This post is Sponsored By ALDI
I pride myself on being really quick at making my kiddos’ lunches for school and still managing to get some healthy food in there 🙂
In my head I make it a little game and time myself most days to see if I can beat my best time. I feel like it is one of my secret superpowers along with reverse parking, which is also a very useful skill to have as a school mum lol.
I do put lots of fresh food in my kids’ lunchboxes as they like it and you don’t need to do much preparation.
Now some of you may know that I am also ALDI Mum but for others that might be new information. I do most of my shopping at ALDI and just about all of the food I put into my 5-minute lunchboxes is from ALDI. Just to note one of the reasons I love ALDI (similar to the 5-minute lunchbox) is it is the 20 minute shop haha. As a mother of 3 kids I have very little time and I LOVE the fact that ALDI is so compact yet I can get just about everything I need and I am in and out of there in less than 20 minutes most of the time. There is no analysis paralysis plus I always know I am paying a good price.
So one of my tips is having a lunch plan before you go shopping. Know what it is your kids like (talk to them about it), make a weekly plan and then you buy what you need plus you can be confident you have it in the cupboard or fridge.
I was lucky with my first daughter as she wanted the same thing for lunch every day when she was at prep but it is not so easy these days. She does not love the repetitive lunch and I have found involving her in the decision making around what she would like to eat has helped and has meant she comes home with an empty lunchbox more often.
When it comes to lunchboxes I am also a fan of the simple sandwich, as again it is easy peasy so you can make it quickly. To mix it up, or for those days when you’ve run out of bread, I always revert to the trusty rice or corn cakes. These taste great with all the usual favourite spreads including jam, which is often forgotten as it sits tucked away in the fridge. ALDI also sells chocolate covered rice cakes, which is a good snack option for the fussy eaters.
Part of the trick to pulling off a quick lunchbox is to have some systems in place and to have the right lunchbox. Things like sliced tasty cheese or pre boiled eggs are a great head start in the morning and can cut out a bit of prep time making life that little bit easier. I started out my lunchbox journey using multiple containers. With time I found I would be searching at least five minutes a day for the lids and all the containers and half would be missing because they never arrived home. It’s like the never-ending battle to match socks! (Note, I’ve taken to buying school socks with sewn-in sizes and coloured toes/heels for easy matching!)
Once I discovered the all-in-one sectioned off lunchbox it became so much easier. When I initially saw it, I thought it looked like heaps more work however after a couple of days of giving it a go I realised it was actually easier. It was easier to clean, easier to keep track of plus the kids actually ate all of the food in there because it looked more appealing and they could see it all. The fact that I only have to keep track of one container per child per day is glorious!! haha.
If time permits, I add in something to make the food fun and make my kids’ smile, like these quirky eyes on the fruit and eggs. When the lunchbox comes home with all its contents eaten, it’s always nice to offer some praise, especially for the little ones. For example, you could add an encouraging merit sticker in the lunchbox lid the next day, or even a good challenge game, like a picture flashcard!
I often save money by buying the bigger packs of Damora cracker biscuits or BBQ Snakos and use them over a week to fill the spaces in the lunchbox containers. It literally takes me 30 seconds.
Obviously I am a fan of ALDI but it is because I genuinely believe they make my life easier as a mum, with high quality products at incredibly low prices. They constantly provide convenient lunchbox solutions, especially during the back to school period.
Take the L’il Snackerz range for example. ALDI now sell kid-sized fruits for lunchboxes, which is awesome. I find that if a piece of fruit is too big for my kids they feel overwhelmed and don’t even start eating it because it seems too hard. They have always enjoyed smaller, cuter fruits and these L’il Snackerz fit the bill!
All of the lunchboxes you see are ones I have made in the past using ALDI products, which saves me heaps of money. These lunches might look like they take a lot of effort but with the right preparation when you shop, it’s simply a matter of pouring/spooning/placing something into the space in the lunchbox … no major work #winning! Got some salsa or hummus or yogurt? Simply add some crackers and chopped vegies and viola … a fun dipping lunch option.
*note my daughter was allowed to take the above almonds to school as there were no nut allergies in her class where she ate lunch.
Another fun trick I discovered while trying to problem solve the fact that Miss 4 didn’t like bread but loved wraps, was to make carrot and cheese wraps (her favourite) and cut it sideways into bite sized pieces so it looked like pinwheels. She LOVED that and it takes no time at all!
So these are a few of my tips and tricks on how to make a great lunchbox in 5 minutes!!
COMPETITION
We really want to hear your best lunchbox tips and tricks so for the chance to win a $100 voucher to your local ALDI store, comment below on the blog post with your best tip!!
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