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A healthy lunch box contains...

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Breads &
cereals

Breads &<br />cereals
Wholegrain breads and cereals are packed with dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals to boost health and keep you regular.

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Vegetable congee

A tasty rice porridge with added veg

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Sliced bread

Use wholemeal, wholegrain or hi fibre

Pasta

Try different shapes of pasta

Rice

Pack brown or white rice

Bread roll

Choose the right size bread roll.

Naan

Serve with leftover curry or dahl.

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Wraps

Wrap up leftover roast meat.

Rice/corn cakes

Top with cottage cheese and veg.

Sandwich

Choose multigrain or wholemeal bread.

Popcorn

Choose low salt air popped popcorn

Muesli

Pack some muesli with yoghurt and fruit

Wholegrain crispbread

Pack toppings separately to prevent sogginess.

Wholegrain crackers

Top crackers with your favourite cheese.

Pita pockets

Fill pita pockets with simple ingredients.

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Turkish, avocado, ricotta & tomatoes

Can also be used as a sandwich or wrap spread.

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Noodle salad

Add thinly sliced veg to cooled, cooked noodles.

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Bread sushi

Try different fillings.

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Pasta salad

Pasta + veg + mayo = great salad.

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Noodles

Prepare extra noodles at dinner time.

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Sushi

Fill with tuna/salmon and thin vegie sticks.

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Fried rice

Use spare veg for fried rice ingredients.

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Rice salad

Turn leftover brown rice into rice salad.

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Fajita roll-ups

Try with different salad fillings.

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Quesadillas

Fill with mince or beans, veg and cheese.

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Tomato and cheese damper

Eat on their own or add your own fillings.

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Fried rice muffins

Try brown rice for a nutty flavour.

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Vegie pikelet sandwiches

Stack together for a sandwich. 

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Home-made pizza muffin

Top with vegetables and reduced-fat cheese.

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Pea, zucchini and pesto risoni with chicken

Use leftovers for lunch.

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Caprese quinoa salad

Can be served warm or cold.

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Vegetable pasta bake

Try different wholemeal pasta types.

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Crepes

Make wholemeal crepes for a weekend breakfast.

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Vegetable calzone

Create fave fillings of veg and cheese.

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Spanish couscous

Cook extra to have leftovers

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Lentil and vegie cups

Store cooked portions in the freezer.

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Mushroom risotto bake

Use leftover risotto to stuff vegetables.

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Oat, sultana and peach bread

A great alternative to unhealthy snacks.

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Dairy

Dairy<br />
Milk, yoghurt and cheese are important for growing healthy bones and teeth.

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Cheese

Save money and cut cheese from a block.

Yoghurt

Choose natural yoghurt which has less sugar.

Milk popper

Ready to pack from fridge or freezer.

Milk popper soy

Choose soy milk that’s calcium-fortified.

Mini cheese

Pack a mini cheese with some wholegrain crackers

Cream cheese

Use as a spread on crispbread or sandwiches.

Cottage cheese/ricotta

Serve with fruit, or stir into pasta dishes.

Tzatziki or raita

Serve with kofta and tabouli on flatbread.

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Savoury yoghurt dip

Pack in a small container to dip vegie sticks.

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Labneh

A tangy fresh cheese made from yoghurt.

Smoothie

Make at home, freeze to thaw in the lunch box.

Custard

Long-life tubs are a handy pantry staple.

Fruit salad parfaits

Try with different tinned fruits.

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Custard pudding

Pack in small containers ready for school. 

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Yoghurt rice pudding

Serve topped with in season fruit.

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Fruit

Fruit<br />
Fruit contains many vitamins and minerals to boost your health, help maintain a healthy weight and can prevent cancer.

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Apple

Cut and reassemble apple with cling wrap.

Sliced fruit

Sliced fruit can be easier for kids to manage.

Banana

Cut the stalk to make peeling easier for kids.

Mandarin

Peel and reseal to make eating easier for kids.

Strawberries

Serve alone or with natural yoghurt.

Orange

Cut orange into segments for ease of eating.

Pear

Wrap the pear in a napkin to prevent bruising.

Fruit salad

Make a mix of favourite fruit.

Grapes

Pack a small bunch so kids can pick the fruit.

Sultanas and dried apple

Pack dried fruit occasionally

Blueberries (or mixed berries)

Ready to go: wash and pack in a container.

Fresh watermelon pieces

Cut in to small pieces to make it easier to eat.

Fruit skewers

Add sliced fruit to paddle pop sticks

Passionfruit

Comes in its own packaging

Pineapple

Use fresh or tinned in juice

Rockmelon

Rockmelon cubes make a juicy snack

Mango (cheek, cut ready to pop)

Cut in to the cheek so kids can pop and eat.

Kiwifruit

Slice top and pack a spoon for scooping flesh.

Nectarine/peach

 Serve as a snack or sliced in a leafy salad.

Lychees

Try tinned or fresh

Apricots

 Two apricots are equal to one serve of fruit.

Canned fruit

Canned fruit in juice - a pantry staple.

Dates

Choose pitted dates for ease of eating.

Dried apricots

Two dried apricots equals one serve of fruit.

Figs (fresh or dried)

Fresh or dried varieties, both taste great.

Sultanas

A small 30g packet equals one serve of fruit.

Stuffed apple snack

Try stuffing with sultanas.

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Meat &
alternatives

Meat &<br />alternatives
Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, beans and tofu are rich in protein, iron and zinc.

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Beef burger patty

Serve in a roll or bun with salad

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Boiled egg

 Cook, cool in the fridge, peel and pack.

Home-cooked or BBQ chicken

Leftovers are easy to use in the lunch box.

Hummus

Serve with vegie sticks.

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Canned tuna or salmon

 A go-to sandwich, sushi or salad filling.

Lean beef, lamb or pork

Make extra at dinner for use in lunch boxes.

Chicken drumstick

Great finger food.

Tinned mixed beans

Half a cup is one serve of vegetables

A packet of fava beans

Choose lower salt fava beans

Baked beans

 A handy pantry staple. Opt for salt-reduced.

Dahl

Make a batch and freeze leftovers for lunch.

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Marinated tofu

Add to your favourite salad

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Tahini

A sesame seed paste

Rissole

Disguise grated or diced veg in a rissole.

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Zucchini muffin

Great served hot or cold!

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Vegetarian kofta

Serve with tabouleh and tzatziki

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Kofta

Pack with tzatziki dip or on a pita pocket.

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Falafel patties

Serve as bite-sized portions or on a salad wrap.

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Tofu

Serve with salad or on a roll or wrap.

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Frittata

Turn leftover roast veg into a lunch frittata.

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Mexican meatballs

Pack in the lunch box with a tasty salsa.

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Thai chicken meatballs

Eat on their own or with salad.

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Tuna mix

Mix can be used as a dip.

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Lentil pattie

Serve with salad or on a roll or wrap.

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Quiche

Bake in individual lunch box-ready portions.

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Super crispy chicken fingers

Eat with salad or in a wrap.

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Bolognaise

Turn a dinner topping into a lunch filling.

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Crispy/dried chickpeas snack

A healthy alternative to chips and biscuits.

Fish cakes

Pair with leftover fried rice or Asian salad.

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Salmon pattie

Create from canned salmon, with added veg.

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Sesame crusted salmon

For lunch, flake into a salad or wrap.

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Vegetables &
salads

Vegetables &<br />salads
Vegetables and salads are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which help to protect your body against cancer and maintain healthy body weight.

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Grated carrot

A colourful addition to sandwiches and salads

Cucumber chunks

Crunchy

Tomato slices

Pack separately

Capsicum strips

Cut up a combination of red, green and yellow.

Tomato & cucumber slices

Avoid soggy sandwiches.

Carrot sticks

Pack a few as a snack

Celery sticks

Cut up the night before

Cucumber slices

Cut in halves, slices or chunks

Salad leaves

Give sandwiches, wraps and rolls a green boost.

Cherry tomatoes

A healthy snack, good for little hands.

Mixed salad

 Add extra zing with a home-made dressing.

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Corn kernels

Use fresh frozen or tinned

Vegetable sticks (carrot or celery)

Vegie sticks are easy to hold.

Avocado

Squeeze lemon on cut avocado to stop browning.

Beetroot slices

Beetroot slices

Corn cob

Cook extra at dinner to add to the lunch box.

Green beans

Raw or cooked

Edamame

Great on their own or in a salad

Sugar snap peas

Crunchy and sweet

Snow peas

Great on their own or as a ready-made dipper.

Mini corn

So crunchy

Bean shoots

Include in a salad

Vegetable skewers

Add sliced vegies to paddle sticks

Sprouts

Delicious in a sandwich, wrap or roll

Cauliflower

Baked or steamed

Baked carrot

On its own or in a salad or wrap

Lotus root

Try boiled or baked

Tinned mixed beans

Half a cup is one serve of vegetables

Baked potato and sweet potato

Leftovers as a snack

Baked vegies

Great in sandwiches, wraps, or for a snack.

A packet of fava beans

Choose lower salt fava beans

Guacamole

Use as a dip for vegies or flatbread pieces.

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Vegetable dip (e.g. Baba ganoush)

Make at home to serve with vegetable sticks.

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Tofu poke bowl

Add your favourite veg

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Vegetable curry

Wrap in flat bread or have on its own

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Coleslaw

Add coleslaw to sandwiches or have on its own.

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Classic bean salad

A tasty side dish or meal on its own. 

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Roasted vegie and chickpea salad

Add chickpeas or beans to leftover roasted veg.

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Fennel

If you like the flavour of licorice

Tabouli

Tastes great with lamb on Lebanese bread.

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Potato salad

Try adding boiled egg and peas.

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Lentil salad

Cook dried lentils or use a can.

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Vegetarian Caesar salad

Add chicken or beans for added protein.

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Nicoise salad

Packed with protein & veg for the lunch box.

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Waldorf salad

Serve with chicken or on a crusty roll.

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Vegetable fritters

Use up leftover vegies.

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Vegetable muffin

Disguise vegies inside a savoury snack muffin.

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Rice paper rolls

Get kids to wrap up their fave fillings.

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Zucchini and corn fritters

Easy to hold and bite and filled with veg.

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Cauliflower nuggets

Serve with our tzatziki for dipping.

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Stir fry vegies

Cook extra for dinner and pack as a snack.

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Vegetable dumplings

Try other vegetables in the filling.

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Vegetable gratin

Try different frozen vegetable combinations

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Mexican baked sweet potato

Use white potatoes for a change.

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Hidden vegie tomato pasta sauce

A sauce with lots of different uses.

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Vegie pasta soup

Make on the weekend.

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Mexican salsa

A tasty dipping sauce for the lunch box.

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Red lentil soup

Serve in a thermos for a warm winter lunch.

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Hash browns with extra veg

Home-made = a handy means of vegie disguise.

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Green smoothie

Makes a quick breakfast.

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Water

Water<br />
Water is a nutrient your body needs to keep working at its best. Drink water regularly throughout the day to replace the large amounts of water lost through daily activities.

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Frozen water bottle

Add a frozen water bottle to keep food cool. 

Water with cucumber slices

Add cucumber slices for a refreshing drink.

Water bottle

Keep kids hydrated: pack a water bottle daily.