Lunch is a very important meal for your child as it will help keep him/her sustained for the rest of the day. Here are some reat tips to help get fresh fruit and vegetables into your child’s diet each day.
We have compiled a list of tips on how to include more fruit and vegetable into lunchboxes and make sure it comes home eaten.
- Peanut butter and banana sarmies: A peanut butter sarmie is a classic and a great protein-packed choice but have you tried it with a sliced banana? Add a sliced banana to boost your daily intake of fibre and potassium and to provide energy to stay alert at school or at the office.
- Baby vegetables like baby corn or carrots make fun “pre-prepared” snacks to add to the lunchbox and can be dipped in hummus or cottage cheese to add flavour, food interaction and protein.
- Monitor what comes back uneaten and chat to your child about healthy alternatives they would prefer to eat.
- Peel fruits like oranges, or cut the stalk off strawberries to encourage the fruits to be eaten.
- Grated carrots are a delicious addition to a tuna mayo sandwich, to add crunch and antioxidants to your midday meal.
- Savoury vegetable muffins are perfect for lunch boxes. Often including grated aubergine, spinach or sweetcorn and topped with cheese, they make a super, quick pick-me-up snack. Look out for recipes that can be frozen and take them out the night before.
- Date balls and strawberry balls are trendy bite-sized snacks, which taste as good as they look. Pick a recipe including the fruit you enjoy, and some oats, seeds or coconut for extra flavour and nutrients. Kids will love them.
- Veggie fritters can be enjoyed hot or cold and can be made with almost any vegetable you have on hand, even frozen vegetables. You can even add some instant noodles to the mix if you’d like. Served with a dipping sauce, it’s the perfect lunchtime snack that can be premade for the week.
