FACT: Always check the label - some cereal bars contain over 40% sugar and over 30% fat.
Here are some tips to help you cope
NO MORE BORING SANDWICHES
Try giving pitta pockets with tuna, sweetcorn and mayonnaise, tortilla wraps with sliced turkey, salad cream, shredded lettuce and grated cheese, mini baguettes with ham and cheese or bagels with Marmite. To prevent sandwiches getting squashed store them in a small plastic container in your child’s lunchbox. Make sure you dry ingredients like lettuce or the sandwiches will become soggy.
PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE
Lunches can be prepared the night before to save time the next morning. You can prepare pasta salads, sandwich fillings, fruit compotes or include something from last night’s dinner like soup in a flask, chicken skewers or a Fritatta (Spanish Omelette)
AVOID TOO MANY PROCESSED FOODS
they tend to contain few nutrients and too much salt, sugar, additives and saturated fat. Instead of crisps or chocolate biscuits try offering Twiglets, popcorn, rice cakes, yoghurt covered raisins, dried apricots
SOMETHING HOT
As the colder weather sets in it’s a good idea to include something hot in a lunchbox. A wide mouthed mini thermos flask would be ideal for serving up a delicious cup of home-made or good quality bought soup like minestrone soup which is both warming and nutritious. You could also put foods like baked beans in a flask.
SALADS
Salads make a nice change from sandwiches, try Chicken Caesar Salad , Chef’s Salad with Turkey and Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes and Mini Balls of Mozzarella or Chicken Salad with Pasta, Sweetcorn, Cherry Tomatoes and Spring Onion. Keep the salad dressing separate and let your child pour it over his salad himself so that it remains crisp.
100% JUICE
Pure fruit juice contains 100% fruit juice as you would expect, however a ‘fruit juice drink’ can contain as little as 5% juice. Many so-called ‘juice drinks’ are really only juice-flavoured sugary water and contain more water and sugar than actual juice and many also include artificial flavourings, sweeteners and colourings. Other good options are fresh fruit smoothies, probiotic mini yogurt drinks or plain old water.
LUNCHBOXES
It’s good idea to buy an insulated lunch box. Lunchboxes left in a warm place can become a breeding ground for germs. To keep your child’s lunchbox cool, buy a mini ice pack or freezer gel packs which can be frozen and inserted with the lunch. Buy a couple of ice packs so that you will always have one in the freezer. Alternatively freeze a carton or plastic bottle of juice overnight. The frozen drink will help keep food cool and will have defrosted by lunchtime.
For healthy and creative recipe ideas, take a preview look at my book, Lunchboxes and for more information, please go to www.annabelkarmel.com
Featured Recipes
Savoury Recipe
You can make up kebabs using skewers or straws with many different foods. They are quick to put together and easy to pack in your kid's lunchbox.
Drink Recipe
This smoothie is a great way to use up slightly overripe bananas – the ones with brown spots that children hate to eat!
Treat Recipe
Adding oats for long lasting energy, nuts for protein and dried apricots for betacarotene gives these Rice Krispie squares a healthy twist for snack food.
