As a parent, I know it can be difficult ensuring your kids are getting all the nutrients they need on a daily basis. A problem many parents face is what to put in their lunchbox that they will actually eat come lunchtime. This is especially difficult for families with members who have a gluten intolerance, as it rules out the age-old sandwich.

Frozen food has always held a special place in my heart, most likely due to the fact that it made up a lot of my diet when I was young. While that maybe wasn’t the best for my development, there are frozen food brands now which are healthy and are transparent about their ingredients.

There are some tasty ideas: vegan chicken tenders, and cauliflower burgers for example.

Here are some healthy frozen food options, which you can cook up the night before or the morning of, and put in your kids lunchbox.

Dr Praeger’s

After a few months of trying different healthy frozen food brands, I’ve settled on Dr Praeger’s range. They use predominantly fresh ingredients and offer gluten-free, non-GMO, soy-free, and vegan options.

The following lunch box fillers were made using Dr Praeger’s products, but you can substitute them for other brands, or even for fresh.

The Importance of Preference

In my experience, I’ve learnt that it’s of the utmost importance to encourage your children to find out what they like, and what they don’t. This can give you an idea of what they will be happy to eat, and what they might be reluctant to eat. With this knowledge you can prepare lunches which contain things they like, along with all the nutrients they need to grow. 

The most important preferences to consider are of course any dietary restrictions in your family, which are either related to personal belief or health conditions.

Vegan Lunch Box Fillers

Thanks to the increase in popularity of the vegan diet, there are a huge amount of vegan frozen food options available. Dr Praeger’s alone has almost 40 different vegan frozen food items, so here are some easy lunch box fillers from them.

Healthy Burgers for Lunch

The idea that burgers are innately unhealthy is directly related to the fact that it is one of the most common fast foods available in the United States. Using Dr Praeger’s plant protein burger sliders, you can equip your children with the components to make themselves a healthy burger at school.  

Here are some tips for making healthy burgers as a lunchbox filler:

• Be sure to use wholemeal buns as they are high in complex carbohydrates. Celiacs can find healthy gluten-free options, or even just substitute lettuce leaves as the bun.
• Cook the patty in the morning, and allow it to cool slightly before wrapping it in aluminum foil and putting it in their lunchbox
• Keep dry and moist components separate in the lunchbox, they will love putting together their burger when it comes to lunchtime
• Older kids may require a bit more food, check out Dr Praeger’s Cauliflower burger patties or any of their other plant protein patties which come in larger sizes.

Gluten-Free Lunchbox Fillers

As previously stated, prepping your kids lunch when they suffer from celiacs disease can be a headache. Most children at school will be eating some sort of sandwich, so finding something completely different and special just for them can be a great way to get them excited about lunch.

Chick’n Nibbles

Thanks to modern media, kids have been trained to want things like burgers, chips, fried chicken, and all sorts of other fast foods. There are now healthy alternatives which are almost impossible to differentiate from the real thing, and utilizing this is easy. Dr Praeger’s gluten-free Classic Chick’n Tenders are perfect for this, and look and taste just like the real thing. 

Here are some tips for making vegan chicken tenders a lunchbox filler:

• Find a sealable ramekin to put your kid’s favorite condiment/s in. This will also save you time on cleaning up a messy lunchbox
• Cook them the morning before school, and wrap them in aluminum foil once they’ve cooled
• This can be turned into a D.I.Y burrito by simply adding a few vegetables in a separate container, and putting a gluten-free wrap in the lunchbox too. Making it more suitable for older children and teenagers

Little Bits for Little Mouths

Remember that an integral part of your children’s development is ensuring they are getting enough food each day. Do some of your own research into how much food is recommended for children of the same age.

You can also make up the space in their lunchbox with other things like Dr Praeger’s Oatmeal Littles which are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and vegan.