Parents, are your P1 child ready to order food by himself during recess time? Or would they prefer to bring a homemade lunch box to school? Actually, a homemade lunch box is the simplest idea to ensure your child eats well during recess time. It also helps buy some time before they are ready to order food on their own at the canteen.
When preparing their lunch boxes, it is important to pack healthy and fresh foods. A well-balanced meal provides your children with the essential nutrients and energy they need to learn and play well in school. Now, we are here to share with you on how to prepare a healthy lunch box for your kids:
- Pack the lunch box with foods from 4 food groups, including carbohydrates (preferably wholegrains), fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins.
- Choose any 1 carbohydrate (wholemeal bread or biscuit, oat, whole grain pasta, brown rice, noodles, sweet potato etc), 1 fruit (apple, kiwi, pear, blueberry, avocado etc) , 1 vegetable (steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, corn, cherry tomato etc) and 1 healthy protein (packet UHT milk, soy milk, hard-boiled egg, nuts, seeds, edamame, chicken slices, chickpea etc)
- Use less salt, sugar and oil when preparing their meal.
- Use a reusable lunch box that contains several small and divided containers to keep food separated and encourage a variety of foods.
Below are 12 healthy lunch box ideas that include different food groups, perfect for your growing child!
Preparing time: 15-20 mins
- Wholemeal sandwiches with egg mayo and lettuce + Guava slices
- Steamed sweet potatoes + Kiwi + Cashew nuts
- Cornflakes + Packet milk + Strawberries + Almonds
- Oat crackers + Avocado slices + Hard-boiled egg
- Blueberry muffin + Pear slices + Steamed chickpeas
- Wholemeal bread with peanut butter + Banana + Steamed broccoli
- Butter cake + Soy milk + Sunflower seeds + Apple slices
Preparing time: 30-40 mins
- Fried rice with egg, cabbage and carrot + Apple slices
- Stir-fried udon with chicken, capsicum and carrot + Grapes (cut in half)
- Fish porridge with Chinese cabbage and carrot + Blueberries
- Mini croquettes burgers with corn and fresh green beans + Packet milk + Raisins
- Mac and cheese with broccoli + Pear slices