140 lunchbox tips
in 140 characters by mums
and dads across the land
Hello
Here at innocent we make stuff that tastes good and does you good. As well as our
smoothies, juices and veg pots, we also make stuff especially for kids. Our kids smoothies,
fruit tubes and juicy drink - the newest addition to the family - are all perfect for lunchboxes
and great ways to get fruit into small people.
During term time, it can be hard to find inspiration for what to put into the kids’ lunch boxes.
So we thought this was a perfect time to gather together and share all your ideas and tips about
making school lunch boxes tasty, healthy and fun. So we called on mums and dads across the
land to don their finest party hats, join in our Twitter party and tweet us their favourite lunchbox
tips. We’ve picked out 140 of the best and made them into this handy little guide to help you
get more healthy stuff into the small people in your life.
Happy reading and thanks to one and all.
Lunchbox favourites
1 my son loves wraps and you can sneak grated carrots, red peppers and other vegetables in them 2 cold
pesto pasta with chopped tomatoes, olives plus either chopped sausage, smoked salmon, tofu, etc 3 my
girls love a little pot of olives in their lunchbox 4 don’t forget seeds like pumpkin and sunflower to nibble
on 5 cheese and bacon omelette cut into squares is a good lunchbox standby when we’re out and about
6 I cook a little extra pasta with evening meal, then add pesto, grated cheese, olives etc for lunchbox next
day 7 my boys have loved their snack packs alfresco this summer. Little mezzes with pitta, fresh dips, fruit
medleys and a smoothie 8 fresh bread or rolls, homemade cake, smoothie, keeping it simple 9 we use salad
tuna and a little pasta my kids love it 10 for a change I send in bread sticks and home-made salsa type dip
(no spice) with little cheeses 11 my 2 also love raisins the mini boxes are handy for snack time or lunch boxes
12 I bake a jacket potato and wrap that up well with butter and cheese 13 Olives, sun dried toms, are better
for ‘ickle teeth than raisins all the time 14 my super fussy 7 year old can be awkward with fruit and veg,
but he loves fruited breads, which helps a bit 15 my son loves small cooked cocktail sausages and baby
tomatoes 16 another big fave is a pot of last night’s bread n butter pud with loads of sultanas and fruit - cold
from the fridge #yum 17 quiche is a great lunch box item in little bit sized cubes in a box! My son loves it!
18 other savory ideas are pizza bites, savory scones, hummus and veg stick, wraps, soup, pasta salad, and
sandwiches 19 I do a batch of homemade popcorn seasoned with a small amount of sea salt every few nights,
and bag it up for lunch boxes 20 I make banana muffins and freeze them, then pop a frozen one in the lunch
box to be defrosted by lunchtime 21 pizza rolls from puff pastry - can hide all sorts of veg in it 22 Little Miss
took apples & blackberries wrapped in puff pastry for today’s snack 23 Sweet red, orange and yellow
peppers are good. Mine like as colourful and sweet. Hummus to dip them in good too 24 Pasta with
pesto (or similar) is as nice hot or cold, my son likes it in his lunch box and makes a change from
Tips 1 - 40
sandwiches 25 freeze grapes (and innocent tubes of course) for the lunchbox, helps keep lunchbox cool
and ready to eat by lunchtime 26 sugar snap peas are a good crunchy healthy veg for the lunchbox
27 my eldest loves butternut squash soup or tomato & chorizo soup :) 28 I put fruit in a health salad
mix for my child so in that way they are getting part of their five a day 29 for us it has to be pasta
salad - filling, wholesome, great way to boost veg/salad intake & tasty! 30 another great thing that we
love to do is pop the fruit tubes into the freezer for a delicious fruity lolly on a hot day! 31 or, muffins
with carrots & apples for hidden goodness. And maybe a few chunks of plain choc for a treat...
I do a batch of homemade popcorn seasoned with some
sea salt every few nights, and bag it up for lunch boxes
32 boys think dried mango is a real treat. ‘Better than sweets’ even. Who am I to argue?! 33 last
night’s left over pasta with pieces of salmon, sour cream, cucumber and dill always goes down a treat
with my two 34 wholemeal wraps and a selection of veg strips ie: carrots, cucumber or celery make
a fun snack as they can make their own wrap 35 dried fruit mix - raisins, blueberries, cranberry’s goji
berries, pine nuts, sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds 36 my kids love grapes as small and easy to eat,
plus they taste sweet 37 chicken goujons and pot of ketchup always goes down well. and oddly
edamame beans. they’re the only green things my children eat 38 banana for my girlie, easy to
peel, easy to eat and an excellent amount of energy for a school kid! 39 I have a flask that will keep hotdogs
warm and send them with a bun on cold days, we do this for picnics too 40 favourite staple: satsumas
Honey and cinnamon popcorn
Makes loads
a splash of vegetable,
sunflower or groundnut oil
2 handfuls of popcorn
kernels
4 tablespoons runny
honey
a pinch of ground
cinnamon
This recipe is for honey and cinnamon popcorn but you can use
maple syrup or salty butter or even a mixture of the two. No holds
barred in crazy old Corn Town. Bag it up for a trip to the pictures or
pile high into your biggest bowl and settle down to watch Dumbo.
Find a big pan with a lid. Add a tiny splash of oil and the popcorn
kernels. Put the lid on and cook over a very low heat. At first you won’t
hear a thing, but once the popping starts, keep giving the pan a gentle
shake every minute or so until the noise stops. Then turn off the heat.
In another pan, heat the honey and cinnamon over a low heat for a
couple of minutes.
Put the popcorn on to a large baking tray and pour over the honey
mixture. Give the tray a good shake and stir the popcorn with a spoon
to make sure it’s well coated. Pop the tray back into the oven for 3 to 5
minutes, to set the honey, then remove and leave to cool.
Once cooled, either serve in little bowls straight away or keep in an
airtight tin for up to a week, and have some sandwich bags ready for
when you next pop out (sorry).
This recipe is from our family recipe book Hungry?,
the innocent recipe book for filling your family with
good stuff. It is available in bookshops now.
Making lunchtimes fun
41 we love a sandwich cutter - makes a boring sandwich more interesting and doesn’t waste bread. We’ve
hearts, dolphins + trains 42 get them to make their own small pizzas with silly faces, cold pizza is lovely 43 my
only tip for lunchboxes is to make friday a ‘treat day’ maybe an extra yummy treat for the end of the week :)
44 a great way to gain interest in bananas is to cut them using a needle BEFORE you peel them... WOW! ready
cut banana :) 45 my son loves dinosaurs so we call broccoli dinosaur trees, he woofs them down 46 could
have a letter day pack up e.g for ‘A’ avocado apricot and apple juice 47 bit late, but a fun healthy kids treat is
ants on a log, celery sticks with peanut butter on and a few raisin ants 48 make a fairy lunch! cut sandwiches
into lots of tiny squares, chip fruit tiny etc. Pop a fairy note in! 49 make it seasonal, celebrate the festivals! 50 A
colour a day - eg. red day - red crunchy peppers, Tom hummus, red babybel etc 51 get them to use their senses
work, from smelling, touching, taste and blindfold to guess then make chart with smiley faces 52 one thing I
have made is to make “surprise” rolls. Scoop out midpart of bread roll & pack with your filling then wrap tightly
53 make sarnies fun slice bread flatten out with rolling pin and filling rollup aka swiss roll cut into sections use
different colours 54 write a message or draw a picture in tin foil before wrapping food (trace cartoon character)
- try it, it works! 55 smoked salmon good with cream cheese if she’ll eat that - my 7 year old loves that for a treat
a fun healthy kids treat is ants on a log, celery
sticks with peanut butter on and a few raisin ants
Tips 41 - 68
56 every fruit or veg does something in our house, runner beans make you run fast, asparagus helps
you pee, apples for your teeth 57 My son loves taking his lunch box - he calls it his picnic! 58 Stacking
sandwich - the biggest sandwich-envy of friends! How many layers can you fit into one sandwich?! 59
vary the sandwich “breads” & use wraps, pitta, hollowed out rolls are fab ‘secret sandwiches’ 60 a little
imagination can really liven up dull sandwiches. Buying some funky cutters can distract from the filling ;-) 61
don’t forget a little “I love you” or “have a nice day” note on the napkins. Cheesy or not, it adds a nice touch
Stacking sandwich - the biggest sandwich-envy of friends!
How many layers can you fit into one sandwich?!
62 we did a round the world fruit journey with the kids. Trying fruits from around the world to introduce
different fruits 63 funny people lunch - round cracker for head, olives for eyes, cheesy grin etc - they can make
a person then eat them! 64 I wrap up bits and pieces of fruit/veg in foil for my 4 year old to unwrap. He loves it it’s like Xmas in a box - everyday! 65 make them fun, lots of little fruits and veg in different colours 66 Draw on
fruit! oranges make funny mini Halloween pumpkins for Halloween lunchboxes! Or a message on a banana!
67 changing the names of things helps....like a lamb skewers become a lamb lollipop and broccoli are trees
68 why not have a lunchbox ‘secret’ box and put in something new every day. Like pomegranate seeds
Keeping little ones full and lunchboxes empty
69 despite being old enough to manage, my 10 year old’s fruit only ever gets eaten if I chop it. Worth it if
they eat it... 70 told mine that eating broccoli grows reading trees in brain to help read. look for tree roots in
ears after 71 listen to your littlies - if they really hate something is there really any point putting it the box in
hope it’ll be eaten? 72 Think outside the sandwich box! It doesn’t have to be sandwiches... They’re pretty dull!
Staffs oatcakes, pancakes etc 73 don’t give your kids anything too outré. they don’t like to be too different.
alfalfa sprouts are out 74 2 year old likes to feel like a ‘big boy’ so always more inclined to eat new things if
it’s leftovers from mum/dad’s meal 75 buy some cheap plastic spoons for yoghurts etc so it doesn’t matter if
they don’t make it back home 76 my two spend hours deliberating over which lunch box they want - let them
have the one they want even if it’s a few £££ more 77 I make sure I include lots of different small sized items
in their lunchbox, that way dont don’t get bored and usually eat it 78 I also freeze the innocent fruit tubes in
summer and pop into lunchboxes as it keeps everything cool 79 use sectioned lunch boxes and have dip in
one and lots of veggie sticks and bread sticks in others 80 I always find too that if he is involved in making
his lunch he is much more likely to eat it all.. 81 my little one told me the kids he sits with like to do swaps with
listen to your littlies - if they really hate
something is there really any point putting
it the box in hope it’ll be eaten?
Tips 69 - 95
finger food is easier for little ones than huge
sandwiches, which can be a bit daunting
food so I make sure there are lots of interesting ‘bits’ 82 we have the rule that they have 2 have 3 proper bites
of something new b4 decide if like or not 83 we try really hard not to have good/bad foods but an equal
respect and balance of all the food groups 84 I do think that encouraging children to try different foods with
you is important, but never force them into it 85 main advice is that ‘variety is the spice of life’ - we would
get bored with the same thing day in day out - so do our kids! 86 involve the child in making healthy items
for their lunch , they’re much more likely to eat it. E.g. banana muffins etc 87 finger food is easier for little
ones than huge sandwiches, which can be a bit daunting 88 make sure kids can get lids off the containers
you’re using before putting them in lunchboxes 89 top tip, children will eat foods they like the look of so
make their lunchboxes pretty, use colourful foods & snacks maybe 90 by planning the lunches and snacks
ahead of time, I can make sure that they don’t get bored of one fruit or vegetable 91 get them involved in
making banana bread, savoury muffins & fruity scones. They’ll be more inclined to eat it if they helped! 92
my top tip is if your kids don’t like a fruit, try the dried version! Bananas, mango, pineapple etc work for us!
93 I used to call fish (salmon or trout) pink chicken so S would eat it, now she knows it’s fish! 94 I
think if you always make fruit part of the bigger picture, they’ll eventually choose it themselves 95
I would never put a new food into a lunchbox for a fussy eater without them having tried at home first
Banana and bran flake muffins
Makes 12 muffins
counts towards your
5-a-day
100g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons runny
honey
3 ripe bananas
2 large free-range eggs
125ml milk
100g bran flakes, crushed
200g self-raising flour
100g porridge oats
a big handful of raisins
Last out of the fruit bowl, first in the bin and blamed for many a fruit
fly gathering, brown bananas get a rough ride. So allow the ripe,
the brown and the downright speckly to redeem themselves in this
recipe. Unless you happen to be partial to hosting an insect disco.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and place 12 muffin
cases in a muffin tray.
Melt the butter and honey in a saucepan and remove from the heat.
Peel the bananas and mash them in a big bowl. Add the eggs and
milk and whisk together.
Put the bran flakes into a sandwich bag and give them a good bash
with a rolling pin. Add to the banana mixture along with the flour,
oats and raisins, and finally stir in the honey mixture.
Mix it all together but don’t mix it too much. That’s the trick to perfect
muffins. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cases and pop
them into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
The muffins will keep for up to a week, in an airtight container.
This recipe is from our family recipe book Hungry?,
the innocent recipe book for filling your family with
good stuff. It is available in bookshops now.
Try something new
96 I use dried fruit, such as dates or apricots, in tomato sauces for pasta. Gives delicious sweet touch
to sauce 97 mini sweetcorn on the cob, wrapped in foil should keep warm until lunchtime. Great winter
warmer 98 my 6 yr old says a slice of watermelon in his lunchbox would be quite exciting. *rushes off
to buy watermelon* 99 lunch box ideas are granola! Great for nibbles and for keeping energy levels up
throughout the day! 100 if your little one likes it, tinned salmon is good. Counts as an oily fish with omega 3.
We should get 2 fish portions a wk 101 Chopped cheese cubes are lovely in salad or alone, experiment with
cheeses 102 top tip 4 getting veggies in is 2 add to cheese scone mix - I add grated courgettes/carrots/
mushrooms, makes moist 2 103 baked beans in a wide mouthed flask are nutritious and delicious too! 104
FALAFELS ROCK and are a good protein source 105 What about making your own little jelly in a little tub
with a lid? 106 remember starchy foods are a good source of energy 107 in winter you can do a homemade
soup in a wide brimmed flasks for older ones 108 watercress salad (aquired taste) dates, pumpkin seeds
and slices of orange for the iron absorption! 109 anaemic children can benefit from substituting pasta for
the wholewheat variety and use soya mince in the sauce 110 DD and I make smoothie cakes with bits of
fruit that are getting past their best. Strawberry and banana most popular as pink 111 And make a fruit
salad up on sunday night and you can use it all week in little tubs perfect for grown ups too 112 chocolate
strawberries made the night before and left in the fridge :) 113 we have baking sessions for new things
such as savoury muffins and have taste sessions 114 love stir fried noodles in a pot - use leftovers from our
dinner and they have them cold. Stole idea from trek in Thailand 115 fruit kebabs with melon, strawberries
and kiwi give variety 116 bread sticks and dips are great..hummus, avocado and tomato salsa! Also can
then add in asparagus to dip which mine like! 117 dried fruit whizzed up & cooked to make fruit gums are
great for fruit avoiders. Can be cut into shapes 118 also omelette/frittatas cold are great for next days
lunchbox 119 colourful pasta salad are filling, energy packed and easy to eat 120 pastry-less quiche is
Tips 96 - 140
a favourite here too, very quick and simple to make & firm. You can see what goes in too 121 cold meat
and salad wraps from last night’s tea are brilliant, chicken or shredded beef are favourites 122 we like
sweet treats that are healthy too: chocolate courgette brownies, grapepops 123 we made hummus last
night - far easier than I anticipated - pack with variety of ‘dipping’ utensils! 124 pitta bread or wrap with
hummus and crudites on the side if the child enjoys eating veggies raw 125 quinoa salads are very tasty
and full of nutrition. we mix quinoa, hummus, steamed and cubed sweet potatoes, peppers, rockets 126 for
veggie kids: mix crumbled tofu, hummus, sundried toms in oil, avocado, peppers, artichokes, some greens
in baguette, yummy 127 chopped fruit is more appealing than whole pieces. lemon juice stops things like
apples and grapes from browning 128 home made pizzas for tea then make a gorgeous cold treat instead
of a sandwich the next day!! 129 dinner leftovers in pasties, wraps or calzone is a great frugal lunchbox
item 130 leftover pizza or pasta good for quick lunches the next day - no sandwiches to make - yay!
131couscous salad or chickpea salads are a good way to refuel at lunchtime, take no time to make 132
use avocado or cream cheese as a spread instead of butter or margarine 133 If you’re adding tomato to
sandwiches, put the tomato between fillings and not directly onto the bread, stops soggy bread 134 When
using avocado, mash or drizzle with a little lemon or lime juice to stop the avocado from discolouring &
putting them off 135 homemade ricepudding is a fab lunchbox treat, especially with some added innocent
squeezie for flavour? They love carrots if it is in a carrot cake 136 eldest DD now makes her own pasta
salad for school, it travels well and she adds tomatoes, peppers & whatever she can find :) 137 savoury
muffins are as nice as sweet muffins - ham and cheese is our favourite 138 you could always cut a banana
up and put it in a fruit salad with orange - should stop it browning 139 couscous salad (i use wholemeal)
with veg & feta cheese is also a big hit with my girls for lunchboxes, as is tuna pasta salad 140 my kids
like little pots of hummus with mini wholemeal pitas and cut up veggies (peppers, carrots, etc) for lunch
Other bits and bobs
Top 5 fruit & veg celebrities
1
2
3
4
5
Quince William
Carrot Vorderman
Lettuce Hamilton
Jude Coleslaw
How about Peas Morgan? Oh dear.
Che Guava
Three steps to an innocent lunchbox
1 innocent smoothiesfor kids
Top 5 fruit & veg jokes
1
Why did the banana go to the doctor?
Because it wasn’t peeling well
2
Why did the tomato blush?
Because it saw the salad dressing (arf!)
3
Why did the pepper sneeze?
Cos he was all stuffed up
4
What’s the fastest vegetable?
A runner bean
5
What did the apple skin say to the apple?
I’ve got you covered
Our kids’ smoothies are made from nothing but whole crushed fruit and pure juices.
No colourings, no sweeteners, no preservatives or any weird stuff whatsoever. Each
recipe is packed full of kids’ favourite fruits and juices and absolutely no bits at all.
What’s more, every carton contains one portion of fruit making them completely
lunchbox proof and much easier than hiding a pineapple in a lasagne.
2
Our new innocent juicy drink is a delicious, refreshing and healthy blend
of 100% pure fruit juice, a dash of spring water and absolutely nothing
else. Every carton contains 1 of your 5-a-day and no concentrates, additives,
flavourings or any weird stuff whatsoever. They’re the most natural kids’ drink
going. Perfect for lunchboxes and picnics, with two tasty recipes to choose
from – apple and orange – there’s no better way to refresh your kids.
3 innocent fruit tubes or ds
f ki
Strawberry Hepburn
We’ve been making healthy drinks for kids for a while now and lots of mums and dads
told us they wanted healthy snacks for lunchboxes to help get even more fruit into their
kids. Plus lots of kids told us they liked squeezy things. So we combined both ideas and
came up with innocent fruit tubes for kids: 100% pure fruit puree and a dash of juice
in a handy squeezy tube.
Hassle-squash
Thanks to all the tweeters
_cathyj_, __Teen_Quotes__, _MummyManda_, 01592_katie, 1978rebecca, ACLettings, ali991,
and1moremeans5, angelamdowden, Annieuk75, AntoniaChitty, antonkeyt, avedajunkie, Baby_Genie,
babybudgeting, BelNicholls, bespokethe, bigbluecuddle, BlueBearWood, BoostieBoo, bodfortea, boranpolska,
Brumpton1991, cafebebe, cheepcheepcheep, cherishedbyme, cherylp59, chickensandkids, chiefsfanuk,
Childcareisfun, christinemosler, cosmicgirlie, crumbsfood, CupcakeCornerUK, DaddyNatal, DDsDiary,
debateyourplate, Debsphe, Diddybears, DiscoverMeToys, dorkymum, dressingupchest, DropFor3, dwhitlock2011,
Ellen27, emymc, ericawhiteman, EviesGran, finninrio, firebird2110, flaming_hearts, frugalfamily, gidders1, gillelrick,
gillsker, hails84_2009, handsonaswegrow, hannahbrins, HazelKLarkin, hotcrossmum, ihave7monsters, Inspired_
Lives, iRyan1uk, IAmWitWitWoo, janey0142, Jax2000, Jenni000, jessws2011, jhowze, joanneblunt, jodeanhead,
kateab, kbmanc, KeriWithington, kibibidesigns, kikicomp, kindredrose, kirsty22xx, KitchenMonsters, KJaybaby1,
kohsamuirosie, Korhomme, Ladyblahblahs, LauraCYMFT, leighshepherd, lilmssinnocent, LeilasKitchen, liveotherwise,
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@innocentdrinks
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