If you’re tired of trying to come up with something new to put on a sandwich for your kids’ school lunches, only to have to come back half-eaten, try our tips for creating a healthy sandwich alternative: a bento box.

Sandwiches. They’ve always been the stock-standard item in the school lunch box, but it’s not uncommon to find a slightly nibbled sandwich, stashed somewhere at the bottom of your kids’ school bag at the end of the day.

So instead of the same old vegemite and cheese sambo, why not try these alternatives that are interesting, and healthy to eat, too.

• Create a bento box of healthy snacks, including carrot and celery sticks, sliced cucumber and some grapes. Fill the larger part of the lunch box with sliced meats – ham or chicken – and throw in a can of tuna, preferably in spring water rather than brine. Play around with the contents each day, to keep it fresh and your kids interested.
• For recess avoid unhealthy snacks masquerading as the healthy, such as muffins, cakes and breads that have a fruit in the name (they’re still packed full of sugar), or muesli bars, which are similarly unhealthy. Stick to fruits, instead, like apples, mandarins, grapes, or whatever fruit your child enjoys.
• Use wraps instead of bread – you can make an egg and bacon wrap in a matter of minutes in the morning, and it’s still a delicious treat at lunchtime. Or throw some lettuce, tomato, cucumber, capsicum and tuna on a wrap; roll it up in aluminium foil and voila!
• Don’t have time in the morning? No worries! A bento box of healthy snacks can be prepared the evening before, since there isn’t any bread to turn into a soggy mess!