Parents of school-age children have their work cut out for them when it comes to providing good nutrition, particularly where school lunches are concerned. But with a bit of planning, there are ways to pack a lunch that gets eaten and reduce waste in the process. Here, readers share their tips for better packed lunches and ways to cut waste.
Get kids involved
Get kids to choose and prepare their own food. If you hand them something and they don’t know where it came from, they’ll turn up their nose; let them wash, cut, prepare any food and they’ll proudly eat it while telling their friends they made it themselves!
– Anonymous
We have been talking about food and nutrients for a while, and we developed a list of things, so now they pack their lunch: one or two pieces of fruit; one or two pieces of vegetables; carbs (cake, biscuits, corn crackers, etc); nuts or pickled vegetables; and a sandwich (now Vegemite and cheese is a favourite), or leftovers if there’s any (they love pasta). We cook on weekends and they have kids’ cooking books from which they can choose what they want to do. They mostly eat their lunches!
– MJ
Absolutely get the kids involved, eg writing the weekly meal plan and shopping list. Would they prefer chicken or cheese in a sandwich or wrap? Then getting them to prep the night before where appropriate, rather than Mum at 7am. And always include “What salady bits?” as an expected question. Sugar snap peas are a great fave of our two. Also, if the school publishes lunch menus in advance, then make the most of choosing School Lunch instead of Packed on the days when there’s a healthy and happy option to preselect. – Anonymous
Rethink how you reuse
I try and reuse waste where possible – steam carrot sticks and serve at dinner, cook cut fruit and puree and freeze for use in porridge or baked goods as a sweetener. Or serve lunch leftovers that are still OK as afternoon tea! – Claire
Most leftovers go to the chickens or worm farm, but if fruit is still looking reasonably OK in the afternoon I add it to a post-school smoothie or smoothie icy poles. – Pippa
I cook my kids’ school meals for the week every Sunday. I come from the Nordics and having a sandwich every day at lunch is anathema. A sample menu: two days of celeriac and potato mash with breaded chicken fillets (thermos cup), side of fruit (kiwi, mango, berries), a home-baked loaf slice and yoghurt or cheese. Then two days of pasta with homemade sauce (I roast lots of veg with tinned tomatoes and herbs and blend it all) and parmesan and a third day of fish and mash or stew. I alternate the days for pasta/meat dish. The next week might be meatballs and sweet potato and regular potato mash alternating with cottage pie. This ensures a notionally healthy weekly base that has enough protein, fibre and calcium without the empty carbs. Food is the easiest and most foundational way of looking after our health. – Karen
My son actually gets the same every day: ham and cheese salad sandwich, an apple, a nut bar, pack of crisps. Same base every day but I change up the crisps or bars. Simple but nourishing and he eats everything. – Bolette
Be realistic
Get the kids involved in drawing up the shopping list and planning that week’s lunches and in making the lunches the evening before. Be realistic: have a ratio of two healthy things and one treat. – Anonymous
Boys, especially, want to run off and secure sports equipment as soon as the bell rings. They’re the main food dumpers. Too much lunch is the biggest bugbear and certainly contributes to huge wastage. Cut-up apples go brown, browning bananas are really unpopular. Don’t pack anything that needs peeling. Little snacks (things like crackers and raisins, grapes, cheese) are best. – Ex-year 2 teacher Toni
Pack well
I sent reusable containers, ice packs and cooler bags to keep the food fresh and my kid mostly ate fruit, veg and a sandwich each day. Apples, cucumbers, carrots, crackers and cheese in a reusable container were common staples. My kid hated the canteen and was happy to eat the same food every day, which also made the process easier. – Anonymous
I’ve found that bento-style boxes are actually great at keeping food fresher for longer, and I’ve invested in a couple of cute Japanese boiled egg moulds which I can prep ahead of time, which makes an otherwise boring food look a bit more appealing. I also have the opportunity to check the lunchbox when my child arrives home, so I can (kindly) discuss what didn’t get eaten and work out if something else might be better, and I try to use any leftovers as part of an afternoon snack. – Anonymous
Sharing is caring
Our children are asked to bring one fruit and one veggie to share with the class and one parent a week brings hummus and a cheese block for the class to share. This is alongside their lunchbox for morning tea and lunch, which I can then pack less in, knowing the class have shared “buffet brunch” for morning snack and afternoon tea. It’s lovely communal eating, which encourages them to try new things and I can tick that they’ve had a couple of different fruit and vegetables each day. Makes packing a lunchbox less stressful. – Charlotte
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