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All parents want their kids to eat and drink healthy foods. However, this is not always possible, because most of the time, this is simply “not” what your kids want. Many mothers often try to control their children’s diet by packing extremely healthy lunch boxes for their kids, thinking that the kids will eat anything when they are really hungry in school. While this strategy is simple and easy, it often backfires, what with today’s kids being smarter than most of us grown ups.

You might end up finding that your healthy lunch is being traded for something ‘not so healthy’ by your street smart kid. If your child is one of the simple, innocent ones, then she might just be dumping the major portion of her lunch into the garbage bin. Packing lunches that are healthy while appealing to the taste buds of small children is not easy, but these cooking ideas and tips will hopefully make it easier for you.

• Ask your kids what they want. This is the first thing to do if you want to start cooking healthy lunches for small kids. Of course, you will not be surprised with the answers that you get—chocolates, cakes, fries, wafers, soda and every other thing that you actually do not want your kids to eat. However, once you know what they want, tell them why they should be eating what you will pack for them and how good it is going to be for them. Instead of telling them vegetables are good for health, tell them how they will be smarter, taller and stronger if they start eating what you pack. And of course, start including small portions of your kids’ favorite food too, maybe on alternate days, as a reward for eating healthy food the rest of the time.

• One of the easiest and healthiest ideas for cooking kids’ lunches is leaving it raw. Both fruit and vegetable salads are extremely nutritious, and you can make them kid friendly by cutting it out like fries or pick me up portions that can be eaten without a fork. Kids love finger food, and to further snazz up their salads, make sure it has enough colors in it. Use at least three fruits or veggies of different colors, and add one or two healthy dips. They will stay fresh till lunchtime and if they are colorful enough, your kid will eat it.

• Cereal will definitely need to be the major portion of your child’s lunch box, since this where all the energy is going to come from. However, packing whole wheat bread vegetable sandwiches is not going to make you the world’s favorite mom anytime soon.  To make sandwiches more appealing to your kids, you can try cutting them down in easy to eat pieces and decorate them. Making smiley jam or ketchup faces etc. will make them highly appealing for small children.

• One of the best cooking ideas for kids lunches are home made bars. Home made muesli and cereal bars can be made in a bunch whenever you have time and be added to your kid’s lunch box every day to provide for a major portion of his or her calorific requirements. Make sure that you use a balanced mix of cereals, nuts and dry fruits so as to cover as many nutrients as possible.