Planning and preparing lunch or tiffin boxes is never a simple process. It’s not just difficult for parents, it can be as overwhelming for kids. There are so many factors to be considered while preparing a simple kid’s tiffin box that one often wishes that one had a list of simple and easy ideas that would ensure a healthy and tasty meal for one’s child.
Every child wants some variety in their tiffin boxes. At the same time, it’s important that their meal is balanced and healthy. It should have a combination of nuts, fruits and vegetables in addition to the main dish. The spice level may have to be moderated and it is always recommended to make the tiffin box more colourful. This would make it interesting and attractive for kids. Finding ideas that combine all these factors can be a very challenging task for a parent, especially if the child is fussy and demanding. We have a few ideas for you that will ensure that your child gets a tasty, balanced and comfortable meal each and every day.
Also Read: Tips to Planning the Perfect Lunch Box for Your Child
Options for Children’s Tiffins
These are a few options that can be used to pack a healthy and tasty tiffin for your children. Try to ensure that you use a lot of vegetables and fruits so that they look attractive and are delicious too.
- Vegetable Pulao
- Vegetable Uthappam
- Spinach and Corn Sandwich
- Multi-coloured idlis
- White Sauce/Tomato Sauce Pasta
- Vegetable Chapatis/Paranthas/Pooris
- Kathi Rolls
- Crispy Okra
- Vegetable Noodles
- Vegetable Vermicelli
- Banana Pancakes
- Vegetable Burger
- Chapati Noodles
- Vegetable Fried Rice
Vegetable pulao is a flavourful rice dish that is packed with a variety of vegetables and Indian spices. Several variations can be made to the dish depending on what your child likes, like adding paneer and fried nuts. If cooked in a pressure cooker, it takes no time at all and is delicious. It can be paired with a cucumber or onion raita with some banana fritters as a snack.
This tiffin for kids requires some dosa batter and can be topped with a variety of vegetables like grated carrots, onions, tomatoes, green chillies and coriander leaves. It can be packed with any chutney, such as coconut, onion or tomato chutney and makes a nutritious and tasty tiffin. Some ragi biscuits can also be packed as a snack.
All you need to do is sauté some spinach and sweet corn in some butter and then add some flour and milk to make a white sauce. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and grated cheese. Apply this liberally between two slices of bread and grill till golden. Cut it into triangles and pack it in your kid’s tiffin box as a snack. You could also pack some mini idlis with vegetable sambar for their lunch.
Divide the idli batter into three parts and add grated carrots to one, grated beetroot in the other and chopped spinach to the third part. Steam them in mini idli plates and pack them for your kid’s lunch along with a coconut, peanut, tomato or onion chutney. You could also include some banana chips as a snack.
You can make a white sauce or tomato sauce and season it with some herbs and cheese. Add boiled macaroni, penne or any pasta your child likes, along with some vegetables. Pack it along with some buttered sweet corn, beetroot or carrots. Children love pasta in any form in their tiffin boxes and it is ready in under 15 minutes. Pan fried cinnamon bananas can be added as a snack.
This is another way to create a healthy and colourful tiffin for your kid. You can add chopped spinach or methi, grated carrots or beetroot, along with some spices and roll out chapatis, pooris or paranthas. It can be packed along with some vegetables, like fried cauliflower or potatoes. Some apple slices with a Nutella dip can be packed as a snack.
All you need for this recipe is a chapati or paratha and you can create a wrap or roll with any leftover vegetable or paneer. This is both tasty and easy for your child to eat without making a mess.
Also Read: Healthy Lunchbox Ideas
Crispy okra goes great with curd rice or chapatis and makes a delicious tiffin. You can also add a boiled egg sprinkled with salt and pepper for extra nutrition and some roasted bananas as a tasty snack.
Saute some garlic, onion, carrots, beans, capsicum and cabbage. Season it with some chilli, soy and tomato sauce, as well as vinegar. Add boiled noodles and mix well. Pack it along with some fresh fruit and biscuits for a snack.
For this recipe too, you can add an assortment of colourful vegetables, cashew nuts and peanuts and sauté them. Temper them with mustard seeds and curry leaves and then add the boiled vermicelli. You could also add roasted sooji and water instead of vermicelli to make a tasty upma instead.
Make some pancake batter with flour, eggs and milk and add some mashed, ripe bananas and chocolate chips. Fry them in a little butter and top them with some fresh fruit. You could add a few fried mini vegetable idlis as a snack.
Children simply love this food in their tiffin. Make a vegetable patty with boiled and mashed potatoes, assorted vegetables and seasoning. Heat a burger bun, slit it and apply some tomato and mustard sauce along with a lettuce leaf and tomato slice. Put in the vegetable patty and secure it with a toothpick.
Also Read: Age-Appropriate Cute Lunch Box
This makes a delicious lunch for kids as one can use leftover chapatis and incorporate all kinds of colourful vegetables. Cut chapatis into thin strips. Saute some onions with ginger and garlic. Add different coloured peppers, carrot strips and cabbage. Add some tomato ketchup and seasoning. Finally, add the chapati strips and mix well. You could also add a boiled egg and some fresh fruit as a snack in the tiffin box.
You could make some fried rice with chopped carrots and beans. Saute some chopped onions and garlic in butter. Add the chopped vegetables along with salt, pepper and a little bit of sugar. Saute for a few minutes. Add some soy sauce and cooked rice and mix well. Eggs can be added for extra protein if desired. You could also add a grilled egg/vegetable sandwich and some fresh fruit as a snack. You could just make an omelette, put it between two slices of bread and grill it.
A kid’s tiffin box should be such that they look forward to opening it at school. At the same time, it needs to be balanced and nutritious, with something different every day. As far as possible, the food should be in bite-size pieces to make eating convenient. A colourful, visually attractive and tasty tiffin is what every child wants and these recipes can help you create that for your kid. For more information and tiffin ideas for children, you can log into the EuroSchool website.
