I’ve been writing a whole series all about one of my favourite topics – making the most of nutrients in our childrens’ meals.
I think it’s really important that we share ideas and help support other parents – parenting is HARD and if there are any “easy wins” we all should know about it! So this blog is all about how to add extra nutrients into my child’s lunch. You can check out my other blogs in the series on adding extra nutrients to your child’s breakfast, dinner and snacks too!
Lunchtime with kids
Lunchtime can be super easy and I tend to focus on finger foods and picnic style lunches for the meal in the middle of the day. It’s always nice to have one meal which is really minimal effort to make! I always talk about buffet meals or fridge raid meals which can make life a little easier when feeding little ones.
However, it doesn’t have to be hard when it comes to balancing the meals they have at lunch. I’m going to cover a few typical “lunch” options here and will cover bigger meals next week when I write about getting extra nutrients into dinners.
Sandwiches
Sandwiches don’t have to be cheese OR ham (although you wouldn’t believe it if you saw any child’s menu at some cafes!). I always try to think about different food groups when I’m putting together Sandwiches don’t have to be cheese OR ham (although you wouldn’t believe it if you saw any child’s menu at some cafes!). I always try to think about different food groups when I’m putting together sandwiches for Raffy and Ada, so that it’s not just bread and one other food group. There are so many ways you can spice up their sandwiches and these are some of the options that I LOVE to include:
- Cream cheese, cucumber and thinly chopped lettuce – includes dairy and veggies
- Marmite and cheese – adds B vitamins and dairy
- Hummus and red pepper – adds protein/iron and a 5-a-day portion
- Peanut butter and banana – protein/iron and one of their 5-a-day
- Tuna, plain yogurt and sweetcorn/tomato – fish (protein, iron), dairy and 5-a-day
- Salmon and cucumber (with yogurt too?) – fish (protein, omega-3 and iron), dairy and 5-a-day
- Ham, lettuce and tomato – protein and 5-a-day
Varying up the TYPE of bread you use is a great way to switch up the nutrients too – wraps, rolls, bagels, English muffins, pitta breads, crackers and rye bread are all great options for kids “sandwiches” and this helps to add variety into their diet as well as a whole host of other nutrients/fibre. Choosing seeded (for older kids), wholegrain and white options is great too, as long as you vary the type that a little one is having, it’s going to ensure they aren’t getting too much of anything, but also that they aren’t missing out on anything either. For more about fibre for babies and toddlers, check out this blog.
Other ingredients I like to include to add extras at lunchtimes:
- Offer a dip – this is a fab way of getting extra nutrients in – hummus, tahini, babaganoush, or just yogurt with a little mint for example are all tasty ways of adding extra nutrients into a meal
- Add some sprinkles – if you’re making a soup or a salad (or have some from the shops), why not think about adding in some extras on tops – ground nuts, milled seeds, flaked almonds or some chopped dried fruits can work.
- Add a side – it’s so easy to chop up some salad or veggie sticks and have them on the side with any lunch – I usually choose cucumber, peppers, or some tinned sweetcorn as easy, go to options!
- Add some beans – whether you’re having sandwiches, or a more formal lunch, adding in some chickpeas, kidney beans or lentils can be an easy win for many meals too. For example stir kidney beans into pasta sauce, have some baked (mixed) beans on the side or make some roasted chickpeas to scatter on soups and salads (for younger babies the beans might need to be mashed a little)
- Spread or stir it on – as well as dips you can add spreads to the top of toasts, or dollop peanut butter, cream cheese or yogurt into dishes you’re making. For example, we always have peanut butter in a stir fry and you can add yogurt or cream to pasta sauces too.
All of this doesn’t take a huge amount of effort, but can make a big difference to the nutrition of your little one’s meals.
Other lunch ideas
- Hummus on toast is another quick and easy option at home (you can see my butter bean hummus recipe here if you’re after a homemade version) and I’d usually combine this with some finger food veggies too max out the nutrients
- Pitta pizzas or English muffin pizzas are also great for lunch and you can top them with as many food groups as you need – dairy with cheeses, veggies and protein with strips of chicken, fish or blended lentils in the sauce.
- Omelette is also a great one and I’ve been seeing loads of fab recipes recently for mini omelette muffins – these can include cheese, protein and veggies too – making a nice, balanced lunch. This baby frittata recipe is another simple and nutritious option, too!
When it comes to lunch, it’s also easy to balance out lunch by adding a dose of protein, veggies or dairy on the side e.g. a small handful of chopped blueberries, a few slices of banana, some mashed avocado or carrot fingers, a boiled egg, a dollop of hummus, a piece of cheese or a small yogurt.
Adding foods with vitamin C (mainly fruit and veggies) is also great for helping with iron absorption from foods such as hummus, fish and egg too.
Don’t forget you can add small amounts of herbs and spices to lunches too – think dill in fish and yogurt sandwiches, cress with egg, basil or oregano on pizzas or chives with cream cheese. As always, they won’t add masses of extra nutrients, but they will help to add new and delicious flavours to your children’s meals, along with a few extra nutrients too.
I hope you found this helpful.
Check out the other posts in this series for more tips!
How To Get Extra Nutrients Into My Child’s Breakfast
How To Get Extra Nutrients Into My Child’s Dinner
How to Get Extra Nutrients Into My Child’s Snacks
