The school year has started and it’s time to start packing lunch boxes again – this well all know too well can be difficult at times when trying to get your kids to eat healthy. To avoid finding mouldy sandwiches in the bottom of their school bags this year, we’ve tracked down the sweetest ways for making healthy lunches fun – and give all the other mum’s a run for their money.
These two easy and healthy lunch box ideas are both fun to pack and guarantee an empty box in return. Smiles for you and smiles for the kids!
Smiley Face Lunch on a Stick
Directions
1. Make sure kabob sticks fit into lunchbox. If they don’t break off the end so it will. Slide cheese, meat, egg, and another piece of cheese, in that order, onto kabob stick. Repeat with second stick. Lay both sticks vertically in main compartment of lunchbox.
2. Cut two circles from roasted seaweed. Place on top of eggs to make the eyes.
3. Spread cream cheese on celery and place horizontally along the bottom of lunchbox. Top celery with snap pea. Place celery stick on top of half a slice of bread.
4. Put grape tomato above celery and between eggs to make a nose.
5. Cut carrot sticks into slices. Alternate sliding raspberries and carrot slices onto toothpick. Repeat with two more toothpicks. Place in side container.
6. In second side container, put pretzel sticks.
7. Make sure and include a Sunraysia organic juice pouch to drink.
Under the Sea Lunch
Directions
1. Use fish shaped cookie cutter on two slices of bread. Place sandwich filling on top of one piece and place second piece of bread on top. Cut small circle from Mozzarella cheese. Put toothpick in blueberry, then through circle of cheese, and through the top of sandwich. This makes the fish’s eye.
2. Drop blueberries in the bottom half of main dish and arrange apple slices in the top half as shown. Rub apple slices with lemon wedge to help prevent browning. Place fish sandwich on top of the blueberries.
3. Cut cheese into starfish shapes. Using a vegetable cutter makes this a snap! Place in side dish.
4. In second side dish put rice or quinoa. Slice three snap peas in half. Place them in the rice in position to be flippers and a head for a turtle as shown. Place a floret of broccoli on top for the shell.
5. Remember to also put in a Sunraysia organic juice pouch to drink.
5 tips for creating lunchboxes:
1. Find a good reusable bento style lunchbox. These can sometimes last for years. Although they might be a little bit more expensive to start, they will pay off over time.
2. To make fun lunches, start simple with cookie cutters on bread. These can make fun shaped sandwiches in a snap!
3. Use plastic silverware when needed and wash and reuse it. If your child loses the silverware, it won’t cost much to replace it.
4. Prep as much as possible at the beginning of the week. Many fruits and vegetables can be cut up a few days in advance and then easily put in a child’s lunch when needed.
5. Give your child two to or three choices when it comes to healthy lunch ingredients. They will then feel like they are part of the process.
