Ideas for Kids Lunch Boxes

 

We all know how difficult it can be to come up with healthy, tasty and different ideas for school lunchboxes.

Lunch is a very important meal, particularly for school going children. So it is important that we make it as interesting and appealing as possible.

Here are some simple ideas that may help you provide a satisfying lunchbox for your school going little ones.

·         Kids get bored having the same thing, day in day out.

·         Letting the kids cut their sandwiches into shapes using cookie cutters  will soon see them have a keener interest in their lunch!

·         Something as simple as changing the type of bread you use can help to alleviate the boredom. Try wholemeal pitta breads, bagels, tortilla wraps, baps, and wholemeal baguettes.

·         Crackers and cubed pieces of cheese are a great snack, particularly if you have younger kids who may only eat a bite out of a sandwich before discarding.

·         Add in some grapes, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and lengths of red pepper (it’s sweeter) to make a smorgasbord of flavours and textures. Hummus is a great protein packed dip if you can get them to eat it!

·         Cold pasta or rice salads are great when tossed with ham and vegetables, like cucumbers, carrots and sweetcorn. Pasta can be mixed with a little olive oil or mayonnaise for added flavour.

·         Keep sweet treats, crisps, high sugar drinks out of lunch boxes, even if your child’s school doesn’t have a healthy eating policy. These foods and drinks should not be a part of your child’s daily diet due to the high sugar & salt content.

·         Yogurts, rice cakes, unsweetened juice, water and fruit all have a part to play in lunch boxes.

Pain d'epi

I used Lorraine Pascale’s recipe and method for the kids classes.
It is certainly the quickest method, and although some puritans may find fault, the result was great and very enjoyable!

275g strong bread flour
175ml warm water (I boil it and let it cool)
1 sachet (7g) fast acting dried yeast
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine using a wooden spoon.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Do not use too much flour for kneading as this will change the structure of the bread.
The kneading is important to activate the gluten in the flour.
Roll out into a sausage shape, about the length of a baking sheet.
Lightly flour a baking sheet and place the dough at an angle on it.
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Before cooking snip the bread with a kitchen scissors at ¾ inch intervals, and turn each piece sideways on the pan. You are not cutting all the way through the dough, just about ¾ way through.
(see picture)

  
Spray the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and dust lightly with flour.
Cook in a preheated oven at 200⁰C/Gas 5 for 30 minutes.
Place a tray of water in the bottom of the oven during the cooking process. This will add steam to the oven which will give the bread a lovely brown crust.

Enjoy!

Chicken liver Pate

If you want a hassle free appetizer then you can't go wrong with this pate.
I've always used Delias Pate recipe with modifications based on what I had in my pantry.
So here goes.






Serves 6

Ingredients

225g (8oz) chicken livers
225g (8oz) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
2 cloves garlic (1 works fine also)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Melt 25g (1oz) of the butter in a frying pan and add the chicken liver to it.
Fry them for approx. 5 minutes, keeping them on the move.
Remove from the pan and transfer to a food processor or blender.
Melt 150g (5oz) of butter and add this to the blender.
Deglaze the pan using the brandy and add this to the liver.
Then add the garlic, thyme and seasoning.
Blend this until you have a smooth puree.
Transfer to an appropriate container or individual ramekins.
Melt the remaining butter and pour over the pate to form a ‘lid’.
Leave to set and get cold.
Can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 1 month.
Serve with toasted baguette slices and red onion jam or any sweet relish.

 Enjoy!