Or kinder, or work, or creche, or whatever else requires you to start wracking your brains about packing lunches. Lunch is my least liked meal of the day. I don’t heart thinking about it. I try and avoid thinking about it by having a checklist of ideas floating around the kitchen. I thought I’d share it with you. Nice aren’t I?

I won’t include recipes for most things but feel free to ask if you want a recipe for anything and I’ll write it up for you. I have listed ‘main meal’ type ideas under ‘Lunches’, general snacks under ‘Snacks’ and snacks for fruit only times ( a requirement at Son and Heir’s kinder) under ‘Fruit’. I’ve also excluded most nut products because they are excluded from Son and Heir’s kinder. Any nut inclusions are for the Breadwinner’s lunch.

I always pack lunches in the evening as I prepare dinner. Morning’s are too frantic and last minute for lunch preparation. I also like to have a stock in the freezer of grab and go lunches for evenings when I am running behind schedule. I involve the kids in the cooking when I’m doing a bulk cooking spree. They are much more interested in eating things they have made themselves and it’s a good opportunity for them to start learning to cook and be self sufficient as well as making good food choices.

Fruit
Yes I am aware that some of these technically are not fruit!
Banana
Apple
Grapes
Watermelon
Tomato
Carrot sticks
Cucumber slices
Celery
Strawberries
Mandarins
Oranges
Peas in pod
Snowpeas
Beans
Radishes

Snacks
Celery boats – fill with cream cheese or nut butter (if allowed)
Muffins – cheese, zucchini, carrot, pumpkin (foundation recipe below)
Cake – parsnip, carrot, pumpkin
Banana Bread
Scones – cheese, cheese and spinach, ham, chees and ham, tomato, curry (foundation recipe below)
Crackers and cheese
Fruit
Vegetable crudites and dip
Yoghurt
Hard boiled eggs
Popcorn (plain and unsalted)
Sausage (slice longways for younger children to eliminate choking hazard)
Savoury Ham or Fruit Rolls (recipe below)
Pikelets/fritters – zucchini and corn and great in these. I like the sourdough ones from Nourishing Traditions

Lunches
A lot of this section can be pre-made in bulk and frozen to save weeknight tasks.
Sandwiches – cold meats, salad, cheese, cream cheese, tuna, egg, BLT, avocado, chicken, miso paste, cut as pinwheels or ribbons for variation
Wraps – fillings as for sandwiches
Frittata – zucchini, ham, cheese, bacon, tomato, pumpkin
Tuna or salmon patties
Tarts – cheese, tomato, ham, bacon, caramelised onion
Quiche – zucchini, ham, cheese, bacon, tomato, spinach, blue cheese, crab, tuna
Salads – bulk up with tuna, cold meats, cheese, hardboiled eggs
Nachos – a favourite of the Breadwinner’s but too junky for the kids IMO
Pasta – bolognaise, tuna and tomato
Pita pizzas
Rice paper rolls – avocado, cucumber, carrots, chicken, tuna, shredded lettuce

Here are some fabulous recipes for vegetable based cakes. Just transpose the margarine for butter, change the caster sugar to rapadura and cut it to a minimum (or exclude it altogether).

Scone Foundation recipe
from trusty old Cookery The Australian Way . I have the third edition from 1980. Which is odd because I never did home economics or whatever it is known as these days. Obviously this can be blended in the thermomix too. Mix dry ingredients for 5 seconds on speed 8. Add wet ingredients and mix for 20 seconds at interval speed. May need a couple more seconds on interval speed to make soft sticky dough.
Makes 12
2 cups SR flour (270g)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup milk.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Rub butter into flour and salt until it resembles breadcrumbs
Mix into soft dough adding milk gradually.
Knead until elastic and smooth
Roll out into 2 cm thick and cut into desired shapes (I usually use a sherry glass dipped in flour just like my Nana did LOL)
Place on oven tray and glaze tops with milk.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown.
Variations:
Cheese – add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon mustard, 65g grated cheese. Can mix with water instead of milk
Fruit – add half cup dried fruit
Savoury – add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 14 teaspoon mixed herbs
Wholemeal – replace 1 cup of flour with wholemeal, extra milk may be required
Wholemeal fruit – combine changes for wholemeal and for fruit
Zucchini – add 1/2 cup grated vegetable
Pumpkin or carrot – 1/2 cup cooked, mashed vegetable
Tomato – add 65g chopped tomato
Tomato and cheese – add 40g grated cheese and 25g chopped tomato
Cheese and Ham – add 40g grated cheese and 25g finely sliced ham.

Savoury Ham or Fruit Rolls
also from Cookery The Australian Way . This can be blended in the thermomix too. Mix dry ingredients for 5 seconds on speed 8. Add wet ingredients and mix for 20 seconds at interval speed. May need a couple more seconds on interval speed to make soft sticky dough.
Makes 12
2 cups SR flour (270g)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup milk.
Filling for savoury ham:
1 tablespoon mustard blended with 2 teaspoons milk
3 tablespoons chopped ham
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon grated onion
Filling for fruit rolls:
2 tablespoons sultanas
2 tablespoons currant
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Rub butter into flour and salt until it resembles breadcrumbs
Mix into soft dough adding milk gradually.
Knead until elastic and smooth
Roll out into oblong, 30cm by 20cm and if making savoury ham, spread blended mustard on dough.
Sprinkle with other fillings and roll up like jam roll. Cut into 12 slices.
Place on oven tray and glaze tops with milk.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown.

Muffin Foundation Recipe
adapted from the thermomix recipe book
300g Self raising flour
150gh milk
120g butter, softened
2 eggs
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Blend all ingredients together (mix 1 minute on speed 4 – 5 in thermomix).
Add anything additional and combine well (mix for 10 – 15 seconds on speed 1
in thermomix)
Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
Variations:
Cheese – add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon mustard, 65g grated cheese. Can mix with water instead of milk
Fruit – add half cup dried fruit
Savoury – add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 14 teaspoon mixed herbs
Wholemeal – replace 1 cup of flour with wholemeal, extra milk may be required
Wholemeal fruit – combine changes for wholemeal and for fruit
Pumpkin, zucchini or carrot – add 1/2 cup grated vegetable
Tomato – add 65g chopped tomato
Tomato and cheese – add 40g grated cheese and 25g chopped tomato
Cheese and Ham – add 40g grated cheese and 25g finely sliced ham.