The Christmas season is almost here and that can often mean long car journeys to visit friends and relatives. It helps to plan ahead and pack a 'no junk' lunch for little ones rather than relying on expensive and sporadic service stations which don't always have healthy options. A fun packed lunch with lots of tasty, colourful and nutritious snacks will help break up the journey and keep 'hanger' at bay! Here's four packed lunch ideas to inspire you as well as a few tips.

Lunch Idea #1 - Cheese & courgette savoury muffin, cucumber sticks, banana, raisins, Organix Goodies cinnamon puffcorn, Organix Goodies raspberry & apple soft oaty bar.

Lunch Idea #2 - Granary wrap filled with houmous & veggies, carrot sticks, grapes, cheese cubes, Organix apple rice cakes, Organix Goodies carrot cake bar.

Lunch Idea 3# - Wholemeal pitta filled with tuna, mayo & sweetcorn, yellow pepper batons, apple, homemade banana flapjack, Organix Goodies Carrot Stix, Organix Goodies Strawberry & Apple Gummies.

Lunch Idea 4# - Mini Quiche with a ham crust, cherry tomatoes, breadsticks, satsuma, Organix Goodies mini gingerbread men, Organix Goodies apple & orange oaty bar.

Pre-Pack

Sounds obvious but it pays to pack food wisely. Pack each lunch individually in a box or insulated bag that your child can open themselves that will also protect the food . You'll be glad on the motorway when you only have to hand out one box.

Damage Limitation

Avoid foods that don't travel well or that will make a horrendous mess if they spill such as yoghurt pots. Whole fruits & vegetable sticks make brilliant portable snacks but squishy berries are a bad idea for younger kids. Keep drinks in spill-proof bottles. It also helps to have a spare bag ready to put rubbish in to save your car.

Sandwiches and Beyond

Pittas and wraps tend to be less messy than sandwiches as there's less danger of the fillings escaping down the cracks of the car seat. Go for fillings that hold well such as grated carrot mixed with houmous or tuna mayo. Try something different like savoury muffins or mini quiches which travel really well in little muffin cases.

Healthy Snacks

It's more interesting for kids to be presented with a mixture of smaller snacks rather than lots of the same thing. I include things like breadsticks, dried fruit, homemade flapjacks and cheese along with some of the Organix Goodies snacks. They are all super healthy and contain no nasties. Mini gingerbread men, puffcorn, oaty bars and gummies (which are just like sweets!) are firm favourites in our house.