Key Takeaways
- We will examine why bento boxes are ideal for packing lunches for picky eaters.
- Explore some easy and healthy lunch ideas for your choosy eaters, allowing you to pack well-balanced, nutritious meals for school.
In This Article
Why bento boxes are perfect for picky eaters
5 healthy bento lunch ideas for picky eaters
The weekend is over, and you begin to fret about the upcoming week, not because of impending office tasks or household chores. But it is back-to-school time, and you have the mammoth task of preparing nutritional meals for your munchkin, who happens to be a fussy eater.
You are always on the hunt for recipes that are well-balanced, quick and easy to prepare, and guaranteed to get eaten. Well, if you happen to be on such a hunt for easy healthy lunch ideas, your wait is finally over, as we will share with you healthy lunch ideas to pack in your kids’ leakproof lunch boxes, which they would love to eat.
Why bento boxes are perfect for picky eaters
Weekday mornings can be incredibly challenging, between preparing for work, deciding what to wear, cooking delectable meals for choosy chewers, and filling kids’ water bottles. All this can be completely draining. Your true friend during these testing times is a bento style lunch box, which allows you to assemble a variety of healthy portions for your children to nibble on. And above all, it saves crucial minutes of packing time on busy mornings.
This Japanese style box comes in thoughtful and fun designs catering to your little food critics’ imaginative personalities. They are sturdy, long-lasting, easy to clean and maintain and keep meals fresh and healthy.
Now that we have looked at the functional benefits of bento boxes, let us jump straight to healthy lunch ideas for kids.
5 healthy bento lunch ideas for picky eaters
Without further ado, let us take a look at Monday to Friday healthy Indian lunch box ideas for school.
1. Monday - Chicken Wrap with Veggies
To beat the busy Monday blues, here is a simple, healthy lunch idea of a chicken wrap with veggies.
- In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of Greek yoghurt or hung yoghurt.
- Add approximately 85 gms of cooked/boiled/roasted chicken. Using leftover chicken to make this preparation is a creative, healthy lunch idea that will definitely help reduce the preparation time.
- Now add salt and pepper and other spices that your choosy munchkin relishes, such as curry powder, chilli powder, and mustard powder.
- Take 1 large wholewheat wrap and spread the chicken mixture, then sprinkle finely chopped or shredded lettuce, celery, and carrot. Add slices of cucumber, tomato and chopped bell peppers. You may customise the veggies as per your child’s preference.
- Now fold the opposite edges of the wrap to keep the veggies and spread intact, then roll up and cut in half.
- You may add a few slices of strawberry and peaches to the 2 compartment lunch box, along with a mixed fruit juice drink, which has no added sugar.
If you are a vegetarian, no worries, simply replace the chicken pieces with cottage cheese, crispy tofu, roasted veggies or soya chunks. And voila! There you have multiple healthy bento box lunch ideas to prepare.
2. Tuesday - Mashed Chickpea and Sweetcorn Sandwich
For Tasty Tuesday, we have a quick and easy healthy lunch idea of a mashed chickpea and sweetcorn sandwich.
- In a bowl, add cooked and mashed chickpeas (160gm), mayonnaise (1 tablespoon), sweetcorn - tinned or cooked (1 tablespoon) and chopped bell peppers.
- Add salt and pepper and other seasoning as per your child’s preference.
- Sandwich the mixture between the slices of bread. You may customise the sandwich by adding a layer of lettuce/cheese/ slices of tomatoes and cucumber.
- Double the layer of the sandwich to use the rest of the mixture.
- You may add a few sticks of carrot and cucumber and mixed berries in the 3 compartment lunch box, along with a small 150- 200 ml pack of skimmed milk.
3. Wednesday - Cottage Cheese and Boiled Beans Salad
To make your child’s Wednesday lunch wholesome, healthy and delicious, try the idea of cottage cheese and boiled beans salad.
- In a bowl, add ½ cup crumbled cottage cheese, ½ cup boiled beans (kidney beans, black beans or mixed beans).
- Gently mash the beans along with the cottage cheese using a fork.
- Now add 1-2 tablespoons of hung yoghurt/ Greek yoghurt/mayonnaise.
- You may add other veggies as per your child’s liking - sweetcorn (cooked/tinned), grated carrot/beetroot, finely chopped cucumber, boiled peas (slightly mashed).
- Add seasoning as per taste.
- Add lemon - only if your child likes a tangy flavour.
- You may add a few slices of sweet orange, mandarin or other seasonal fruits in the4 partition lunch box, along with a boiled egg and mixed fruit juice drink, which has no added sugar.
4. Thursday - Creamy Vegetable Pasta
To bring a nutritious twist to Thursday, here is a creative healthy lunch idea of creamy vegetable pasta.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil in a pan.
- Add veggies of your child’s choice - 2 tablespoons grated carrot, sweet corn, chopped capsicum/bell peppers, broccoli.
- Sauté the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of cream/ milk and stir gently.
- Add seasoning - salt and pepper. You may add chilli flakes or oregano only if your child likes the flavour.
- Add 1 cup boiled pasta (penne/fusilli/Macaroni) and mix well.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of grated cheese and switch off the gas once the cheese melts.
- Pack the pasta in a compartment bento lunch box, along with fruit (apple or grapes) and a couple of dates.
5. Friday - Mexican Rice Bowl
Fridays would be super fun for your child with this good, healthy lunch idea of Mexican rice bowl, high in nutrition and taste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil in a pan.
- Add veggies of your child’s choice - sweet corn, chopped capsicum/bell peppers, broccoli. Black beans (cooked/canned).
- Sauté the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 1.5 cups of cooked rice and gently mix with the vegetables.
- Add seasoning - salt and sprinkle a little paprika for colour (add only if your child likes the flavour).
- Switch off the gas and immediately sprinkle some grated cheese on the hot rice for the cheese to melt.
- Pack the Mexican rice with cucumber and carrot sticks, and a small muffin as a fun treat in astainless steel lunch box.
These healthy school lunch ideas from Monday to Friday can be modified as per your child’s preferences and taste buds. We are sure that after making these recipes, you will no longer struggle with healthy children’s lunch box ideas and will be able to plan nutritious school lunches for your picky eaters like a pro.
Preparing the ingredients a night in advance helps reduce any last-minute hiccups, and you are able to come up with healthy lunch box ideas for kids that are well-balanced and thoughtful for your sugarplum.
Conclusion
As parents, we are constantly looking for healthy lunch ideas and ways to encourage our children to eat more vegetables and fruits. Remember, the goal for healthy lunch box ideas for school is not perfection, but consistency. Packing a variety of nutritious foods in an appealing way that makes mealtime a truly wholesome experience for kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are healthy lunch ideas for picky eaters?
Answer: Healthy bento box ideas for children include simple recipes that your child enjoys, such as pastas, rice bowls, sandwiches, and salads packed with nutritious veggies and fun-shaped cut fruits to make lunchtime a fun-filled experience for picky eaters.
2. How can parents pack healthy school lunches for picky kids?
Answer: As parents, we can come up with well-balanced school lunch ideas for kids by using their favourite ingredients to prepare small portions of nutritious meals. We can camouflage veggies and proteins and present them in a fun way that is hard for picky eaters to resist.
3. Are bento boxes good for picky eaters?
Answer: Absolutely. Basil’s bento lunch boxes work well because they have compartments, which enable healthy lunch ideas for kids in small proportions, offering more variety that picky eaters find too tempting.
4. What makes a school lunch appealing to picky children?
Answer: School lunch time becomes appealing for kids when healthy lunch ideas are packed for kids in a fun way, using their favourite ingredients and flavours.
5. How do I plan balanced lunches for selective eaters?
Answer: Opt for Basil’s bento lunch boxes, which have multiple compartments. You can pack a variety of small nutritious portions of protein, veggies and fruits, adding your child’s favourite flavours.
6. How can I add nutrition to lunches for picky eaters?
Answer: A good place to start is by knowing your child’s favourite flavours or dishes and then camouflage and add nutritious ingredients. Pack a variety of healthy snacks and fruits in various shapes, appealing to their playful side.
7. How can vegetables be included in picky eater lunches?
Answer: Vegetables can be added to your child’s meals by mixing them in their favourite sandwich, salad, wrap, rice bowl, etc. Cutting them into fun shapes and packing them in small portions does not seem overwhelming to the fussiest of eaters.
8. Are homemade school lunches healthier for picky eaters?
Answer: Absolutely. As parents, we take extra care of the quality of ingredients, portion size and the nutritional level. Which may be overlooked by commercial vendors.
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