Let’s face it, it can be difficult to stay fresh with lunch box ideas, and packing the same lunch day in and day out can become a boring routine for you and your kids. To help avoid lunch box boredom, we've come up with some simple tips to keep things fresh, healthy, creative and fun!- Include your child in the planning process. Get them interested in their food and let them help you plan a lunch for them that they would love to eat.
- If you’re making a traditional sandwich, spice things up by changing the bread regularly by trying out pita bread or tortillas. For a real change, try packing crackers or breadsticks separately from the filling. Your child then assembles the crackers and filling into sandwiches. Great fun!
- Leave notes in your kids’ lunches. Hand-drawn pictures for the young ones and riddles or trivia for the older ones always makes lunch more interesting and lets them know that you’re thinking of them.
- Salsa, hummus, bean dips, or fruit dips with baked chips, breads, veggies or fruit are good lunch box choices. These foods contain vitamins and fibre needed for a healthy, balanced lunch.
- Small children may not eat very much at one sitting. Think about packing appetizer-sized items instead of a large sandwich or whole fruit. You can also include more choices if the quantity of each is smaller.
- Actual time for eating lunch at most schools only lasts for 20-30 minutes and is filled with distractions. Make sure the lunch foods you pack are easy to eat, packed in easily opened packages, and don’t require peeling or special tools.
- If you make your own snack mixes, you can include healthy additions like dried fruits, pretzels and baked crackers. Kids love to munch on something crunchy and sweet or savory.
Remember, a packed lunch needs to give a balanced nutritional intake to give your child the energy he or she needs to grow, learn and be a kid! Be sure to include carbohydrates, proteins, calcium and fruits/vegetables wherever possible.
