it. This is brown rice sushi. From the shops. Bought just for this post. I do love making sushi for the family but it doesn’t look this neat.
– always keep a loaf of bread in your freezer. Our favourite fillings are good old ham, egg and a dairy free mayo (please check your preschool/school policy about eggs!), vegemite, hummus, dip, avocado, tuna or if we’re at home then peanut butter. She loves peanut butter sandwiches.
And I took this lunchbox to kindy assembly to keep my littlest two occupied and they were fighting over all the goodies inside so this is a win and I’ll have to replicate it for preschool. It’s also a good excuse to buy the sweet and salt flavour which I have taken quite a liking to.
So keep an eye out for Sunbites Airpopped popcorn when you’re next at the supermarket. It’s been super popular here with our little ones and also added some variety to our lunchboxes and afternoon tea. And make sure you save a few bags of the ‘sweet and salt’ for a healthy treat for yourself because I just love them.
And do you have a lunchbox tip you’d like to share with me? Love to hear it…..I have a lot of luncboxes to make in my future.
The sushi looks lovely. Do the sunbites contain much sugar and salt? Or do they use other flavourings.
no! just basic ingredients in the plain one of corn, oil and salt from memory and no added flavours or colours:)
Yes, the Sunbites look great but I’d also be interested in how much salt and sugar they have in them, and any other preservatives they contain? It’s hard to come up with healthy lunchbox treats that are healthy and that kids will eat isn’t it?
not very much which is why we liked them! and the kids too and yes hard to find treats that are healthy. we don’t do too many but it’s nice to have something in the pantry
Looks healthy and yummy. I have been making lunches the night before so I save time in the morning. My kids love chicken and mayo which I pack with an ice pack. I do find snacks really difficult but at least my kids also like capsicum, cucumbers and fresh fruit (most of the time).
mmm chicken and mayo, my kids would think I was spoiling them if I made them that for lunch:) I’m impressed:)
Argh so nice to see another mum pack lunch like this! I always get weird looks when I sit down and feed my daughter sushi and pop corn haha
I use the Tupperware lunch boxes too – they are fantastic. I like not having to use plastic wrap – the compartments keep everything nice and separate. Our school has nude lunch days (no plastic wrap or packaging) – my kids lunches are always plastic wrap free thanks to these great lunch boxes! I wash the lunch boxes in the top rack of the dishwasher (I can do 3 at a time). Kids yoghurts fit nicely in the Tupperware lunchboxes, as do small spoons. I do the same snacks as you, adding some home baked goods every now and then. Cherry tomatoes are very popular with most of my kids (though they are only allowed these if they can bite them with their lips together. Nobody likes being sprayed by tomato seeds!), as well as rice crackers, cucumber spirals (another great Tupperware gadget!), dried fruit and mini pretzels.
yes I love the TW containers and I’m sure they pay for themselves very quickly. Love all of those suggestions, not sure my kids would eat cucumber but might try
The “nude” lunchboxes have the edge for me because the little round screw top containers that fit in one end means you can ration out a dollop of normal yoghourt (even home made if I am having a really good week!) instead of the over-packaged over-sugared kids’ yoghourt packs. My daughter struggles with the tupperware snack packs because the lid has to be pulled off and sometimes this means spillage is inevitable. We have a thirty dollar air popper – but it is always ridiculously hard to find “unpopped” corn kernels at the supermarket – way way down on the bottom shelf somewhere far away from the other snack foods. They really want you to buy the pre-packaged stuff.
We have used the tupperware sandwich keepers a LOT in our house. They are so easy to tuck in another bag and so easy for the kids to open and eat from as a mini plate on the go.