Knowing you’ve set your child up for a great day at school is a wonderful feeling. A big part of it is packing a healthy, fun lunch that you know they’ll love, and is good for them.
We know you’re busy, so these simple lunchbox ideas don’t take hours and hours to prepare. With only two or three natural ingredients, these five packed lunch dishes will save you time, while making sure your children get the nutrition they need to grow up happy, healthy and strong.
Sweet potato is a healthier, more nutritious alternative to regular potato. But your kids will love the fact you can still turn it into tasty chips! Just cut into shape, add a little olive oil and seasoning and pop in the oven. In 40 minutes, you’ll have an easy, healthy lunchtime treat for little tummies. Add a dip like hummus or tzatziki for an expanding palette!
Oily fish is fantastic for a growing brain – but how to get your child to enjoy it? Fishcakes are the answer! Breaded, and consisting of nothing scarier than fish, potato and seasoning, a salmon fishcake is the perfect way to get those essential omega oils into your child’s diet. All you have to do is put them in the oven for half an hour the night before.
Pitas are great inside a packed lunch and so fast to make on a busy morning. Falafel is the perfect choice of filling – just chop some iceberg, fill the pitas with hummus, and squash in a ball or two of falafel for a simple introduction to Middle Eastern food that even kids won’t find too daring!
Some kids will only eat healthy food if you make it exciting. But how to liven up simple, healthy food? With skewers! If you think your child is old enough to be trusted with toothpicks, they make great mini-skewers for cherry tomatoes, blocks of cheddar, roasted meats and more. You can also use them for berries or chopped apples to make fruit more exciting.
Quick and simple to make, cauliflower rice is simply cauliflower florets put through a food processor (or chopped up very fine) and then steamed until soft. Filling, but not full of refined carbs like white basmati, you can treat it just like normal rice, covering it in delicious sauces or simply adding some parsley and olive oil for simple treat. Cauliflower is full of vitamin C, to help keep your child’s fit and healthy.
