As we all know, offering a variety of healthy foods in your child's packed lunch is super important and fruit is a great way to do this. We've put together a list of 20 lunchbox fruit options (and some yummy, child-friendly recipes to go with them) to last you 4 school weeks!
Offering your child a wide range of different fruits in their lunchbox will help them become more adventurous with their eating while also avoiding picky or fussy eating. For example, if your child only ever gets fed bananas as fruit, they may become quickly sick of that fruit and refuse to eat it or refuse to eat other fruit as they've only ever had the one option.
Following a seasonal calendar and using produce when it's at its yummiest and highest nutritional value is a great way to provide new flavours, textures and a balanced diet to your family. PLUS, in most instances it will help you save money!
You can find a full seasonal produce calendar that also shows you how to serve each fruit and vegetable to your baby in my Baby & Family Book!
Top Tip: To create fun-shaped food that will help your child get creative with their food and enjoy their mealtimes more, check out our BLW Crinkle Cutter! Perfect for the whole family (who doesn't love crinkle cut potato chips?) 😉
1. Apples
Full of fibre and great brain food for growing children! Serve sliced apples with spreads like peanut butter or my healthier Homemade Nut Butter (find the recipe in my Lunchbox Made Easy Recipe Book.)
Check out my Apple Slice Cookies or my easy Apple and Blackberry Crumble which is perfect served warm or cold! Grab the recipe in my Batch Cooking eBook.
2. Seedless Grapes
An easy, healthy snack that is perfect served by itself and is also great for your immune system!
For a yummy way to change up the taste and texture of grapes, you can dip them in dark chocolate, freeze for a few hours and enjoy - delish!
3. Bananas
Banana is one of the best super-foods you can offer your children. It's full of potassium and other essential vitamins and minerals that will keep your child fuelled for a full day of school!
Check out my Banana Bread Bites for an easy, tasty snack that is great for baby too.
4. Oranges
Full of vitamin C, fibre and vitamin A. Makes a perfect, healthy summer-time snack that your children will love!
Try out my Orange and Raisin Hot Cross Bun Muffins for a delicious, freezable treat.
5. Mandarin
Another yummy fruit that's packed with vitamin C and is great for your immune system.
Add mandarin segments to light meals like salads or try my Mandarin Couscous (found in my 20 Flask Recipe eBook!)
6. Raspberries
Raspberries are perfect for adding to almost any sweet dish - especially desserts or breakfast treats like yoghurt parfaits.
Check out my Raspberry and Coconut Muffins in my Muffin eBook!
7. Mango
Mango is the perfect summer fruit to take advantage of, especially during the back-to-school period!
Check out my Green Lactation Smoothie which includes mango. While designed for breastfeeding mothers, this smoothie is perfect for the whole family!
8. Blueberries
Did you know blueberries are a superfood? They're full of essential vitamins and minerals and help maintain healthy bones too!
My Blueberry Bread and Mini Lemon and Blueberry Muffins in my Baby and Family Book are super easy to make and are both absolutely perfect for lunchboxes or as on-the-go snacks!
9. Coconut
Coconut is full of fibre and I love adding shredded coconut to my baking, especially things like muffins or energy balls as they're great for lunchboxes too.
Check out my 3-ingredient Coconut Bites that are lunchbox-friendly and oh so yummy.
10. Pears
Pears are great for your digestion and are full of fibre that helps improve your overall health and brain function!
I love serving them for my girls with yoghurt or jam as a yummy dip.
11. Blackberries
Blackberries are packed with vitamins like Vitamin C (just 1 cup of blackberries provides more than 30mg of Vitamin C!) and of course, they are so versatile and great for brain health.
Try my Mixed Berry Overnight Oats - keep them fresh on-the-go in our Food Flasks!
12. Watermelon
The perfect, refreshing summer fruit! I love adding watermelon to things like smoothies, ice lollies or even summer salads to freshen up my family's diet and get some extra hydration in their meals and snacks.
13. Grapefruit
Grapefruit is high in antioxidants and helps improve your immune system!
Similar to mandarin, you can freshen up meals by adding grapefruit, like my Avocado and Grapefruit Salad.
14. Peaches
Peaches are one of my favourite fruits and are perfect just by themselves but also great in smoothies as well! They're great for digestion and heart health too.
Keep smoothies like my Peaches and Cream Smoothie cold on-the-go in our Food Flasks!
15. Strawberries
Packed with vitamins, fibre, and high levels of antioxidants, strawberries are a great sodium-free, low-calorie food that I also love adding to my baking.
Try my delicious Strawberry and White Chocolate Chip Muffins. Find the recipe in my Muffin eBook!
16. Dried Cranberries
Similar to raisins, I love snacking on dried fruit like cranberries during the day. They're great for flushing out toxins and keeping your energy up!
I love adding dried cranberries to my yummy Banana and Chocolate Breakfast Cookies recipe in my Lunchbox Made Easy Recipe Book.
17. Pineapple
Loaded with nutrients and great for your digestion and overall health, pineapple is one my girls' favourite summer fruits!
Check out my Green Smoothie recipe, full of nutrients from mango, pineapple and banana!
18. Apricots
If you can't find affordable fresh apricots at your local supermarket, another great way to serve them to your family is through dried apricots.
I usually chop up lots of dried apricots and add them to my homemade trail mix or granola - so yummy!
19. Kiwi Fruit
Kiwi fruit is another fruit that's great for adding to smoothies and ice lollies. It's full of nutrients and vitamins like Vitamin C and dietary fibre.
20. Raspberries
Raspberries are another one of my favourites, plus they provide lots of nutrients and vitamins like potassium and omega-3.
Lemon and raspberry is my favourite fruit combination! Check out my Lemon and Raspberry Scones in my Batch Cooking eBook.
For a full School Lunch Plan, filled with expert advice, easy kids recipes and extra blank plans for you to take control and fill out yourself, sign up to our FREE 4 Week Lunch Plan here!
Don't forget to check out my other NEW lunchbox blogs to help you get ready for back-to-school and school lunch prep:
Back to School: Brain Food 101
Back to School Lunch Ideas for 1 Month
