[This post is sponsored by Biome]
School starts back in only a few weeks so I thought I'd share my recipe for packing fast and healthy waste-free lunch boxes.
1. Follow a template
On the rare occasion Daddy Eco has to pack Little Eco's lunch he gets totally flabbergasted and has no idea what to include. I created the following template for what to pack to make it easier for him:
1 serving of protein. e.g yoghurt, cheese, hommus, olives, baked beans, or a boiled egg
1 serving of grains. e.g rice crackers, popcorn or a sandwich
1 serving of seasonal fruit.
1 serving of seasonal raw vegetables. e.g cucumber, carrot, corn, peas, or beans.
2. Embrace simple whole foods
You may notice that the above list doesn't include many baked goods or food that requires more than a moment preparation. Thankfully many kids prefer simple foods anyway.
3. Add variety by favoring seasonal foods
Embracing seasonal fruits and vegetables is a great way to add variety.
For example when school goes back in a few weeks I'll be including corn wheels, cherry tomatoes, asparagus spears, peas, snow peas, stone fruit, berries, watermelon and diced mango.
4. Prepare ahead
I try and organise the contents of a weeks worth of lunches at the start of the week.
I boil eggs and do all my slicing and dicing at once.
5. Have a basic set of quality waste-free containers and wraps
Having a set of good quality re-useable containers and wraps makes avoiding disposable containers and plastic wrap easy.
My kit includes:
Kids Konserve stainless steel nesting trio
-Pictured above holding the yoghurt and vegetables.
-These leak proof containers are great for holding liquids like yoghurt and diced fruit.
Kids Konserve stainless steel mini food containers
– I use these for olives and diced veggies and in the past (when her lunch box was stored in a child-care fridge rather than her school bag) yoghurt.
– These containers are nice and easy to open and close for toddlers.
– I use the wraps to wrap sandwiches and the pocket to hold crackers. Thanks to these I haven't ever had to use plastic wrap in Little Eco's lunch box.
Little Eco used to use a stainless steel lunch box but now that her lunch will be stored in her school bag rather than a fridge we've upgraded to an insulated lunch bag.
Do you have any tips for making packing waste-free lunches easy?
[This post was sponsored by Biome. As mentioned, I don't accept cash for sponsorship. Instead I barter for things I need. In this case I bartered an insulated lunch box (pictured above) and drink bottle for Little Eco.]
