Get your kids involved
Even kids of a young age can get involved in making their school lunch. Simply lay out all the healthy options and they can grab and pack themselves. For the older kids, encourage them to cut up their own fresh fruit and vegetables, make the wraps or portion out their own leftovers.
If getting your children motivated in the mornings is a struggle, have them help or take charge of baking one item on the weekend that they can add to their lunch throughout the week.
Revive your lunchbox choices
Reviving your current lunchbox choices and presenting them in a different format may be an easy solution to your current rut.
Instead of simply wrapping up your child’s sandwich, make it kebab style by placing all the ingredients on a skewer. Swap the bread for a Mountain Bread wrap and cut it into sushi-like pieces. Try fermented veggies instead of raw or serve yoghurt in a squeezy pouch with fruit and seeds rather than in a container.
Dress up your dinner leftovers or turn them into something new. Use leftover spaghetti Bolognese and create muffins or a slice, or save some rice and make a salad with raw veggies.
Host a lunchbox workgroup
Sometimes all you need is some fresh ideas and motivation to get your healthy lunchbox making back on track. Why not gather a couple of fellow parents and host a lunchbox working bee?
Each parent can be responsible for a couple of different dishes and you can share the goods between the group so there is plenty of variety and new things for your children to try. Just make sure you discuss any allergies and intolerances before you get cooking.
Sarah Appleford is a bachelor-qualified nutritionist, mother, passionate foodie and founder of Nutrition For Kids. Through 1:1 consultations and workshops, Sarah’s mission is to inspire children to lead healthy, happy lives. She wants to help remove the confusion and equip parents with the tools and knowledge they need to nourish their kids with a whole food diet. Find inspiration on the Nutrition For Kids’ website and follow on Sarah on Instagram or Facebook.
