Are you getting ready for your children to go back to school, or even start school? I wasn’t, but the amount of people that have asked me when school starts back up again this week has made me think that the universe is telling me to prepare. It’s time to sort out stationary, drop the hems on school clothes and get the waste free lunch boxes ready. If the universe is trying to help me, then I’m going to put out a message to help it.
For as long as I can remember our family has been doing waste free lunches for sustainability and health reasons. This initiative needed to be relaunched at our school with ‘Waste Free Wednesdays”. You can guess that I was part of that relaunch’. It’s too early to tell how many people are going to jump on board, but the conversation started so hopefully it will keep going. If all 1100 students at my kids’ school go one day with a waste free lunch that will make a difference to the health of people and planet.
Sustainability isn’t about one person doing everything perfectly. It’s about lots of people making small changes everyday. With small changes we can do better for mother nature. We can be proud that we’ve made a step in the right direction for future generations.
How to Make a Waste Free Lunch
So, how do you make a waste free lunch? Obviously the first step is to ensure that your child is well fed, so if you have a special needs child that only eats two minute noodles, don’t fight it. Then get the soft plastic wrapper to RedCycle when you can.
Most kids can manage without a packet of chips one day a week, especially if you replace that packet with exciting new treats. Pretzelsor dried mango bought waste free from your local bulk food store is a family favourite.
If your child is one of the kids that just wants to grab their packet of chips then give Reusable Storage Bags 10 Pack a try. Of course these really only fit the purpose if you can rely on your child to bring these home to be reused.
We put our family name on lunch box containers. Then, when one child comes home with the other’s lunch box that they’ve found in the playground they feel rather chuffed with themselves for saving the day.
If anyone knows how to buy shares in Kewpie please tell me so I can give them to Livy for her birthday.
Of course, you can never go past fruit that comes with it’s own wrapper like a trusty banana or apple. Let’s face it, kids eat better when they are at school when they can’t raid the pantry. We need to get all the fruit and vegetables we can in their lunch boxes.
Lunch box options
There is no denying that most of us “eat with our eyes” as Olivia announced one night at dinner. She was about six years old and didn’t approve of Mark’s plating up that night.
A fancy lunch box is likely to get your kids excited about lunch, and less likely to be left in the playground. Lightweight plastic bento boxes are a great option. For smaller kids I find lunchboxes with smaller sections and lots of food options very handy.
My youngest child also loves plain rice, or rice with tuna and Kewpie mayo in the Thermos Stainless King™ Insulated Food Jar. It keeps food hot or cold, and comes with a nifty folding spoon. Insulated food jars would also be great to keep foods or breakfast smoothies in for later.
If your kid is one that forgets their lunchbox I strongly suggest a stainless steel version that washes up easily. These have been a favourite in my house for years, and are also what I pack for myself when I go hiking.
Food choices
So far, a great hack has been getting the kids to pack their own lunch boxes. Kids know how hungry they are going to be throughout the day, and what they feel like eating. They also know if they don’t pack enough healthy foods then I will take over again and treats will be highly restricted. Yes, Mum has to play bad cop.
My best hack was growing our own food with my kids before they were even eating solids. Perhaps that’s why they don’t eat so many vegetables that I’m purchasing from the shops. Now is the time to get back out growing our own food, you can do it too. Start with one plant that your kids like to eat and let’s see what happens together.
Do you have any great lunch ideas to share, or maybe a question about waste free lunches? Leave a comment and lets see the changes we can make together to care for people and planet.
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