No more boring packed lunches.

It’s the one thing every parent dreads to hear- “Mum, can I have packed lunch please?”  Soggy sandwiches, bruised apples and a handful of raisins don’t exactly scream out- “Eat me. I’m delicious!” So just how do we produce a mouth watering feast, full of every food group, for our offspring every single day?

To most parents creating the perfect packed lunch is as much of an enigma as the disappearing sock mystery (where DO they go???) Every child has likes and dislikes and every child wants variety. However, as the list of ‘acceptable‘ foods in Schools becomes shorter and shorter, the task of providing entertaining, nutritious, school friendly lunches becomes a bigger and bigger mountain to climb.

In Japan, the lunch box (bento) is a thing of art- rice molded into decorative animal faces and fruit carved into flowers. For the majority of us, who haven’t been blessed with the ability to produce a replica of the Taj Mahal from a paper square since the age of 5, our efforts remain confined to two bits of meat or dairy filled bread cut into squares (or triangles if we are really feeling flamboyant).

Having scoured the net for ideas and tips we came across these 5 great packed lunch ideas from Super Savvy Me 

1. Tacos
You could add kidney beans with lettuce, corn, tomatoes and grated cheese or chicken strips with avocado and shredded cabbage.

2. Wraps
Pretty much the same as sandwich fillings, adding salad and peppers gives the wrap a nice healthy crunch

3. Pitta
Try wholewheat pitta with humous, cucumber and lettuce. Tuna, tomato and olives or shredded meat ( chicken, turkey), spinach and cheese also work well

4. Lettuce Leaf Wraps
Cheese, chicken and tomatoes. Ham, sunflower seeds and cucumber. Can be a bit difficult to stop the lettuce going soggy so use a good Iceberg lettuce.

5. Kebabs
Try a mixture of cheese cubes with celery, olives and peppers or fruit kebabs ( a winner with most children) with strawberries, grapes, pineapple, apple and melon.

Having sorted out the inside of the lunch bag a great way of complimenting the outside is to personalise it with your child’s face on a fun illustration. No more bringing home the wrong bag and with tucking a special note secretly into the bag the Packed Lunch becomes an everyday adventure, not an everyday chore. 

Do your children have any favourite packed lunches?