have you got lunch box ideas?

[blizz]

My dd 16mths is in full time daycare (which also happens to be where I work in the 3-5yo room) need some suggestions for simple healthy and appealing options to tempt a toddler with constantly changing tastes so far I pack her a hot meal everyday which she eats well she loves vegies mashed or cooked in casserole form but have had trouble getting her interested in seperate vegies like cooked carrot sticks and plain mashed vegies like potato, pumpkin, sweet potato etc
but the snack foods for m/t and a/t are starting to get challenging and I try really hard to limit the amount of pre packaged items and keeping them only to organic/ healthy options with the occaisional treat
she won't eat fruit of any type which is really setting out the challenges at the moment often she wont even try it when offered.
any suggestions really welcomed
does any body have some new casserole, main meal recipies that would suit freezing for a lunchbox
heres hoping Allie

[BekZ]

Allie - Keep trying with the fruit issue. At 16 months my DD did not want much fruit either. Then she started taccept o banana and apple and now eats a bigger variety of fruit. I still can't get her to eat much in the way of veg sticks, I still have to cook her veg and mix it all up together. Hopefully your DD will start to copy the other kids and start to copy them eating.

My DD loves cheese, sultanas, yoghurt. I have introduced rice crakers (only plain), home made mini muffins, flat bread rolls with avocado or cream cheese. If you are giving her a hot meal for lunch how about a sandwhich for a snack.

My DD has just turned 2 and I now give her yoghurt covered sultanas and rice chips for treats!! I get them from the health section of Woolies.

[blizz]

Thanks BekZ,
i am trying to persevere with the fruit just really frustrating, did find some yoghurt covered sultanas which she likes and found some vegie chips, i'll definatley try some of your other ideas, she just changes her mind so much at this point, what she likes one day she won't even try the next. i just keep offering her a selection in the hopes that something will tempt her

[Visitor7]

My DD has never been a huge fruit lover either, but just today I packed some grapes and watermelon in her bad to see how she'd go, and because the other toddlers were eating it, she did too.
As for things suitable for freezing, whatever I'm having for dinner, I always freeze some for her lunchbox.
Things like beef casserole, chicken stirfry, spaghetti bolognese, vegies & meat are some of Nina's favourites.
She also has yoghurt, crackers, tiny teddies muffins, and fruit (as I said already) as snacks.

[sams_mum]

getting kids to eat vegies and fruit can b tough - i dont have that problem yet my DS is only 12 wks but as a kid i was fussy and so were my siblings so my mum was sneaky the foods that worked the best and still are favs now are:

rissoles: can b frozen and reheated easily and can be packed with veggies- finely grate carrots, apples, zucchinis, peas, corn, sweet potato, pumpkin. When made with good mince can be quite healthy. Can be served as burgers or with other veggies. To mix things up use chicken or lamb or pork mince or sub meat for mash potato and rice - add some sweet soy, bbq, tomato sauce and/or honey to sweeten them.
Salmon/tuna mornay was also a fav easy as well, soups are also easy to conceal veggies in, as are quiches/frittatas.
As for the fruit try making smoothies and fruit jellies, or slices the easiest way is to make eating them fun and if the help 'cook' they tend to want to eat it more.

[Tobily]

My kiddos are both total fruit bats so I'm not much help with that one.

But as far as lunch goes, until recently dd always took a hot meal to daycare (she only wants sandwiches now because apparently "that's what all the other kids have" - talk about peer pressure lol)
Some things I do

tuna mornay and rice/macaroni
apricot chicken and rice
spaghetti bolognaise
vegetable casserole or ratatouille
mild pumpkin and chickpea curry
pasta salad (good for warmer weather)
zucchini slice (freezes well, so I just cut into cubes and pop in lunchbox frozen, and it defrosts by lunchtime)

[blizz]

thanks guys some good ideas there, i had forgotten about Zucchinni slice used to eat it all the time growing up and DH makes the most wicked rissoles still perservering with the fruit I might give the fruit smoothy a go nothing else seems to be tempting her in this direction. Have even considered getting her carers to put her fruit on the plate of the child sitting next to her at meal times because this apparently holds more interest than her own food LOL