If you have been following my blog regularly, you will know that I did a blog post for adult lunch box ideas not too long ago. Today's post is on school lunch boxes. 

Let me tell you something about my six and a half year old twin daughters. They have certain likes and dislikes when it comes to Food they way most children do. My daughters are small eaters and can probably be classified as picky eaters (just like I was as a child!) but over time, that is something that I have come to terms with. As a parent, I have granted my children reasonable autonomy when it comes to portions and have always offered them varied choices when it comes to food groups and cuisines. 

One of my twins eats more vegetables, is more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods and has a better tolerance for spicy foods. The other one can live on fruits, prefers familiar comfort foods and does not usually enjoy foods that are spicy. Even though they are twins, their dietary preferences tend to vary. That being said, what my daughters have in common is a sweet tooth! In this world filled with enticing sugar-laden goodies and processed foods, making them understand how to make smarter food choices is something I want to instill at an early age (while I re-learn along with them!). 

I have been packing lunch and snack boxes for the girls since they started primary school earlier this year. They have a short snack break earlier in the day followed by a lengthier recess during mid-morning. I have been packing relatively light given that they are small eaters and also because they come home in the afternoon and have a proper home-cooked hot lunch. The lunchbox undertaking has been going pretty smoothly and despite the early school timings, we have been gradually eased into a comfortable routine. We have been using the Yumbox and I'd say, so far so good! Thumbs up for the colors, design and durability and brownie points for the compartmentalized bento design suits my agenda of packing assorted food groups. Over the past several months, I have figured out what foods work and what don't and have a reasonably good idea of what to pack for four days of the school week (the girls eat at the cafeteria on one day). Packing the lunch and snack boxes is a 20-30 min activity which is undertaken sometimes by me, other times by our domestic helper and occasionally a little bit by both of us. The bottom line is that it gets done before 7am which is when the girls need to be out the door. 

What I like about sending packed lunch to school is that I know for sure that the food has been prepared hygienically, I can incorporate some variety thus making the meals more wholesome and at the end of the day, I am aware of how much my daughters have eaten. The girls usually do finish all the contents of their snack box and lunch box in school. If anything is left unfinished, it is usually the vegetables (no surprises there!) but we have a pact that it will be eaten after coming home. So far, they have stayed true to their word. 

Before I get to the actual contents of the lunchboxes, a little bit of background. In my children's school, only finger foods are allowed in the snack box, sharing of food is not allowed and there is no nut-free policy. I'd never make any claims of everything in these lunchboxes being "healthy" because that is not my intention and neither is it true. I sincerely try to incorporate 2-3 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables, I often lean towards nutritious snacks like nuts, dried fruit and makhana and many times, the sweet treat is homemade with reduced sugar and healthier substitutes but that is about as far as I go. 

If you are looking for kids lunchbox inspiration, I have compiled some of our go-to combinations. Everything you see in this post is vegetarian but most of the "mains" can be customized to incorporate animal protein of your choice. Wherever recipes are available, I have included the links. Also, you can scroll down to the end of the post for a detailed list of snacks and sides (that work for us) along with some tips that I hope can save you precious time during frenzied mornings. 

So without further ado, here we go!