What to put in your kids’ lunchbox is possibly one of the biggest concerns parents have when it comes to the start of a new school year, particularly if you’re a first timer. Fussy eating doesn’t necessarily disappear in the face of a brand new lunchbox and school uniform. Between that and the many dietary stipulations we as parents must abide by, shopping for and curating the contents of our children’s lunch box can be as stressful as the act of sending them off to school in the first place.

So, to make things a little easier for you all, we got the lunchbox lo-down from our guru Anna, she of lunchboxmini.com and general fountain of knowledge on all things food! Whether it’s what to pack for crunch n’ sip, hacks for making the weekly shop a breeze or which lunchbox to buy; Anna has the answer and a whole host of easy recipes to try.

So read on my dear parents and school yourself in the only subject that matters when it comes to fuelling those young minds through the long school day… lunch!

TLH: go to snack for crunch n sip?

LM:

- Crackers with cheese

- Vegetable sticks and dip (avocado mixed with yoghurt or cream cheese is a good, easy combo)

- Popcorn

- Cut up fruit and yoghurt to dip

- Rice cakes

TLH: any tips/hacks for easy school lunches for the busy Mum?

LM:

1. The freezer is your best friend!

2. Double your quantities when baking and make sure you freeze before they’re discovered by little hands!

Sunday breakfast means pancakes at our place and I always make double the batter and make half into smaller pikelets so I have leftovers to freeze. My kids love these in the lunch box. I also try to bake 1 or 2 other things on the weekend (muesli bars, slice, quiche etc), and it takes minimal effort to double the recipe but keeps the freezer well stocked.

If you want to be super organised, you can also freeze your sandwiches! Tuna, cooked chicken and mayo, ham and mustard, roast beef, turkey, salami, grated cheese, vegemite, peanut butter and jam all work well. Make sure you use fresh bread, wrap them well, and store them flat in the freezer.

TLH: your favourite energy boosting snacks?

LM: My go-to energy snack for the kids would have to be bliss balls. I love that you can add so many nutritious, healthy, wholesome ingredients that make them filling and super tasty! My kid’s current favourite is banana, oat & choc chip, and they love to eat these straight from the freezer. If they’re for home I add plenty of nuts (normally almonds and cashews), but if they’re for the lunch box I use a mix of oats, sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds.

TLH: which lunchbox should the first time school mum be buying for their kindy kid?

LM: One that’s durable, leak-proof and that their child can open themselves! There’s so many quality bento-style lunch boxes on the market, and there’s not necessarily a right or wrong one. It all comes down to what kind of appetite your child has, and the kinds of foods you’d be regularly packing. My kids (7 and 5) both love their sandwiches, but one likes more variety than the other. I use the Yumbox Tapas for one and a Go Green Medium for the other. They’re both leak-proof, keep food fresh and will last.

TLH: best snack containers you recommend?

LM: First and foremost, I’d recommend any kind of container over cling wrap or disposable zip-lock bags – reducing single-use plastics is something I feel pretty strongly about!

I love Snack in the Boxes – they’re a great size to throw in the handbag and they’re dual compartment so you can fit two different types of snacks inside. I use them for packing trail mixes, berries, crackers, grapes, veggie sticks etc. For a more substantial snack, I love the size of the Go Green Snack. There’s 5 compartments for a variety of foods and it actually fits a lot inside. They’re also really light in weight so easy to carry on you.

TLH: best water bottles for keeping contents cool and not spillable?

LM: MontiiCo has a new range of insulated, stainless steel drink bottles which I am so in love with! The Minis come in 3 bright, fun colours and they have a really easy to use sports top lid (similar to a pop top drink). They keep drinks cold for 12 hours and are spill-proof, dent-proof and stain-proof – everything you could want in a kid’s drink bottle. There’s also a larger version which keeps your water cold for more than 24 hours, has a wide-mouth opening (so you can add ice cubes) and a screw top bamboo lid.

TLH: what is your advice to mums in terms of week by week planning for grocery shopping with packed lunches in mind?

LM: Definitely make it as easy as you can for yourself. I try and plan 1 or 2 dinners during the week that I know I can make extra and pack in the lunch boxes the following day. Pizza, rissoles (burgers), quiche, sushi and pesto pasta are on regular rotation at our place. I also always try to buy things in bulk instead of individually packaged where I can – yoghurts, biscuits, cheese, dried fruit etc. It’s cheaper and I also like to control the portion size I’m packing for my kids. I’ll often keep our opened packets of rice biscuits, crackers, popcorn etc in the fridge – they stay fresh in there for at least a couple of weeks so there’s no pressure to use them up quickly!

TLH: name labels - where do you get yours?

LM: There are so many great businesses out there that can make your lunch boxes personalised and fun! I love supporting other mum businesses so highly recommend Taj & Me (www.tajandme.com.au). Karen has a great range of colours and fonts you can choose to make your own unique decals. Getting your child to help choose the image and colour is a great way to help them take ownership and get excited about their lunch box!

TLH: do you have back up lunch boxes etc per term or just stick with one?

LM: Making sure we’re only selling lunch boxes that are of the highest standard is pretty important to me, so I do like to trial all of our lunch boxes first. It does mean my lunch box drawer is pretty well stocked! If I wasn’t spoilt for choice, I’d probably only have 1 for each of my kids. Although there are quite a few super organised mums who like to have two lunch boxes on the go, and will pack two days of lunches at a time. I wish I was that organised, but I’m not!

TLH: top 5 sandwich fillings?

LM: I wish I could say fillings like cream cheese and smoked salmon, but I can’t. My kids are pretty fussy! Their faves are:

- Tuna & mayo (I drain the tuna and soak on paper towel to absorb the liquid first, mix with mayo and then spread onto the bread)

- Beetroot, cheese & avocado (A great colour combo – I roast the beetroot at the start of the week and keep in the fridge so it’s really quick to throw together)

- Leftovers – cooked chicken, rissole, noodle ball (recipe on my website), meatloaf, roast meat)

- Egg & mayo

- And on Fridays, good old jam or honey is always a well-received treat

TLH: which sandwich alternatives should Mums be trying?

LM: Make your own wraps or pita pockets are a hit with my kids. I sometimes pack them 3-4 different types of salads with an empty pita pocket that they can fill themselves. Sushi is always a good sandwich alternative. If you’re not confident making it yourself or just don’t have the time, you need to try Sandwich Sushi! It uses the exact same ingredients, but takes half the time and is pretty much fail-proof. Check out the video on my Instagram page on how to try if yourself. I also recommend trying English Muffin Pizzas (cut an English muffin in half, cook in toaster, add pizza toppings, put under grill until cheese has melted), quiche, pesto pasta with a boiled egg and rice paper rolls.

Check out Anna’s website for all her fabulous and nutritious recipes as well as your online destination for all things lunchbox shopping!