If you’ve got school aged kids then chances are your school has a mid morning “crunch & sip” or “fruit break”. It’s a great way to get more fruit and veggies into your kids. But if they are like my son, sending an apple or mandarine every day doesn’t cut it.
Creative Crunch & Sip Ideas
Aside from the usual fruit options, consider some of these ideas:
- Frozen peas
- Tinned corn
- Cherry tomatos
- Snow peas
- Sliced carrots & cucumber
- Capsicum
- Mushrooms
- Dried fruits
- Dehydrated vegetable “chips”
You can also create interest and variety by making fruit skewers or melon balls for something a bit different, or freezing orange wedges or pineapple pieces in summer.
Don’t forget salad veggies like sprouts or lettuce. You can even wrap them around other veggies by creating little veggie burritos wrapped in lettuce. Avocado and carrot wrapped in lettuce is a good one as the avocado helps it stay sealed.
I would argue that air popped popcorn (with no added salt or fat) would also fit into the “crunch & sip” theme… it is just corn kernels after all.
If you’re feeling really creative you could even make some fruit and veggie critters!
Although I’m not sure how well they will hold up in the lunchbox…
Mix It Up
Aim for a mix of textures, colours and familiar/unfamiliar foods. Try different combinations of fruits and vegetables to encourage your kids to try out different flavours and textures. I try to include something that has crunch to it, like apple or carrot and mix these in with things of a different texture such as kiwi fruit or strawberry.
These options from Healthy Kids Association might be a bit more practical 😉
What do you send with your kids for crunch & sip? I’d love all the ideas I can get!