A healthy lunch box contains...
Your lunch box tips
Recipes & more
Breads &
cereals
Select one to start packing.
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.
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.
Dairy
Select one to start packing.
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.
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
Select one to start packing.
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.
Meat &
alternatives
Select one to start packing.
Boiled egg
Cook, cool in the fridge, peel and pack.
Home-cooked or BBQ chicken
Leftovers are easy to use in the lunch box.
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.
Tahini
A sesame seed paste
Crispy/dried chickpeas snack
A healthy alternative to chips and biscuits.
Vegetables &
salads
Select one to start packing.
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.
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
Fennel
If you like the flavour of licorice
Water
Select one to start packing.
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.