It can be hard to come up with bright ideas for tasty, nutritious lunchbox fillers – especially on cold dark mornings when you’re trying to get everyone out of the house. But there are a few simple things you can do to make sure those lunch boxes come home empty.
Try to think beyond the sandwich, or at least vary the type of bread to keep things interesting. A simple combination of wholemeal scones or oatcakes with some fingers of cheddar cheese and slices of apple or pear ticks many boxes in terms of good carbohydrates, protein and fresh fruit. Give the fruit slices a quick toss in some water acidulated with a little lemon to prevent them from oxidising.
Planning lunches ahead of time allows you to factor much of the prep in to your evening meals. Leftover pasta can be balanced with some healthy tuna and sweetcorn kernels, while rice or noodles make a great base for a savoury salad. Likewise, leftover roast chicken, pork or beef or baked ham all make versatile and healthy additions to sandwiches, salads or homemade soups.
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THE HAPPY PEAR SUPERFOOD ENERGY BALLS
David and Stephen Flynn (above) are the dynamic duo behind The Happy Pear natural food market and family-friendly cafe and restaurant in Greystones, Co Wicklow, where everything is cooked fresh in their onsite kitchen. Their recently published cookbook, The Happy Pear, gathers recipes and stories from the first 10 years of business, during which time both brothers had a pair of children each. www.thehappypear.ie
Full of goodness, these super colourful energy balls take just 10 minutes to prepare. Their kids love the chocolate flavours of the cacao nibs, but you could play around with the toppings, using toasted nuts or desiccated coconut instead if you prefer.
Makes 12 balls 100g cashew nuts, toasted or raw 100g pitted dates, chopped pinch of salt 2 tbsp coconut oil teaspoon of water
For the coating 2 tbsp Goji berries 2 tbsp cacao nibs 2 tbsp bee pollen (optional)
Combine nuts, dates and salt in the food processor and blend until smoothish.
In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, gently melt the coconut oil and then add the water. Add with the water to the food processor and blend till smooth. Divide into quarters, and then divide each quarter into thirds. Roll into 12 balls.
Finely chop the Goji berries, cacoa nibs and bee pollen, if using. Combine well and spread the mixture on a plate. Roll each ball in the mixture one by one before placing in an airtight container until ready to use. They’ll keep for a week in the fridge.
THE DAILY SPUD’S MINI POTATO PIES WITH CHEESE & ONION
Aoife Cox is a food blogger, freelance food writer and contributing editor for the McKennas’ guides. Her food blog (www.thedailyspud.com) is dedicated to all things spud. The Daily Spud won the Food and Drink category at the Irish Blog Awards in 2009 and 2011. Her mini potato pies are as tasty at room temperature as they are served hot, and are great to make ahead for parties, picnics or lunchboxes. They’ll keep well for several days. Two mini-pies per lunchbox should do it, alongside a few cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and mange tout for crunch and colour (not to mention a couple of your kid’s five a day).
Makes 12 900g potatoes, preferably waxy 300g red onion 3 medium eggs 50g mature cheddar 2 tbsp grated Parmesan (optional) 1/2 tsp dried thyme 3/4 tsp salt or to taste freshly ground black pepper olive oil for frying Preheat your oven to 200°C and generously grease a deep 12-piece muffin tin.
Scrub potatoes and, if large, cut in half. Aim to have roughly even-sized pieces. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add a good pinch of salt and potatoes. Allow potatoes to come back to the boil and boil, covered, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice onions thinly. Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add onions and thyme and saute, stirring frequently, until onions have softened and started to brown, about eight-10 minutes.
Once potatoes have been boiling for 10 minutes, remove from the heat, drain and run them under the cold tap to stop them cooking. Grate cooled potatoes into a large bowl. In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and season with salt and black pepper. Add egg mixture to the grated potato and stir.
Divide two thirds of the mixture among the muffin tin depressions. Using the back of a spoon, press into the centre of each to create a little well. Divide the cooked onion among the pies, placing it in the well you created. Crumble the cheddar and divide it among the pies. Top the pies with the remaining potato mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan, if using.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.
LILY’S CHICKEN & AVOCADO SALAD WITH BAKED TORTILLA CHIPS
Lily Ramirez-Foran is the food writer behind the popular Mexican food blog aMexicanCook.ie, and more recently co-owner of Ireland's first Mexican boutique grocer and cooking venue, Picado Mexican in Portobello, Dublin 2.
"This was one of my favourite school lunches as a child," she says. " It was fun, tasty and refreshing, perfect for the still warm autumn days in Mexico. "
Corn tortillas are naturally low in fat, gluten-free and much tastier than the alternative wheat ones. This recipe is a good way of using up leftovers from the Sunday roast.
Ingredients: 3 mini (4-inch) corn tortillas 1 small avocado 1 handful shredded chicken (or about 30g) 3 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped (use yellow ones if you can find them) 1 scallion, finely chopped 1 tsp crème fraiche 2-3 slices of pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional) Salt to taste Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cut the corn tortillas into quarters or smaller triangles with a sharp knife and spread them onto a baking sheet making sure they’re not overlapping. Don’t use any grease whatsoever.
Bake the tortilla triangles in the preheated oven for eight minutes, then take them out, flip them and bake for a further five minutes. This will crisp up the tortillas on both sides, making them into very healthy and tasty tortilla chips. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag until ready to use.
Scoop the flesh of the avocado into a bowl and using a fork, mash it until you have a nice creamy mash. Add the chicken, cherry tomatoes, scallion, crème fraiche and jalapenos, if using, and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Season with salt and put into a sealed container in the lunch box. If you are making this overnight, keep it in the fridge until the morning.
NESSA’S TIKKA PINWHEELS
Besides being a mum of three, Nessa Robbins is a food blogger, author and recipe columnist with both The Westmeath Independent and Easy Parenting. She also writes the monthly ‘Home Nurse’ column for Irish Country Living Mmagazine. You can find more of Nessa’s recipes at NessasFamilyKitchen.blogspot.ie, or in her family-friendly cookbook, Apron Strings.
Serves 2-3 75g Greek yoghurt juice of 1/2 lime 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp garam masala 1/8 tsp turmeric 1/8 tsp chilli powder Freshly ground pepper 2 chicken fillets, butterflied or 2 salmon fillets
To serve 3 flour tortilla wraps 1.5 tbsp mayonnaise 1/2 little gem lettuce, roughly chopped 1 tomato, thinly sliced
In a large bowl add the yoghurt, lime juice, garlic, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and a few grinds of black pepper.
Add the chicken fillets and coat well with the marinade. Leave in the fridge for two hours or if possible overnight.
Arrange the chicken fillets on a foil-lined grill rack and grill for about five minutes on each side, until cooked through and slightly golden. Warm the tortilla wraps for 30 seconds in the microwave. Cover one side of each wrap with a little mayonnaise. Slice the chicken and divide among the tortilla wraps. Scatter over some lettuce and slices of tomato.Roll the wraps up tightly, then slice diagonally into bite-size pieces. Wrap in greaseproof paper ready for the lunchbox.
