Lunchbox and snack ideas flyer 1 - printable version

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty ‘everyday’ lunchbox and snack ideas for your family

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called ‘everyday’ foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.
*Check your childcare or school policy.

Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables

• Eating a rainbow means eating lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables.
• This helps our bodies to get all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
• Enjoy a rainbow of colours as often as possible.
• Try red, orange, yellow, purple, green, white and brown …

Top tips for choosing fruit and vegetables

• If you can, buy fresh fruit and vegetables locally and in season. This is often cheaper!
• Other great options include:
  – Frozen fruit or vegetables
  – Fruit tinned in fruit juice (without added sugar)
  – Vegetables tinned (without added salt).

Lunchbox and snack ideas flyer 2 - printable version

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty ‘everyday’ lunchbox and snack ideas for your family

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called ‘everyday’ foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.
*Check your childcare or school policy.

What are ‘sometimes’ foods and drinks?

• ‘Sometimes’ food and drinks are those that don’t fit into the five food groups.
• These foods can be enjoyed sometimes and in small amounts.
• These choices are higher in sugar, salt and saturated fat and are not needed for good health.
• Offering a wide range of foods at home and talking about foods we eat and enjoy every day and foods we eat and enjoy sometimes, can help children learn to enjoy all types of foods and understand balance.
• Examples of ‘sometimes’ foods include chocolate, lollies, biscuits, cakes, fried food, pastries and ice cream.
• Examples of ‘sometimes’ drinks include fruit drinks, soft drinks, cordial, sports drinks, energy drinks and flavoured water.

Lunchbox and snack ideas flyer 3 - printable version

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty ‘everyday’ lunchbox and snack ideas for your family

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called ‘everyday’ foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.
*Check your childcare or school policy.

Keeping food safe

• Pack food in clean containers.
• Keep food cold by:

– Using an insulated lunchbox and packing an ice brick or frozen water bottle

– Keeping food in the fridge until leaving for school.

• Keep food hot by:

– Using an insulated food container, like a Thermos and making sure it is heated properly

– Making sure food is steaming hot when it is put into the container.

• At school, store bags out of the sun.
• Throw away any non-packaged leftovers at the end of the school day.
• Wipe lunchbox clean with a hot cloth regularly.

Lunchbox and snack ideas flyer 4 - printable version

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty ‘everyday’ lunchbox and snack ideas for your family

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called ‘everyday’ foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.
*Check your childcare or school policy.

Lunchbox tips to help the transition to kindergarten

• Use lunchboxes, containers and drink bottles that are easy to open and close.
• Do a test run at home before school starts to make sure your child can do it them self.
• Pack food that is easy to eat – peel oranges or mandarins, cut sandwiches into quarters or spoon yoghurt into a small container.
• Pack foods that your child already enjoys eating at home and which are easy for you.
• Keep food safe by keeping it cold using an insulated lunchbox or bag and a frozen ice brick or drink bottle.
• Check with your school about any foods that shouldn’t be packed for allergy reasons.

Lunchbox and snack ideas flyer 5 - printable version

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty ‘everyday’ lunchbox and snack ideas for your family

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called ‘everyday’ foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.
*Check your childcare or school policy.

What does nude food mean?

• Nude food is food brought to school or childcare in reusable packaging.
• A nude food lunchbox means there won’t be any rubbish except for uneaten scraps and fruit peels, cores or pips.
• Nude food can be cheaper and is better for the environment.

Where to start

• Look for foods with less packaging in the supermarket or look for shops where you can buy food without packaging.
• Fruit and vegetables don’t usually need packaging. Choose options without any extra plastic if possible.
• It can be helpful to have a few different sizes of reusable containers. You can buy these cheaply in supermarkets, dollar shops or even second hand shops.
• Buy the foods you would usually buy in larger volumes and divide into smaller portions.

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty 'everyday' lunchbox and snack ideas for your family: cheese on biscuits, cherry tomatoes and snow peas, vegetable pizza, fruit salad or boiled egg.

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called 'everyday' foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.

*Check your childcare or school policy

What does Nude Food mean?

Nude food is about packing lunches with reusable packaging, using small washable containers, beeswax wraps or reusable food bags. It can save money and is more environmentally friendly.

Where to start?

• Buy the products you would usually buy in larger volumes and pack in smaller containers.
• Look for foods with less packaging in the supermarket.
• Fruit and vegetables are a great place to start as many of these come in their own packaging.

Lunchbox and snack ideas flyer 7 - printable version

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty 'everyday' lunchbox and snack ideas for your family: baked beans, fruit toast, vegetable muffin, vegetables and cheese, yoghurt and fruit.

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called 'everyday' foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.

*Check your childcare or school policy

What does Nude Food mean?

Nude food is about packing lunches with reusable packaging, using small washable containers, beeswax wraps or reusable food bags. It can save money and is more environmentally friendly.

Where to start?

• Buy the products you would usually buy in larger volumes and pack in smaller containers.
• Look for foods with less packaging in the supermarket.
• Fruit and vegetables are a great place to start as many of these come in their own packaging.

Lunchbox and snack ideas flyer 8 - printable version

Lunchbox and snack ideas

Try these tasty 'everyday' lunchbox and snack ideas for your family: corn on the cob, tuna and salad wrap, plain pikelets, yoghurt and fruit, vegetable sticks and dip.

Choose 'everyday' foods

Foods from the five food groups are called 'everyday' foods. These are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods
• Lean meats and alternatives (including eggs, tofu, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds*)
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives.

Offer a range of these foods every day.

*Check your childcare or school policy

What are 'sometimes' foods and drinks?

• Choices that don’t fit into the five food groups are called ‘sometimes’ foods and drinks.
• These foods should only be offered sometimes and in small amounts.
• These choices are higher in sugar, salt and saturated fat and are not needed for good health.
• ‘Sometimes’ foods include chocolate, lollies, biscuits, cakes, fried food, pastries and ice-cream.
• ‘Sometimes’ drinks include fruit drinks, soft drinks, cordial, sports drinks, energy drinks and flavoured water.