Are you stuck for inspiration when it comes to preparing your kids’ lunch boxes? As a mother of two children I dread the start of the new school term and seemingly endless hours of preparing healthy packed lunches. Let’s face it, there’s only so many cheese sarnies you can make them! So how do you come up with inspiration for their lunchboxes?

One of the main reasons we take so much time and effort over our children’s lunches is because we care about what they eat. Jamie Oliver may have tried to ensure that turkey twizzlers are off the school dinners menu but that doesn’t mean that school dinners have suddenly become healthy and free from processed food. Couple with that the fact that many schools now charge around £2 a head for children per day and you realise why many parents are opting to make lunches at home.

But I have to admit that as a working mum, the last thing I want to do is spend my time slaving over tasty and healthy lunches only to have them come back after school with most of it still in their lunchboxes. There is nothing more disheartening than to have to throw away good food that you’ve spent ages over.

So here are just a few ideas to get their taste buds tingling and to save you time in the kitchen:

• Sandwiches – make mini sandwich shapes that don’t have any crusts on, are handy bitesize pieces and fun to eat!
• Fruit – mini fruit salad pots are a great way to get kids to eat their daily portion of fruit. Make it colourful, use lots of variety and don’t be afraid to experiment!
• Treats – kids can still have the odd treat in their lunchboxes, especially with my easy to make cakes and flapjacks that contain fruit, oats and other healthy goodies.
• Wraps and Pittas – when sandwiches seem boring, change them for something a little different and the crusts are no longer a problem!

Get kids helping in the kitchen!

If you get kids involved in what they are making then they are more likely to take an interest in eating it! Home baking recipes may seem like a lot of effort but snacks and treats such as flapjacks, brownies and biscuits take minutes to make and are simple enough for kids to try their hand at. Plus all the weighing and following instructions will also help with their maths and english skills!

Make Packed Lunches Exciting!

Give them something to look forward to at lunchtimes and try to ensure that every day is different. Having a cheese sandwich every day, even if that’s what they like, is just plain boring. Try to liven it up by putting cheese in a pitta bread or having a wrap. The more you expose children to new tastes and ideas the less likely they are to grow up as fussy eaters.