Simplify your life with these easy lunch box hacks! From prepping to packing, these tips save time & ensure that your kid actually eats their lunch!
When you’re a kid, back-to-school season is a fun and exciting time, but when you’re a parent, it’s wrought with worry – especially thinking about lunchboxes!
When it comes to lunch boxes for kids, there are so many things to consider. The meal should have a balance of protein, healthy carbs, fiber and nutrients. It should be the right temperature, the right quantity and sometimes, even the right shape!
Well, we hear you, and that’s why we’ve got some simple and practical lunch box hacks for you today. You’re sure to find at least a few that come in handy!
15 Simple Lunch Box Hacks that Make Life Easier
1. Prep early
As with everything, prep is key for lunch boxes too! Make time on the weekend to cut veggies or make sauces, as well as cook proteins. Storing them in separate containers makes it easy to simply grab and go on the day. You can also make life easier by making smart use of leftovers or cooking extra for dinner the night before. You can use the veggies or chicken from dinner to make a sandwich for instance, so all you have to do is assemble, put in a sandwich bag and you’re done!
2. Be sneaky
If you want your child’s lunch box to be balanced in terms of nutrition, you may have to be a little sneaky! Add vegetable or fruit purees to batter and dough, mix grated vegetables into meatball mixes or add them to pasta sauce. Make the most of your hand blender and chopper and your child won’t even know they’re eating healthy!
3. Prevent browning
One reason parents need lunch box hacks is because their kids are put off by anything that looks ‘less than perfect’. Browning apples are an example, and this is a problem that is easily solved! Use an apple corer to remove the core and cut into slices. Then, either rearrange the apple by wrapping a rubber band around it, or sprinkle the slices with some lemon juice.
4. Try using a Bento box
Bento boxes are an excellent way to make packed lunches more attractive to kids. It’s an easy way to separate different food groups so you know you’re including everything, and it’s also a lifesaver for picky eaters who don’t like their food ‘touching’. Get a good quality bento lunch box that has leakproof compartments.
5. Use silicone cupcake cases
This is one of those lunch box hacks that has stood the test of time! Silicone cupcake moulds make an easy way to separate foods even when you don’t have compartments in your lunchbox or want to add more. They are particularly great for keeping dry food separate from wet, so the crunch is maintained!
6. Prevent leaks
No one likes a soggy lunch; thankfully we have lunch box hacks to prevent that! The main hack is to ensure your lunch box is a good quality one with leakproof compartments. You can also get separate leakproof containers for liquids like sauces, dips, condiments or yogurt. Another option is food-grade silicone pouches or tubes that can be squeezed to get the contents out.
7. Freeze dips and juices
There’s nothing as unappealing as a lukewarm juice during peak summer, is there? Fix this and keep your child refreshed on hot days by freezing their drinks the night before. Simply pack the frozen drink in their lunch bag and it’ll defrost by lunchtime, giving them a nice, cold, and refreshing drink. What’s more, it works as an ice pack for other cold items in the bag. You can do the same with liquids like dips which you can freeze in ice cube trays with lids.
8. Make a sponge ice pack
Speaking of summer days, there’s another way to maintain the temperature of cold things even if you don’t have an ice pack – make one yourself! All you need is a clean kitchen sponge or two. Soak them in water, place them in ziplock bags and freeze them. The next day, put it in your child’s lunch bag and your little one can enjoy a non-soggy meal during lunch break!
9. Keep it bite-sized
Kids tend to get overwhelmed seeing large portions and huge pieces of food, so make life easier for them (and you) by cutting everything into bite-sized pieces. Peel oranges, cut sandwiches and do whatever you can to make sure your child can eat their food with as little resistance as possible. What’s more, smaller pieces help you fit more when space is scarce.
10. Try rolling things
We’re not sure what it is, but kids like their food more when it’s presented differently! For instance, rather than placing a boring sandwich as is, try this – flatten it out with a rolling pin, put in the filling and then roll it all up. Cut the roll into little pieces and voila – you now have sushi sandwiches!
11. Add more color
We love it when lunch box hacks don’t just make life easier, but healthier too! For example, adding more color to your child’s lunchbox doesn’t just make it more attractive, it also ensures that you can include a wider variety of foods, which means more fiber and nutrients. Mix and match brown and green bread, put in an assortment of berries and cut up different vegetables into sticks.
12. Try different shapes
If you have picky eaters, one of the easiest solutions is to change the shape of your child’s food, instantly making it way more interesting! There are many tools that can help you, like cookie cutters, sandwich cutters, crinkle cutters and more. Admit it, crinkle-cut veggie sticks are certainly more appealing than the plain ones!
13. Have a lunch-prep station
Make lunch prepping a breeze by setting up a little lunch station in your kitchen. This could be a shelf or drawer in the kitchen and a bin in the fridge. You can also use a hanging shoe organizer. Use these to hold everything you may need for making and packing your child’s lunch box – shape cutters, rolling pins, bento boxes, containers, zip lock bags etc. The fridge storage bin could hold yogurts, cheeses or other cold foods.
14. Get the kids involved
One way to ensure your child takes more interest in their lunch is to involve them in the process. From shopping for groceries to setting up the meal prep station, let them have a say in what they’d like to eat and how they’d like it packed. You can also hand them a child-safe knife and utensils so they can help prepare fruits and veggies for their lunch.
15. Add some silliness
Okay, this may not be one of those useful lunch box hacks, but it’s one of our favorite! Lunch time doesn’t have to be too serious – making it fun can ease any mealtime anxiety, especially for picky eaters. Scratch a funny face on a banana, put in some lunchbox notes, stick googly eyes on containers or write a silly message on a lunch bag. They may cringe, but they’ll also smile!
Looks like you’re all set for an easy lunch-packing routine from now onward! Remember, don’t feel overwhelmed by the picture-perfect lunchboxes you see on social media – they’re not practical. Use these lunch box hacks to keep things simple and healthy, and life will be easier for the whole family!
Prerna is the founder, editor and owner of ‘Maa of All Blogs’, one of India’s Top Parenting Blogs. Besides being a certified Ashtanga Yoga instructor, she is also a fashion designer and economics graduate.
When she’s not busy running her home and business, she ensures she stays active – whether it’s running the half marathon, completing the Oxfam walk or climbing to the Everest base camp. Prerna enjoys wearing all her hats, and she does so in style!
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