Back before Christmas my kids’ go to picnic lunch was Annie’s Mac and Cheese or reheated pasta-based leftovers kept warm in their thermos. Sometime around Christmas they started getting tired of pasta and I knew I had to add another option into our rotation. The Nutella banana wraps was born. The kids are still enjoying banana wraps to this day and I wanted to share it with you, including our alterations since then, in case you need to add something to your lunch ideas.

First of all I love how quick this is to make and how easy it is to bring along with us. I normally throw this together the night before once I’ve finished eating. Since normally the kids are still eating they enjoy watching the wraps being made and I can sometimes get the kids to have one more bite of something on their plate if they want the Nutella coated spoon or spatula. I love how since there’s no required thermoses to bring, our go to before this, you can come home the day of the playdate or picnic with no extra pots to clean.

To make this start with your flour tortilla, I’ve made it with both large and medium sized tortillas before, and spread your Nutella on it leaving a bit of space along the edges. I find using the back of a spoon works perfect to spread it out although if your jar of Nutella is getting low a spatula works best for getting it all out. I leave the space around the edge so the Nutella has less of a chance of getting squeezed out yet it still coats enough to keep it ‘glued’ closed.

Then grab a banana, unwrap it, and lay it out close to one side of the tortilla. This is a perfect time if you have a banana with the odd bruise you need to get rid of as the Nutella does a good job of hiding it.

Lift up the short side of the tortilla and start rolling the banana up in it. If you have a larger tortilla you can easily tuck in one end around the banana while wrapping it. This is a perfect way to get the banana ‘stuck’ inside if your child is eating it without a wrapper… I’ve had the odd Nutella-y banana drop out of the bottom into a child’s lap or ground before.

And it’s done… if you’re serving it right away. I normally take a piece of plastic wrap and wrap up the wrap. While wrapping it I try to tuck in one end while leaving the other end open so once it’s fully wrapped I fold over the opening to seal it. Later one it’s easy to open the folded over end and pull the plastic wrap down to eat and since the other end is sealed you don’t have to worry about the banana falling out.

I’ve since upgraded from plastic wrap to beeswax wraps although I wrap them the same way. You do have to bring the wrap home so you can wash it for the next time.

I normally throw the wrapped banana wraps in the fridge overnight and the next morning put them in a cooler bag with my lunch and some snacks. If the kids don’t eat the whole banana wrap I just enclose it back in the plastic or beeswax wrap and bring it home. We’ve gotten in the habit of finishing their lunch (with maybe an added snack) once we get back from playdates. Originally, we started a second lunch or snacktime when we got home since I wanted them to be full enough to fall asleep at naptime and it gave me a chance to unpack. Over time I continued the habit since it gave them time to context switch from playdate to home while I could unpack quick and get a workout on or get things done around our home.

Change Up That Wrap

I vaguely remember a banana wrap I used to make for myself when I was pregnant with Ada. I think it called for peanut butter instead of Nutella but it also had a sprinkle of chia seeds before adding the banana and wrapping it (I think I came across it in a slideshow on ways to eat more chia seeds). Since remembering now when I make it the night before (since it’s sitting overnight… although I don’t know if that matters) I try to remember to sprinkle some chia seeds on before adding the banana. The kids haven’t complained about the taste and are fine when they watch me make it but if you aren’t sure about your kids maybe make it when they aren’t watching the first time. Here’s a link to healthline with eleven health benefits to chia seeds.

I’ve also made the wraps before with both Nutella and peanut butter spread on the Tortilla. I haven’t gone full on peanut butter yet since the kids want Nutella when I ask them. I’ve used smooth peanut butter before and then later switched to chunky when I had to buy more.

After we moved Matt barbecued a couple days in a row and the kids requested a barbecued banana wrap. We were skeptical but I made two wraps and Matt fired it up with the rest of whatever we were having. The kids loved it! Word of warning… since the Nutella is heated up the bananas easily slide out so eat it over the plate. Zoey may have dropped banana on the ground and her lap as she leaned back in her chair while eating.

If you’re serving banana wraps as a side or need to split it up you can cut the wraps to create little sushi rolls. This is great when you’re home from an outing and only one kids has leftovers yet both specifically want the wrap (don’t worry I served other things too). You take your finished banana wrap and cut it into slices. You can cut the slices at a 90 degree angle or make it fancier with longer cuts at a different angle. When moving the cut banana wrap rolls the bananas have a habit of sliding out so I find it easier to lift them with a fork or something underneath for security. I love how slicing them changes them just enough to make it more exciting again. The other day the kids requested a barbecued banana wrap but we also wanted them to eat the main food… so we barbecued a single wrap and I cut up the hot banana wrap for them to split with their main food.

A quick lunch you can easily throw together and transport easily.

Ingredients

• 1 Banana
• 1 Tortilla Wrap
• Nutella amount to taste
• 1 tsp Chia seeds optional
• Nut Butter optional

Instructions

1. Take a tortilla wrap and spread it with Nutella.
   
2. Optional. You can add nut butter or sprinkle the Nutella with chia seeds.
3. Place an unwrapped banana at one end of the tortilla wrap.
   
4. Roll it up. You can leave either end open or if your tortilla wrap is long enough you can tuck an end or both in while rolling.
   
5. Once the wrap is rolled up you can eat it now or wrap it again with plastic or beeswax wrap (being sure to leave on end easier to open later) or put it in a container.
   
6. Optional. If you want you can barbecue the wrap to change it up and/or slice the wrap up to make it more fun and shareable.
   

I hope this helps you out. What simple foods have you found that your kids love? I’d love to expand on my kids lunches. Hope to hear from you in the comments below, on my Facebook page, or through Instagram. I hope you have a great day!