Preparing healthy and yummy school lunches can be easy with advance planning and the right choice of food products. Check out these top tips from FreshToHome.
Sending children back to school or getting them ready to attend school for the first time can be an overwhelming and emotional experience for most parents, especially in the post-pandemic world. But preparing your child’s lunch box does not need to be a cause of additional stress, even if your child is a picky or fussy eater.
FreshToHome.com, one of the top e-groceries in the UAE, is a one-stop-shop for busy parents who need to prepare quick but wholesome school lunches for children of different age groups.
You can choose from a wide selection of fresh poultry, meat, fish and seafood, fruits and veggies, bakery and pantry items, ready-to-cook range and seasonal items, available on FreshToHome’s user-friendly app (iOS and Android) and website.
What’s more, all FreshToHome products are 100 per cent Clean Label, with 0 per cent chemicals, hormones, antibiotics or preservatives, with a money-back guarantee on the food’s quality and taste.
Osman Alam, an American expat based in Dubai, says he buys food from FreshToHome because he wants to ensure that his kids always eat chemical- and antibiotic-free products. Another happy customer, Syliva, an Indian expat in Dubai, says her daughter enjoys chicken products only from FreshToHome. “If I buy them from the supermarket, she can always tell the difference. What’s more, recently my son has also become a fan of the chicken lollipops,” she adds.
FreshToHome’s top ready-to-cook and marinated products, appreciated by young consumers, include chicken spring rolls, chicken cutlets, cocktail chicken samosas, gourmet chicken kiddy nuggets, marinated chicken lollipops, parmesan risotto balls, peri peri chicken drumsticks, chargrilled chicken wings, vegetable dumplings, zinger popcorn and zinger chicken fillet.
To make yummy and healthy sandwiches, you can also purchase the region’s first ever preservative-free sliced sandwich bread (white, wholewheat and multi-seed) from FreshToHome.
Tips for nutritious school lunches
Here are some valuable tips from FreshToHome’s experts on how you can prepare tasty but nutritious school lunches.
Plan ahead
This may take some time but knowing what to pack and preparing all the ingredients in advance will ensure you are never late for school drop offs due to lunch preps. It might also help reduce grocery bills as you can look for low-price products and benefit from ongoing promotions.
Have a snack drawer in the fridge and a dedicated pantry shelf for school lunch items. Restock it every week so that you have enough variety and the right portions available.
Get the kids involved
While preparing lunch, educate your children on food choices, categorising them as healthy, not-so-good and occasional, rather than as good and bad. Ask them for lunch ideas. Let older children pack their own lunch boxes.
Make it easy
Choose products from FreshToHome’s ready-to-cook, ready-to-eat and marinated range, which can be prepared within a few minutes.
Make it healthy
If you want your child to eat healthily, add complex carbs to the lunch box as they help sustain energy and provide protein for building muscle plus fats for brain development and satiety. Sources include fresh veggie sticks of cucumbers, carrots, celery etc. and fruits such as apples, bananas, plums and berries.
Pack a range of protein options, which can be meat, veggie or vegan snacks. For example, you can make crispy samosas, chicken and cheese sticks, sausages, etc. and also add some yogurt or a bottle of milk.
Make it interesting
To ensure your child is always excited about lunch breaks, pair kid-friendly ready-to-cook meals with fresh fruits and veggies.
