AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN| 147
HASTY & TASTY
Timesaving tips for school lunches:
✚Keep the pantry and fridge
stocked with healthy options.
✚Pack lunches the night before
to avoid the morning rush.
✚Cook up wholesome lunchbox
foods, such as mini frittatas or
healthy muffins, on the weekend.
✚Encourage older children to
choose, make and pack their
own healthy lunches.V
egies cut into pretty
shapes, cute animals
carved from sliced bread...
whenitcomestocoolschool
lunches, images on social
media have raised the bar.
Butwhentimeistooshortto
sculpt a carrot, accredited
practising dietitian Nicole
Seniorhassomebetterideas.
There’s clearly a need for
quick and healthy lunch options:
when the National Health Survey
reported on the nation’s eating
habits in 2015, children didn’t
score well. “It showed most
children don’t eat enough
vegetables, dairy foods and fruit,
leaving them short on key
vitamins and minerals while
overdoing the salt,” says Senior,
a parent herself. Here, she shares
her tips on how to prepare a
lunchbox everyone will be
happy with:
Pick the right boxLunchboxes
with compartments, or a set of
small containers, make it easier
to include a variety of fresh,
unpackaged foods. As a bonus,
you’ll also use less plastic wrap.
Pack more vegies“A lunchbox
without vegetables isn’t
balanced. I’d include at least
one,” says Senior. For finger
foods, she suggests frozen peas,cooked sweet corn or edamame.
“Baby carrots are also a great
option, as are celery sticks,
cherry tomatoes, cucumber,
spiralised carrot and snow peas.”
Good vegies for sandwiches
or wraps include avocado (a
squeeze of lemon prevents
discolouration), hummus, baby
spinach, dark lettuce, grated
carrot, creamed corn, leftover
pumpkin or sweet potato, and
roast capsicum.
Limit packaged foods“Ideally,
you’d pack all your own food.
Rather than buying popcorn, for
example, pop your own and place
it in a sealed container,” says
Senior. “Some packaged food is
inevitable in our busy lives, but
choose wisely.”
TheHealthStarRatingsystem
can be helpful as you negotiate
supermarket aisles, she says.
“Look for brands with the most
stars, ideally 3.5 or higher,
and choose ‘core’ foods such
as fruit snack packs, milk,
flavoured milks and yoghurt.”
Other good purchases, she adds,
are small cans of tuna, salmon
and beans, and wholegrain
crispbread or crackers to pack
with cheese. “With muesli bars,
choose an oat-based varietyIllustration by Domenic Bahmann. without coatings.” #
‘We need to get back to providing “core” foods
- vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, dairy, fish,
meat, legumes and nuts – which contain the
nutrients kids need.’Nicole Senior, dietitian
Health
It’s time for fresh thinking on healthy
lunchbox choices, writesPaula Goodyer.
Here’s how to raise the bar.PACK MENTALITY