10 lunch-box hacks because school's back

• Back to school: 50 top lunch-box recipes

Ah, schools. They teach your children, care for them and let them play with their friends, leaving you to work, clean and rest for whole minutes undisturbed – all right in the middle of a pandemic. Amirite, parents?

Best of all, they're back, right across Australia, with most children now either in or heading back to the classroom. There's just one thing: Schools don't feed your kids, at least with many canteens still closed. Which means parents are back on lunch-box duty. Every. Single. Day.

Here are some ideas to make the back-to-school morning routine a little quicker and easier.

Get eggy

Quiche, omelette, frittata or boiled – whichever way you cook eggs, there's usually a way to make it lunch-box friendly. Just think small – mini quiches, frittata chopped into squares, omelette on sandwiches or rolls or, yes, a plain boiled egg, either whole or chopped in two. Cook them in advance and in bulk, and you're ahead of the lunch-box game already.

Recipe: Prosciutto-wrapped frittata muffins

The big freeze

If you aren't already friends with your freezer, where have you been? Sandwiches, savoury muffins and banana bread are filling and nutritious, and defrost just in time for little break. Fruit tubs, juice and puree also freeze well (and double as a freezer brick). And don't forget dips – try hummus blended with roasted capsicum, sun-dried tomato, carrot or beetroot for extra colour and vitamins.

Recipe: Julia Busuttil Nishimura's everyday banana bread

Organise

Those hyper-organised pantries on Pinterest? Forget them. What will work, however, is dedicating an area of the kitchen or freezer to lunch snacks, and devoting a little time each week to filling it with muesli bars, rice cakes, crackers and crunchy snacks (see below), plus anything you've baked in bulk over the weekend. Yoghurt and cheese cubes can be stored in the fridge in reusable silicone pouches or muffin cups. Then, when it comes to lunch-prep time, all you have to do is get the assembly line going. When supplies are low, you'll see it's time to restock before finding – whoops – the pantry is bare.

Recipe: Granola bars

Snack time

There's nothing wrong with a few crunchy snacks, especially if they're light on salt and fat. Popcorn, roasted chickpeas or broad beans and kale chips can all be made at home for just a few cents per serve. Raid the back of your pantry for flavourings such as paprika, oregano, rosemary or garlic. Bought a food dehydrator during the early panic days of lockdown? Put it to work and make your own apple, zucchini or banana chips or fruit straps. For fresh veg, save yourself all that chopping time and throw in some mini cucumbers or whole baby carrots. Mini low-salt pretzels and seaweed snacks from the shops are often a hit with kids, too.

Recipe: Jill Dupleix's kale chips

Get baking

Savoury scrolls, fritters, pizza rolls and healthy muffins with sneaky veg are all easy lunch-box fillers, whether they're shop-bought or made from scratch – and hey, they're also a great way to use up that stockpiled flour. Mini cupcakes, cookies and banana bread (slices or mini loaves) will never fall out of fashion with the lunch-box crowd, either. Oh, and they freeze well, too.

Recipe: Ham and cheese 'un-sandwiches'

Serve it hot

For older grades, fill an insulated leak-proof container with noodles or pasta and stash a spoon or fork in the lunch bag. For extra nutrition, try green mac 'n' cheese, or a vegetable stew or soup. Leftovers work well, too – teriyaki chicken, fried rice or crisp baked tofu.

Recipe: Adam Liaw's roast chicken fried rice

Or cold

If you can't be bothered heating the food beforehand – don't. Most leftovers work perfectly well cold. Otherwise, try a cheat's quesadilla made from flat bread, beef mince, corn and melted cheese and cut into quarters. Pasties, meatballs and sausage rolls keep their form and are delicious cold, or try a simple cobb-style salad with salad vegetables, egg, chicken or bacon and avocado. For something more wintry, try a salad of roast vegetables and grains (couscous, quinoa or long-grain rice).

Recipe: Tasty chicken balls

Allergy smart

If your child has an allergy or intolerance, then the internet is your friend. Search Google or Facebook for your local allergy group – they're usually a wealth of ideas, and a great forum for swapping recipes and suggestions. One easy gluten-free alternative to sandwiches, for example, is sushi rolls or sushi sandwiches. Just set the timer on the rice cooker for the morning, and you're ready to roll. For treats, try British flap jacks – the recipes are usually free of nuts, dairy, eggs and soy or can be easily modified.

Recipe: Junior sushi rolls or Sushi sandwiches

Special days

Most kids thrive on routine, especially if it involves something special that's meaningful to them. In our family, Tuesdays mean one thing – teddy biscuits. Thursdays mean sushi and Fridays mean a couple of coins for the canteen (tip from experience: use 50c coins or keep this one for older children less likely to lose/give away/swallow their money).

Keep it simple

Most kids aren't super adventurous eaters, it's true. A wholegrain or wholemeal sandwich with your child's choice of filling is fine, alongside a few healthy snacks such as sliced capsicum, berries, celery, seedless grapes, carrot, baby tomatoes, apple slices or that old reliable – a banana. Rotate with seasonal produce such as mandarins and stone fruit. To make oranges easier to eat, cut them into slices and slide them in a zip-lock or silicone bag.