Best Lunch Box Ideas For Kids With The Recipes

Preparing the kids for school is one of the most tedious jobs for parents; but, the most challenging part is obviously packing lunch boxes for the kids. Packing lunches is not my favorite part of school.  You are always looking for the Best Lunch Box Ideas & Recipes For Kids. You start thinking about it day in and day out; making sure that the lunches are not repetitive. As today’s kids are so fussy and demanding, we need to pay attention to their preferences too. Or rest assured, they get back packed lunch boxes home. Lunches can be fun too! Let us read on to find out recipes of some interesting lunch box foods.

Vegetable Burritos

Burritos is a Mexican food, basically a rolled tortilla(what we call chapatti in India) with lots of stuffed ingredients, salsa sauce, cheese and rice in it. The Burritos are quite filling and makes it as one whole dish meal. The best part is there is no cooking time involved in it, and thus, one of the Best Lunch Box Ideas & Recipes For Kids.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

250 grams kidney beans

Cooked rice ¾ cup

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp chilli powder

3 lemons

1 onion

Chopped lettuce ½ cup

1 tbsp hot chilli sauce

Processed mozzarella cheese

For salsa sauce:

2 tomatoes

1 onion

4 jalapenos

½ cup spring onions

1 lime

Coriander leaves 1 handful

Methodology

Salsa sauce:

1. Chop tomatoes, onions and jalapenos. Put it in the bowl and add spring onions and squeeze 1 lime into it.
2. Add coriander leaves and season it with cumin seeds, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Burritos:

1. Take a pan, add oil and add kidney beans and lightly mash them. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
2. Add all the dry ingredients and cook for some time.
3. Add the chilli sauce and squeeze in lime and cook for 3-5 minutes.
4. Chop onions and add to it. Add salsa sauce and coriander leaves to it.
5. Take the chapatti and place 2 tbsp of rice, prepared burritos mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese evenly on the whole chapatti.
6. Fold the two opposite sides of the chapatti over the stuffing. Wrap it tightly on both the sides.
7. Vegetable burritos are ready to be served.

Trinidadian doubles

A popular Trinidadian street food made with spiced Indian bread and topped with spicy chickpea curry. You could top it with cool cucumber chutney and garnish it with coriander leaves. Chickpeas is packed with protein, fiber, manganese and folate which are an essential part of a healthy diet. This recipe is very easy to make and the spiced Indian bread, if not available could be substituted with garlic bread, making it one of the Best Lunch Box Ideas & Recipes For Kids.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

Spiced Indian bread 8 nos.

Chickpeas (cooked with salt) – 250 grams

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 green onions thinly sliced

2 tomatoes puree

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp paprika

3 tsp Channa masala powder

¼ cup cilantro

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Methodology

Curry chickpeas:

1. To make the curry, heat oil in a pan; add cumin seeds, allow it to turn golden brown. Add onions and garlic paste. Continue to cook until onions raw taste vanishes for about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add in the tomato puree, and add spices. Cook it for 8-10 minutes on low flame. Then add chickpeas and sauté it for 5 minutes.
3. Cook until the liquid reduces and the mixture has thickened. It will take around 15 minutes.
4. Season it with cilantro.

Cucumber chutney:

1. Take all the ingredients and mix them keep aside for 15 minutes.
2. Spread the chickpea curry over the bread. Garnish it with fresh cilantro and cucumber chutney. This could go with tamarind chutney or pudina chutney.

Chickpea Goodness Burger

Burgers are something which are totally irresistible. The ordinary burgers could get transformed into the most tastiest of burgers with all the richness of chickpea. You bet you can never go wrong with this!

Preparation time: 25-30 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Chickpeas, cooked  2 cups

1 tbsp oil

1 green onion, chopped

1 small sweet potato

¼ cup cornflour

1 handful parsley

½ tsp lemon juice

½ tsp cumin powder

Salt to taste

½ tsp pepper powder

Methodology

1. Cook the chickpeas and keep it aside.
2. Take a big bowl and add oil, onions, sweet potato. Take the chickpeas and put in it a food processor, churn it so that they are somewhat mashed and at the same time seen as whole too.
3. Take the mixture out of the processor and put in the big bowl.
4. Add the cornflour for binding the mixture and mix well. Season it with parsley.
5. Make six portions of the mixture and roll it into flat pattice.
6. Shallow fry till golden brown.
7. Place the burger and sandwich it with celery leaves, slices of onion, tomato and cheese.

Daal Pakwaan

This delicacy is unique and dates its origin to the Sindhi community. It is a combination of proteins plus health, and quite hassle-free too.

Preparation time: 30 mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

For Daal:

Channa daal 250 grams

½ tsp cumin seeds

Green chillies 5

A pinch of asafoetida

Tomatoes puree 1 cup

Coriander leaves, handful

Curry leaves  10-15

2 tsp oil

Garam masala ½ tsp

½ tsp pepper powder

3 ½ cups water

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder, pinch

½ tsp lime juice

For Pakwaan:

Maida flour 2 cups

½ tsp ajwain seeds

Salt to taste

2 tsp oil

½ tsp red chilli powder

Water for kneading the dough

Methodology

1. Take a bowl and put all the dry ingredients to make the pakwaan
2. Knead it to a soft dough
3. To make the daal, take a pressure cooker. Put oil and add cumin seeds. Let it become fragrant and then add asafetida. Keep the flame low.
4. Add the tomato puree and sauté it by adding curry leaves and green chillies.
5. Add the soaked channa daal and slowly add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and the coriander leaves.
6. Also put the soaked water alongwith it; as it contains nutrients of the channa daal.
7. Pour 3 ½ cups of water and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Then keep it on low flame for 5 minutes. Switch off the gas.
8. Then add garam masala powder, pepper powder,cumin seeds powder and ½ tsp lime juice. Garnish it with coriander powder.

This goes very well with tamarind chutney, chopped onions and mint chutney.

Tell us which of these did you love the most? :)

You may also read Chatpati Recipies For Toddlers and Kids.