IGA makes back-to-school so much easier with lunch box essentials all in one place. Our IGA Back-To-School review team are getting school lunches and snacks sorted (and their creative juices flowing!)
From sandwich-free lunches to snacks kids can’t resist, we’re looking for mums who like to think outside the (lunch) box when it comes to back-to-school eats. If you enjoy creative lunchbox ideas see what our review team create.
Shop back-to-school with IGA
To help keep back-to-school shopping budget-friendly, we’d like you to use IGA’s Black & Gold range to create some lunch box winners. Think burrito rolls, sushi rolls, pastry rolls, cookies, muffins and homemade snacks. Whatever you know your kids will eat!
In case you need some inspo, check out some of the clever ideas from IGA. From Pizza Muffins to Boiled Egg Sandwiches and Tortilla Quiches, there’s not a boring sandwich in sight!
We’ll give you an IGA voucher to shop for ingredients and create something delicious for your school kids. Then, share your recipe and creation so that other mums can see just how easy it is to get a head start on the school year with IGA.
See what our IGA Back-To-School Review Team think.
Selected reviewers are currently taking the IGA Back-To-School challenge. See their delicious back-to-school lunch box additions below.
Selected reviewers will need to create their lunch box goodies, and share their review, recipe and video by January 25, 2026. That way, your fantastic ideas can help inspire other mums as they head into the new school year!
We bought a bunch of black and gold goodies from local IGA and it was easy and well priced. We made up a demo lunch made some blueberry pancake mix muffins, pizzas, cheese and added fresh fruit and yum
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I had thought black and gold had disappeared, boy was I wrong. I was amazed at the variety of products to choose from at my local store. With a fussy autistic child and a 16 month old it is always difficult to find stuff that they both enjoy. With the black and gold products they have been a hit, barely lasted 2 days in my house
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
Thinking of what to make and then purchase for $20 makes you think. Once an idea was made it was easy to pick ingredients and purchase. I made a list before I went shopping and how much the items were. Then it was easy to make what I purchased. I did have fun making the pastry twists as they didn't want to twist.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I had lots of fun with this. First i made up a batch of cheese and bacon pizza pinwheels using bacon rashers, grated cheese, black & gold puff pastry, and black & gold tomato paste. Then I added in some cut up carrot sticks, some grapes , a cheese stick, and some pretzels to make a tasty lunchbox for back to school
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I made chocolate brownies. I used Black and Gold chocolate chips, brown sugar, plain flour and unsalted butter. The ingredients where great quality. The brownies were delicious and will make a great lunch box treat.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
My little ones are obsessed with blueberry and lemon scones from a popular bakery so we decided to recreate a lunchbox version for them using the Black and Gold Range from IGA. Not only did our lunchbox treat end up tasting better in our opinion, but we were also able to create it for a fraction of the price without sacrificing on quality or taste! Not only that, but because we baked in a loaf tin, we were able to slice them into lunchbox portions, wrap individually and pop some in the freezer for those mornings when the pantry is a little bare or when we are rushing out the door.
From putting in lunchbox suggests and requests, to shopping and selecting ingredients down to getting the toddlers involved in helping whip up a treat for the whole family to enjoy, this experience was by far a positive one. We will definitely be using more Black and Gold products to see what other yummy lunchbox snack we can recreate :)
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
It is awesome walking through out the store of my local IGA and seeing the range of their home brand growing more and more. Selecting home brand flours and canned fruits allows for home baking to produce fresh and healthy selection for a lunch box, snacks. Lunchbox full of fresh fruit, meat, cheese and carrot sticks and home made blueberry and cream cheese treat.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
There was a huge selection of items to choose from, and I was actually surprised at how many items I could get for $20. They all taste great aswell,I will definitely be purchasing these black and gold items again they taste just light a higher price item but for less money
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
We decided to trial a breakfast snack (egg and veggie bake) it was a hit and now we can batch create all sorts of delicious versions of this dish. Kids and husband both approved and there was even a little leftover for myself! That’s a win in my household! Ready for school!
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
Initially I struggled finding lunchtime items at my local IGA. I am not used to the store layout and I went in looking for easy ready to go lunchbox options but it took me a bit and got my thinking cap on before I came up with some ideas.
This lunchbox contained -
Pizza scrolls (Black and Gold - tomato paste, shortcut bacon and tasty cheese)
Piklets with choc chips (Black and Gold - pancake mix and baking chips)
Black and Gold vanilla wafers
And of course the staple fruit, veg and yoghurt pouch.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
We bought a bunch of black and gold goodies from local IGA and it was easy and well priced. We made up a demo lunch made some blueberry pancake mix muffins, pizzas, cheese and added fresh fruit and yum
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I had thought black and gold had disappeared, boy was I wrong. I was amazed at the variety of products to choose from at my local store. With a fussy autistic child and a 16 month old it is always difficult to find stuff that they both enjoy. With the black and gold products they have been a hit, barely lasted 2 days in my house
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
Thinking of what to make and then purchase for $20 makes you think. Once an idea was made it was easy to pick ingredients and purchase. I made a list before I went shopping and how much the items were. Then it was easy to make what I purchased. I did have fun making the pastry twists as they didn't want to twist.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
Honestly I dont visit IGA often, but this time I was amazed to see the variety of their black & Gold range and also the price. I could purchase multiple items within $20 and could create couple of lunch boxes items alond with some snacks. One of my favorite is their 90 cents pasta which is definitely worth it. So I tried cheese pasta with tomato sauce which was liked by my kid. I would recommend IGA for these shopping for lunchboxes.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I had lots of fun with this. First i made up a batch of cheese and bacon pizza pinwheels using bacon rashers, grated cheese, black & gold puff pastry, and black & gold tomato paste. Then I added in some cut up carrot sticks, some grapes , a cheese stick, and some pretzels to make a tasty lunchbox for back to school
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
IGA makes it easy to pick a variety of different selections for lunch box’s. Their black and gold label is easy to find in store with a great variety and a great alternative to branded items, as they taste just as good or even better. Will definitely go back to restock
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
My daughter had an upcoming school holiday camp so the timing of the voucher was perfect! I could just walk out to my local IGA (I have to drive to my local Woolworths or Coles) and pick up the ingredients including bread, ham, fresh fruit and vegetables and snacks. The quality of the produce is good and I like that I am supporting my local grocer.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
Overall I had a good experience at my local IGA store, the staff were helpful but didn't bother you. The Black & Gold range in store had more that what I was expecting, so I was pleasantly surprised. The quality of the products are sufficient. I would buy again. We made a couple of things to prepare for school lunches.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
IGA has definitely made back to school lunches easy and stress free. Such a variety of products to fill a lunchbox for any aged student ( even busy mums who are also at uni) I was able to get such value to make multiple items. Vanilla and chocolate cupcakes filled with jam can also substitute for berries, mini quiche, oat bars with choc chips were just some of the recipes I made that will be regulars in our lunchboxes
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
What a great variety of back to school products the IGA Black and Gold range has. We purchased ham, cheese, mayo and wraps - they made for a fantastic winner with the kids, and hubby and myself even enjoyed making them for ourselves for work lunches too might I add. Quality staples at great prices. We'll be buying again in future! Very happy with the products!
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
Their is so many black and gold budget friendly staples that can help you create so many amazing snacks meals. Back to school is a breeze with iga. I made a simple pasta salad, my kids loved it and so did I. The quality of black and gold is wonderful too, iv not been disappointed in any of their products.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I made chocolate brownies. I used Black and Gold chocolate chips, brown sugar, plain flour and unsalted butter. The ingredients where great quality. The brownies were delicious and will make a great lunch box treat.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
My little ones are obsessed with blueberry and lemon scones from a popular bakery so we decided to recreate a lunchbox version for them using the Black and Gold Range from IGA. Not only did our lunchbox treat end up tasting better in our opinion, but we were also able to create it for a fraction of the price without sacrificing on quality or taste! Not only that, but because we baked in a loaf tin, we were able to slice them into lunchbox portions, wrap individually and pop some in the freezer for those mornings when the pantry is a little bare or when we are rushing out the door.
From putting in lunchbox suggests and requests, to shopping and selecting ingredients down to getting the toddlers involved in helping whip up a treat for the whole family to enjoy, this experience was by far a positive one. We will definitely be using more Black and Gold products to see what other yummy lunchbox snack we can recreate :)
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I Attended the Peries IGA In Mackay QLD store. The store has a good layout and items were easy to find. I also found that staff to be helpful and very friendly.
I was a little disappointed that some the black and gold brands were not available but I got everything I needed from our IGA.
My son requested to make a variety puffed pastry scrolls as these are his lunch box favourite. So I got the black
And gold brand of what I could and the rest was picked from in-store.
I like making these tasty scrolls as they are easy to make and you can make them in a so many variety of flavours. My son even likes to help with making them which is great as we make it fun .
Some of our favourites are
Cheese
Vegemite and cheese
Pizza
Nutella
Spinach and feta
Ham and cheese
I love that you can make them in big batches and freeze them. They last in freezer for about 3 months and you can just pop them frozen in kids lunchboxes night before for them to enjoy at school. You can also heat them in the air fryer for a healthier snack after school rather than chips or chocolate
Today I made some pizza scrolls , Cheese scrolls and Nutella scrolls. They went down a treat with the family and even managed to freeze some for the start of school.
IGA is a great store to stock up on back to school lunchbox items as they are local , convenient, staff are friendly which is a bonus for us busy mums..
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I am currently on holidays at our beach house. I normally shop at Woolies but with this survey today I checked out IGA. I couldn't believe the amount of yummy healthy food they had and not just your stock standard stuff that's 'always' there. They had lots of yummy dips and salads and even had a cafe to have coffee's. The stuff they had on special was very discounted so I did buy a lot of groceries that were on special. I will definitely be shopping at IGA when I go back home.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
It is awesome walking through out the store of my local IGA and seeing the range of their home brand growing more and more. Selecting home brand flours and canned fruits allows for home baking to produce fresh and healthy selection for a lunch box, snacks. Lunchbox full of fresh fruit, meat, cheese and carrot sticks and home made blueberry and cream cheese treat.
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
I was lucky to be chosen to create some snacks / lunch box ideas for back to school. We have a ball shopping at IGA and found the black and gold range well priced and great value for money. We managed to make some apricot bliss balls and mini quiches for an alternative to the usual go to sandwiches.
The children helped make the snacks which makes them more likely to try new things and eat the foods!
Thanks IGA and black and gold!
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
There was a huge selection of items to choose from, and I was actually surprised at how many items I could get for $20. They all taste great aswell,I will definitely be purchasing these black and gold items again they taste just light a higher price item but for less money
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
We decided to trial a breakfast snack (egg and veggie bake) it was a hit and now we can batch create all sorts of delicious versions of this dish. Kids and husband both approved and there was even a little leftover for myself! That’s a win in my household! Ready for school!
Now that you've shopped at IGA, how would you rate the value and experience?
This reviewer received a voucher to purchase their products for this review.
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Article
7 Simple Ideas That’ll Save You Hours Every School Week
If every school week is more like an episode of Survivor at your place, don’t worry, you’re not alone! The struggle to stay on top of the school week mayhem is real – so we’ve put together a bunch of clever ideas to give you back some precious time (and sanity).
There’s nothing difficult about these tips, just solid advice and ideas from a mum who’s been in the school trenches for over a decade.
1. Teach The Kids To Make Some Simple Breakfasts
Four Ingredient Healthy Breakfast Cookies
Hang on, this is about breakfast, why are we showing you a picture of mouth-watering cookies?! These are Four Ingredient Healthy Breakfast Cookies – perfect for a prep-ahead school day brekkie!
Depending on their age there are so many safe and easy breakfasts kids can make themselves. From toasties, to yoghurt pots prepped the night before or just cereal. Not having to make breakfast for everyone will literally save you hours every week!
2. Lay Out Clothes For The Week
Use a hanging organiser or labelled baskets for each day. Include uniforms, socks and undies. Kids can dress themselves without the drama of missing items. I’ll be honest, my kids’ uniforms are expensive, so I wash during the week as they only have a couple of sets. However, if nothing else, having just socks and underwear sorted for the week is an absolute lifesaver!
The other huge help is not having to pre-treat stains on my kids’ uniforms, nobody has time for that during the week! My extra tip here is to use a great quality laundry detergent that is powerful enough to remove stains in-wash, so you don’t need to worry about pre-treating. Biozet Attack’s range is perfect, and while each product packs a punch when it comes to lifting stains, I love that each targets different issues. For example, Biozet Attack Plus Eliminator Power Capsules eliminate 99.9% of odour-causing bacteria – great for teenage boy school shirts! There’s also Biozet Attack Plus Sensitive 2L which is dermatologically tested, but still powers through stains.
3. Use A Family Calendar System
Whether it’s a wall planner, a shared phone calendar or a digital calendar, you need everyone to be able to track all activities, due dates and after-school commitments in one place. It also helps gives the kids a a sense of responsibility and doesn’t leave everything on your shoulders!
4. Plan A Weekly School Admin Session
Answer school emails, sign permission forms, top up canteen accounts and check term calendars in one go instead of daily interruptions. You may only need to do this fortnightly or monthly, but just make sure you schedule it in your calendar. Trust me, it saves so much time compared to juggling things bit by bit!
5. Quick-Fire Cleaning Sessions
Set a timer for ten minutes in the afternoon, pop on some music and everyone tidies their zone. This includes the kids emptying their lunchboxes, washing their drink bottles, handing you any notes and putting their clothes in the wash. Small bursts like this stop the house turning into chaos by Friday.
6. Have A Snack Station
Keep a drawer or fridge shelf filled with ready portions. Kids can pack their own snacks for school, and also grab something to eat when they get home. Think ahead and include them in the weekly shopping – ask them what snacks they would like (and cross your fingers they’ll still like them all week!).
7. Set Up A Family Charging Station
One spot for iPads, laptops and phones. No searching for chargers or discovering a dead laptop ten minutes before school! Make sure each child puts their school device on charge when they get home, as part of their Quick-Fire Cleaning Session.
While we can’t promise your school weeks won’t have moments of chaos, taking some of these tips on board will save you time – even if it’s just five minutes here and there. It’s about building realistic habits for the whole family, that will hopefully bring some calm to the school week.
Mouths of Mums is proudly working with Biozet Attack to bring you this article.
There are some good hints here! I already do have a little snack station in my pantry – a large container filled with all sorts of bars, etc. It’s the first place the kids look for something to eat. I do like the idea of a charging station but I don’t think it would work in my house. Everyone seems to like charging things in their room and it could look messy with multiple cords.
The struggle is real so I’m loving these hints. I especially like the idea of getting the kids involved in preparing their own lunches and snacks and offering a variety of options that will hopefully encourage them to make healthy choices now and into the future.
A great article full of very helpful and handy tips. Most of these I already do but it has reminded me to add a few other things to my list to organise before the school year starts in a couple of weeks. Helpful tips like this are so great as you can never remember everything and this sure has given me a few extra things to think about.
We do daily life admin because it simply makes life easier to stay on top of everything that is required to run a family and household. Planning and organisation is so vital for every family and for a household. It really is very important to stay on top of all things at all times.
I love this article. I can relate to a lot of these ideas. For instance, I have a snack shelf in my pantry so my kids can choose and pack their own snacks. No more asking them what they want. We also have a family charging station in the kitchen. iPads, laptops and phones are only allowed to be charged on the kitchen bench. I love the healthy cookies. I must give these a go. The family calendar system is a must too!
I totally agree with most of these. We bought some inexpensive cereal dispensers, and that made mornings much easier. And school admin? For me, that is every Wednesday right before a regular appointment. It fitted in perfectly, I never overlooked anything, and if I didn’t need it it was a glorious burst of free time.
I love this article and the tips and already follow many of them. I have always been a big fan of schedules and planners and they simply make sense and make sure everyone in the family is on task. I also love snack stations; one for the fridge and one for the pantry; again it makes sense and makes preparing food and lunchboxes and snack times easy.
5:58 pm
Community feel
3:04 pm
Surprising
2:59 pm
Surprised at what you can buy
2:42 pm
Back to school with Black & Gold
9:05 am
Very surprised
7:33 am
Blueberry and Lemon Lunchbox Treat!
From putting in lunchbox suggests and requests, to shopping and selecting ingredients down to getting the toddlers involved in helping whip up a treat for the whole family to enjoy, this experience was by far a positive one. We will definitely be using more Black and Gold products to see what other yummy lunchbox snack we can recreate :)
7:04 pm
Great home selection
5:02 pm
Great products
4:11 pm
Great quality products
2:54 pm
Lunchboxes made easy
I bought a bottle of pancake mix with hundreds and thousands which I made into mini muffins. Works great for my 2 older kids and my toddler.
Next I made a date slice with the dessicated coconut and unslated butter I bought. I only added dates and honey that I already had in my pantry.
Lastly I made a loaf of bread and bread rolls that can be used for sandwiches and hotdog for school. I used the flour and grated cheese I bought.
6:48 pm
Lots of lunchtime goodies
This lunchbox contained -
Pizza scrolls (Black and Gold - tomato paste, shortcut bacon and tasty cheese)
Piklets with choc chips (Black and Gold - pancake mix and baking chips)
Black and Gold vanilla wafers
And of course the staple fruit, veg and yoghurt pouch.
5:58 pm
Community feel
3:04 pm
Surprising
2:59 pm
Surprised at what you can buy
2:57 pm
Economical lunch box preparation
2:42 pm
Back to school with Black & Gold
2:31 pm
Easy and convenient
2:10 pm
Great local grocer!
1:30 pm
Black & Gold back to school
11:52 am
Back to school lunches made easy
10:27 am
Quality products - Great for back to School
9:58 am
Black and gold for the win
9:05 am
Very surprised
7:33 am
Blueberry and Lemon Lunchbox Treat!
From putting in lunchbox suggests and requests, to shopping and selecting ingredients down to getting the toddlers involved in helping whip up a treat for the whole family to enjoy, this experience was by far a positive one. We will definitely be using more Black and Gold products to see what other yummy lunchbox snack we can recreate :)
12:11 am
My sons lunchbox favourite
I was a little disappointed that some the black and gold brands were not available but I got everything I needed from our IGA.
My son requested to make a variety puffed pastry scrolls as these are his lunch box favourite. So I got the black
And gold brand of what I could and the rest was picked from in-store.
I like making these tasty scrolls as they are easy to make and you can make them in a so many variety of flavours. My son even likes to help with making them which is great as we make it fun .
Some of our favourites are
Cheese
Vegemite and cheese
Pizza
Nutella
Spinach and feta
Ham and cheese
I love that you can make them in big batches and freeze them. They last in freezer for about 3 months and you can just pop them frozen in kids lunchboxes night before for them to enjoy at school. You can also heat them in the air fryer for a healthier snack after school rather than chips or chocolate
Today I made some pizza scrolls , Cheese scrolls and Nutella scrolls. They went down a treat with the family and even managed to freeze some for the start of school.
IGA is a great store to stock up on back to school lunchbox items as they are local , convenient, staff are friendly which is a bonus for us busy mums..
9:25 pm
IGA had lots of yummy pre made food and specials
7:04 pm
Great home selection
6:18 pm
Back to school ready
The children helped make the snacks which makes them more likely to try new things and eat the foods!
Thanks IGA and black and gold!
5:02 pm
Great products
4:11 pm
Great quality products
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