Planning your kids' school lunch box can be a stressful time. There’s additional pressure for them to be ‘healthier’ and you’re running out of ideas, especially if yours are particularly fussy.
It's common for parents to conjure up a ham sandwich, chuck in a bag of crisps, an apple, and a chocolate bar for good measure, because it's quick and easy and they have one thousand other things to do.
It’s important to remember that school meals follow nutritional standards and are FREE for KS1 pupils. For KS2 prices vary, but you can be sure that their meals are nutritionally balanced.
However, school meals aren’t for everyone, so here’s some ideas for their lunchboxes, whilst ensuring they contain all the food groups your kids need to keep them going throughout the day.
Couscous, pasta, quinoa or rice - The perfect mix of carbohydrates to keep then fueled throughout the day, with the addition of proteins such as meat, fish, lentils or chickpeas and then some vegetables your kids enjoy. Sweetcorn, peas and peppers go well with these dishes.
Sushi sandwiches - A different take on the typical sandwich, but a little different and perhaps more exciting. Flatten the bread with a rolling pin, add your filling such as tuna or egg mayo, humous, or cream cheese ( you can even add strips of veggies), roll tightly and slice into bite size chunks.
Make fruit more appealing - You can serve with cheese - think cheese and pineapple or cheese and grapes (also means they are getting a portion of dairy too!), cut the fruit into chunks to make a fruit salad, or serve on a skewer for fruit kebabs.
Egg muffins - These can be batch cooked over the weekend and added to the lunchbox each day. Here’s a recipe where you can add different ingredients too! https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-egg-muffins
Healthy snacks - Forget chocolate bars and bags of crisps, and think baby bells, no added sugar jelly pots or rice pudding and maltloaf.
Include a dip - Whether this is houmous or tzatziki, serve with pitta bread or veggie sticks.