Heading back to school means that it’s time to tackle the age-old challenge of packing a lunch that’s both appealing to kids and packed with healthy choices, especially for those sending their little ones off to big school for the first time! The thrill of picking out the perfect backpack, selecting the cutest stationery, and, of course, the anticipation of packing that first lunchbox.
There are so many ways to make a lunchbox exciting, such as transforming it into a Bento Box. Dividing each section to have a range of snacks, such as fresh fruit, veggie sticks, cheese cubes and crackers with a sandwich, wrap, soup or pasta as their main.
Here is some other delicious homemade snacks that you could try!
Vegetable, Ham & Noodle Cups
Ingredients:
- 1 x Maggi 2-minute noodles packet, chicken flavoured
- 3 cups mixed vegetables, grated
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded deli ham
- 1/2 cup light tasty cheese
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly spray a tray of 6 x 1 cup muffin pans with olive oil.
- Cook noodles as directed, reserving the flavour sachets. Drain then rinse under cold water. Place in a bowl.
- Add the reserved flavour sachets, grated vegetables, egg, light sour cream, and ham.
- Spoon equal portions in muffin pans and top with cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set.
Strawberry & Blueberry Fruit Leather (Roll-ups)
Ingredients:
- 250g strawberries
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 250g blueberries
Method:
- Preheat oven to 100°C. Line two 27cm x 39cm baking trays with silicone mats or baking paper.
- Place the strawberries, half the sugar and half the lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour onto the lined tray and spread until the mixture is about 1mm thick and covers the base of the tray.
- Process the blueberries, remaining sugar and remaining lemon juice in a clean food processor until smooth. Pour onto the remaining lined tray and spread until mixture is about 1mm thick and covers the base of the tray.
- Bake, swapping the trays halfway through cooking, for 2-3 hours or until the centres are no longer tacky. Set aside to cool completely.
- Peel the sheets of fruit off the mats or paper. Use kitchen scissors to cut into ribbons. Roll up and secure with kitchen string.
Banana Muffins
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup honey, or pure maple syrup
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 3 medium
- ¼ cup milk, whichever kind you prefer
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
- Place the butter in a large bowl and melt in the microwave. Add the honey or maple syrup, mashed banana, milk, and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs. Sprinkle the cinnamon, baking soda and salt over the wet ingredients. Whisk until well combined. Add the flour to the bowl and stir with a large spoon or spatula until barely combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 2/3 full.
- Optional: Sprinkle tops of muffins with cinnamon.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. (Mini muffins will take about 10-12 minutes to bake.)
- Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack.
Cheese & Vegemite Scrolls
Ingredients:
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (defrosted)
- 1-2 Tbs Vegemite
- 2 cups tasty cheese (grated)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C or 160° fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- Spread each sheet of pastry with Vegemite and sprinkle roughly 1 cup of cheese evenly over each sheet.
- Roll each sheet tightly into a scroll and slice the scroll evenly into roughly 8 pieces.
- Lie on the tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Here is some other fun, healthy ideas that will definitely be a hit!
- DIY sushi wheels
- Rice paper rolls
- Chicken/ham/turkey and cheese rolls ups
- Homemade energy balls
- Fruit rockets with yogurt
- Nuts & dried fruits
- Quesadillas
- Popcorn
- Hummus with crackers
- Homemade guacamole with corn chips
- Mini sliders
- Spring rolls
That’s all from Miss Shanny in the Kitchen
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