Does making school lunches make you cringe? It makes me wonder what I could add to the lunch boxes this year to keep little people interested and maybe try a new food or two. Yes I have two very fussy eaters. I never thought this would happen, as hubby and I are not fussy and try and experience different foods all the time. However my little ones don’t.

I have struggled to change this and I try and add a new food here and there to keep interest up and to add to their diet. One kid would like to be  Junior Masterchef and I use this to get her to try more foods than she would normally. She does a test taste a few things due to me saying as a Masterchef she needs to know what they taste like.

So as you can imagine making two very fussy kids lunch boxes for school is a chore and I never know what to pack. I do try to make it healthy and a good mix of things. I normally have a sandwich of Vegemite/cheese/chicken/turkey, some piece of fruit either, watermelon, apples, pears, strawberries or a banana. I also sometimes throw in yoghurt, carrot and some other snacks. I do give a treat every know and then and that could be some biscuits, a cake we cooked at home or a square of extra extra dark chocolate.

Sometimes the kids do have a canteen lunch and I lived in hope that they would see things on the menu and want to give it a go. The school they go to has a very healthy canteen so if they order something it should not be too bad and crossing fingers might expose them to different foods and tastes.

“With nutrition at the heart of IGA’s lunchbox inspirations,the local grocer has worked closely with a local nutritionist to ensure the

recipes have plenty of healthy options for parents to choose from, presented in a creative way for kids to enjoy.”

Are you like me and require some inspiration for kids lunches? IGA has some great lunch box ideas and I’m sure that you will be a lunchbox legend as well.  Since school is going back next Wednesday in NSW, this might give a hand to make the first week back easier.

Tips from IGA to help you make some awesome school lunches:

• Cut out sandwiches with a cookie cutter. Make it a fun shape that your child/children will love. I have done this and been very surprised it worked so well. I used hearts, cars, flowers and other fun shapes. The kids came home and said I loved my stars and hearts.
• Create the “WOW” factor with colour. Kids love colour and this will keep them interested in their lunch box
• Bake some healthy cakes/muffins/cupcakes. Store the left over-overs in the freezer so that they are ready for the school lunch box. They’ll stay fresh and be ready to eat by morning tea.
• Pack the lunch box the night before. This help if you are rushed and feeling pressured to get it all done in the morning. I pack the twins lunches the night before and it saves a lot of hassle and stress. All I need to do is to get the lunch boxes in the bag and kids out the door and all is good.
• If you child or kids love to help in the kitchen, get them to help and give a hand to sorting out their lunch box. This way they are more inclined to eat what they pack.

I will be checking out the suggestions from IGA as they look like great inspiration and ideas. As you already know dealing with fussy kids is never easy so any ideas that help is a good thing.

 

Did you know?

“Two thirds of parents are feeling the pressure from other parents, teachers or friends, and a quarter (28 per cent) that say there is even competition among other parents when it comes to preparing school lunches” IGA (Independent Grocers of Australia)

I am not sure if this has happened to me as no one has said anything and I really don’t care about what other parents do with their kids lunch boxes. I am more worried about my kids.

 

For more information please visit:

Visit www.iga.com.au/school for easy and inspirational lunchbox idea or Join the conversation today at https://www.facebook.com/igaAustralia or via @igaaustralia on
Twitter.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post for IGA. I have decided to support their healthy stance on school lunches and due to my kids being fuss pots I am interested in anything that will make them eat good healthy food. I hope this helps you out and gives you some more ideas on how to get kids interested and for school lunch box ideas.