Our top tips and recipes to help to make kids lunch box life easier for you

We know the daily school lunch grind can feel overwhelming, and the last thing you’ll want to deal with at the end of the day is an untouched soggy sandwich at the bottom of your kiddos backpack. If you’re starting to stare aimlessly into the pantry wondering what to pack in those lunch boxes, we’re here to help!

Here are some all-star lunch box friendly fillers and recipes that kids will adore, they’re packed full of goodness to make sure those little bodies are fuelled for fun-filled days!  

Create the perfect little grazing platter for school lunch, day-care or fun days out in their favourite Love Mae bento box, with handy leak free compartments to keep it all fresh and separated. Use our awesome lunch cheat sheets to mix and match to suit your kiddo's ever-changing or predictable taste buds, age and the ingredients you have on hand. 

Age: 10 months+ | Time: 30 minutes | Yield: 8 medium fritters | Contains: egg + wheat | Freezable: yes

 

These lunch box friendly fritters are guaranteed to be gobbled down quick as can be! With ingredients you’ll most likely always have on hand, they’re an easy, fast, filling meal for the whole family. We found this fritter recipe on the lovely Cass from First Year Of Food's website – so the bonus here is they’re also suitable for bubs too, which saves you from making 4 zillion different dinners.

If you manage to save any from those little hands at dinner time, you can either freeze them for another time or pop them straight into the kids lunch box for the next day.

 

1 cup green peas, defrosted and blitzed

2 cups zucchini, grated and squeezed to remove any liquid

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 eggs

3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely sliced

1 lemon, zested then cut into wedges for serving

3/4 cup wholemeal flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder (aluminium free)

1 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup goats feta

Olive oil, butter/ghee or lard for frying

 

Combine the peas, zucchini, onion, lemon zest, mint and eggs in large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, cumin, baking powder and salt. Sift these into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold through the feta.

Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil/fat and add 2 tablespoons of batter per fritter. Cook until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with lemon wedges. For a more substantial meal serve these with hummus, beetroot and za’atar salad and leafy greens.

4-STEP CAULIFLOWER DINO MAC & CHEESE

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings | Contains: egg + wheat | Freezable: yes 

With a solid serving of veggies and the easiest 4-steps, this delicious cheese sauce from @yummytoddlerfood is a mid-week life saver. You can pack this and other sauces/ yoghurts etc with peace of mind in our Bento Boxes – the silicone seal means they’re totally leak free!