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    You are here: Home / Recent Posts / Lunch Box Recipes | Kids Lunchbox Recipes

    Lunch Box Recipes | Kids Lunchbox Recipes

    Last Updated On: Jun 12, 2024 by Sharmilee J

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    Lunch Box Recipes ideal for moms to prepare for school and work is given in this post. It is suitable for school kids and office goers too. Lunch Box Recipes presented here are a combo of main course & side dish ideas that are nutritious & delicious and at the same time quick and easy to cook for moms.

    I have categorized the extensive range of Lunch Box Recipes menu into Bread, Tiffin, Rice recipes which can offer a good menu variation from Monday to Friday and are completely vegetarian for a reason. Though pictures represent kids lunchbox you can very well make use of the same for elders and office goers too. I still have readers who mail me saying this menu is what I pack for my husband, uncle, mother, kids etc.

    Jump to:
    • Lunch Box Recipes
    • Lunchbox Recipes
    • Lunchbox Monday to Friday
    • Serving
    • FAQS
    • 📖 Recipe Card

    Lunch Box Recipes

    Lunch Box Recipes is a collection of main course & side dish ideas that are nutritious & delicious and at the same time quick and easy to cook for moms for school and work.

    Lunch Box Menu decision is a challenging task than cooking the menu itself. We have thousands of options to choose from but what we can cook for the lunch box for that day is a thousand dollar question each day moms come across – that’s how I landed up writing this post.

    The next puzzling factor is the likes & dislikes of each of the members in the family. Mittu and Gugu are different extremes in their choice of food – Mittu loves more of North Indian & Global cuisine while Gugu loves more of South Indian cuisine. School / Office timing, Recipe cooking time & easiness, our kitchen inventory / stock, occasions, healthy options, etc are other deciding factors for Lunch Box Menu for a day.

    I have made an attempt here accommodating all the above factors to organise the lunch box menu ideas and presented Lunch Box Recipe Combos which are nutritious & delicious and at the same time quick & easy to cook for moms.

    Lunchbox Recipes

    Have included 50 lunchbox ideas here :

    peas pulao with baby corn toast
    phulka, rice, dal with gobi curry
    chapathi noodles with sauce and cut apples
    aloo paratha with capsicum raita and sprouts
    vegetable fried with tomato ketchup and cut papaya
    vegetable bread upma with cucumber
    veg bread sandwich with pomegranate, almonds and figs
    rice, dal and kadai paneer
    rajma paratha and peas masala
    carrot rice with peanut sundal
    chana pulao with vegetable kurma
    chapathi paneer butter masala and biscuits
    carrot cheese paratha with sauce and cereal for snacks
    paneer fried rice
    capsicum pulao with curd
    curry leaves rice with chow chow kootu and vadam
    cooked pasta with pasta sauce and cheese
    ghee rice, phulka and matar mushroom
    mini rava  idli with tiffin sambar
    phulka aloo matar subji
    rice, mochai kuzhambu and chow chow kootu
    beetroot pulao with onion raita
    laccha paratha with dal
    roti, dum aloo and chana sundal
    puli sadam  with carrot kootu
    rasam rice, curd rice with coriander thogayal
    lemon rice with plantain curry
    chana biryani with carrot raita
    peanut rice with carrot stir fry and vadam
    mini idli with tiffin sambar
    sweet corn fried rice with aloo gobi masala and cut watermelon
    coconut rice with potato fry and papad
    chapathi chana masala
    idli tomato chutney
    vegetable podi idli
    methi thepla with tomato sauce along with carrot cucumber
    vegetable pulao
    sweet corn vegetable fried rice
    jeera rice with mushroom do pyaza
    mini poori with potato masala nad cherrios
    podi idli with watermelon and carrot
    baby corn 65 rice
    rice,carot sambar and beans poriyal
    vegetable kati roll
    phulka, jeera rice and aloo bhindi
    phulka with capsicum gravy
    gobi paratha with boondi raita
    rajma chawal
    rice and kadai vegetable
    vegetable biryani with onion raita

    Lunchbox Monday to Friday

    I organise & plan for the week with Lunchbox ideas in the following way like how they categorize Movies in Sun TV. I keep this as a general outline and may not be strict to books (as here we need not be!)

    • Tiffin & Leftover Monday – Morning Tiffin menu or Biryani, Gravy, other grand weekend menu leftovers – I try to make small variation or add an side dish and pack it for lunch for Monday as I wish to come out of the Monday blues. Idli Podi Toast, Kathi rolls with Sunday side dish, Vegetable Podi Idli, Mini Idli / Dosa / Oothappam and Tiffin Sambar/ Tomato Chutney are some of the options.
    • Rice Tuesday – Ideal rice meal with white rice, sambar / gravy and curry I plan on Tuesdays. Menu like Rasam Rice, Curd Rice and Potato Fry Combo, Rice, Dal and Kadai Paneer Combo, Rice, Carrot Sambar, Beans Poriyal Combo, Rice and Vegetable Gravy Combo, Rajma Chawal and Rice Combo.
    • Bread Wednesday – Roti, Phulka, Flat Bread, Bread are my choice on Wednesdays. Options are Aloo Paratha, Capsicum Raita & Sprouts Stir Fry Combo, Triangle Roti, Dum Aloo & Chana Sundal, Veg Bread Sandwich, Fruits and Nuts Combo, Chapathi & Chana Masala combo, Gobi / Rajma Paratha & Peas Masala Combo, Methi Thepla, Sauce & fresh veggies Combo, Chapathi & Paneer Butter MasalaCombo, Carrot Cheese Paratha, Phulka & Matar Mushroom / Capsicum Gravy Combo, Phulka with Aloo Matar Subji / Aloo Bhindi Combo, Lachha Paratha with Green Gram Dal.
    • Variety Thursday – Variety rice which can be extended for lunch at home I plan for Thursdays! Options include Peas / Beetroot Pulao and Baby Corn Toast Combo, Lemon Rice and Raw Banana Curry Combo, Peanut Rice, Carrot Stir Fry and Vadam Combo, Coconut rice, Potato fry and Papad Combo, Carrot Rice and Peanut Sundal Combo, Jeera rice and Mushroom Do Pyaza Combo, Capsicum / Curry Leaves / Ghee / Tamarind Rice with Carrot Kootu.
    • Kids Favorite Friday – Kids choice predominantly on Fridays. Chapati Noodles, Vegetable Fried Rice, Sauce and Papaya Combo, Vegetable Bread Upma with Cucumber Salad, Sweet Corn Pulao with Aloo Gobi Masala, Chana / Veg Pulao with Veg Kuruma, Pasta meal, Baby Corn Rice, Veg Biryani, Onion Raita.
    • Festive / Occasions Menu – On Birthdays, Anniversaries and during festivals I choose one among the kids favourite menu or festive menu like Sweet Corn / Paneer Fried Rice, Mini Poori and Potato Masala, Pasta meal, Veg Biryani & Raita.

    Kids Lunchbox Short Videos – This is what I pack for kids lunchbox today:

    Video Playlist

    Serving

    I have a good collection of lunch boxes – Round, Square, with & without inside partition / boxes.

    I use only steel containers for packing mittus lunch box.I use them based on the menu – Like I pack rice and gravy in different compartments of the layered carriers, use partition steel containers for roti & sabzi. I accompany the lunch box always with spoon & a towel, so that it comes handy for a clean dining. I use to send small chits / post-it when I wish to remember them for paying fees, meet teacher, special wishes or sometimes puzzles too which they are excited about.

    Mittu and Gugu are the architects of this lunch box series as their preferences, leftovers, craving, asking for repeat has shaped up the content of this post. That’s why you will see kids friendly touch in pictures, shapes and choice of menu in this lunch box series.

    Our mood during cooking is also reflected in the lunch box – a huge & 3 dish lunch box echoes happy me and a single dish dry item or lesser/over saltiness, spiciness echoes busy or tired me.

    Memories of my Lunch Box

    My Lunchbox memories reminds me of school days when friendship grew with the sharing of food & dining together. And there are days when my lunch box gets over in the breaks because of the hostel friends and I go to canteens for lunch. My mom used to send separate lunchbox during occasions and special menu days. She tried different menus as I was a very fussy eater. I still remember my friends were so excited to see my lunchbox and they loved each most of my menus, all credits to amma who was so keen in packing delicious and healthy food at the same time. As a kid I never understood the pain but now I realise it when I pack it for my kids.

    Vegetarian Menu for a reason: There are some foods that bacteria can grow and multiply on more easily than others which may lead to food poisoning within 3-4 hours of cooking under normal packaged conditions. These include meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, seafood and prepared fruit salads.

    FAQS

    1.What are the top 3 easy and tasty recipes for kids lunch box?

    • Idli, Sambar / Idli Toast
    • Roti & Dal,
    • Fried rice

    I prefer Carrot rice, Veg/Paneer Pulao and Phulka with Gobi Sabzi too.

    2.What kind of lunchboxes are best to pack?

    Hands down steel lunchboxes are the best according to me. I have used plastic tiffin boxes just for photo sake to make it look more colorful and appealing but I always use traditional steel dabbas for packing for kids. I feel even a small strip of plastic in lunchboxes is not safe – as plastic and heat is a big no and also in the morning hurry burry at times we are forced to pack food hot so it is always safe to use steel.

    3.What is the lunchbox that you use?

    Many keep asking about the details about the lunchbox and snackbox that I use for my kids(check shorts videos) so sharing the details. Right from the beginning of packing lunchbox one thing that I was very particular was to use only fully steel traditional dabbas a big no to colors / plastic / glass. Before I used to buy sambadams or square boxes(for main dish) and pair up with small dabbas(for curries)but mittu wanted a single lunchbix to carry that’s when I started to buy this clip type.

    a.Is it leak/spill proof?
    No its is not spill proof for runny liquids like sambar, rasam, curd. For gravies it does not spill if its slightly thick and goey. I ask my kids not to swing the lunchbag and keep it erect so that it does not spill.

    b.Does it keep food hot?
    No its like our regular steel boxes. My kids are used to eat food that is not hot so its not an issue for me.

    c.Where did you buy it?
    Snack boxes and lunchboxes both are from Kaaleswara Stores(Gandhipuram).

    d.What is the cost?
    I don’t really remember as its been a long time since I bought them but sure the price ranges from 300-400 rs each.

    5. Is it easy to clean? How do u clean them?
    Yes very easy to clean. I use regular dishwashing liquid when I wash using hands. But the credits should go to my dishwasher to keep it shining and look as new.😃

    6.Is this clip type tiffin box easy to open for kids?
    Initially when it was new the clip was tight and gugu needed help but mittu could open it easily. After few months usage the clip has become a bit loose that even gugu can easily open it now.

    Hope I have answered most of the frequently asked questions. Please let me know if you have any more queries.

    4.Can I extend the Lunch Box menu for lunch at home?

    Yes very much – We can make in sufficient quantities so that lunch box menu can be the same for lunch at home as well. Quick heat / steam it in stovetop or microwave before serving for lunch.

    5.What are the tips to make the lunchbox fresh at school and work?

    • When packing tiffin items for lunch box, it becomes dry – So make variations such that it could consumed without getting a dry feeling. For example, instead of plain idlies make it as Sambar Idli, instead of dosa make it as podi & onion othappam, instead of roti make it as ghee / butter roti or cook it ¾th of the usual time so that roti remains soft.
    • When packing rice meal, pack rice and gravy separately so that when rice & gravy is mixed, it gives a fresh feeling. If you have no option but to pack it together use excess of gravy so that rice does not become rice cakes for lunch.
    • Overcooked rice or if you add water more than the prescribed amounts it tends to get gluey at the time of cooking and becomes rice cakes for lunch. So cook it right and fluff the rice with 1 teaspoon of oil before packing.
    • When packing curd or raita, it becomes extra sour so add a portion of fresh milk while packing
    • Wrap roti / rolls / paratha / phulka in aluminium foil so that freshness is retained to an extent.

    6.Can I send egg recipes as sides for lunchbox?

    Eggs, meat, sea food all may tend to develop bacteria under normal packaged conditions resulting in food poisoning. Hence better to avoid them.

    If you have any more questions about this Lunch box recipes do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter .

    Tried this Lunch box recipes ? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.

    📖 Recipe Card

    LUNCHBOXRECIPES2
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    Lunch box recipes | 50 Lunchbox recipes | Kids lunchbox menu

    Lunch Box Recipes collection for packing healthy, quick and tasty food for kids, husband and family!
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Servings2 people
    AuthorSharmilee J

    Ingredients

    • rice
    • idli, dosa batter
    • roti dough
    • vegetables

    Instructions

    • Refer each recipe for accurate measure and instructions.

    Video

    Nutrition Facts
    Lunch box recipes | 50 Lunchbox recipes | Kids lunchbox menu
    Amount Per Serving (125 g)
    Calories 458 Calories from Fat 2
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 0.2g0%
    Saturated Fat 0.04g0%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.04g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g
    Sodium 251mg11%
    Potassium 29mg1%
    Carbohydrates 103g34%
    Fiber 0.3g1%
    Sugar 0.03g0%
    Protein 5g10%
    Calcium 7mg1%
    Iron 0.2mg1%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sharmispassions or tag #sharmispassions
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    Filed Under: Kids Lunchbox Series, RandomPosts, Recent Posts

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. nithya devi

      September 17, 2014 at 7:01 pm

      Very nice collection..

      Reply
    2. Ashwini Shankar

      April 10, 2015 at 2:31 am

      I hav really become a fan of yours.told my mom also to check ur recipes.

      Reply
    3. prabha shree

      July 03, 2015 at 3:29 am

      Hi sharm , very nice collection n I want to know where do u purchase variety of lunch boxes

      Reply
    4. Vaishnavi

      September 15, 2015 at 3:00 am

      Hi sharmi…this is awesome collection.great job indeed and appreciate ur hardwork n effort….just a small opinion from my side though… 90% of the rice dishes are north indian/ chinese based with basmati rice, masalas as a base….for rotis, most side dishes are cream/paneer based restaurant quality ones. Just concerned abt the calories we might end up feeding the kids.the kids may become picky as they grow up too.. We may have to include some greens like keerai kootu, salads etc which are healthier and low in calories too…and make them less picky eaters….just my opinion….pls make note of it ehen u restart the series…no offence meant….hope u took it in right spirit

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        September 15, 2015 at 5:00 am

        If you closely have a look, I have included even our south indian dishes like kootu,poriyal,curry etc…But I will sure consider ur suggestions if I plan to continue the series may be a later stage

        Reply
    5. Deeps kitchen

      March 23, 2016 at 7:09 am

      Hi , please kindly reply back,,,,i have sent u message so many times,,,please reply for this…where can i get lettuce leaves in coimbatore… ??

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        March 24, 2016 at 4:55 am

        Sorry I didnt get any msg from you dont know how it got missed…You can try at Nilgiris or Palamudhir outlet in Avinashi road

        Reply
    6. sree

      June 01, 2016 at 9:55 pm

      Thanks a ton Sharmi …for always coming to my rescue ,,,,,,be it a totally clueless cook as wife/host or a mum 🙂 loads of love and best wishes your way 🙂

      Reply
    7. Sheela

      November 16, 2016 at 11:49 pm

      The lunchbox is lovely. Where do u get it from?

      Reply
    4.80 from 10 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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