November 17, 2023

A Fun way to combat the ‘Battle with the Lunchbox’

This post is sponsored by Tip Top Bread.

One of the struggles for a lot of Mothers is the dreaded ‘Battle with the Lunch Box’. We all want our kids to eat healthily and we want to see that lunchbox come home empty! If you’re like me, then you want the kids to be excited when they open their lunchbox at school – we all remember that ‘ho-hum’ feeling of opening a boring old lunchbox.

I know for me, if the food ‘looks’ good I will be more inclined to eat it…isn’t that why chefs study for years to perfect the art of making food look good? Yes, yes you say!
My kids are like all other kids…they get bored quickly! It’s so easy for me to make the same sandwiches day in and day out, but I find they often come home unfinished. I’ve devised a plan to shake things up in the lunchbox…
Behold the ‘Sandwich Ball’!
My husband actually made up this revelation…he, like the kids, plays with his food, so one day whilst eating a sandwich with them, he decided to roll it up into a ball to be funny & the kids loved eating this ‘new wave’ sandwich – I however, had a ‘Lightbulb Moment”. I thought “hang on a minute, I can actually make the boring old sandwich FUN”!
So I got to work, I started experimenting with different combinations of the ‘Sandwich Ball’ and came up with some delicious and nutritious and most of all FUN combinations!
I give you my…
‘Baked Parmesan Balls’ (this is a modern spin on the old cheese sandwich)
parmesan sandwich balls
You will need:
Bread (crusts removed)
Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Olive oil spray
Glad wrap/cling film
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Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
Place bread with the crusts cut off onto a square of glad wrap
Fold up the corners of the bread into the centre, bunch the glad wrap at the top and twist to create your ‘ball’
Spray the balls with the olive oil spray
Roll the balls in parmesan cheese
Put onto a baking tray lined with glad bake/grease proof paper
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
You will now have yourself a deliciously crunchy treat that are wonderful hot and cold. I will make a batch the night before school and pop them in their lunchbox the next day! They look so cute when served in mini cupcake papers too!
‘Apple & Cinnamon Sandwich Balls’ – Here’s a yummy sandwich that adds fruit to the mix too!
Tip Top 33
You will need:
Bread (crusts removed)
Apples – cored, peeled & chopped into small pieces
Glad wrap/cling film
1tsp of butter
Cinnamon
Tip top 22Tip top 11
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
Melt the butter into a medium frying pan
Add your cored, peeled & chopped apples & cook until soft (approximately 8 minutes)
Sprinkle a little cinnamon into the apples & stir
Place bread with the crusts cut off onto a square of glad wrap
Add a teaspoon or so onto the middle of the bread
Fold up the corners of the bread into the centre, bunch the glad wrap at the top and twist to create your ‘ball’
Put the balls onto a baking tray lined with glad bake/grease proof paper & sprinkle with a little cinnamon (optional)
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
You don’t have to ‘cook’ every sandwich either. Here is an example of the boring old Marmalade sandwich gone right!
‘Marmalade (or peanut butter, cream cheese, vegemite etc – whatever their little heart desires) Sandwich Balls’
Sandwich Balls
Tip Top 3
You will need:
Bread (crusts removed)
Marmalade (or peanut butter, cream cheese, vegemite etc – whatever their little heart desires)
Glad wrap/cling film
Cut the crusts from the bread
Place the bread onto a square of glad wrap
Add a small amount of marmalade into the centre of the bread
Fold up the corners to the centre, bunch the glad wrap at the top and twist to create your ‘ball’
Turn it upside down and serve once again in a cute little mini cupcake wrapper.
By shaking things up and doing it this way, I find my kids actually eat MORE and will be open to different fillings as they are focused on the ‘fun’ of eating it rather than what’s inside!
So far, I’ve managed to get away with:
Tuna & Cream cheese
Spinach & Fetta (I processed the Spinach to make a paste then crumbled in the Fetta)
Chicken, lettuce & mayonaise and
Egg & Lettuce
I am very lucky that my little girl LOVES wholemeal bread but my little bloke is a bit of white bread fan! At first I was devastated (we all want to feel good about what we are feeding them right!?). I was glad when Tip Top the One bought out the ‘Omega 3 DHA’ Bread! It contains high fibre, added vitamins & minerals AND has lower GI than most wholemeal breads!). Hooray!
All of these ‘Sandwich Balls’ are great for kids party finger food too – it’s fun to spice up the old  sandwich platter!
As a busy Mum, it can be hard to make ‘Sandwich Balls’ every day, but it is a great treat when I do. My kids favourite sandwich of all time is the very Aussie ‘Cheese & Vegemite”. I must admit, since growing up with it as a kid, it is one of my favourites aswell. On slices of fresh Tip Top the One bread, you can’t go wrong!
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I’d love for you to join the Sandwich Ball revelation and let us know what fillings you think will work…I want to try them aaaalllll! Head to Tip Tops LunchBox Battle for other great hints and tips too!
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One thought on “A Fun way to combat the ‘Battle with the Lunchbox’

  1. i have also tried making those! i have them as well as my kids, mmmmmmm! delicious. i also tried putting in egg and ham, cheese and apple, banana and chocolate, sausage and bean, and mayonaise, cheese and tomato! why don’t you try them too? you don’t have to cook them, either!

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