School lunches set the standard for the types of foods that children should be eating.
This is according to Melindi Wyma, food scientist and group technical manager of Eskort.
“With a few small changes to your shopping routine and a bit of planning, you can save time, effort and money on school meals.”
Wyma believes five simple tips can put parents on the right track when packing lunches.
- Consider your choice of protein. Protein is crucial for active children and teens, given its importance to muscle health, bone strength and hormone production.
- Prepare meals the night before. Instead of reaching for expensive pre-packaged food when rushing out the door in the morning, do lunchbox preparation the night before. “Meal preparation does not need to be time-consuming, and it is a great opportunity to get your children involved and show them some basic cooking skills. This will gradually teach them to take responsibility for their own meals, which is an important life skill.”
- Add easily packable foods. Stock up on fruits and vegetables such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, grapes, berries or sugar snap peas, as well as proteins such as slices of ham, viennas or sticks of cheese.
- Create weekly meal plans. Research shows that between 40% and 80% of all shopping is the result of impulse buying, which is why creating a weekly meal plan is so crucial to budgeting and saving on groceries.
- Make frozen grapes a staple. These are a quick and inexpensive way to keep lunchboxes cool. The grapes will thaw by lunchtime, offering your children an added healthy snack, and can double as ice packs in the meantime.
Eskort has provided three quick, quirky and inexpensive recipes to give parents an inspiration for lunchboxes.
Ham and cheese wrap ups
Ingredients:
- picnic ham, thinly sliced
- 4 wraps
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
- 1 cup grated cheese
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Method:Preheat the oven to 180°. Fill your wraps with the sauce, ham and cheese and roll them up. Cut the wraps into four and place them into muffin tins. Bake them for 8 minutes and remove. These can be made in advance and baked in the morning or the night before.
Doughnut-shaped sarmies
Ingredients:
- ham roll, sliced into ½ cm slices
- 8 slices of white bread
- ¼ cup of butter or margarine
- 2 tablespoons of marmite
- 4 slices of processed cheese
Method:
Combine the marmite and butter in a bowl and spread on the slices of bread. Add a slice of cheese and ham. These sandwiches can be cut with a cookie cutter into all shapes and sizes.
Cheesy polony waffles
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of French polony, grated
- 2 cups of white cheddar, grated
- 2 cups of bread, cut into pieces
- 4 eggs
Method:
Heat your waffle iron or sandwich maker. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Fill the waffle iron or toaster and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side.
