Follow our tips and create a healthy lunchbox without the stress in back to school season
Preparing a lunchbox is an extra faff that none of us really relishes, but we have some tips with a little help from Whitworths to make it easier. Packed lunches, school trips and after school snacks are on the ever growing list of things to remember. Follow some or all of our tips, and you and your little ones will be happy! Remember to always take into account the list of things permitted in school or nursery settings.
Plan ahead
Make sure you have your lunchbox and water bottle at the ready. Preferably find a bag which contains all of the above so nothing gets lost. Our back to school lunchboxes guide may help you.
Fruit
Fruit, whether it be fresh or dried is a great addition to any lunchbox and is full of nutritious goodness! Dried fruit in particular has the added benefit of being a super mess free option! We love Whitworths Sunny Raisins as they are bursting with fruity goodness, contributing to your little one’s fibre, Vitamin B and Iron intake!”
Extra Snacks
We’d always rather pack too much food than too little so we always throw in something extra. Whitworths SHOTS are perfect as an on the go snack or a part of a lunch. We also love to add them to granola bars, rice cakes, cheese, popcorn, mini fruit salad pot or topped onto yoghurt.
The Main Event
Sandwiches, rolls or wraps are often the main component of a packed lunch, but in recent times, we’ve discovered that pasta or noodles, prepared ahead are an even quicker packed lunch hack. Store cooked pasta or noodles in the fridge and add sauces as you go. And the beauty of pasta is that you can serve these as chilled pasta salads. Just decant into your little storage box and off you go.
Pasta and pesto
Pasta, ham and cheese cubes
Pasta salad with tuna, tomatoes and cucumber
Noodles in broth
Stir Fry with peppers, peas and tofu
Our Granola or Trail Mix recipe is easy
Prepare ahead and store in an air-tight container. Our granola works equally well as a cereal breakfast or as a trail mix to snack on.
1 cup oats
3 Whitworths SHOTS Berry and White Chocolate
25g each sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and nuts (if allowed)
40g coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup until runny. Add to the oats and coat well.
Spread oat mixture onto a tray and bake in the oven at 160C until lightly golden. Stirring halfway through helps with an even colour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Once cooled down add the Whitworths SHOTS and store in an airtight jar.
Benefits of using dried fruits
While alarm bells may ring about sugar content in dried fruit, there are amazing benefits of this snack filled with go-to goodness.
- Dried fruits are incredible for digestion support
Dried fruit, by weight, contains 3.5 times more fibre than that of a fresh piece of fruit. Fibre is essential to support digestion and bowel movement in our everyday diets. It also is a great nutrient to regulate digestion of meals, slowing down the process and helping us feel fuller for longer!
Is dried fruit good for you? | BBC Good Food and Dried Fruit: Good or Bad? (healthline.com)
Adults are targeted to have 30g of fibre daily and is something that we sort after daily, therefore dried fruit can support us towards this!
Additionally, research shows that prunes have a natural laxative property which in turn can support digestion and prevent constipation as well as other relating diseases.
2. Dried Fruits are packed full of antioxidants
Antioxidants are key to support the breakdown of cells. Family doctor, explains that the introduction of these into our diet can prevent free radicals or viruses damaging our internal cells, thus protecting us daily. Dried fruit is naturally rich in Polyphenols, which supports blood flow and supports heart health amongst other disease defences.
Research published in 2020 within the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics expressed how adults who consumed more dried fruit had low blood pressure as well as a lower BMI.
3. A Great tasty way to get in your 5-a-day
The NHS highlight the requirements we need to fulfil the 5 a day target of eating more fruit and veg. This initiative was set up by the World Health Organisation in the aim to support vitamin and mineral intake to lower risk of serious health problems. Eating 30g of dried fruit is equivalent to 1 of your 5 a day. So, a handful of raisins as a snack or a couple of dried apricots diced and added to a couscous salad can be a great addition to your daily intake.
So whether you’re looking for the go-to goodness of Whitworths Shots or Sunny Raisins bursting with fruity goodness, have a look at Whitworths for more nutritious snacks and recipe ideas.
*This post contains paid content*
