LUNCH door Klaar Mellen

As we are creatures of habits & routines, going back to doing school runs feels easy and safe for a lot of people.

But of course school days also means packing lunch boxes.

Here are a few of my takes on what I try to do for my kids and their daily healthy habits. Not to make anyone feel guilty but to give ideas and hopefully inspire. Because let’s be clear, things in our household are far from being perfect as well. Yesterday my kid came back from school slurping from a ‘Capri Sunneke’ he got at school while the other one had a ‘smoske’ at school, drank Coke and didn’t eat the sandwiches I made..

There is only so much we can do and we all do our best!

Here are the things I try to do for my kids going back to school:

* I always say it starts with sleep. Yes, I am the nagging mother that puts her kids to sleep every day at the same time, no excuse, also not on the weekend, their brain needs it.

* Every morning I am giving them a big amount of Omega 3’s and vitamin D (except for the summer months). I started giving them Omega 3 at a very early age and although it’s a struggle sometimes, I never give up on this one.

* Breakfast. My kids think I am this amazing mom that loves them so much that she makes their breakfast every single day. And although that is true of course, I also do it so they have a nutritious and filling breakfast. Greek yoghurt, chia marmalade, homemade granola with as many different nuts & seeds, caramelized bananas or apples, blue berries, maple syrup etc.. are my go to. 
 
* Lunch. I try to give my kids a healthy lunchbox with as many different elements as possible. Their brain and body are in full development so I believe that eating nutritious healthy food is super important for them.

My go to lunch ideas: chia marmalade, chocolate hummus, boiled eggs, roasted nuts, goji berries, small veggies with hummus, olive or tomato tapenade, homemade bread with olive oil and cheese, nut butters with a bit of chocolate.

* Bread. I know it takes time and some effort (going to the bakery as well) but I think there is merit in making your own bread. You know exactly what goes in your bread. 
I make mine with olive oil, organic flour, fresh yeast and a small amount of salt. I often freeze it so we are never out of bread in the morning.

* Biscuits. I try to make as much of the biscuits my kids take to school myself. I make a batch of homemade almond biscuits, carrot cakes (stuffed with carrots), nut butter biscuits, banana cakes, dates, etc.. and freeze it so I always have something to give them to school. (Let’s say I do this 2 to 3 times a month, doable no?) 
Of course I get the occasional ‘Why don’t I get normal biscuits to school’ thrown at me but I just keep on going for as long as I can and perhaps most store bought biscuits are actually not normal?! ☺️

* I use stainless steel sandwich boxes and water bottles all the time. When I bought my stainless steel bento boxes 10 years ago, my kids got a lot of comments on them because they were different. Luckily nowadays you see them more and more. The only thing is that they are heavier than the plastic ones.  With some luck they are going to last you a lifetime (if they don’t get lost along the way!). 
My favorite brands: Klean Kanteen & LunchBots.

* When my kids come home I try to send them outside as much as possible. Go to the neighbours to ask to play, do your homework outside, eat your snack sitting in the sun,.. We need light, sunshine for our body!

Preparing things the night before, making several batches of healthy cakes, biscuits and freezing them, and letting go sometimes are my keys to success.

Like I said, we all do our very best and there is only so much we can do and control.