Every school day presents a big challenge to parents: the lunch box has to be refilled. Not exactly an easy task, because between the ages of 5 and 10, children are usually very demanding and often bring home “boring” looking food. The snacks for the lunch break should not only look good and taste delicious, but also be healthy. School lunch can be arranged particularly beautifully in divided lunch boxes. The tight lunch boxes are also perfect because they have different compartments for salad, fruit, rolls and sauce. This means you can offer your little ones a varied menu every day. We offer you 50 cool lunch box ideas for children that are guaranteed to keep school lunch coming home.
Bento boxes are compartmentalized, dense lunch boxes that come from Japan. Small portions of snacks are packed in between meals or even complete snacks. The Japanese judge their children according to the rule of thumb: “The eye eats too.”appetizing looking morselsa. Rolls, fruits and vegetables are cut into small pieces and can be eaten either with your fingers or with chopsticks. The concept has recently become increasingly popular in Europe and America. To ensure that the lunch box can be filled with new delicacies every day, the right accessories come to the rescue. Different sized compartments, small sauce containers and numerous food dividers enable the lunch box to be arranged decoratively. They also prevent the different dishes from mixing.
For the next 50 lunch box ideas you will need the following accessories:
1.A leak-proof lunch box(For example, the Jumbox made of plastic or the Planetbox made of stainless steel are ideal, both dishwasher-safe).
2.Square silicone molds
3.Egg shapes.These are special molds made of two parts, where boiled and peeled eggs are placed and pressed into a desired shape (for example fish, rabbit, star, heart or bear).
4.Bento-Piekser.They are made of plastic and can be reused. This is mainly used to decorate fruits and vegetables.
5.Bread cutteror cookie cutter
Cool options for kids: What goes in the lunch box?
You have already purchased the necessary accessories and want to start preparing. Now is the time to put together a menu for the coming week. What actually goes into the lunch box depends on your personal preferences. In any case, we will explain to you how you can correctly estimate the quantity and calories. In Japan, the bento box is filled with ingredients according to the 4:2:1 rule. This means that 4 parts carbohydrates such as bread, rice or potatoes, 2 parts proteins such as eggs, meat or fish and 1 part vegetables, fruits, nuts or yoghurt go into the lunch box every day. This rule of thumb proves to be very helpful because it allows you to estimate the calories per meal more accurately. They are determined according to the milliliters of the lunch box. For example, an 800 ml lunch box corresponds to 800 calories.
The Bento principles
Parents in Japan try to put together a varied and harmonious menu for their children. The following bento principles will support you in this difficult task:
1. Five colors. Each dish should contain at least 5 colors. It's not just about colorful food that pleases the eyes, but also about a healthy mix of nutrients. The more colors, the more ingredients that provide the body with important vitamins and minerals.
2. Five preparation methods. In addition to raw vegetables, each lunch box should also contain cooked (e.g. eggs), fried (vegetables or meat), pickled (olives, tomatoes) and baked (bread, cake) ingredients.
3. Five flavors. Enjoyment is very important to the Japanese, which is why they add variety to their dishes and like to combine sweet, sour, salty, mild and spicy.
The possible ingredient combinations
Below we present you the lunch box ideas for children, tell you the necessary ingredients and give tips on decoration and preparation.
Pictured above: Monkey face made from banana bread, ears and mouth made from crackers, edible googly eyes, nostrils made from raisins. Plus cookies with banana, pretzel sticks and half a banana. Perfect as a snack between meals.
Cool lunch box ideas for children: Easter bunny
Easter bunny made from a sandwich (butter, ham and cheese), paws made from bread and olives, tail made from mozzarella. Plus 2 chocolate eggs, carrots, broccoli and strawberries.
“Lucky guy” rolls and chips
First, make a grape vanilla jelly sandwich. Then cut out a cloverleaf shape in the middle of the top slice of bread. Garnish the bun with grapes. Bake potato chips. Also offer yoghurt and decorate the cup as you like. NB: Grapes are dangerous for children of kindergarten age, there is a risk of suffocation. This lunch box idea is therefore suitable for children aged 10 and over.
Suitable for girls: fairy in the enchanted forest
Sandwich with ham and cheese, eyes made of edible googly eyes, mouth and nose made of strawberries, eyelashes made of chocolate sprinkles, hair made of cheese and strawberries. Plus yoghurt with strawberries, pretzel sticks and a sour fruit gum.
For school-age girls
From top right: Cucumber served with a stick, hard-boiled egg pressed into the shape of an Easter bunny, strawberry yogurt with sugar sprinkles, apple in a butterfly shape, grapes, snacks served with crackers and various types of cheese.
Cool lunch box ideas for kids: owl
For the big owl: body made of sandwich with ham, eyes made of a hard-boiled egg and two raisins, wings made of crackers, beak and feet made of carrot, a pretzel stick. Plus: crackers and an apple in the shape of an owl with marshmallows and cheese.
Healthy and filling options
Hard-boiled egg pressed into a bear shape and colored with food coloring, checkerboard apple (to prevent it from browning, brush it with lemon juice), tomato and feta cheese dip, spider-shaped olive, green beans, crackers and radishes.
Instructions for the egg: Let the egg cook for 12 - 15 minutes, then take it out, dip it briefly in cold water and take it out again. Peel the warm egg, put it in the egg mold and close the mold. Wait 10-15 minutes for the egg to cool and then remove it from the mold.
Ingredients for the dip(1 serving): 1/4 packet of feta cheese, 50 g cream cheese, 1/5 small onion, 3 dried tomatoes pickled in olive oil, salt and basil.
Wholemeal bars, peas and cucumber cut into flower shapes, sandwich with jam and sugar sprinkles, strawberries with flower pricks.
Sandwich with ham and cheese in the shape of a bear, heart of radishes, steamed cauliflower with heart pricks, green beans with flower pricks, yogurt with strawberries, orange.
Rolls with ham and hard-boiled egg in butterfly shape, cookies, cheese, broccoli, carrots, blueberries, tangerine.
Whole grain bread, umbrella of different types of cheese, strawberries and orange, broccoli, chocolate bars.
Dog made of bread, with two cookies, cookies with raisins and tangerine with raisins.
Buns painted with food coloring, strawberries, nuts, carrots, sausages and applesauce with sugar sprinkles.
Bread decorated with food coloring, salmon, cheese and crackers, apple.
Rolls with strawberry jam, strawberries and grapes, banana labeled with food coloring, tangerine, cucumber and cherry tomatoes with stem pricks.
