Have you just run out of ideas for the kids’ lunch boxes? This is a feeling many parents can relate to… hopefully this blog post will give you some new ideas to change lunch making from dreadful to delightful!

First, we look at meal ideas and then provide you with a list of snack ideas. Include two or three snacks with your meal and pop them inside the lunch box.

Meal Ideas:

1. Pizza quesadilla

Making a quesadilla is almost the same as making a grilled cheese sandwich: super quick, easy and delicious. But these are not your average quesadillas – these are pizza quesadillas! All you need is a pack of small flour tortillas, a tomato or spaghetti sauce, grated cheese and any extras you wish to add such as ham, pepperoni, bacon, rocket, avocado or chicken. Place butter or oil in a hot pan, then throw the first tortilla on the pan and add all your toppings in this order; tomato or spaghetti sauce, toppings or your choice and lastly a generous sprinkle of grated cheese. Now add the second tortilla on top and flip till both sides are golden brown and the cheese has melted. Tip! Make a big batch and freeze the quesadillas, then heat up one just before school in the morning.

2. Easy-peasy wrap

A great alternative to your traditional, boring sandwich is a good old wrap. You can never go wrong with these. They are very easy to make and taste delicious. Wraps are also great for disguising healthy foods that you don’t want your kids to see. Here are some ideas for successful wrap fillings: lettuce, tomato, grated carrot, avocado, feta cheese, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, chicken, tuna, ham or bacon. Place the mayonnaise on the wrap shell then add all your toppings, fold the wrap up and over on each side and it’s done.

3. Peanut butter and jam sushi

Your kids are sure to love this one. Remove the crust from a slice of bread then flatten it out with a rolling pin. Spread a layer of peanut butter and a layer of jam (any jam of your choice);  you can spread some honey or syrup if jam is not a favourite. The only thing left to do is roll the piece of bread and cut into little rolls of sushi. Tip! Place the rolled bread log into the fridge, this will make it easier to cut it into sushi pieces the next day.

4. Bacon and cheese muffins

Use a standard muffin recipe and just add bacon and cheese or any alternative topping of your choice. This is how to make them. Combine two cups of self-raising flour, half a teaspoon of baking soda and spices (salt and pepper), then add one cup of milk and half a cup of mayonnaise. Now add your toppings, such as bacon and cheese. Place in a muffin tray and bake at  220 degrees Celsius for 18 minutes. Voila!

Delicious snack ideas:

• Nuts
• Single fruit or vegetable (carrots), or fruit salad cup
• Dried fruit
• Yoghurt
• Popcorn (healthier alternative to chips)
• Biltong
• Cheese blocks
• Sugar snap peas
• Cheese and crackers
• Chicken nuggets and tomato sauce.

The aim of this blog post is to make our kids smile when they open their lunch boxes…and  bring them empty home from school. With these cool new ideas, that is sure to be the case. Also, there’s nothing stopping you from packing the exact same lunch box to take to the office.