The one where I try and get her to take something other than a Vegemite and cheese sandwich

Can I say straight up that I don’t take good food photos. This is why I am not a foodie blogger. So please don’t freak out at the bad food presentation and photos.

So it’s coming to the end of the first month of the school year. If your child started at the beginning of February, that means you’ve probably made  around 15 lunches or so. More if you have multiple children. Have you ever worked out just how many lunches you put together over your child’s school years? Scary thought, huh?

I know that at the start of the year, I bookmarked a few sites that had interesting school lunch ideas, thinking that I would make these for the girls so they’re not just taking jam or vegemite sandwiches to school.

I’d read a press release that had hit my inbox that said lunch boxes should include at least one serve from each food group…

• Protein nutrient-rich foods – beef, lamb, poultry, fish, eggs or legumes
• Fruit – a variety of fresh, canned or dried
• Dairy or soy – cheese, milk or yoghurt
• Vegetables – a variety of different coloured vegetables
• Grain-based food – wholegrain bread, crackers, rice, pasta, noodles or couscous
• Plus Water – it’s the only drink kids need

This past week, we’ve been experimenting with using leftovers to make school lunches and I wanted to share with you some of the things that tried….things that worked and didn’t.

Night one: We had a roast beef dinner. Our kids aren’t THAT fussy. I knew I wouldn’t have a problem with Giorgia but sometimes Annabelle decides to be a bit of a diva and refuses to eat anything on her plate. This particular night, she decided that she liked the beef and the carrots but left everything else.

It was probably a good thing that she liked the beef, because I planned to make beef and salad wraps for them to take to school for lunch the next day.

Using a tortilla, we layered some lettuce, carrot, onion, cheese and beef. It looked yum so I made an extra one for me for lunch as well.

Verdict – empty lunch box came home with Giorgia; 1/2 of the wrap came home with Annabelle.

Night two: We had spaghetti bolognaise. We always make enough so there are decent leftovers. Both Giorgia and Annabelle took some for lunch. The canteen lady warmed it up for them.

Verdict – both lunch containers came home empty.

Night three: (and I told you I wouldn’t make a very good Foodie Blogger, because I forgot to take photos of the dinner AND the lunches) We had marinated chicken and rice.

For lunch, they took a chicken and lettuce sandwich each. Giorgia ate all of hers. Annabelle ate everything else in her lunch box except her sandwich.

Night four: roast lamb and salad was on the menu. We don’t have lamb all that often. I don’t even know why. Neither of the girls finished their dinner so I wasn’t too sure how successful we were going to be with adding lamb to their lunches.

Giorgia asked if she could take a wrap again using the lamb, and only wanted to add lettuce and cheese. Annabelle wasn’t interested at all and asked for a cheese and Vegemite sandwich.

Night five: BBQ sausages, salad and chips was on the menu. I was thinking of using the salad and adding some tuna to it for sandwiches the next day.

Unfortunately I had to leave early so the hubs was in charge of getting lunches together.

They had lunch orders that day.

So I’ve learned that wraps with simple fillings work for my kids, and anything with pasta. I’ve also learned that if it takes too long for Annabelle to eat, then she won’t bother making a good go of it so I need to keep her lunches in small, bite size bits that are easy to eat.

I’ve learned too that by giving them input when planning their lunches, it might encourage them more to eat it because THEY have chose it.

We have a few things we’re going to try this week and this recipe is one of them:

Mini Meat Loaves with Plum Sauce ~ Serves 8

You need:

• Olive oil spray
• 750 g lean beef mince
• 1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs (made from day old bread)
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
• 4 shallots, trimmed thinly sliced
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 60 ml (1/4 cup plum sauce)

You do:

• Preheat oven to 180 C. Spray 8 185ml capacity mini loaf pans with olive oil. Or alternatively cook full meatloaf and slice into cubes.
• Place mince, breadcrumbs, carrot, shallots, ginger, five spice and 2 tablespoons plum sauce in a large bowl. Stir well until combined.
• Divide mixture among the prepared pans and smooth the surface. Brush the tops with remaining plum sauce.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until juices run clear when a skewer is inserted. Set aside for 5 minutes before turning out.

PLAN AHEAD: These mini meat loaves are a great evening meal served warm with mashed potato and salad.

The rest can be chilled for the lunchbox the next day packed with a salad or added to sandwiches.

Do you add meat to your kids’ school lunches? Do you have any good recipes to share that might work for us?

Disclaimer: I received a grocery gift voucher to purchase items to help write this blog post. All opinions of the food we made are 100% our own. Although the children have made it clear that they prefer dad’s cooking. Pffft.

Tagged as: beef, beef wraps, chicken, lamb, meat, salad, sandwiches, school lunches