Want some great freezable lunch box ideas?

There’s a baby due in our Sinchies family, in about 2 weeks - a new sibling for the Sinchies nephews. This got us thinking of all sorts of things we can freeze to make things easier once bub arrives. The freezer is filling with meals, but lunch box fillers will make the mornings a lot smoother with 3 little people to look after! We aim to have some grain/bread, dairy, protein (meat or an alternative) and some fruit and some vegetables in a lunchbox. We’ve also kept the list nut-free. There's more ways to use Sinchies reusable food pouches for on the go food!

1. Sinchies!

Fill them with yoghurt, custard or smoothies for the dairy fix, or puréed fruit for some fibre! You might need to experiment a little as some yoghurts separate when they defrost, which doesn’t look too apetising. Look through the Sinchies recipes here on the site, or on the Sinchies Facebook page if you need some inspiration!

2. Sandwiches or Wraps

Using your Sinchies reusable food pouches, freeze some of your homemade sandwich fillings like: Ham and Cheese, Chicken Mayo, Tuna Mayo, Dinner leftovers like bolognaise mince, Roast meat, Turkey and Grated cheese Be sure to seal them in your reusable food pouch so they don’t dry out in the freezer! It's not rubbish-free, but I do unwrap them when they go into the lunchbox so I know the rubbish goes in the bin.Here are some freezable fillings. Be sure to seal them so they don’t dry out in the freezer! It's not rubbish-free, but I do unwrap them when they go into the lunchbox so I know the rubbish goes in the bin. You might have better results with dressings rather than mayos, but the mayo we use has been fine. You could also mix some of the sandwiches up so they get a few different fillings in their lunchbox! eg If you did 4 different reusable food pouches, you could put one of each filling in each pack. (If someone finds a way to freeze avocado without it going black when it defrosts, please let us know!) Stay at Home Mum has a great Guide to Freezing Sandwiches on her blog!

3. Muffins or Scones

We like to make mini ones so they fit in the toddler’s out and about with mum lunchbox, as well as in Mr 5’s lunchbox. (They’re also too small for their dad to bother nicking out the freezer!) Zucchini and chocolate, Savoury Muffins: cheese and sundried tomato, Blueberry, Carrot....Just add whatever you have to a basic muffin recipe! Here’s a Sugar Free Muffin recipe from Neat 2 Eat.

4. Muesli Bars or Slice

The bought ones are SO full of sugar, so we try and always have some homemade ones (with honey or other sweetener) ready in a Sinchies reusable food pouch, stashed in the freezer. You could use oats as the base, or rice crispies...there are so many delicious ideas out there!

5. Pizza/Pizza Scrolls

Make your own with delicious veggie toppings and slice it up to freeze in your reusable food pouch for some lunchbox deliciousness! Zucchini is a green topping that normally goes undetected in our house, or capsicum or pesto!

6. Mini Pies/Filo Triangles/Sausage Rolls

We tried out the most amazingly delicious Chicken Rolls the other day with a recipe from Trendy Lil Treats. We’ll include it at the end of the post. You could fill pies with leftover casseroles, spinach and feta/ricotta, or a meat and veggie mix. Then cook them up and freeze them. I’d avoid making them too thick so you’re sure they’re defrosted by lunch time. The mini ones we make go down a treat! You could always put some tomato sauce or hummus in a Sinchies reusable food pouch for them to squeeze over them when they eat them too!

7. Rice balls

There are some pretty cool moulds out there to make fun shapes and you can use up any leftover rice when you’re making sushi with our reusable food pouches! Need some tips: Hop over to Neat 2 Eat.

8. Mini Quiches

Frills in the Hills has an easy Mini Quiche recipe on her blog!

9. Meatballs

We love Be A Fun Mum’s easy Chicken Meatball recipe. Easy dinner, easy lunchbox filler!

10. Balls!

Coconut and date, Apricot and coconut, Chocolate protein... Then all you have to do in the morning is add some fresh fruit and veggies! You can chop some of these up and portion them so they’re ready in the fridge to go in a reusable food pouch, a day or two in advance too. Extras: Delicious Chicken Rolls Recipe from Trendy Lil Treats 500g Chicken Mince 1 Small Onion, diced 100g Sour Cream 2 Tbsp Wholegrain mustard 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1 Cup Light Tasty Cheese

11. Puff Pastry

Combine onion, sour cream, mustard, parsley, cheese and chicken mince. Take out pastry sheets to thaw. Cut sheet in half. Using a 1L Sinchies reusable food pouch, pipe a line of mince 1cm from the long edge closest to you. Roll the pastry over the mixture and press the edges to seal, leaving the ends open . With a sharp knife, cut the sausage rolls in half for large, and in 6 for mini. Freeze any leftover mixture raw so it says fresh to use for next time! Cook on a lined tray (seam side down) in a 200° oven for 25-30min or till golden brown.