The Batch Lady’s lunchbox hacks to save you time and money
With the kids back to school next week, the thought of making packed lunches everyday might feel like a chore - but say goodbye to soggy sandwiches!
Suzanne Mulholland will be bringing all the inspiration to help you pimp up your packed lunch. Not only will her batch-cooking tips save you money, they’ll get you and your children excited for lunchtime and hopefully eating healthier alternatives too.
Bento BoxesBento boxes are a great way of having the kids’ whole lunch in one tub. They have lots of different sections for snacks etc, without using multiple different tupperware boxes.
Pasta SaladsBuying a big bag of pasta for 47p at the start of the week means you can change up what goes in it to mix it up - pesto and sweetcorn, tuna mayo and veggies, or cream cheese and ham.
Batch Cook BakingBuying cookies, cakes and sweet treats can get very expensive. make a big batch at the start of the week, for example healthy flapjacks or raisin cookies and freezing them. This way you can grab out what you need in the morning, and defrosted by lunch.
Sandwiches, Bagels and WrapsVariety is key as it stops packed lunches being boring, but variety can be expensive and wasteful. Instead use your freezer, buy a selection of bagels, bread, pitas and wraps at the beginning of the week, take out what you need for the week ahead and freeze the rest.
Pizza PinwheelsBored of sandwiches? Why not try making pinwheels with pizza dough, you can cook these from frozen in the morning and pack them in their lunch boxes.Snack IdeasYoghurts: Buy large tubs of greek yoghurt and flavour them with berries and honey. Or freeze shop bought ones to make a frozen yoghurt snack.
Egg muffins: These are so easy to make and you can easily change up the flavours, such as ham and cheese, tomato and spinach, blueberry and raspberry £1.50 for 10 muffins!
Dips: Hummus, Tzatziki, Yoghurt, Peanut butter
Crudites: Carrots, cucumber, breadsticks, apple slices, crackers
Raisins and dried fruit: These are a great healthy snack and keep for long periods of time, buy in big bags and distribute them to save some money. 12p per portion!
Tips to save money
Drop a brand. Buy own brand products to save you money.
Buying raisins, packets of crisps, biscuits etc in bulk and portioning out day today will really save you money.
Don't give each child a water bottle and fill it up daily with diluting juice, thisis much cheaper.
Invest in a good quality water bottle. This will last a long time! Stainless steel bottles are heavyduty and keep drinks cool in the summer months.