Little Effort Lunches

Weekday Lunches

Just over a month in and if you are anything like most parents, you must be sick to the back teeth of sandwiches. Sandwiches in the morning, sandwiches in the evening, always sandwiches. The worst bit is, they don't even get eaten. The laboured-over lunch comes home in the same container sweating like a teacher at parent’s evening. So, given that they don’t eat whatever you put in their lunch boxes anyway, we thought we’d offer up a few alternatives to the everyday sandwich.

Picnic Lunch

This is a firm favourite in our house and it take very little preparation. This lunch is, more or less, exactly the same as the picnic plates given to toddlers at a kid’s birthday party (minus the party rings). You can make this the night before, the morning of, or, you can get the kids to make it themselves (if they are supervised and/or old enough to use a knife). Put in what they like, leave out what they don’t.

INGREDIENTS

●● A quarter of a cucumber roughy chopped into strips or circles

●● A carrot, chopped in to strips or circles

●● A handful of cherry tomatoes

●● Half a celery stalk cut into chunks or strips

●● A couple of slices of ham / chicken / salami –any meat, or veggie meat, they will eat

●● Cream crackers or alternative – as manyas your child likes

●● Slices of cheese – enough for the crackers

●● A handful of grapes – cut in half for youngchildren

●● A banana, an apple or any other fruit

●● Dried fruit, such as mango or apricots or anything else

●● Nuts and whatever they will eat from your cupboard

METHOD

Throw it all in a sealable container. You can include some hummus or other dip if your child likes it, if not, leave it out.

*TOP TIP*

If you’re already chopping veg, why not chop enough so can have some for your lunch / snack as well. It will last for a couple of days in the fridge – eat it yourself, give it to the kids after school or chuck it in their lunch box on another day!

Tuna Mayo Lettuce Wraps

INGREDIENTS

●● Iceberg lettuce

●● Tinned Tuna

●● Mayonnaise

●● Sweetcorn or cucumber to put intuna mayo – but only if you like it

METHOD

1 Crack open the tin of tuna, drain it and mix it up with some mayonnaise.

2 Add tinned sweetcorn or chopped up cucumber depending on yours, or your kids, taste.

3 Take off a leaf of iceberg lettuce. Place the tuna mayo in the middle of the iceberg lettuce and wrap it up. Be sure to include plenty of kitchen roll in their lunch box – this will be messy!

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Weekday Lunches

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Toasted Cheesy Wraps

Yes, it’s a bit like a sandwich, but much more fun. You can throw just about anything in-between two wraps, add a bit of cheese and presto, you have a fun sandwich / pizza alternative. To make it healthier, choose wholewheat wraps. This recipe is best to do the night before. Store in the fridge until they leave for school.

INGREDIENTS

●● Pretty much exactly what your kids like on their pizzas. You could put pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, pineapple, red onions, sweetcorn – anything, really. But if you are making them for the kids it’ll likely be just cheese and a bit of tomato puree with a light sprinkling of mixed herbs and S&P.

●● You could also go with some more Mexican flavours if your kids are a bit more adventurous. Try cheese with some cooked chicken, avocado and mild salsa.

METHOD

1 Spread a thin layer of tomato puree with a sprinkle of mixed herbs and salt and pepper (or not if you’re going for more Mexican flavours) on to a wrap. Drop in to a frying pan with the puree side facing up. (Be sure this frying pan can go under the grill.)

2 Add grated cheese plus any other ingredients you choose being careful not to fill too full. Add another wrap on top. Keep the heat on low-medium until you see the cheese melting. Put the wrap under the grill to cook the top. Be sure that all food, particularly pre-cooked meats, is piping-hot before removing from the grill.

3 Cut into triangles and let cool before putting in fridge.

Pesto Pasta

Not just for quick and easy dinners, this lazy parent’s favourite works for lunchboxes too! If you feel guilty about just giving them pasta, you can add sundried tomatoes into the mix or you could add spiralized courgettes when cooking the pasta. They probably won’t eat anything other than the pasta, but at least you can get on with your day knowing that you tried!

INGREDIENTS

●● Pasta or any shape, size or ingredientincluding wholewheat or spelt

●● Pesto – green or red / store-bought or homemade

●● Optional to make you feel good – sun-dried tomatoes or courgettes

METHOD

Surely you don’t need instructions, your kids have been living off this (and other pasta recipes) for years.

1 Boil it up, drain it off, toss in some pesto, let it cool off, throw it into a sealable container and put it in the fridge.

2 If you’re not adding any veg to the pesto, at least give them some fruit for afters.

P.B. & Banana

Okay, so there is really is no way to get through a full week without resorting to a sandwich in the lunchbox. This bad boy has always been one of my favourites. There are few things as satisfying as the saltiness of the peanut butterwith the sweetness of the banana. As a child of the ’80s, mine were always on stodgy white bread, but it’s better to use whole-wheat or 50/50.

INGREDIENTS

●● Two slices of bread of your choice (just kidding, I know it’s your kid’s choice)

●● One banana

●● Peanut butter

● ● *Willpower – optional

This contains peanut butter, so DO NOT make if you, your child or anyone at your child’s school has a severe peanut allergy. In fact, perhaps save this one for an after-school snack or weekend lunch.

METHOD

1 Slather both pieces of bread with peanut butter. Slice the banana into thin, round circles and lay on to one slice of peanut buttered bread.

2 Slap the other slice of bread on top.

* If you don’t have any willpower, whack a whole bunch of peanut butter on the the remaining slices of banana and gobble it up before anyone sees you.

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