Burton - 90 lunch box recipes : healthy lunchbox recipes for kids : a common sense guide & gluten free paleo lunch box cookbook for school & work

Lunch Box Recipes: Healthy Lunchbox Recipes for Kids and Adults. Common Sense Guide & Gluten Free Paleo Lunch Box Cookbook for School & Work

Jane Burton

Table of Contents

The Nutritional Lunchbox

With over 90illustrated healthy lunchbox recipe ideas, this book will have yourkids eating and enjoying their lunches each and every day! It also gives a completecommon sense guide to planning, preparing and packing nutritious lunches with loadsof helpful tips and information. We lead busy lives, so getting the school lunchbox organized is going to save time and give us happy kids. You'll love my stealth bomber super-food list too!

Appearance AND nutrition of lunch box food is important...here is why.

The Magic of a Healthy Lunch Box!

We know that food is vital to our mental and physicalwell-being. We also know that far too few children are enthusiastic about eatinghealthy foods when it comes to the school lunchbox. However, the trick is tosend the kids to school with foods that are nutritious while still beinginteresting and tasty. This will help our children maintain their metabolismand their energy levels, hence being able to concentrate and have more funduring the day.

During the rapid growth periods from about the age of 5 to12, we need to support this growth, especially with calcium, iron and protein.So, encouraging good eating habits early on can have a significant beneficialeffect on kid's general health and overall ability to cope with the mental andphysical challenges they will face throughout their teenage years.

Unfortunately, way too often the lunch box can be filled withhigh sugar, high fat and high salt foods because they are preferred by the kidsand they are quick and easily bought at the supermarket. Of course, sometimes peer pressure comesinto play, which makes it even more difficult to encourage your child to eatgood foods. A lunchbox with a plain cheese sandwich and an apple just aren'tgoing to do the job day after day, so let's look at some other alternatives. Balanceand nutrition is very important, but you need to be realistic. Try to offer a variety of foods and changethem up regularly. Fiber is very important too as eating many highly processed foods on a regular basis can wreak havoc with digestion and cause tummy problems. Learn more about nutrients in foods at the US Nutrients Database here.

Food allergies and food intolerance can vary in symptoms andseverity. An allergy is a response by the body's immune system. However, a foodintolerance does not affect the immune system, but is believed to be caused bydifficulty to completely digests foods. Of course this is why so many peoplelook for gluten-free recipes. If your son or daughter constantly has a soretummy and digestion problems then you should consult your doctor. Coeliacdisease results from sensitivity to gluten which is a protein found in manycereals. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digests sugars in cow's milk. Manypeople turn to the Paleo diet which is based around eating natural foods. Paleo also focuses on eating nutrient rich foods. The general guidelines suggestremoving processed foods and all foods associated with digestion irritation. This type of lifestyle diet, also known as the caveman diet, is a lot more gentle on thedigestive system and general health. If you think this may help your child you can read moreabout the Paleo diet here.

Good sources of iron include meat, canned tuna, chocolate,and dried fruits. Good sources of calcium include yoghurt, cheese, milk, tofu,canned sardines, flour and leafy greens. Making your own healthy drinks and freezing them is a favorite of mine, and the many options will be shown throughout the recipes.

This recipe book is in Metric and Imperial Measurements, however if you need help with measurement conversions,Google helps you convert measurements to cups here. Select from the drop down box what you want to convert.

Food Preparation and Other Tips

• Allergies can be serious, so educate your child to not share their lunch and vice versa. The main culprits predominately are nuts, eggs, dairy and seafood. Many schools now don't allow these foods in case of accidental allergic reactions. Contact the school, find out their policy and ask around about any other information that may be helpful to you and your child. If your child needs allergy and gluten free recipes, then this Paleo Appetizer bookmay be very helpful. It includes gluten and dairy free recipes like cakes, quiches, tarts, kale chips, dips, meatballs, salads and skewers etc... all perfect for the lunchbox.

• Use natural, low sugar fruit drinks or make your own juices. I make a healthy, vitamin packed juice, freeze it in small bottles and put it in the lunch box. This serves three purposes; as a chiller pack, it helps save space and it's a healthy cold drink! (I even do this when I'm away from home and on the go) You can keep the weight of the lunch box down by including a drink doubling as a freezer pack. You can also freeze a half filled bottle the night before and top it up in the morning. This way it will slowly thaw out during the day. If condensation and moisture is a problem, pop it in a plastic bag.

• Chilling is really important for any items that need to be kept cold such as meats, eggs, rice and dairy products.
  

• Choice of containers is wide and varied, but be practical.Consider what fits into your child's lunch box. Only use container sizes you need, saving space and bulk. Consider how you will wash them. Be sure they are are suitable for the dishwasher if you don't intend washing them by hand.

• Be sure the lunchbox, containers and bottles are easy to open AND close. Nothing worse than the kids coming home with uneaten foods because the lunchbox turned into a Pandora's box!

• Be sure the food is manageable for little fingers.

• Make foods easy to access and wrap up again.

• Encourage No waste - Don't forget to tell the kids to bring home any leftovers for eating later... or for your pet or the backyard chickens to eat!

• If making sandwiches, be sure they won't be soggy and fallen apart by lunch time. This is definitely one way to get a lunch not eaten.
  

My Secret Nutrition Weapon

A Simple Idea with Excellent Results.

One of my secret super nutrition weapons is making my ownjuice, freezing it in small bottles and sending it in the lunchbox as a cooler packed full ofgoodness and vitality. So it doubles as a chiller pack AND a healthy, super V8 juice. Make blended juices that your child likes and stealth bomb in some high nutrient foodswhile still making the juice taste delicious. The healthy ingredients in homemadejuices are known to get loads of nutrients into the body fast. So of coursethese are wonderful drinks to have in any lunchbox, or in the fridge throughout the day.The trick is to add about half fruit for sweetness and taste, then a handful of veggies with a dash of citrus for zing.Of course many other goodies can be incorporated too, which I suggest in my juicer book.