The Travelling Lunchbox

This recipe was featured in the One Handed Cooks Magazine Issue #1. Yep, you can buy it online while stocks last here. For more great recipe ideas pick up the latest mag today in Coles and all good Newsagents. 

Are you out and about often with your baby or toddler?  Do you pack commercial packaged food for your children to eat while you are out because you are worried about food safety, despite all the delicious and healthy home cooked food you have at home?

It’s natural to worry about food poisoning affecting your children.  Infants and toddlers are susceptible to food poisoning so it is important to pack their lunch boxes properly to prevent this.

Bacteria responsible for causing food poisoning grows between 5 – 60°C.  Keeping cold food cold and hot food hot will prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.  By packing your child’s lunch or snack box appropriately you can continue to offer them all your home cooked delights without the worry of food poisoning.

OHC’s tips for packing the travelling lunchbox:

• Firstly, safe food preparation and food storage is essential.
• Make sure you have clean hands when handling food.
• Invest in an insulated lunchbox or cooler bag to help maintain a safe temperature.
• Pack a small, frozen bottle of water or small icepack in your child’s lunchbox next to the food that needs to be kept cold.
• Include items that do not need to be kept cold or require reheating.
• If you have hot food that needs to be reheated ensure that it is reheated to piping hot.  (Allowing it to cool to an appropriate temperature before you serve it to your child of course). Many cafe’s and restaurants will be happy to re-heat food for you.
• If you are outside, keep your child’s lunchbox out of the direct sunlight and away from heat.
• If you are packing your child’s lunchbox in advance keep it in the fridge until you need to leave the house.
• At the end of the day be sure to throw out any perishable food that doesn’t get eaten.

Here are some of our recipes that we think are perfect for the travelling lunchbox.

Cold foods:

• Cut up cheese sticks
• Vegetable sticks
• Cut up fruit
• Savoury muffins 
• Savoury fritters
• Simple sandwiches
• Sweet muffins 
• Vegetable dips and pita bread
• Chickpea bitties 
• Cheesy quinoa puffs 
• Pizza rounds 
• Vegetable rice cakes 
• Zucchini slice 

Room temperature:

• Oven baked chips 
• Dried fruit pack
• Toasted muesli 
• Apricot coconut muesli balls 
• Fruity cookies 
• Chew-me fruit oat bars 
• Cheesy vegemite scrolls
• Sweet puff pastry twirls 
• Honey carrot chips
  

More lunchbox and healthy snack recipes & inspiration:

• 35 portable healthy snacks for kids
• 40 snack ideas for a healthy lunchbox