Amidst rising food prices, many financially stressed parents are hunting for ways to save on school lunches. As a guide, the food experts at Eskort have put together some handy tips and recipes for nutritious lunch boxes that won’t break the bank.
Melindi Wyma, Group Technical Manager of Eskort and professional food scientist, notes that nutritious, balanced lunches are not only crucial for your children’s growth and development but are also key to instilling children with healthy eating habits that will stand them in good stead for the future.
“School lunches set the standard for the types of foods that children should be eating as part of their daily routines. The good news is that with a few small changes to your shopping routine and a bit of planning, you can save huge amounts of time, effort and money on school meals.”
Here are five simple tips for busy parents to kickstart 2022 on a healthy note:
1. Consider your choice of protein
Protein is crucial for active children and teens on-the-go, given its importance to muscle health, bone strength and hormone production. Notably, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein for children between the ages of four and eight years is 19 grams per day, rising to 34 grams per day for pre-teens between nine and 13 years, and between 46 and 52 grams for adolescents below 18 years.
“But when times are tough, a simple and highly effective money-saver for parents is simply to swap expensive protein sources such as beef for an affordable meat such as pork. At around half the cost of beef and just a third of the price of lamb or mutton, this simple switch already means significant savings,” says Wyma.
For example, where Statistics South Africa revealed that meat prices had risen 8,5% year-on-year in November 2021, pork prices actually decreased last year. This means that pork is currently offering households even better value for money, she explains.
According to Medical News Today, pork also contains all nine essential amino acids, which are vital for physical and mental performance, and support functions ranging from growth and energy to hormone regulation, immune strength and mood control.
2. Prepare meals the night before
Another big money-saver is “smart” lunchbox preparation that can be done quickly the night before rather than reaching for expensive pre-packaged food when rushing out the door in the morning.
“Meal preparation does not need to be time-consuming, and it represents a great opportunity to get your children involved and show them some basic cooking skills. This will also gradually teach them to take responsibility for their own meals, which is an important life-skill for the future,” Wyma says.
“For example, for a healthy meal that will still tempt their tastebuds, there are many fun and interesting variations on sandwiches you can try using classic lunchbox heroes such as ham and polony – meats that particularly appeal to children.
“These sandwiches can easily be prepared the night before, and with some minor changes or adjustments to your recipe each day, you can avoid monotony while providing a delicious, nutritious lunchbox that is still the envy of all your children’s friends.”
3. Add easily packable foods
It is common for busy parents to fall back on expensive snacks such as chips and chocolates to top up lunchboxes during hectic school mornings. A good alternative, however, is to rather stock up on easily packable fruits and vegetables such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, grapes, berries or even sugar snap peas, as well as proteins such as rolled up slices of ham, viennas or sticks of cheese.
“Not only are these snacks highly affordable but usually more filling for your children as well, offering more bang for your buck in addition to their nutritional benefits.”
4. Create weekly meal plans
Research shows that between 40% and 80% of all shopping is the result of impulse buying – which is exactly why creating a weekly meal plan is so crucial to budgeting and saving on groceries, cautions Wyma.
“By creating a weekly meal plan and drawing up a careful grocery shopping list, you can avoid the temptation to buy lunchbox and food items that you don’t need, potentially saving thousands of rands in wasteful spending each month.”
5. Make frozen grapes a staple
Looking for a quick and inexpensive way to keep lunchboxes cool? Then add some frozen grapes to lunchboxes each morning.
“The grapes will thaw by lunchtime, offering your children an added healthy snack, and can double as ice packs in the meantime,” notes Wyma.
QUIRKY “SKAFTIN” RECIPES
As lunchbox inspiration, Eskort has provided three quick, quirky and inexpensive “skaftin” recipes for parents and children to experiment with.
Ham and Cheese Wrap-Ups
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 8 minutes | Total Cooking Time: 18 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- Eskort Picnic Ham, thinly sliced
- 4 wraps
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
- 1 cup grated cheese
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Fill wraps with sweet chilli, ham and cheese, then roll them up. Cut the wraps into four and place two by two of the cut wraps into muffin tins. Bake for 8 minutes and remove.
Tip: These can be made in advance and baked in the morning or the night before.
Donut-Shaped Sarmies
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- Eskort Chopped Ham Roll sliced into 0,5cm slices
- 8 slices white bread
- ¼ cup butter or margarine
- 2 tablespoons marmite
- 4 slices processed cheese
Method:
Combine marmite and butter in a small bowl. Spread on slices of bread. Add a slice of cheese and chopped ham. These sandwiches can be cut with a cookie cutter into all shapes and sizes for your little ones to enjoy.
Serve: Serve with their favourite fruit and drink.
Cheesy Polony Waffles
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 8 minutes | Total Time: 18 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Eskort French Polony, grated
- 2 cups white Cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 cups of bread or crusts cut into pieces
- 4 eggs
Method:
Heat your waffle iron or toasted sandwich maker. In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Fill the waffle iron or toaster and cook for 4-5 minutes per side.