Aayi's Recipes Home

Kids’ Lunchbox

Most of my readers wanted to know some recipes which could be given in lunchbox for their kids. I have a very little knowledge in this matter. I even asked few of food bloggers about this. Since many of my food blogger buddies have school going kids, all of them might have posted one or the other ‘lunchbox recipe’ at some point.

So I request my blogger buddies and also non-bloggers to leave the links to such recipes (if you have a blog) or write the recipe as a comment to this post. It would be a great help to the mothers of school-going kids. I hope you all agree with this idea and participate with full enthusiasm.

Thank you all in advance.

Note: It is not an event that has deadlines or round up at the end. It is just a request by me to all of you.

Leave your comments...

I appreciate your time to leave feedback and help me learn and improve Aayi's Recipes. I check each and every comment you leave, and will try to respond as many as I can, appreciate your patience. Thank you.

52 Responses to “Kids’ Lunchbox”

  1. 1
    Krithika Says:

    Shilpa, this is a great idea I am constantly looking for new lunchbox ideas. Here are some items that I pack for my kids.

    http://manpasand.blogspot.com/2006/08/banana-blueberry-muffin.html

    http://manpasand.blogspot.com/2006/06/potato-pea-parantha-aloo-matar.html

    http://manpasand.blogspot.com/2006/07/spinach-adai.html

    http://manpasand.blogspot.com/2006/06/vella-appam_15.html

    http://manpasand.blogspot.com/2006/05/arf5-day.html

    Shilpa: Thanks Krithika. If you have more ideas, please link them here. Thanks again

  2. 2
    sudhavinodh Says:

    Shilpa this is one of the dish for the lunch box

    http://mysamayal.blogspot.com/2006/06/kuli-paniyaram-with-friedgram-chutney.html

    I will post more of the breakfast recipes soon..shilpa..thats a lovely topic you have created dear…

    Shilpa: Thanks for the link Sudha. Looking forward for some more recipes :).

  3. 3
    shaheen Says:

    shilpa,
    I too am a novice in lunchbox packing, so am interested in following the responses. Nice idea. can’t u do it as a meme to encourage more people?

    Shilpa: Shaheen, if I make it meme, the recipes would get dispersed in all the blogs and it is very difficult(after some time) for people to search them. If I organised the event, only few people would participate in the given time frame. If I make it ongoing event, people might just get bored of it. So finally I thought of creating a seperate page for it so that even the non-bloggers can actively participate. I hope this idea will be successful.

  4. 4
    Manisha Says:

    Hey! Check out Meeta’s blog:
    http://dailytiffin.blogspot.com/
    Her tiffins are brilliant!

    Shilpa: Manisha, ‘tumne meri mu ki baath cheenli :)’. I had recommended Meeta’s blog to many of the readers who wanted lunchbox recipes. But in a hurry I forgot to mention it yesterday. So I was thinking to link it today and you did it. Thanks a lot for reminding. ‘dailytiffin’ is indeed a great blog.
    BTW..I think your pinwheel snack can also be added to this list. Its a lovely dish.

  5. 5
    Ashwini Says:

    Shilpa thats such a nice idea…lunch box suggestions. I dont have a lot of them but here are a few -
    http://food-forthought.blogspot.com/2006/08/light-dinners-sprouts-sandwiches.html

    http://food-forthought.blogspot.com/2006/03/breakfast-for-dinner-moong-dal-chilla.html

    http://food-forthought.blogspot.com/2006/02/poetic-eggcellence-masala-toast.html

    http://food-forthought.blogspot.com/2005/12/ring-out-old-thai-noodles.html

    Hope this helps. Cheers

    Shilpa: Thanks a lot for the links Ashwini. I just had a look and all of them are great. Thanks again.

  6. 6
    vineela Says:

    Hi Shilpa,
    Looks great idea.IOnce ,I find time I WILL send the links.
    Vineela

    Shilpa: I will be looking for your recipe links Vineela. 

  7. 7
    Meeta Says:

    Hi Shilpa,

    Yes, this is indeed a great idea and I thank you and Manisha for the mention. It is very important to me to make healthy, but fun lunchboxes for my son. I admit though I have been a little lazy to link back to certain recipes from What’s for Lunch, Honey? But now as I know you all will be looking my way I will be motivated to do so.

    Hugs to you all!

    Shilpa: Meeta, as I said earlier, your site is great and if you could give the links from WFLH, it would be a great help. I read both your blogs regulary :).

  8. 8
    ash Says:

    try http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com . I am hooked to Jennifer’s lunch box recipes she features daily. She also publishes a daily verdict on how the lunchbox was rated by her son. Especially look at her archives.

    Shilpa: Ash, thanks for the link. I will have a look at it now.

  9. 9
    Asha Says:

    Here’s what I pack for my kids: Toasted or untoasted Sandwiches:
    Ham and cheese : dressings like mayo, thousand Island, Ranch, or ketchup!
    Turkey slices with/out cheese , cranberry sauce
    Pastrami, and cheddar
    Roasted chicken slices with american cheese
    Peanut butter and any jelly like grape,strawberry etc
    Mini pizzas,
    English muffins with cream cheese of choice
    Peanut butter,banana,honey ,..Elvis style
    Chicken salad, mixed with grapes, mayo, lettuce etc.
    Pasta salad
    Mac and cheese
    Tomato soup with toasted bread to dip
    One of these always with a bottled drink , apple juice, orange etc.,
    a mini snack bag chips like nacho cheese etc and
    with any pudding cup , flavored yoghurt ,apple sauce, fruit cup for dessert
    I will think of some more and let you know including Indian without gravy!

  10. 10
    Asha Says:

    Some websites you can out for school Lunch ideas:
    http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/family/specialfeature/backtoschool_food_sf/

    http://southernfood.about.com/cs/lunchboxideas/a/school_lunch.htm

    http://www.danasview.net/lunch.htm

    http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/parents/school-lunch.asp

    http://www.budget101.com/Bag%20Lunches.htm

    Shilpa: Thanks a lot for those lunchbox ideas and the links Asha. Feel free to leave a comment here anytime if something else pops up your mind. Thanks again.

  11. 11
    Shilpa Says:

    While googling, I found the following link at ammas.com. Looks like a great treasure of lunchbox recipes.

    http://www.ammas.com/topics/Recipes/a120066.html

  12. 12
    Manasi Says:

    Hi Shilpa,
    How about a ‘thalipeeth’? it is filling and non-messy….. take a peek

    http://acookatheart.blogspot.com/2006/08/thalipeeth.html

    OR a Subway ?

    http://acookatheart.blogspot.com/2006/08/subway-myway.html

    Shilpa: Thanks a lot for the links Manasi.

  13. 13
    Vaishali Says:

    Shilpa,
    I never knew about this request because I was away until yesterday morning. Anyway, this is what I have got to offer on my blog.

    http://happyburp.blogspot.com/2006/08/narayan-kataar-my-mils-version-of-nan.html

    http://happyburp.blogspot.com/2006/06/berry-easy-yoghurt-cake.html

    http://happyburp.blogspot.com/2006/07/tikhat-mithaacha-sanja-maharashtrian.html

    Thanks for making a separate page for this. It is easy to refer to it that way.

    Shilpa: Thanks Vaishali for those links. Hope all of you would add more and more to this list. I am also browsing internet to find more, let me see how it goes.

  14. 14
    Rajeshwari Kantamneni Says:

    Hi Shilpa,

    Thanks for visiting my blog. I haven’t been posting any lunch box recipes recently and most of mine will be lunch box ideas for adults from now on.

    The link below should take one too all my lunch box posts.

    http://gastronomicaladventures.com/culinaryblog/category/lunch-box/

    Shilpa: Thanks Rajeshwari for that link. I have gone thr’ your blog and found many good lunchbox ideas. Thats the reason I requested you to leave a comment here :). 

  15. 15
    madhuli Says:

    Hey Shilpa to start with I am posting the following link from my blog:
    http://foodcourt.wordpress.com/2006/08/04/quick-n-easy-methi-fenugreekparathas/

    more will follow.

  16. 16
    madhuli Says:

    and one more
    http://foodcourt.wordpress.com/2006/08/22/spiced-walnut-ring/
    Shilpa: Thanks Madhuli. If you think of anything else, please leave a link here :).

  17. 17
    Shilpa Says:

    http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/2006/09/10/toll-house-cookies/

  18. 18
    Rooma Says:

    Which blogspot is your site on????? or is it an independant site?

    Shilpa: Rooma, my site is hosted on wordpress.

  19. 19
    Usha Says:

    Here are few items that I pack for my pre-schooler. Basically I need to make simple ones that take less time and can be prepared by my husband too.
    We always pack ‘drinkable yougurt’ or any other flavoured yogurt with his lunch.

    1. Alu paratha. You have mentioned this in your blog itself. I put just potato instead of all vegetables. http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2006/08/31/vegetable-paratha-easy-way/
    2. Plain chapatis with pudding or mango jam.When I put mango jam, I make it like a roll & he loves it.Your chapati recipe is here
    http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2006/07/30/chapathi-and-phulkas/
    3. Maggi. My husband just boils it with the maggi spice powder that comes with it without putting any vegetables.
    4. Pasta. Pretty simple & fast.We use store bought pasta/spaghetti sauce.Boil pasta & add the sauce.
    5. Any type of dosa along with honey & ghee in another container
    6. Idlis with sugar

    Shilpa: Thanks a lot Ushakka for the list. It is really helpful.

  20. 20
    Krithika Says:

    Here is another one.

    http://manpasand.blogspot.com/2006/09/carrot-loaf.html

    Shilpa: Thanks Krithika for the link. Don’t forget to leave a link here if you post some more of kid’s lunchbox recipes.

  21. 21
    angel varghese Says:

    Hi,
    I recently started a blog about the lunches I make for my kids. I was inspired by Jennifer schmoo at veganlunchbox.com. Anyway, take a look at my blog at http://www.yummybentolunch.blogspot.com. Sometimes, I pack indian lunches for the kids. I am new to the blog community and haven’t figured out how to post recipes. Let me know what you think.

    Shilpa: Angel, you have some amazing collection of lunchboxes. Loved your creations…Simply superb. Thanks for the link.

  22. 22
    angel varghese Says:

    Hi Shilpa,
    I changed my blog address. Please note the new address - http://laptoplunches.blogspot.com/ .
    Angel

  23. 23
    Hema Says:

    Hi Shilpa,

    Thanks for visiting my space. I love your idea of creating a seperate page for kids’ lunchbox recipes. Since my daughter is still a baby, I have never packed up lunch for kids. I guess this will be my most visited page in the future when my kid starts going to school. Apart from the idli recipe I guess nothing else from my posts would be appropriate for this series. I will try to work up some recipes and post the link here as and when i do. Till then keep making these idlis:)
    http://vegconcoctions.wordpress.com/2006/09/13/idlis-the-easy-way-out/

  24. 24
    chitra parpia Says:

    HI Shilpa,

    our kids are now on their own… happily. At work /college but here are some tips on what they enjoyed in lunch bags. Incidentally our children were young here before “India is cool” age so v rarely did they take anything indian - except a kaju barfi or sesame laddoo. they v rarely ate at the school cafeteria … even when we were travelling our nanny packed them lunch

    So they LOVED:

    String cheese
    Jello Bloc with fruit in it
    Yogurt - Yoplait was a favorite
    Sandwich with cucumber/cream cheese
    Roti (tortilla) folded with cheese/turkey/
    Tortilla rollups with any filling, tight tight with plastic wrap (big fav)
    Tuna salad sandwich - tuna, a little mayo, walnuts and Dijon mustard and if your kids don’t like mayo then bind wiht grated cucumber
    Carrot sticks
    Celery Sticks with Peanut butter and raisins
    Corn Bread baked in muffin pans like cupcakes
    Cheese squares/grapes/apples/dry cranberries
    Cashews
    pasta salad
    Juice was pure juice no sugared drinks ever. ONce in a bluemoon they got Capri sun etc.

    As they grew older 7 onwards we made quite a ceremony of packing lunch so they got a choice. Then of course it was quite the cache to have other kids “want’ your lunch so they had a nice competition going at school cafeteria.

    Keep up the great lineup of recipes

    Thanks
    chitra

  25. 25
    mamta Says:

    hi shilpa
    inspired by ur blog i have tried my bit too.so try it once.
    http://www.rainbow-sanu.blogspot.com/

  26. 26
    mamta Says:

    hi shilpa
    my son is just an year old so i pack it for my husband with more spice .my mom wud amke it for us when we were in school.thankx a lot for replying in my blog ,i felt very happy

  27. 27
    mahek Says:
    hi
    shilpa
    you have done a good job . For mothers like me who are
    always on a look out for good tiffin recipes its a
    boon and i am grateful to you for thinking up of such
    a theme.
    this has also given me inspiration to search for some
    nice tiffin recipes from other sites and try them out
    and let you know.
    i will definetly be trying them out and posting them
    to you.
    here are my links for the recipes.

    http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2006/09/start-of-bright-new-day.html

    http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2006/07/bread-upma.html

    http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2006/07/sabudana-khichdi.html

    http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2006/07/mix-flour-carrot-paratha.html

    http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2006/07/bread-roll.html

    http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2006/06/grilledtoasted-potato-sandwich.html

    http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2006/06/mushrooms-too-good.html


    Shilpa: Thanks for the links Mehek. Will wait for more and more links from you :).

  28. 28
    anonymous Says:

    Soome cool links,
    For your lunch box for kids post,

    http://kiddley.com/2006/09/08/lunch-box-ideas-part-one/
    http://kiddley.com/2006/09/19/lunch-box-ideas-part-two/

    Cheers.

  29. 29
    Lusidvicel Says:

    Hello, i love http://www.aayisrecipes.com! Let me in, please :)

  30. 30
    AkaRoundPeg Says:

    http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com

    This site is just great.

  31. 31
    Kp Says:

    Would you participate in my kidslunch box challenge?

    I am trying to please my son’s palette

    Need recipes from an Indian kitchen

    Thx so much!

  32. 32
    Shilpa Says:

    I got this mail from Alka keswani today…

    hi shilpa,
    I believe that all mothers around the globe,consistently scratch their heads to decide what to pack in lunchboxes ….be it for office going family members or school going fussy eaters
    Here are some links for easy stuff ,and i hope it works for atleast some mothers
    bye and take care
    http://sindhunagar.com/sindhicuisine.php?page=13
    http://sindhunagar.com/sindhicuisine.php?page=9
    http://sindhunagar.com/sindhicuisine.php?page=53
    http://sindhunagar.com/sindhicuisine.php?page=54
    http://sindhunagar.com/sindhicuisine.php?page=59

  33. 33
    Shilpa Says:

    Here are few more which I liked
    Sailu’s Macaroni and cheese

    Sailu’s Chicken noodles with peanuts

    Sailu’s Cheesy chicken pasta

    Saffron hut’s Stramboli

  34. 34
    Neelam Says:

    Hi Shilpa,
    Thanks for putting together this page .
    Its really a boon for working moms like me who are constantly looking for quick & healthy recipes ideas for kids.

    I came across this website which also has some good kids’ recipes which may be useful.
    http://www.hemant-trivedis-cookery-corner.com/tiffin.html

    Thanks .

  35. 35
    Shilpa Says:

    Lunchbox ideas from Anupama are simply amazing.

  36. 36
    chithra Says:

    Hi shilpa,i am new in blogging…by luck i came to ur blog…really amazing with lots and lots of infos…hats off dear…keep going…
    Its a good idea of making a menu for kids lunchbox…i have some recipes from my blog..
    http://kudampuli.blogspot.com/2007/11/blog-post_7633.html
    http://kudampuli.blogspot.com/2007/10/poori.html

  37. 37
    Archana Says:

    I am mother of two small children, one is going to nursery. Though I have not started worrying too much about snack, but i know my time is going to come.
    Visit my site, i am slowly trying to compile a recipe section for children of all ages and also things that can be given as school snack.
    http://www.archanaskitchen.com

    Thanks and enjoy
    Archana

  38. 38
    Kanchan Achpal Says:

    Please give me some good quick healthy recipes for kids lunch boxes–something fancy yet quick to cook

  39. 39
    Madhumita Says:

    Hi Shilpa,

    Let me start by saying that since I’ve found your site I’ve been experimenting with a lot of recipes from here. Tx so much for this … just felt that maybe I could partially return the favor by giving you some lunch box ideas for kids :) .

    My 4 year old son loves this in his little tiffin:

    Cheese Puris:

    Dough:

    Whole wheat atta : 1 cup
    Semolina : 1 cup
    Ghee : 1 tbsp
    Kasuri methi or ajwain seeds : Optional
    Water : to knead
    Salt : to taste.

    Filling:

    Grated mozzarella (or any cheeseof your choice)
    Salt
    Pepper (green chillies are not a good idea for kids although they taste better)
    Chopped spring onions (optional)

    Method:

    1. Heat the ghee and make a crumb like mix with the atta, salt and methi/ajwain if using them.
    2. Make a stiff dough using cold water.
    3. Roll out “mini” puris (about a quarter of the usual size) and deep fry.
    4. Toss together the grated cheese, salt, pepper and spring onions (if using).
    5. Place a tsp full of this mix on each mini puri and cover with another small puri.
    6. Roll and wrap in a piece of foil or secure with toothpick.

    If the dough is made the previous night, it actually takes 10 minutes to put it together in the morning. I’ve found that most kids love puris and the cheese in these are a big plus nutritionally speaking.

    Wish I had photos to send you … but hope these work!

  40. 40
    Madhumita Says:

    Hi Shilpa,

    Let me start by saying that since I’ve found your site I’ve been experimenting with a lot of recipes from here. Tx so much for this … just felt that maybe I could partially return the favor by giving you some lunch box ideas for kids :) .

    My 4 year old son loves this in his little tiffin:

    Cheese Puris:

    Dough:

    Whole wheat atta : 1 cup
    Semolina : 1 cup
    Ghee : 1 tbsp
    Kasuri methi or ajwain seeds : Optional
    Water : to knead
    Salt : to taste

    Filling:

    Grated mozzarella (or any other cheese of your choice)
    Salt
    Pepper (green chillies are not a good idea for kids although they taste better)
    Chopped spring onions (optional)

    Method:

    1. Heat the ghee and make a crumb like mix with the atta, salt and methi/ajwain if using them.
    2. Make a stiff dough using cold water.
    3. Roll out “mini” puris (about a quarter of the usual size) and deep fry.
    4. Toss together the grated cheese, salt, pepper and spring onions (if using).
    5. Place a tsp full of this mix on each mini puri and cover with another small puri.
    6. Roll and wrap in a piece of foil or secure with toothpick.

    If the dough is made the previous night, it actually takes 10 minutes to put it together in the morning. I’ve found that most kids love puris and the cheese in these are a big plus nutritionally speaking.

    Wish I had photos to send you … but hope these work!

  41. 41
    Rama Says:

    http://andhrakitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/bread-bonda.html

    This is very easy to prepare and kids will like surely……..

  42. 42
    vaidehi Says:

    I want the kids lunch box receipe its really wonderful
    I want healthy & easy made receipes
    Please send me
    thanking you
    Vaidehi

  43. 43
    Manjeet Kaur Says:

    Cakes , Toasters, or any latest receipe

  44. 44
    Smita Says:

    Hi,
    My toddler just wouldn’t eat anything today..so i was searching for some recipe that might interest her…first I looked at the toddler food book I have and then decided to also have a look at ur “Kids’ Lunchbox” link that I had seen earlier but not looked inside..I just have a suggestion..it’s quite hard to go through all the posts and figure out from the links what it is. So you may want to organise all the links and credits in the 1 place..like a list or something..
    Your site is a wonderful one..sure shows how diligent you are! Thanks,
    Smita

  45. 45
    gomp Says:

    I came across this site for lunch ideas for my 3 yr old.

    Lunch Ideas: http://www.geocities.com/ficbot/lunchbox/entree.htm

    Snack Ideas:
    http://www.geocities.com/ficbot/lunchbox/snacks.htm

  46. 46
    megha Says:

    good

  47. 47
    Sangeeta Paruthi Says:

    Dear Sir / Madam ,

    I would like to know creative / innovative ways to make tiffin for children. I am a primary school teacher. I want to guide the parents for this issue.

    Pl. suggest!
    Sangeeta

  48. 48
    mrs.j.ramya Says:

    my child will be going to pre-primary school from june and she is very poor in eating,please suggest me easy lunch box food items.

  49. 49
    j.ranjana Says:

    hi sanjeevji,
    first my regards to u, pls i want to know what should be the recipes for children while going to picnic and travels.

    thanks,

    ranjana.

  50. 50
    mamatha shetty Says:

    hi shilpa,

    it was great experience going through your website,i lk cooking, you have asked something fast for children tiffin
    well a quick recipe, and its from left overs, its called muttia, ingredigents required, besan, if any cooked rice ,jeera oinin.salt,and chillie just for taste,
    take the beasn (i cup cup)rice(i/2 cup,)salt to taste and one chillie for flavour little corinder powder and leaves , ccut onion in small pcs, knead all together, and make small balls,and as u steam idli u can do that , after thst season with little oil and curry leaves.a pinch of hing and put this cooked muttias in to sesaon it,cover it for two mts, and remove from the flame, your muttias are ready for tiffins

    try this

    regardss

    mamtha shetty

  51. 51
    Esha Says:

    hi shilpa, Could you help me get sme recipes of snacks or breakfast that i can prepare and give my 1year 5mths old kid.

    I though knoew upma nad sheera but the you posted on this site was really good and helped me make my upma more tasty.
    Thanks! Great work Keep it up!

  52. 52
    SONALI Says:

    Namaskar,
    Aayi’s recipe web site is very good.The most I like is the name of this web site.
    Do we have some uncommon UPAWAS / WRAT KA KHANA recipes?
    If yes I’ll appreciate to get n read the same.
    Thank you,
    Regards
    Sonali.

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