Small Portions
Don’t overdo it in portion size - kids don’t know where to start and end up with lunch box fatigue.
Four foods
Keep the amount of food you pack to four. It will make your life easier and kids are more likely to eat them all. Try crackers and dip, fruit, a protein-filled sandwich and a mini-muffin.
Sandwiches
Making these a bit different is not as hard as it sounds. One idea is to take a piece of bread, spread it with cream cheese, top it up with ham, then roll them and cut cross-ways, like sushi. Alternatively you can make a turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich, using one wholemeal and one white slice of bread. Plus try toasting sandwiches especially with using baked beans and cheese as fillings.
Protein
Try to incorporate some protein into snacks and sandwiches as they can be filling. Dips such as hummus, cream cheese, avocado or re-fried beans are great tummy fillers.
Fruit
It doesn’t have to be the standard apple every day. Try cutting up strawberries and kiwi fruit and skewer them onto paddle pop sticks or pop them into a plastic container as a fruit salad. Pack yoghurt or custard for the dipping sauce.
Snacks
Homemade mini-muffins are great, as are dips and carrot sticks or crackers. Try mixing cereal, such as Nutri-Grain with dried apricots, raisins or sultanas. Try to steer clear of packaged snacks - they’re expensive and often full of sugar or salt.