Packing healthy lunchboxes every day can be time-consuming and tedious. And it's made harder by needing to continually come up with new ideas, especially when little people regularly change their mind about what they'll eat!

Here are some tried and tested tips for making this job a little easier, straight from the Audrey & Alfie community!

Reduce the mental load

• Have a rough formula you stick to when packing lunchboxes e.g. 1 main item, 1 sweet snack, 1 Savoury snack, plus chopped fruit and veggies. You can then simply rotate through different options within these categories. 
• Keep a 'go-to' list on your phone of lunchbox ideas for when you get stuck for inspiration.
• Don't worry if it's not fancy. Simple can be healthy and tasty!
• Supplement home-made food with pre-made nutritious food, like the Audrey & Alfie range.

Make morning easier, by prepping ahead of time

• Pre-chop veggies at the start of the week and store in 'grab and go' containers. You can also store them in water in the fridge, so they stay nice and crunchy - great during summer months! They are then ready to pop into lunchboxes each day.
• Prep as much as you can the night before, so there is less to do in the morning rush. Most things can be cut and packed ahead of time.
• Bake muffins and slices in big batches and freeze to save on prep during the week.
• Make sandwiches ahead of time. If wrapped well they'll stay fresh. 
• Try freezing sandwiches (without the salad) and pop straight into lunchbox in the morning. They'll defrost and be fresh by lunchtime. 

Get those veggies eaten!

• Make homemade dip and freeze in ice cube trays. Include a few cubes with your veggie sticks
• Pack a rainbow (or a least a mix of colours) with your fruits and veggies. It looks more appetizing for kids and also provides more nutrients. 
• Use a crinkle cut knife, or a regular knife, to cut veggies into fun shapes and patterns. 

Help lunchboxes come home empty

• Make everything bite-sized and ready to eat without extra work for kids e.g. slice fruit, cut sandwiches into fingers, take grapes off the stems etc and remove packaging. 
• Use cookie cutters to make shapes out of sandwiches/slices. Fun factor plus!
• Use dinner leftovers like pasta, to help add variety and keep it interesting. 
• If they don't get eaten, try encouraging kids to eat what's left in their lunchbox when they get home. During this hungry phase they're more likely to eat foods that aren't usually accepted. 

For more ideas, check out our 3 healthy & easy, nutritious lunchbox combos resource or our Unpacking healthy lunchboxes blog.