UPDATE: Congratulations Lara and congratulations Amishi Anand! You both have won an amazing stainless steel lunchbox by LunchBots. Please send us your postal addresses at support@indiansimmer.com so that we can ship your prizes your way.
Some mornings I’d be up before the blair of the alarm, hopelessly going through my refrigerator, in my mind, trying to remember what ingredients are available for me. Then some others as much as my heart would plead that very alarm to give me another 5 minutes, the brain would be restless because, “gosh, what do I cook today?”.
Mornings on it selves are crazy for “not a morning” person like me who tries to get two kids up and ready for soon while trying to snap out of a sleep, and a bring to the mix cooking breakfast and lunch, then you have lost me! I have spent so many mornings, embarrassed, handing lunch money to the kids just because I was not able to get their lunchbox ready on time. Some days I’d wake up late, somedays I was dumbfounded by the dearth of ingredients in the fridge and somedays time just go ahead of me.
Then one day an angel whispered into my ear…… through the phone with my mum speaking from the other side. Planning Planning Planning! Planning is a mothers best friend. Well so is wine and TV times, but lets concentrate on the good things for now! PLANNING. Which I am still working on, but I can say this confidently specially if you are not around me in the mornings, that I have figured this lunchbox things. And yes, planning has taken me a long way. I’ve just started taking 10 minutes out of my schedule on a Friday and started listing out 5 things that I can cook for their lunchbox, Monday to Friday. Quick fix snacks is another thing that has made my life easier. I try to make them during the weekend or sometimes during the weekdays when I can find time and I store them for when they are hungry after school or need to pack a snack for an activity or for school.
When I thought, I got a hang of this thing, I started sharing what I packed #inherlunchbox on instagram I loved your response and your questions. One of the most common questions was about the stainless steel lunchbox I use for my kids. I use LunchBots for packing my kids’ lunch. Have been using it for years and I still love it . SO, its so exciting to tell you that I am partnering with LunchBots for this post where I share 4 of my favorite kids snack recipes that I always pack in their LunchBots AND since you’ve always been so curious about this brand of lunchbox, LunchBots is giving you a chance to win one…. n wait, TWO of their latest lunchboxes with matching lunchbags!
All you have to do is drop a comment below in the comment section and tell us about your lunchbox experience. Or share a recipe you’d like to share with us. AND/OR
Like @prernasingh and/or @indiansimmer on instagram.
Like us on Facebook.
Follow us on twitter.
Subscribe on Youtube.
Crunchy Chickpeas:
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 tablespoon oil
Kosher Salt
Method:
Drain canned chickpeas in a colander and rinse throughly. Transfer to a side of a kitchen towel. Cover the chickpeas with the other end of the kitchen towel and pat it dry. Now if you pinch the chickpeas softly you will peel its skin off. Do the same for all the chickpeas.
Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle oil and salt to it. Mix well. Bake in the oven at 400deg. F for 40 minutes, or until they are crunchy, stirring occasionally.
Cool and store in an air tight container.
Dates and Nuts Energy Balls:
Ingredients:
2 cups medjool dates
1 cup shredded coconut
¼ cup almonds
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup pistachio
Method:
Add everything to the food processor. Grind until combined.
Take 1 tablespoon at a time and make balls. Store in an airtight container.
Crunchy Salted Makhana:
Ingredients:
2 cups makhana
1 tablespoon ghee
Salt to taste
Method:
Heat ghee in a wok. Toss makhana for 5-8 minutes on medium high heat until crispy.
Sprinkle salt.
Let it cool down and store in airtight container.
Easy Granola Bars:
Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup almonds (coarsely chopped)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 tsp sea salt
Method:
Mix oats and almond together. Spread on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 350 deg. F for 8-10 minutes, stirring once. Pull out of the oven. Let it cool down. Transfer to a medium sized bowl.
In thick bottom pan, melt butter and let it cook, stirring occasionally until you see bits of milk particles browning in the bottom on the pan.
Stir in brown sugar, honey and cinnamon powder.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl with oats. Stir well. Throw in cranberries, chocolate chips and sea salt. Mix everything well together.
Line an 8×8 inch pan with a parchment paper. Transfer the granola mixture to the pan. With the back of a spatula or damp hand, press the mixture into the pan to make the granola stick together. Transfer to the refrigerator for 1 hr.
Pull the pan out of the refrigerator. Remove the block of granola bar out of teh fridge and cut into equal 12 parts. Wrap with parchment paper and store in cool dry place.
US residents, enter your name in the comments section for a change to win two amazing LunchBots lunchboxes along with matching lunchbags! Also go and like us on Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook or subscribe on youtube for more than one chance of a win.
Winners will be announced in two weeks, 11:59pm on Monday, Dec. 18th.
Loved the video! Planning lunch boxes used to be a nightmare esp for a picky eater.. I got used to it n know what works best for my son.. j pack sandwich with different fillings some says like chicken, fish, cheese.. sometimes it’s quesadillas, Mac n cheese .. my son doesn’t like vegetables in his lunch box
I make healthy almond flour muffins with bananas that are going bad. Also, chocolate veggie zucchini bread is a big hit!
I have picky eater who likes cashews and pasta, perhaps he would enjoy the chick peas. I’m going to try them. My go to lunch box item is baby bel cheese and banana chips, those always get eaten. Always looking for finger food ideas!
Nice video btw!
I follow you on Instagram and love all your lunch box ideas..I too pack healthy and fresh home cooked food to my 5 year-old son..I try to keep it more colourful and balanced.. every day I wake up happily at 5 am just to see his happy face when he’ll open his box in school 😊.. thank you for inspiring many moms like me..
Love your series and I’ve saved a few on ig to use later next year when my daughter starts “proper school” where she needs to take snacks. So far my favourite thing to pack for her when we go out is eggs and cheese. She loves the combination, it’s quick and also healthy! Win 🙂
PS: I did plan to try and source some lunchbots from USA soon. I do have a US address *hint hint* 😃
Love your recipes and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
I have hard time packing the lunch for my kid and daily try to include healthy options like hummus with veggies, egg rolls ,
Avocado sandwich etc . It would be great to have lunchbots as they are steel and not plastic.
I follow IndianSimmer on twitter (and Feedly!)
I pack my kids’ lunches everyday – it can be challenging to keep the options varied and not just stick to the same thing! And one thing that drives me crazy is that I pack it all in separate containers. This lunchbots would be amazing!
Great snack ideas, gong to try the energy balls this afternoon. Love those Lunchbots!
[…] Source link […]
I love preparing lunchboxes for my two kids. I try to incorporate themes that they are learning in schoolbthat week- may it be the phonics they are learning or shapes. Every morning I let my creative juices take the lead…
Kids lunches are hard for me since I have picky eaters – still trying to find a lunch box that can keep foood warmer till lunch time – enjoyed your new video totally making this energy balls
Hello! I am one of the people that asked about the lunchbox! I would do love to win this, because I am low income and definitely cannot afford Lunchbots. I frequently pack lunch for my son for those days when he doesn’t like what is on the menu at his school. I bought him a cheap softsided lunch bag from a dollar store, and to hold the food inside, disposable sandwich bags and cheap plastic containers. However I did invest $13 for a high quality food jar because he really doesn’t like sandwiches, so the main source of protein for him is beans (and he has lactose sensitivity, so cheese is also not an option). Before I bought that food jar, he was coming home very hungry because he was not getting enough protein. The other difficulty is he often doesn’t eat half the stuff I pack because it’s in multiple containers/bags. His school gives him only 20 minutes to eat. I think if he could use a Lunchbots, it would make it easier for him to eat more in that little time because he would only have to open one container and everything would be before his eyes, easy to access quickly.
I thought about investing in a Lunchbots box but I really couldn’t justify the cost, especially since I have to get him winter gear and new pajamas.
If I win this, I’ll be so happy! And by the way I only need one, so if I win, I will have you give the other one to another winner.
Here’s hoping I win! Fingers crossed.
Loved all four recipes…as they are all gluten free and healthy
Love all the recipes you share. And now that you have videos, it is even better. I would love this lunchtots lunch box. I typically pack a few standard things. My new favorite is telling my 4-year old that she has 3 C’s for her lunch – chicken sausage, corn and cottage cheese. Always works. Another new thing I tried is avocado paratha – take one avocado, smash the buttery part, take wheat flour, salt, cumin and lemon juice. Knead the dough. It doesn’t need any water. Roll it out and cook. Makes for a great lunch. I usually get 8 paratha out of one avocado. I follow you on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Leftover soup in a flask with grilled cheese or cheese quesadillour kids love it!