Budget lunchbox recipes your kids will love! Raid the fridge – and add a dollop of invention

By Liam On Sep 21, 2023

Feeding children can be a thankless and frustrating task at best – but never more so than with packed lunches.

While the focus is on food that is healthy, filling and nutritious, they prefer a bag of chips and fizzy drinks, which are not only bad, but also expensive.

So how do you make a week’s worth of healthy packed lunches that they actually want to eat – without breaking the bank?

London-based nutritionist Lily Soutter says a well-stocked lunchbox should contain five key components: starchy carbohydrates, protein, dairy, fruit and vegetables, and a bottle of water.

“A healthy and nutritious lunch is vital to fuel a child throughout the day and provide the right nutrients for learning and development,” she adds. Here, cookbook writer Sarah Rainey offers suggestions for cheap, tasty lunchbox fillers – sure to make school days easier for everyone…

Turn Sunday’s roast chicken into a tasty pasta salad by shredding the leftovers – this would also work with beef, pork or gammon – and mixing them into cooked pasta

Make lunchtime fun by offering dips with raw vegetables: anything you have in the fridge, like carrot and celery sticks, sugar snap peas or baby tomatoes

MONDAY: Leftover Sunday Baked Pasta

Turn Sunday’s roast chicken into a tasty pasta salad by shredding the leftovers – this would also work with beef, pork or gammon – and mixing them into cooked pasta.

If you can, switch white pasta to whole grain to increase your fiber intake: this is full of manganese, a mineral essential for calcium absorption and important for bone health. Chop any leftover roasted veggies like carrots and mix that in too – and if there’s any sauce left in the pot, use it as a meaty pasta sauce.

Just don’t forget to pack a fork for them to tuck in!

Snack suggestions: A handful of grapes, a few small pieces of Cheddar (or any other hard) cheese.

DIY DRIED FRUIT

Dried fruit is expensive and comes in much larger packages than the 30g serving recommended by nutritionists.

So why not save money—and take back control over portion sizes—by making it yourself?

Preheat the oven to 50 degrees and slice the fruit – berries work well, as well as apples, oranges, pears, mangoes and pineapples – into very thin strips.

Arrange in a single layer on a rack placed on a baking sheet and bake for 6-12 hours, depending on the moisture content of the fruit, monitoring and turning every hour. Once the fruit is dry, let it cool for 24 hours before storing it in an airtight container. It lasts about six months.

TUESDAY: Hummus and dippers

Make lunchtime fun by offering dips with raw vegetables: anything you have in the fridge, like carrot and celery sticks, sugar snap peas or baby tomatoes.

Save on store-bought hummus by making your own: just mix a cup of cooked chickpeas, a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil, and the juice of 1 lemon.

Buy chickpeas dry rather than tinned: you can get 500g for less than £2 in most supermarkets – a real saving on canned goods.

Serve with homemade tortilla chips: slice the tortilla wrap like a pizza and grill for five minutes until crispy. These will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Snack suggestions: A handful of dried fruit like apricots, or try rice cakes spread with nut butter.

WEDNESDAY: Egg muffins

Egg muffins are a cheap, easy snack box filling – and you can make them with whatever you have in your fridge.

Mix two eggs with three tablespoons of flour, a crushed garlic clove and half a cup of milk.

Egg muffins are a cheap, easy lunch box filling – and you can make them with whatever you have in the fridge.

Now whisk in any or all of the following: a handful of grated cheese (any variety will do), a teaspoon of chopped fresh or dried herbs, a few sliced cherry tomatoes or peppers, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into 4-6 muffin tins and bake at 170 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with cucumber slices on the side.

Snack suggestions: Chopped melon or pineapple, unsalted popcorn.

THURSDAY: Pizza Pitta Pockets

Pittas, especially whole grain powders, are an easy way to get fiber for your kids—and they’re perfect for mess-free eating. You can buy a six-pack for 50p in most shops.

Don’t splurge on fancy pizza toppings or tomato sauce: just use a little tomato paste or low-fat ketchup to spread on the inside.

Then top your pitta with sliced tomato, grated cheese and your choice of protein like ham or tuna for the ultimate healthy ‘pizza’.

If you’re using tuna, which is a source of brain-boosting omega-3s, make sure it’s in spring water, not salty brine or fatty oil. Drain it well.

Snack suggestions: A small box of raisins, apple slices with cream cheese.

Pittas, especially whole grain powders, are an easy way to get fiber for your kids—and they’re perfect for mess-free eating. You can buy a six-pack for 50p in most shops

FRIDAY: Sandwich stars and banana flapjacks

Add some fun to your Friday lunchtime by cutting their regular sandwiches into stars (or use whatever bread you have in your cupboard). Don’t waste the scraps – they can be dipped in eggs and fried for breakfast!

Swap expensive sandwich spreads for delicious do-it-yourself fillings: grated apple mixed with cheddar, carrot strips with cream cheese or chicken slices with curry-flavored mayonnaise.

And Delight your kids by whipping up a batch of banana pops that will last all week. Mash three bananas with 200 g of oats, two tablespoons of honey and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and cinnamon, press into a lined pan and bake at 160 degrees for 20 minutes.

Snack suggestions: Babybel cheese, a handful of nuts.

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