Kitchen

Healthy And Easy-to-Prep Lunch Box Ideas for Kids

by Kevyn Gohu
July 17, 2023

With kids going back to school and parents going to work, we’re going to need quick, easy, and healthy ideas for the family lunch boxes!

With kids going back to school, it’s up to mom and dad to find healthy and easy-to-prep ideas to fill their lunch boxes. Since some schools are clamping down on making sure their students eat a “go, grow, and glow meal,” we need to go beyond the usual “ulam and rice” concept. So here are some healthy and easy-to-prep baon ideas for kids.

1. Fish Sausages

Kids love hotdogs but we’re a bit hesitant to give them that because it’s processed meat and they have a lot of trans fat. But some supermarkets sell bangus-based sausages and fish is always a healthier alternative to red meat! They sell it in different flavors like Frankfurter, Hungarian, Italian, and more. And it goes well with noodles or rice. They cook quickly, too. Grease the pan with a bit of oil, slice them up, sear for two minutes, and you have nice seared sausages that kids can appreciate with an egg or two for their baon.

Siomai/Dumplings keep well in our kids' lunch boxes!

2. Siomai/ Dumplings

Probably one of the fastest and the least stressful food to prepare, siomai or dumplings already combine meat and vegetables in their mixture. But instead of frying it, some parents prefer to steam it while they’re cooking the rice. It’s a one-pot healthy baon idea for kids! Chinese have siomai, Koreans have mandu, and Japanese have gyoza. Supermarkets often sell these frozen, having approximately 40 pieces per bag.

There are stores that sell different variants to keep up the novelty with kids. But be careful, some siomai mixtures have sugar, which is why some kids love it.

3. Marinated Bangus Steaks

If you’re trying to steer kids away from the usual fried fish but don’t have the time to prepare, the supermarket sells marinated bangus steaks. We can either buy it fresh or from the freezer. Some brands of marinated bangus steaks have more exotic flavors like curry or Mexican spice. Toss them in with some steamed vegetables and they’re good to go.

4. Malunggay Rice

The ultimate vegetable hack for a healthy rice baon idea for kids — malunggay is cheap at PHP 10 per bunch (some of us even grow it in our backyard). Moreover, it’s healthy and versatile as an ingredient. When kids don’t want to eat their veggies, mix them straight into the rice by infusing them. Before steaming the rice, add some malunggay leaves, garlic cloves, and leek bits to flavor the rice. It’s healthier than frying it in garlic and oil for sure!

What some moms do is also preserve last night’s Chicken Tinola and steam the rice using the soup to give the rice more flavor. This also works with other Filipino soups like Nilagang Baka, Bulalo, Chicken Binakol, etc. It, unfortunately, doesn’t work with Sinigang unless our kids like sour.

5. Sesame Oil-Salt-Pepper Vegetables

Take a page out of the Korean samgyupsal’s banchan by mixing sesame oil, salt, and pepper together and you get the ultimate dipping sauce for vegetables. It works well with almost every leafy vegetable like Kangkong, Spinach, Pechay (both kinds), and even cabbage! Blanch or boil the vegetables then mix it in this sauce after you’re done cooking. For cabbage and lettuce, you just need to wash them well and shred them for the uncooked route.

6. Tuna Omelette

So long as we drain out the water and oil that contains that nasty sodium, canned tuna can become a healthier alternative. Sautée it in with some chopped onions and tomatoes before folding it into an omelet to have a hearty meal. Some parents even add mushrooms or spinach for those extra greens to make their kids’ baon extra healthy.

7. Egg Salad

Boiled eggs, mustard, relish, and paprika make a basic egg salad that goes together with most grilled or roasted meats. Egg salad is loaded with protein and it’s easy to sneak minced vegetables into it, too. If you want your kids to have more protein in their diet but you’re avoiding red meat, eggs are still a viable choice.

The good part about egg salad is that these can be made in big batches so, it’ll be a while before you have to think of a new healthy baon idea for the kids.

Our kids deserve a lunch box filled with healthy, home-cooked baon!

A kid’s lunchbox being filled with homecooked and healthy food has been a clear mark of every loving Filipino parent. Some parents even see it as a measuring stick as to how much parents love their children. But when both parents are working, it can be quite a struggle to always come up with novel, healthy, and home-cooked baon ideas for our kids. But with these ideas, your kids might be in a better mood towards the end of the school day!