How to prepare healthy lunchboxes in Singapore (for both you and the kids!)

With the kids back at school after the summer holidays it’s time to put your thinking hats on for healthy lunchbox ideas.

If you’re stuck in a lunchbox rut, you’re in luck as nutritionist Karin G. Reiter and food stylist (and Sassy Mama Instagrammer!) Clara Luboff have put together an e-book called The Rosy Cheeked Kids. It provides two week’s worth of menus to get you started with some tasty recipes that are easy to cook and healthy to boot.

I gave one lunch menu a test run, and was keen to share my findings!

What I like about the e-book:

• There are lots of healthy eating tips (like use yoghurt instead of mayo or cream)
• Easy-to-glance-at guide of proteins (including non-meat ideas like tofu or nuts), carbs (quinoa, polenta) and good fats (avocado, tahini).
• Handy list of what to stock in your pantry and fridge
• Each menu is broken down into a main, fruit, vegetables and snack
• Many of the recipes involve adding all the ingredients together and blending – super simple and easy to make yourself or delegate

The trial menu:

MAIN: Avocado, carrot, sprouts, chicken and white bean-basil spread sandwich
FRUIT: Orange smiles and star fruit
VEGETABLE: Raw mushrooms
SNACK: Raw date and chocolate balls

My 3-year-old’s verdict:

“I loved my sandwich – avocado is my favourite.”

“Are these (raw mushrooms) edible?”(After me reassuring him that yes, they are!) “They taste nice.”

“The stars are sour. I love the oranges they are nice and sweet.”

“ Mmmmm the chocolate balls are delumptious. Can I have more?”

Mama’s verdict:
“My kids love most food including veggies and fish but my son has an aversion to pulses and sweet potatoes (which feature heavily in the week’s menu as they are super healthy) – maybe I can win him around with these recipes. I was curious as to what my son would make of the raw mushrooms and starfruit (he’s never tried the latter so I’m glad of this idea to try it out). The white bean-basil spread was a cinch to prepare and we made extra for the adults to have as a healthy snack with crudités. I made extra raw date and chocolate balls, covered some with coconut, some with dark chocolate sprinkles and some with sesame seeds. We froze a batch too as these were a big hit in our house (for adults and kids alike!).

Like the sound of healthy eating recipes for kids? Check out the full e-book here, mama!