Rice and Grain Lunchbox Roundup

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This post is the second installment in my series of lunchbox roundups that features different types of lunchboxes I pack for my daughters and post almost daily on my Pinterest and Facebook pages. Because there are so many different varieties of rice and grains readily available today, there are a multitude of ways to incorporate these hearty foods into your child’s lunchbox.

When packing lunchboxes, I always try to include three types of foods:

Grow food (protein+starch)
Vegetables
Fruit and/or dairy

I also usually include a small serving of a sweet treat, to round out the meal. I am also a big proponent of packing a small serving of a less liked or new food into your child’s lunchbox from time to time. This way, they get one more opportunity to learn to like something new!

Here are some of the earlier lunchbox-themed posts that you may find useful:

The Art and Science of Packing a Lunchbox

Lunchbox safety

Involving kids in lunchbox preparation

Sample lunchbox menus

Grain and pasta salad recipes

Pasta and Noodle Lunchbox Roundup

When I include rice in my daughters’ lunchboxes, I typically choose brown over white rice. Brown rice is a great way for my daughters to get whole grains into their diet–a 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice equals one whole-grain serving. It also contains more protein, magnesium, selenium, and fiber than enriched white rice.

Having a tough time getting your child to switch from white to brown rice? Start introducing brown rice into your child’s diet gradually by mixing white with brown rice. Another option is to mix brown rice with wild rice. Wild rice has a nuttier flavor and contains more protein than both white and brown rice. In my daughters’ lunchboxes, I often serve wild/brown rice with fresh salmon or beans and vegetables.

I use quinoa in a variety of dishes at home, but I like to pair it with canned tuna fish or salmon and vegetables for my daughters’ lunchboxes. Most notably, quinoa has the highest protein content of any grain and contains all nine essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein. Quinoa is also gluten-free and is a good source of magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, phosphorous.

Here are several rice and grain lunchboxes (including pictures and ingredients) I have made for my daughters in the past.

Lunchbox #1

Lunchbox #1 Ingredients
Rice and beans
Cucumbers, celery, and tomato
Oranges
Corn bread

Lunchbox #2

Lunchbox #2 Ingredients
Brown rice
Smoked salmon
Mango and strawberries
Edamame and carrots
A few chocolate chips

Lunchbox #3

Lunchbox #3 Ingredients
Turkey-mushroom meatballs with quinoa
Edamame
Cherries
A granola bar

Lunchbox #4

Lunchbox #4 Ingredients
Leftovers for lunch – fried rice with egg, green peas and yellow squash
Olives
Grapes
Cookies

Lunchbox #5

Lunchbox #5 Ingredients
Wild+brown rice with roasted salmon
Roasted asparagus
Grapes and dried mango

Lunchbox #6

Lunchbox #6 Ingredients
Mushroom risotto leftovers
Kale chips
Strawberries
Farmers’ Market apple cider doughnut

Lunchbox #7

Lunchbox #7 Ingredients
Black bean, wild rice and green beans salad
Chia seeds pudding with almond milk
Strawberries
Tomatoes and carrots

Lunchbox #8

Lunchbox #8 Ingredients
Quinoa/canned tuna/edamame/tomato salad
Quail eggs and celery
Frozen cherries with fresh mango
Dark chocolate

Lunchbox #9

Lunchbox #9 Ingredients
Lentil salad (French lentils, tomatoes and steamed green beans with some olive oil + salt)
Celery and oranges
Almond chocolate pudding (from Whole Foods)

Lunchbox #10