Creating a Lunch Box System

I’ve become a somewhat expert at school lunches after doing them for 10 years (so far).  My lunch boxes started out looking a lot like the picture below, with a lot of processed, pre-packaged food. I’m not here to make anyone feel guilty for throwing together pre-packaged lunches!  It’s just over the years, I’ve focused on what’s important to me in regards to food for my kids, and have refined the processes over time to achieve that, and I want to share my tips with anyone who wants to know.

Here’s a snap shot of the lunches I make for my kids at school these days.

Lunch boxes used to stress me out but I’m surprised to say that, while I wouldn’t say I enjoy doing school lunches, I find it quite easy now, plus I do find myself thinking about creative ways to fill the lunch box with nutritious food my kids will enjoy.  This transformation comes down to this: you need to have a system. 

1. Have goals

It’s important to have a sense of direction when it comes to what sort of lunch boxes you want to create for your kids.  You don’t necessarily need to achieve them straight away but it’s good to have goals and work your way towards them.  For me, I strive for mostly rubbish-free lunch boxes that contain wholefoods, including a fresh fruit and vegetables. I also like to provide variety, and a bit of fun sometimes. One of the key turning moments for me in my lunch box journey, is the challenge I created for myself by converting 5 dinners into lunch box food, and you can read about it here. I’ve come a long way in my goals, and next on my agenda is to experiment with healthier baking options.

2. Invest in great products

Lunch Boxes

This is absolutely KEY when it comes to making lunches easy. If you invest in a good lunch box, it will last for years. I’ve tried many different lunch boxes over the years and to achieve what I want with my children’s lunches, the lunch box needs to have compartments. What you need:

• Lunch Box
• Ice Pack
• Insulated case

I’ve listed below my top lunch box recommendations below.

Bentology lunch boxes

Suitable for: Primary School & High School Kids

I review the Bentology lunch boxes (used to be called Laptop lunch boxes) in detail here. The only drawback with these lunch boxes is they have a lot of parts which can be annoying.

Yumbox

Yumbox Original – Suitable for: Lower Primary School Kids

Yumbox Tapas – Suitable for: Upper Primary School & High School Kids

Yumboxe original are ideal for younger children and are my top recommendation for primary school kids up to about grade 3. I just find they are too small for my kids now. However, the good news is Yumbox have just bought out a large box called the Yumbox Tapas and I am considering giving that a go for my kids this year (currently using GoGreen lunch boxes which I will explain further below). 

Go Green Lunch Boxes

Suitable for: Upper Primary School & High School Kids

For the past 2 years, I’ve been using Go Green Lunch Boxes  for my kids. They are HUGE so they fit a good amount of food for teenagers. However, my kids do find they do take up a lot of space in the school bag. After a few years of use, they are starting to break in parts, however I have been happy with them overall, especially if you have teenagers who need A LOT of food. They are the biggest lunch box that I have found. 

Fits a small apple.

Planet Lunch Boxes

Suitable for: Upper Primary School & High School Kids

For those looking for a stainless steel lunch box, Planetbox lunch boxes are a good option. You can find more examples of lunches made in these containers here: whole food lunch box ideas. 

Tupperware

Suitable for: Upper Primary School & High School Kids

I notice Tupperware do a rectangle and square divided lunch boxes. They look good to me. The only thing I would worry about is easy of opening (and putting the lid back on properly) for young kids.

Drink Bottles

I have used a few different drink bottles. I recommend any of the Contigo brand (I reviewed the bottles pictured below here). 

Recently, my kids have used Nike sport bottles and they have been surprisingly excellent and don’t seem to leak. You can get them from places like Rebel. 

Other Bits and Bobs

Another product I have found REALLY fabulous for the lunch box are silicone muffin cases.  I use them to cook bakery items. Then, I freeze them in the cases, and they go straight into the lunch box in the morning.  Another way I use them is when they are empty, they are a great way to section small food in the lunch box (there are examples at the end of the blog post).

Using the freezer is imperative to my lunch box success (which I go into further below) and so I have dedicated containers to store lunch box food in.  These Sitema containers are great, and they are clear so I can see what is in them easily. 

I also have a few fun things to include in the lunch boxes to make things interesting. My favourites are the eye food picks I bought from Lunch Boxes With Love.  However, I don’t do fun stuff all the time, maybe about once a week or fortnight. If you head over to my Instagram @beafunmum and search for the hashtag #BAFM_Lunchbox you will see many examples of the realistic lunch boxes I make for my kids. Sometimes they are fun, and sometimes they are boring!

My Lunch Box Product List

• Lunch Box
• Insulated Case
• Ice Brick
• Silicone Muffin Cases
• Sistema containers (for freezable items)
• Food picks
• Drink bottles
• Miscellaneous small containers

3. Have a dedicated lunch box storage section

The system I use requires the need for containers. This is a bit of a pain, but it really makes it quick in the mornings.  I have lunch box items stored in my pantry in baskets.  One for drink bottles and lids, one for the containers and one for the lunch boxes and other bits and bobs I don’t use everyday.  

On a school morning, I line up four lunch boxes, fill with containers and then throw in the food.  The last step is to place a lunch box size freezer brick in the insulted case and place the entire lunch box inside. This example is for the Benology lunch boxes. For other boxes with dividers, they just go directly in the insulated case with the ice brick.

4. Use the freezer

My freezer is my best friend when it comes to the lunch box.  I mainly freeze all my bakery items that are one component of the lunch box. Food items can be taken out of the freezer in the morning and put straight in the lunchbox.  They will be thawed and fresh by eating time. You can find a baking freezer challenge full of great recipes here.

The following items will keep for 2 weeks in the freezer. 

Sandwiches:

I tend to make sandwiches fresh, because I prefer to do that, but if you have a mad busy week ahead, it’s good to know you can freeze them ahead of time.

Make sandwiches with fillings like cheese and ham, vegemite or jam.

Other Food:

Cakes and slices, muffins, baked beans, zucchini slice, quiche are some snack ideas that are able to be frozen.

Organising the freezer:

• It’s helpful to have a dedicated draw in the freezer for lunch box items.
• Separating portion size is easy with zip-lock bags. For a more environmentally friendly option, use individual containers or freeze in batches and place directly in the lunch box of a morning. For layering in containers, use a sheet of baking paper.

This is a heap of food I prepared ahead of time to freeze (except the eggs I just put them in the fridge for a few days). 

5. Pre-Prepare

To aid the morning rush, much of the lunch preparation can be done the night before and the weekend. I don’t always do this, as I usually have time in the morning, but it can really help if you know you have a busy morning.

Night before:

• Cut up fruit and vegetable pieces
• Portion yoghurt and crackers. I also make custard the night before sometimes and let it set in the containers that fit into the lunch box. Then in the morning, they get slotted in.

Weekend:

• Make a batch of sandwiches and place them in the freezer
• Bake home goods and freeze in portion size

6. Break it down

Instead of thinking morning tea/lunch food, I break the lunch box down into food types. So in each packed lunch, I aim for this balance:

• 1 x Fruit 
• 1 x Vegetable
• 1 x Snack Food (baked goods, energy balls, crackers, egg, cheese, yoghurt)
• 1 x Lunch Item 
• 1 x other (if needed, depending on the child)

This system allows for seasonal variations and helps me to shop smart. I’m fairly consistent with this system and so my kids are used to seeing vegetables in their lunch box.

7. Lunch box staples

It’s great to have your lunch box staple foods you can fall back on (like the humble sandwich). I have certain foods that I know work well in the lunch box and here are some of the items on my list:

Vegetables: corn on the cob, cucumber, snow peas, carrot, celery sticks, baby corn, tin corn, avocado, cherry tomato

Fruit: small apple, tin fruit, stone fruit, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, kiwi fruit, small pears, watermelon pieces, pineapple pieces

Snacks: muffins, nut-free choc energy balls, apricot balls, rice crackers, popcorn, trail mix, muesli slice (another 2nd recipe for muesli slice), corn & cheese muffins, coconut bread

Protein: ham, salami, salami sticks, bean dip, cheese, boiled egg, hummus, yoghurt

Lunch: sandwich, mini quiche, zucchini fitters, meatloaf, pizza scrolls, zucchini slice, wraps, pizza, salad, flat bread 

7. Make it safe

I have a guest post from a dietitian you can read which gives great tips on making the lunch box healthy and safe: Lunch Box Tips

8. Make it fun

Once you have a good system down, it’s easier to find ways to make lunches fun. I don’t do this all the time, just a few time a month to mix things up. Try new foods and different ways of presenting them.  Below are a few links:

• Milk Bottle Lid Messages
• Banana Tattoo
• Banana Secret Message
• Food Picks

9. Get Feedback from Kids

I often say to my kids, “How was lunch today?” I like getting feedback on what they like and don’t and what works (sometimes I’ve tried something and it didn’t work in the lunch box). I think including kids in the process is a good way for them to try new things and be engaged with food. You can read more about how we establish a food culture in our family here.

10. Lunch Box Examples

Below are a few lunch box examples and you can find even more ideas by looking through the lunch box tips on the blog under Lunch Box Ideas or in this post on my @beafunmum Instagram feed. Just search for the tag #BAFM_Lunchbox.

Tip: Depending on what is on the wrap, I separate the fill ingredients from the wrap in the lunch box and the kids make it up themselves fresh at lunch time.  

Tip: Energy balls are fabulous in the lunch box and they freeze well.

Tip: Silicone muffin cases are great for separating food in the lunch box.

Tip: Leftover rice or pasts can be turned into an easy lunch box food.

Tip: Food picks work well with cut up fruit and veggies. 

Tip: You can make a big batch of pizza and freeze in small square portion for the lunch box (if kids like cold pizza)

Tip: Try growing cherry tomatoes in a pot in the backyard. They are so easy to grow and it’s wonderful to be able to include food you grow yourself in the lunch box. Here’s a guide: Plant Pot Garden.

Tip: Make sandwiches a bit more interesting by cutting them in different shapes sometimes, or make soldiers.

Tip: Try new foods! The kids may not like it, but they might too, and it’s all about building your lunch box repertoire.

Tip: Make quiche in muffins trays so they are in individual sizes.  This makes it easy and quick to use in the lunch box. This is the recipe I use: Quiche Recipe.

Tip: Think outside the box! My kids love it when I put plain corn chips and dip in their lunch box. The bean dip recipe is here.

What a Typical Lunch Box Making Morning Looks Like

1. Take lunch boxes from drying rack and lay on the bench.
2. Pull out bakery item from the freezer and place directly (frozen) in respective lunch box sections.
3. Add fruit (cut if necessary).
4. Add veggies (cut if necessary).
5. Add lunch component (either from freezer – e.g. scrolls – or whatever I have for lunch like a ham, cheese and mustard sandwich – made fresh).
6. Take freezer brick out from freezer.
7. Ice brick in insulated case, lunch box in the case and leave on the bench for children to collect.

All this takes under 10 minutes to make 4 lunch boxes.

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More

100 Lunch Box Ideas Printable

How I encourage my kids to eat veggies

Turn 5 Dinners into Lunchbox food