It’s back to school time and every mom knows that eating healthy food full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients helps her children to concentrate and learn better. However, preparing healthy lunches and snacks for kids is not an easy task.

Here, we provide you with helpful tips and nutritious recipes that would help you prepare a healthy school lunchbox.

Tips

– It is important to keep offering healthy lunch box choices in a variety of ways, as children learn to eat what is familiar to them.

-Encourage your child to sit and eat before heading out to play, or talk to your school about making sure all children get a chance to eat enough before play starts.

-Include fruit and vegetables in your child’s lunch box.

-Foods such as sandwiches can be prepared the night before or on the weekend, frozen, then taken for each day’s lunch box.

-Encourage your children to help choose and prepare their own lunch. They might like to make a list of the foods they enjoy. Praise your child when they choose healthy foods for their lunch box.

Ideas for recipes

Each recipe below can be served in the lunch box in addition to fresh fruits, reduced fat milk, fresh juice, core snack of vegetables, biscuit or cookies:

 

Corn Fritters with Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 sweet can corn
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup self raising flour
• Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
• Butter for frying

Method:

1. Break eggs into a bowl and beat well. Add flour and drained corn Mix until well combined
2. Heat butter in frying pan until bubbling. Drop spoon full of mixture into the frying pan and flatten slightly to reduce cooking time. When golden turn over and cook other side
3. Drain and cool on absorbent paper. Add Besides fritters the turkey slices.

 

Pasta Salad 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shaped pasta
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cucumber, cubed
• ½ green pepper, sliced
• ½ red pepper, sliced
• ½ yellow pepper, sliced
• Handful green beans, topped, tailed and cut in half
• ½ chicken breast, cooked and shredded (optional)
• 1 sweet can corn

Dressing

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Cook the shaped pasta and drain and place in a medium bowl.
2. Add all the ingredients and toss.
3. Combine the ingredients for the dressing in an airtight jar and shake vigorously.
4. Pour over salad and serve.

 

Chicken Salad Sandwiches 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken (or turkey meat)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (or radish or Lettuce)
• 1/4 small red onion, chopped, (or 1 large shallot)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices bread

Method:

1. Place chicken meat into a large bowl. Add celery, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix.
2. Lay 4 slices bread on work surface. Divide salad evenly among them. Top with remaining bread.

 

 Tuna Salad Wrap 

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 can (12 ounces) light tuna, drained and flaked
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 6 flour tortillas (8 inches),

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, celery and green onions.
2. Spread 1/4 cup tuna mixture over each tortilla; top with 1/3 cup cucumber mixture. Fold in sides of tortillas and roll up. Yield6 servings.