Tasty and Nutritious Lunch Box Ideas to Try this Year
Does the thought of having to eat another PB&J or Marmite sarmie for lunch leave you at a loss for appetite? Then, make it one of your New Year’s Resolutions to prepare less sarmies in favour of more tasty and nutritious foods and snacks. There are plenty exciting lunch box fillings to try and, with the below ideas, lunch time will be a whole lot better!
1. Something on a Stick
There’s something irresistibly fun about eating food on a stick! From fruit or grilled veggie skewers to chicken or Kerrygold Cheddar and ham skewers, the delicious possibilities are endless.
What makes food on a stick extra special is that it can take an otherwise average meal such as a salad or sandwich and turn it into something more appealing, like the Wedge Salad on a Stick and Classic Club Sandwich on Stick as shown below.
For more scrumptious lunch-on-a-stick combinations, click here.
2. Build Your Own
What could be better than opening a lunch box to see an array of ingredients just waiting to be combined in your most favourite way.
Whether you choose to build your own burger, tortilla or pita, be sure to include at least one ingredient from the main food groups – grains, fruit and vegetables, legumes, dairy, protein, and fats and oils.
For this idea, keep in mind that you’ll need a compartmentalised lunch box or an assortment of containers to keep all the tasty ingredients – especially any sauces or dressings – separate from your grains so they don’t go soggy.
3. Just Dip It
Add a delicious twist to chopped raw veggies, crackers or pita bread by making your own lunch box dip.
This could be anything from a healthy avocado dip made with mashed avocado and a squeeze of lemon juice to a spicy Greek yoghurt drip where you can combine natural Greek yoghurt with a mix of Italian herbs, garlic and onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.
If time is on your side, try your hand at making highly nutritious hummus. Not yet familiar on how to make hummus from scratch? Follow the easy recipe here.
4. Fresh is Best
If in doubt, kit your lunch box out with fresh fruit and veggies. Because its recommended that we have seven portions per day, including these kinds of food into your everyday lunch is a great way to meet your daily intake.
Plain old fruit and veggies can also look amazing when stacked layer-by-layer in a glass jar or neatly next to each other in a round container.
Remember though, it doesn’t hurt to have a treat every now and again too! Some freshly baked sweet potato brownies or oat crunchies can even provide a guilt-free indulgence if you’re looking for a slightly healthier snack alternative that’s still nice and sweet.
5. Themed Treats
Keep your palette entertained on days such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween by preparing themed treats to suit the special occasion.
This will not only add to the fun of the day, but you can also have fun and express your creativity during the process of making all the cute creations – not to mention getting to gobble them all up too!
Still hungry for some more tasty and nutritious lunch box ideas? Then, take a look at our jam-packed Pinterest board here.
