How to convince a fussy eater with an attractive lunch – #FloraLunchbox Challenge

We recently had chance to take part in #FloraLunchbox challenge and tried the meal planner and the recipes from Flora website.

A recent study from Flora shows that only 1.6% of children receive a packed lunch that meets nutritional standards set for school meals! This was really shocking to me. While we run out of lunch box ideas, it is also to do with the time we have to pack their lunch and how fussy the kids are when it comes to meal time!

I never had an unpleasant meal time with kids. Infact, everyone is a good eater here at Mummy and the Cuties – except me! It is a blessing and I feel thoroughly blessed when I meet mums who are just waiting to let their frustration out and have numerous stories to say about the struggles they face during meal times!

While it has never been a pain to feed the kids at home, there were so many days that the packed lunch box was returned home just as how it was sent – minus a few, I mean really a few (let’s say a bite or two) bites here and there. It was 7 years ago when I actually started packing lunch for DD1 and I absolutely had no clue about making a decorative lunch and neither a healthy lunch!

Then I started googling about brilliant lunch box ideas and tried implementing a few whenever I find time, yes! “Whenever I find time”. When it is actually an undeniable fact that we actually run over the 24 hours time slot with overly subscribed motherly tasks, it becomes essential to look after how and what we feed our children, especially when it comes to packed lunch.

I usually try to make it simple and quick – something that kids can help too! – Jam and butter toast is a huge hit here – not only for breaky but for lunch too! When they make their own toast, I am left with clearing up the mess.

Prepare the lumch (could be the favourite sandwich) the evening before! Sandwiches are never a fail here, provided there is something different every day! But do we really have time in the morning! Let’s be practical, the morning is spent mostly in searching for that one lost shoe, looking for the cardigan that was actually left in the school the day before (as it was sunny when the school finished), desperately digging under the bed to find that homework that was last done the night before as it has to go in today!… the list goes on!

have a little chat about what the kids want to have over the week and make a shopping list:

This sounds simple but is actually needs a lot of patience as the week goes by, especially because the children forget about what they have asked for and eventually stand on the point that they had never ever (even) mentioned that particular lunch menu to you! Regardless of the troubles, I promise, there will be atleast a few peaceful days which usually falls during the beginning of the week before the kids actually influence their selective amnesia to you regarding their favourites.

Make it healthy and give varieties, in that way even if they skip one they might like the other and won’t starve! Don’t leave the lunch box with just one fruit, pack a few choices along with main meal and leave a note in the lunch box that the crisp is waiting at home and will be ready to serve if the lunch box returns home empty!

I usually pack the main (a toast, sandwich, pancake, lemon rice, chappathi or soemthing they had asked for) with a choice of fruits, veggies, cheese and yogurt. And, not to hide there are days when a cereal bar is packed too!

Flora has come up with some fantastic, brilliant lunch box ideas with a meal planner to feed the fussy eaters and help mums to feel happy that they actually fed their fussy eater well!

We actually tried a few recipes from the Flora lunch box ideas. The Red Pepper Rainbow Sandwich and the Chicken Tikka wrap. While the wrap wasn’t a huge hit, the Rainbow sandwich disappeared from the lunch box.

Here is the idea from Flora to create a healthy lunch box.

Create a Main
This is the biggest part of the lunchbox so let’s make it yummy. Choose one portion from each of the four groups in our guide, and you’ll have a something rustled up in no time.
Snack Time
Who doesn’t love a snack? Pick from things like mini pretzels or and pop them in the packed lunch for your little one to enjoy.
Fruit & Veg
Finish it off with two portions of fruit or veg. Get them involved and make it more exciting by choosing one – leaving the other one up to them.

* Do you find the meal time easier with kids? Do you send the kids with packed lunch? have any brilliant ideas to attract those fussy eaters towards food!?

We would love to hear from you.

Disclaimer: “This post is an entry for the #FloraLunchbox Linky Challenge, sponsored by Flora. Check out their lunch planner and here.