5 Budget-Friendly Ideas For Healthy Kids Lunch Boxes

By Sam Milner

When it comes to school packed lunches, it can be a real challenge. The school says you must have certain foods, your kids say they don’t like those foods, you want your kids eating healthily, but, at the same time, there is never enough hours in the day. Add to this a tight budget and you’re often left stumped.

Here are 5 budget friendly ideas for your kids’ school packed lunch that are all made in the air fryer and easy to batch ahead so that you are not stressed on busy school mornings.

1. The Egg Bites Of Their Dreams

When we travelled through Europe I made a massive batch of these and they became the road trip snack. They are filling and are also perfect for lunch boxes too. But what are they you may wonder? They are like mini muffins but made of omelette ingredients. Because they are like a typical omelette just in a different shape, you can use any of your favourite omelette fillings. We love ours with red pepper and cheese, but you can also use spinach, mushrooms, grated carrots and so many other vegetables. But you want your kids to love what goes into their lunch boxes so let them help you choose the fillings.

But it gets even better, you can batch these egg bites in bulk, freeze them in freezer bags and then defrost them as you need them.

To make them simply chop up your chosen veggies into small similar-sized chunks, then divide them equally among six silicone egg cups and spread out over the bases. Crack the eggs into a bowl or mixing jug and beat with a fork. Stir in the milk and herb of choice (we like oregano) and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture carefully over the vegetables until the cups are 80 per cent full. Place the egg cups carefully into the air fryer basket and air fry at 180ºC/360ºF for 15 minutes, or until the egg cups are fully set. Serve warm or cold.

2. Mix & Match Tortilla Chips

Our 8-year-old loves to make these to take to school. You take a pack of Weight Watchers Wraps or similar, brush them with your favourite seasoning and a little extra virgin olive oil. Then cut into triangles with scissors and air fry. The kids can then choose which seasoning they would like and love helping make these. You can then pair them with a dip or have them as a healthier option to a packet of crisps.

If you store your tortilla chips in an airtight container you can make them in bulk and then have them for a few days packed lunches.

3. Chickpeas Are Not Just For Hummus

Chickpeas are another favourite and also filling for the kids. You can drain a can of chickpeas, add it to a bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil and some dried seasoning, mix and air fry. They taste crispy like crisps and because of the fibre, fill the kids up quicker than you would think.

You can do the same thing with canned lentils and they make a delicious crispy treat for the kids.

This is my favourite for something that is filling and budget friendly, because you can stock up on the canned products when on offer at the supermarket and then always have a cupboard full.

4. Chicken Is Your Best Friend

Kids love their chicken so having some delicious recipes to rotate can work very well with them. Get them involved in the marinades and they can make them with you and then they can see what they are making, feel the ingredients and are likely to then be less fussy. Our kids favourite is the coriander lime one from my book Air Fryer Easy Everyday. Then you can marinate the chicken with them, air fry and slice it into chicken snack bags. It can be used for salads, healthy pastas and chicken sandwiches for the packed lunches.

Or if chicken sandwiches are more your plan then opt for boneless chicken thighs or drumsticks because they are often cheaper and shred very well once they have been air fried.

5. Make Flapjacks

Another great is to make some flapjacks with the kids. You can mix and match the ingredients to make them healthier. You can also add in some dried fruit, and it will make them feel like they have a delicious dessert in their packed lunch without it being full of unhealthy ingredients.

Alternatively, form the mixture into cookie shapes and you have oat biscuits instead.

These are just 5 simple ideas to make school packed lunches healthy, without breaking the bank. They are all easy to make in the air fryer and best of all they are filling, so even your teenage boys will be satisfied.

Sam and Dom Milner are the co-authors of Air Fryer Easy Every Day: 140 super-simple delicious recipes (£20, White Lion Publishing) and founders of Recipethis.com