Lunch is an essential meal that provides nutrients that contribute to kids’ overall wellness and development. Moreover, the meal needs to be balanced to maintain their energy levels and focus throughout the day. For many working parents, preparing elaborate lunches for kids during hectic weekday mornings can be challenging. Fortunately, there are many simple recipes that are easily available and allow parents to learn and prepare nutritious and energy-packed lunches for kids.
Hummus snack packs
This is one of the simplest and most creative kids’ lunch ideas that can be prepared within 10 minutes. One can create enough portions with this meal to comfortably serve it four times. The ingredients required to prepare this dish are 400 grams of chickpeas, a garlic clove, half a teaspoon of ground cumin, a teaspoon of ground coriander, about two tablespoons of lemon juice, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, regular carrots, and small cucumbers.
Tip the chickpeas and garlic into a bowl with coriander, a tablespoon of lemon juice, oil, and cumin. Add tablespoons of the reserved liquid taken from the chickpeas. Mix the components vigorously using a hand blender until the overall texture turns smooth. Add some liquid if the blend is not smooth enough. Further, season it with lemon juice if necessary. The hummus is ready. Spoon it into four small bowls and keep them covered and chilled for up to 3 days. Slice cucumber and carrots into batons to eat and serve with the hummus.
Ham and cheese pinwheels
Parents would need a sheet of frozen and thawed puff pastry, cheddar cheese, half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, roughly chopped ham, and a few tablespoons of sesame seeds (optional) to prepare ham and cheese pinwheels.
Those using frozen puff pastry sheets need to thaw them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for around 10 to 15 minutes. Create an even layer of Dijon mustard all over the puff pastry before sprinkling chopped ham and grated cheese over it. Then, carefully roll the puff pastry into a log after starting at one edge. One should roll the pastry quite tightly. In a plate full of sesame seeds, one needs to roll the puff pastry logs to get an even coating of seeds on their outside. Preheat an oven to about 374 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Simultaneously, place the logs on a plate before putting them in a refrigerator for around 10 to 15 minutes.
After refrigeration, transfer the logs onto a chopping board and cut them into one cm-thick slices. Place these pinwheels on the baking sheet before baking them for about 15 to 18 minutes (or until the cheese melts and the pastry turns golden). Let the pinwheels cool before serving them.
Banana oat muffins with mix & match toppings
The most popular and easy lunchbox ideas are the ones parents can make within 30 minutes, and this dish neatly falls into that category. All one needs to make banana oat muffins with mix match toppings are 200 grams of porridge oats, ripe bananas, eggs, tablespoons of chia seeds or flaxseeds, pitted dates, a teaspoon of baking powder, milk, blueberries, and nut butter.
Heat an oven to about 200 degrees Celsius. At the same time, add bananas, eggs, seeds, baking powder, dates, and 50 ml of milk to a blender and blitz them to make a batter. Those who do not have an electronic blender can do this in a jug using a hand blender. Mix in enough of the remaining milk to make the batter fluid and pourable. Pour this batter into the cupcake cases and top them with blueberries.
Bake the batter for around 15 to 20 minutes until it turns golden brown. Serve them after taking them out of the oven and cooling them for a few minutes. For added flavor, drizzle a spoonful of nut butter, a few drops of maple syrup, some chocolate syrup, or a spoonful of yogurt.
Veggie burrito
A veggie burrito makes for a nutritious and tasty lunch for kids. The ingredients needed to make this dish include a small red onion, tomatoes, tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, parsley, two tablespoons of olive oil, avocados, a lime, an onion, a carrot, some mushrooms, four tablespoons of tomato puree, half a tablespoon of chili powder, half a teaspoon of ground cumin, a teaspoon of paprika, about 400 grams of kidney beans, about 200 grams of sweetcorn, eight tortillas, a pinch of cayenne pepper, 100 grams of cooked rice, and eight teaspoons of soured cream, and lettuce.
The first step of making the burritos involves concocting the salsa. Combine the red onions, vinegar, tomatoes, half the oil, and half the parsley before seasoning it to taste. Add a splash of lime juice and avocado slices into the mixture before setting it aside.
Heat some oil in a non-stick pan over a medium-high flame. Cook onions for about five minutes before adding in grated carrots and mushrooms. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until they turn light brown. Mix in tomato puree and spices before cooking it until the puree turns dark red. Pour in 200 ml of water, the corn, the remaining parsley, and kidney beans before cooking this mixture for about 5-6 minutes (until the curry reduces and thickens). Season this with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
Warm the tortillas and reheat the rice until it is piping hot. Assemble the burritos by topping these tortillas with vegetable filling, rice, and lettuce. Add soured cream before folding them in one side of the tortillas and rolling them up.
Serve the burritos with salsa on the side.