When it comes to healthy family meals, Jamie Oliver is pretty much the messiah. Not only is he kicking serious dinner goals, but he’s also proving to be lord of the healthy lunches box as well.
While we can’t really expect our lunch box making skills to be on par with Jamie’s (he’s had years of practice. Plus he’s got FIVE kids!), it’s the mission of every mum to at least reach some level of ‘healthy’ when packing our kids’ school lunches.
And Woolworths is making the healthy lunch box mission a fun one with their latest twist.
If your kids are like my kids, then you probably have your fair share of lunch box fails. Not every day, but, most times my kids come home with half-eaten snacks, complaining they don’t like grapes or apples, crackers or wraps – pretty much anything I put in their lunch box.
Oh really? How odd. Because the week before you ate FIVE SERVINGS OF THAT VERY SAME THING.
Anyhow, fresh food masters over at Woolworths have decided to do something about this very common lunch time dilemma. They are twisting things up on the healthy lunch box front by asking our little ones to pack our lunches for one day.
That’s right, this Wednesday 11th October Woolies wants kids to take charge in the kitchen. So let your budding chef pack your lunch. Take a picture, share it on social media and you could win a heap of cool stuff (but more on this later). Â
The team at Mum’s Pantry wanted to give the challenge a go and let our kids pack our lunches for the day. Some of the mini Masterchefs nailed it. Some, like mine, who insisted on putting a “nerf gun” and “wine” into my lunch kit, did not. Wine for lunch sounds good…but I don’t reckon Jamie would approve. He’s looking for HEALTHY lunch boxes, after all! And edible ones.
What happened when we let our kids pack our lunches for the day?
My Kids
Little Miss Jade, 4, packed mummy pretty much the entire produce section. Blueberries. Apple. Pear. Banana. Watermelon. Broccoli. Spinach. Oh and a yoghurt to wash down all that fruity goodness.
Taco-Tuesday-loving Jacob, 7, gave mum a taco, a container of spaghetti (leftover from last night’s dinner), a yoghurt and grapes. And a bottle of wine. Thanks kiddo.
Belinda’s Boys
Master Alex, 6, made use of more than just the fruit section at Woolies for Mum’s Pantry’s Founder Belinda. He dished up a ham and cheese sandwich, blueberries, pineapple, cheese, banana, pretzels and rice cakes. Not bad little man! Not bad at all.
James, 8, gave mum a turkey, tomato and cheese wrap, an apple, strawberries, salt and vinegar chips, crackers and BBQ Shapes.
Nikki’s Daughter
Isobel, 10, served up a healthy feast for her Mum Central Editor mum, whipping up a garden salad with protein-rich tuna on the side and tipping in some carrot sticks and French onion dip, with a bag of crackers for afternoon tea. Not bad, Miss Izzie, not bad.
Elaine’s Son
Even 19 year-old can get in on the act and let’s face it, they’re never too old to learn to eat healthily! Elaine’s son Ellis nailed the healthy lunch with a ham salad wrap, blueberries, apple, banana and a muesli bar.
So how did the kids do? Let’s ask Jamie, shall we?
Jamie’s five hassle-free lunch box tips
As the Lord of the Lunch Box explains, lunches don’t have be to hard work. But they do need to include variety, which, some of our kiddies forgot (ahem…Jade).
A lot of our little ones selected salty snacks (crackers, chips, pretzels) which seem like a good choice as far as kids are concerned, but don’t quite tick the boxes. This food needs to fuel them for a long time. After all, kids don’t have the opportunity to call out, “Mum, I’m hungry” in the middle of class (THANK GOD).
According to Jamie, here’s what we all need to be adding to our kid’s lunch boxes every day.
Healthy carbs – think pitas, rye breads, rice cakes, brown breads, wraps
Protein – chicken, fish, hummus, jarred tuna, nuts or seeds
Dairy – yoghurt (sugar free squeeze pouches preferred), cheeses
Veggie – anything crunchy, perfect to dip into hummus or cottage cheese
And, finally, Fruit – fresh is best
Pack Your Parent’s Lunch Day
Okay mums and dads – now it’s your turn! Grab those kiddies and let them pack your lunch, this Wednesday, 11 October. Upload a photo to instagram and twitter (make sure it’s public) with the hashtag #packyourparentslunchday and Jamie will personally choose his three favourite photos.
The three winners will receive an autographed Jamie Oliver cookbook and a year’s worth of Woolworths Mini Fruit, perfect for kids, thanks to Woolworths.
So let the kiddies loose in the kitchen and have fun with it! We can’t wait to see what they come up with! Fingers crossed it’s healthy, delicious and edible!
This is a sponsored article for Woolworths
