{"id":2631,"date":"2019-11-07T11:22:03","date_gmt":"2019-11-07T11:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/?p=2631"},"modified":"2023-09-14T14:15:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T14:15:21","slug":"kids-lunch-box-ideas-that-can-be-made-frozen-in-advance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/kids-lunch-box-ideas-that-can-be-made-frozen-in-advance\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids Lunch Box Ideas That Can Be Made & Frozen in Advance"},"content":{"rendered":"
School run mornings are hard. It\u2019s the one time of day that you can guarantee that your child will adopt the pace of an elderly snail and you have a limited amount of time to get them dressed, fed, and out of the door. So needing to find time to make a packed lunch is something you could really do without.<\/p>\n
Having something that you can simply pull out of the freezer and place straight into the lunchbox makes it all so much quicker and easier. What\u2019s more, you get rid of the need for ice packs to keep things like yogurt cool, as the defrosting food does that job instead. All of these recipes can be made in advance and frozen in portions, plus they\u2019re guaranteed to be a hit with fussy eaters.<\/p>\n
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Meatloaf is great for packed lunches. It can either be served by itself in slices as a protein boost, or in a sandwich. It\u2019s easy to make and you can add your own seasoning to suit your family\u2019s tastes. This recipe makes enough to feed a family of four during the evening meal with enough left over for a few packed lunches, meaning that you can get more than one meal sorted at the same time. We\u2019ve used turkey here, which is a super lean meat, but pork and beef work just as well.<\/p>\n
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Kids love a sweet treat in their lunch boxes, but it can be hard to find something that both satisfies your child\u2019s sweet tooth and meets the guidelines for lunchboxes set by the school. These banana flapjacks have less refined sugar than regular flapjacks, since much of their sweetness comes from over ripe bananas. They\u2019re great for using up bananas that are past their best and are simple enough to make that it\u2019s something your child can get involved with. This recipe makes around 15 flapjacks.<\/p>\n
Optional Ingredients: <\/i>50g of raisins, chopped fruit such as dates, sesame seeds, etc.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another favourite here at Mumblog, Pizza Wheels are versatile, tasty, and brilliant for just popping straight into the lunchbox. You can add ingredients to suit your child\u2019s tastes and they offer a scrumptious alternative to the humble sandwich. They are also very simple to make, thanks to the invention of ready rolled puff pastry!<\/p>\n Mix It Up:<\/strong> If your child isn\u2019t keen on tomato puree or you fancy a change, you can use BBQ sauce as a base instead. This goes particularly well with chicken, bacon, sweetcorn, and peppers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sandwiches generally taste much better when made fresh, but if you are short on time then there is nothing wrong with making a batch of sandwiches in advance that you can then take out of the freezer and pop into the lunch box. However, not every sandwich filling freezes well and it\u2019s important to take steps to ensure you don\u2019t get freezer burn or very dry bread. Follow these tips and you should be good to go:<\/p>\n Tortilla wraps offer a great alternative to sandwiches, especially for younger children, as they can be sliced into mini rolls that are perfectly shaped for little hands. Wraps can also be frozen, just make sure you follow the same tips about fillings above.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These egg muffins are so simple to make, your children can help do it. Getting kids involved in the kitchen is a great way to encourage them to try new dishes. The muffins can be put in a lunchbox, or used for a protein fuelled breakfast. You can adapt the recipe as you please to suit your child\u2019s tastes and be as adventurous as you like! This recipe makes 12 muffins.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These little balls of goodness are scrumptiously sweet and sugar free! They can be frozen, but they also keep in the fridge for about three weeks, as long as you store them in an airtight container.<\/p>\n In this recipe, we use almonds, which might not be appropriate for your child\u2019s lunchbox if your school is completely nut free. On the other hand, they can also be excellent for a post-school snack, packing lots of much needed energy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chopping up grapes is a necessary chore to prevent possible choking in children, especially in school when they might be rushing their food so they can get back to playing. Bulk chopping and then freezing can cut down on the preparation time. Instead of just doing grapes, you can add in some berries into the mix, such as strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.<\/p>\n Divide them up and put into silicone cupcake cases. Place them on a tray and place in the freezer for a few hours. Once they are frozen they can be removed from the tray and stored in the freezer in a box or bag. It\u2019s worth noting that the fruit may be a little mushy once defrosted, which some children might object to.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perfect for a grab and go lunch, quesadillas offer up a wealth of opportunity for different fillings, meaning that you adapt them to suit your child\u2019s tastes. This recipe uses chicken thighs which are very cheap to buy, keeping the costs right down, but it does involve extra time and faff. If you value time and convenience over cash, then substitute the chicken thighs for some pre-cooked chicken breast. Going veggie? Sliced halloumi cheese makes a great alternative.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If your child is a bit fussy, or you simply want to brighten their day, then there are few ways of making their packed lunches a bit more appealing. Bento boxes are great for children\u2019s packed lunches because it offers them a varied choice in small portions. Your child can have a mixture of the foods they love, as well as small tastes of some items that they are less keen on, and you can include vegetable sticks and dips to help them reach that 5 a day target.<\/p>\n We love bento box lunch boxes as they come with different removable pots that can be filled with things like yogurt and smaller trays that are ideal for dip. The best thing about using a bento box is that because each compartment keeps the food separate, there is no need to use cling film or food bags.<\/p>\n Another top tip is to include a small note in your child\u2019s lunchbox. It might be a joke, or just a message to say that you love them. It\u2019s a great way to let your child know that you\u2019re thinking of them during the day at school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" School run mornings are hard. It\u2019s the one time of day that you can guarantee that your child will adopt the pace of an elderly snail and you have a limited amount of time to get them dressed, fed, and out of the door. So needing to find time to make a packed lunch is something you could really do without. Having something that you can simply pull out of the freezer and place straight into the lunchbox makes it all so much quicker and easier. What\u2019s more, you get rid of the need for ice packs to keep things <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2631"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3021,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631\/revisions\/3021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Method<\/h3>\n
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Cheese & Tomato Pizza Wheels<\/h2>\n
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Sandwiches & Wraps<\/h2>\n
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Egg Muffins<\/h2>\n
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Three Ingredient Energy Balls<\/h2>\n
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Frozen Fruit Cups<\/h2>\n
Quesadillas<\/h2>\n
Ingredients<\/h3>\n
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Method<\/h3>\n
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Making Packed Lunches More Appealing<\/h2>\n