11 lunch box hacks you'll love

And just like that the holidays are over and we're back to the daily grind. Read on for some simple tips to make that dreaded lunch box task a fun one. We’ve rounded up some our favourite lunch recipes for both kids and adults to keep that hunger at bay.

Do you find yourself making the same ham + cheese sandie day after day? Screen shot this article (lose it in your camera roll and never look at it again – we see you, Mamas!) and check back for lunch box inspo to save you time and money.

Savoury Lunches

Wraps – roll up and slice

• Ham, cream cheese + pickle relish
• Egg + lettuce
• Chicken schnitzel, lettuce + garlic aioli
• Tuna, mayonnaise, lettuce + tomato
• Pork katsu + cabbage

Pasta Day – prepare this sauce ahead of time, freeze into individual portions & stir through fresh pasta, sprinkle with fresh parmesan before popping into a thermal flask.

• ¾ cup olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tins diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• Salt + pepper
• Fresh basil leaves
• Dried basil

Soften onion in oil, add garlic until fragrant, add tomato, ¼ water, sugar, salt & pepper fresh basil and a sprinkle of dried basil. Cook on low for an hour. Cool before freezing.

Snack Box – meatballs (great to freeze for baby led weaning), vegetable sticks with dip, corn thins with cream cheese and tomato.

• Chicken mince
• 1 egg
• ½ Onion
• Breadcrumbs
• Parsley
• Dill
• Grated Apple
• Salt + Pepper
• Cooking Spray

Mix all ingredients, shape into balls, pop into a baking tray, spray with cooking oil and bake at 200c for 30 minutes or until cooked through (shake halfway to turn).

Sweet Treats

Nutella Scrolls – defrost a few sheets of puff pastry, spread with Nutella, roll up and slice to your desired thickness, bake at 180C until golden. Once the kids are in bed, we recommend warming one up in the oven + serving with ice-cream!

Marshmallow Krispies – one the kids will love to help prepare + devour!

• 5 cups of Rice Bubbles
• 2 cups marshmallows
• 100g butter
• 50g Cadbury baking white chocolate, melted
• 2 tsp of rainbow choc chips or your choice of topping

Line a baking tray. Pour Rice Bubbles into a mixing bowl. Melt marshmallows and butter and a microwave safe bowl, regularly stirring until smooth. Add the marshmallow mix to the Rice Bubbles, stir thoroughly, and press down firmly into your baking tray. Drizzle over melted chocolate & sprinkle rainbow choc chips on top. Refrigerate until set, slice, and serve!  

If you’re like us, the key to being excited about meal prep is having amazingly aesthetic storage containers – don’t laugh, it’s an important step! We’re in love with glass lunch boxes, they’re eco-friendly and even more importantly, dishwasher friendly.

Snacks:

Sweet: Spoon a layer of your favourite yoghurt into your super cool, stylish containers, top with your go to fruit such as berries, kiwi and summer mango! Tip: research fruit storage hacks to keep your snacks fresher for longer.

Savoury: Trail mix does sound like something your Dad would snack on while binge watching Fishing Australia but we promise, you’ll see the benefits too. Create the ultimate snack pot with all your favourites by mixing nuts, cranberries, goji berries, sultanas for sweetness, pretzels for crunch and saltiness, cacao nibs, banana chips, coconut flakes, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and roasted chickpeas.

Substantial:

Soul Warming Soup: think leek, carrots, zucchini, mushroom, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and red kidney or cannellini beans, thickened with some soup lentils in a broth of vegetable stock and a tin of diced tomatoes. Top with parsley & serve with toasted sourdough doused in butter – drools!

Quick Greek Wraps: chicken or ham from your local deli section, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, capsicum, red onion, fetta, tzatziki, and a packet of wraps.

The Adult Bento: Chicken & avocado rye sandwich, hummus (try our home-made recipe) with snack carrot, cucumber + capsicum, summer berries and dark chocolate.

Green Goddess Pasta: sauté onion, garlic, broccoli, zucchini, add frozen peas towards the end. Stir through ricotta, basil, fresh parmesan then mix your blend into your choice of cooked pasta.

Check out our summer salad recipes that you can prepare ahead of time.

Thinking about a new lunch box kit for this year? Pop into Big W for an Omie Box, Smiggle for the brightest lunch bags and water bottles and Target for a cutlery set.

Head into Macarthur Square for everything you need to make this an amazing Summer!

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