Healthy lunch box ideas your child will love

At Bakers Delight, we’re here to help. While we can’t help you find those missing socks, we can give you healthy lunchbox ideas. From getting your little ones involved, to introducing new recipes, there’s plenty of ways you can make school lunches that they’ll love. Here are four ways you can get your kids excited to grab their lunchbox and devour their food this school year.

What is healthy to put in a lunch box?

Before we get into the how, it’s worth considering what you’re going to put into their lunchbox. Choosing healthy lunch box snacks that they love isn’t always easy. Packaging can be deceiving and even if you think it’s a better option, it may not be. Here are some foods that you can’t go wrong with:

• Fruit and vegetables
• Seeds, legumes and beans
• Milk, cheese and yoghurt
• Lean meats or alternatives
• Breads and cereals.

Tips and tricks to make the perfect healthy lunch

Nutritious lunches and snacks help provide your little one with all the energy they need to learn, play and grow. Here are some of our favourite ideas to get your kids excited about a healthy lunch. 

1. Make healthy school lunches look fun

Has your child ever said “yuck” without taking a bite? For these mini food critics, the appearance of food can be just as important as how it tastes. 

• Individual bite-sized pieces are usually a winner and you can pack them in a Bento box. Go for different rainbow colours — think yellow cheese cubes, orange carrot sticks, red cherry tomatoes, green celery sticks and white apple slices. 
• Mini sandwich stacks are perfect for putting the fun into lunch. These are made by alternating bread with fresh ingredients, such as ham, cheese, tomato and lettuce. Mix and match a range of flavours and ingredients. Then, cut them into squares and you have the perfect fun-sized lunch treats for your kids to enjoy! 
• Mexican Rollups will also be a hit, because they’re the perfect size for little fingers. These are made by rolling bread up with taco sauce, mince, corn kernels, black beans and mozzarella. Bake them for 20 minutes and voila — you’ll put the fun back into sandwiches!

2. Get them involved with easy healthy lunch ideas

It’s never too early to get your mini-masterchef into the kitchen. Getting them involved in lunch prep can be a great way to get them excited, plus it can be a great way to help them feel a sense of achievement. 

• Take them to the supermarket and let them pick out the ingredients for their healthy lunch or snacks. You could even borrow kid-friendly recipe books from your local library and ask your child to help you find the ingredients at the store. 
• When it’s time to prepare lunches, get them involved and make it fun! Even younger children can wear an apron and do basic tasks such as buttering bread and adding ingredients to recipes. 

Look for meals that can be made the day before so you don’t feel rushed. For example, you can try these Sandwich skewers. Little ones can thread their favourite ingredients onto the skewers — which is also good for their fine motor skills!

3. Switch up school lunches so they don’t get boring

No one likes eating the same thing every day – especially kids! However, coming up with new healthy kids lunch box ideas can be a tricky task. Here are some ways to overcome it: 

• Have a mix of options that you can rotate throughout the week. If you’re organised you can set up a lunch prep plan. Or, simply keep a few staples in your pantry so you can decide on the day. You can never go wrong with a fresh loaf of white bread, or Mini Cheese & Bacon rolls. You can customise your fillings with leftover roast meat and salads. 
• Healthy snacks for lunch boxes usually include a “fruit stop.” You can switch these up throughout the year by choosing in-season, local produce. For example, you may notice tomatoes and strawberries are juicier (and cheaper) in the warmer months.

4. Give them healthy lunchbox options

Choice can be a great way to give your kids a little independence over what they eat. Plus, it can make lunches feel less of a chore and more of a treat. While there are limits, it’s important to let your little ones feel like they have a say in their healthy school lunch ideas.

• Giving them the choice can be as simple as “do you want strawberries, watermelon or bananas this week?” Or, “choose three things to put in your sandwich.” 
• Give them a few recipes and healthy school lunch ideas for them to pick from for the week. 
• Get your kids involved by asking them to help you write a shopping list for the upcoming week. 

Getting your little ones excited about their school lunch is easy! With the tips above, they’ll be eager to fly out the classroom and show off their lunches to all their friends. Looking for more back to school ideas? We’ve got you sorted with more genius hacks for back to school. 
Kick off school on the right foot and head to your local Bakers Delight. Stock up on all their favourites and even pick up a sweet surprise as a treat.