Help please - no idea what to put in a kids "healthy" lunch box

[goingbacktowork]

I am not sure if this is the best board top ask this question on - if not please can you suggest another board?

My daughter will be starting packed lucnches soon and I do not want to end up with her just eating a packet of crisps, cheese dips, sandwich, bit of cucumner and something sweet in lunch box. I have no idea about creating a varied and nutritious lunch box . She will be having this every day. The only " good thing" I can think to add is humous etc but no idea how you can take "a little bit" of humous to school as obviously I do not want her eating a tub of it a day.

Will be grateful for any suggestions. Many thanks.

marking place as our school has a redicilous healthy eating policy which really restricts what I can pack...

sorry for the crap spelling

Sainsburys do little mini pots of houmous or re usebthe little pots of mango chutney from the yum Indian takeaway

Carrot sticks are popular and don't go squelch like cucumber

Pitta pockets are good as well

I save little packaging pots (wash up myself & store away) to put things like a few grapes, tomatoes or few spoonfuls of humus in. Like something that pate was sold in, or mushy peas (my weakness) from the chippy, or hot-sour sauce from Chinese take-away, dip pots with multi-packs, that kind of thing.

It depends so much on what your DC will eat. If it's something that goes off easily you'll need a cool pack in there to keep it cool, and then that might be bad for other stuff (sarnies don't taste so good kept cold).

I don't think your list of what you do not what her to "just eat" is so bad, my DC want the exact same things every day for weeks on end and I don't mind, as long as it's reasonable quality.

#goingbacktowork* You can buy pots like this which would be ideal to decant a bit of hummus into. A few carrot/cucumber/pepper sticks in a sandwich bag with some grapes in another little pot and stick it in her lunchbox. Cheese cubes and cherry tomatoes are another good one, or some cold pasta or potato salad (you'll need to check if the canteen will let her use a fork from there, a post recently was moaning about children with packed lunches not being able to borrow a fork at lunchtime and being banned from taking their own in )

Sandwiches are fine.
Use good bread, and a range of fillings as variety - cheese, ham, cream cheese, mashed avocado, tuna, whatever you like.
A bit of cucumber is fine. Or carrot batons, or some fruit, or cherry toms
A chicken drumstick
A yogurt, or sometimes a bit of flapjack.

Things I have included in DS's lunchbox from time to time: a samosa, a sausage roll, a wrap instead of the sandwich, one of those sushi snack packs, little packs of Twiglets, chunks of cheese, chunks of fresh pineapple, little felafels, dolmades, cold fish fingers, slice of cold pizza, mini quiche.

For small children i think it's really important to give them things that they can manage easily, and eat quickly and efficiently, and not overwhelm them with a liunch box full of loads of fiddly ingredients.

Lunchboxes are 5 out of 35 meals a week. Not every one has to be totally balanced, and many children actually like having the same thing every day. Also the school day is long and they may not be eating snacks at break. Don't fill them up on endless calorie-free sticks of celery, carrot and rice cakes which take ages to eat and don't give them energy. The school day is tiring.

Healthy lunch box means no fizz or sweets or bars of choc. Not banning ordinary food.