Delicious easy back-to-school lunchbox ideas from The Bag Lady

 SCHOOL’s back and with this comes the challenge of preparing healthy and delicious lunch box options.

If you have young children keep their lunches simple and easy to eat. It’ll be no good sending them with fruit which needs peeling but seedless washed grapes, if they like fruit, are still your best bet and dried fruit is also a good option, which you can buy in small packets or bars, perfect for tiny fingers.

 Bake some healthy muffins

The easy option is to buy packet muffin mix which only needs sunflower oil, milk and an egg added, available from any of the leading supermarkets. The bran muffin mix you can change slightly by adding ether mashed banana or grated cheese. The packet mix will either make 12 larger muffins or 18 smaller ones. To make it easy use paper muffin cases. Once they are cool you can freeze them in twos and when you are making up lunch boxes in the morning, take a packet of two out of the freezer and by lunch time they’ll be perfect to eat.

Alternatively bake plain sweetened scones or cheese scones, freeze and take a packet of two out on the morning before you pack your child’s lunch box.

 Meatballs

Prepare a batch of small meatballs which can be packed in twos in freezer packets and frozen.

Recipe

500 g lean beef mincemeat

1 packet of brown onion soup

250ml of sour cream

Mix ingredients all together and form into small balls. Bake in an oven proof dish for about 20 minutes. Once cool, freeze.

Sandwiches

Choose brown or whole wheat bread. Once the bread is buttered, for younger children make the sandwich more appealing by using a cookie cutter to make a shape. Easy fillings can be made up the evening before and left overnight in a container in the fridge. Choose from grated cheese and chopped celery, mix together with a teaspoon or two of mayonnaise, which will bind the mixture together making it easier to spread and keep on the bread.

Other fillings – Tuna and mayonnaise with chopped gherkins; chopped roasted chicken with mustard mayonnaise (make your own using a teaspoon of mayonnaise and a half teaspoon of mild mustard); cold crispy bacon slices with sliced boiled egg; ham and sliced cheese or peanut butter.

Cold drinks

Buy small packet juices when they are on a special price. These are very handy as each one has a straw attached for easy drinking. Alternatively buy a small plastic bottle and make up your own juice.

Drinking yoghurt is a good idea and a healthy option, as well as filling.

Finger foods

Triangles of cheese, mini sausages, celery and carrot sticks, baby tomatoes, mini flapjacks/ waffles, rice cakes or chicken nuggets.

Good luck!