Lunchboxes

by Annabel Karmel

In this indispensable book Annabel tackles the daily task of packing your child's lunchbox. Day in, day out, the contents of the box have to be tailored to suit your child's taste, create a balanced diet and ensure the food can be eaten in the limited amount of time that is made available. Having catered for her three children over the past 10 years, Annabel has packed more than 5000 boxes and so is ideally placed for passing on recipes as well as valuable hints and tips for easing your morning routine. Within this book there Ideas for quick, nutritious and attractive packages; Sandwiches, savoury specialities (which includes soups and salads); sweet surprises (cakes and cookies); fruity delights; dairy diversions and drinks. Recipes that assume there is only a limited amount of time for preparation and, where possible, show how they can be made in advance and then kept in the fridge or freezer. With additional yummy extras such as break-time extras and bite-sized foods, how will any child be able to resist the contents of their lunchbox from now on?

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking

Hardcover

First published August 14, 2003

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library because I've been getting bored with my current rotation of lunch recipes. It is fairly similar in content to another kids lunch cookbook I have, so I paged through more than read it.

This is a great cookbook for kids lunches. Based on the quantity of ingredients, I'm guessing that the number of portions is for child size portions. A double portion is probably more than sufficient for an adult. The author focuses on finding a happy medium between foods kids love, and food that is healthy for them. She also tries to keep menus nutritionally balanced for kids, specifically mentioning that her recipes take into account the fact that children need more calcium than adults do.
Keeping this in mind, if I were using these recipes for myself, I would consider swapping out reduced and lower fat dairy ingredients where appropriate.

The Bottom Line:
If I didn't already have similar cookbooks I would be looking to purchase a copy for myself, to use for my own lunches, any children I might happen to be cooking for.

[Lissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book with great lunch ideas - although I thought most of them were more awesome for me (and other adults) rather than kids, or least for my kids.

[Lucinda Cavileer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for a beginning cook with a large variety of lunch suggestions. These recipes seem to not be as geared to lunchboxes or children to some degree. Some recipes are repetitive and there is an amazing use of canned corn in many of them. The baked goods section seemed to be the most promising, along with some of the ideas for sandwich fillings.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some really good, healthy recipes in this cookbook although some just don’t seem realistic for packing for school lunches. Some do, though, and there are some great cookie and muffin recipes, too.

[The other Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't imagine children being interested in most of these recipes. I mean, I'm sure there's a child somewhere that likes mango chutney, but I have never personally met such a child. Maybe it's a regional thing?

Some of the recipes don't even make any sense, like the grilled sandwich that is instructed to be served hot. Unless you are the lunch lady at your child's school and are grilling it up at lunchtime, it's not going to be hot by the time the child eats it. Also, who would send a child off to school with BBQ anything? The child and pretty much everything within 4 feet of that child will be a sticky mess in minutes.

I'm not so sure about the "healthy" part either. Quite a few of the recipes use soy sauce or high sodium broths, and one of the fruit smoothie recipes calls for cream soda.

(And as a personal aside, ketchup is not the same thing as pizza sauce no matter what the recipe says. Do not use ketchup as a pizza sauce, please I am begging you.)

[raccoon reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh to be able to make lunches. I dream of somehow doing this small domestic task for me and my husband. Instead I cram soups and microwave meals into my work bag and he grabs fast food. But still, I dream.

This book has lots of great variations on the lunch box theme and much of it would definitely be well received by my husband. I think it's one of those books you might want to own though, and not just get from a library as you'd end up copying the whole blasted book. I picked (with great restraint) 4 recipes to copy and try. One day I promise I'll make more lunches!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this as more research for my bento box obsession. It didn't have nearly as many pictures as I wanted it to, nor did it need as many recipes for the things it did showcase. I guess a cute quick read overall, but I much preferred the layout/structure of the vegan lunch box book.

[Bookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the recipes in this book require a lot of prep time, plus they require refrigeration for safety. Although the recipes appeal to me and I can see myself prepping and bringing these to work, I doubt they are feasible for most parents and their kids.

[Michele J · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some interesting twists on old recipes.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very good ideas in this book.