lunchbox | Vegie Smugglers

Posts tagged lunchbox

Tackling the ‘L’ word

January 27, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, News · Tagged feeding the family, kids, lunchbox, parenting, recipe

Dig through the plastics drawer and find that lid.

This morning, Miss Fruitarian spent quite some time explaining her extensive knowledge of cussing. All Year Ones (which she insists on being called even though it isn’t official until Monday) know that the ‘f’ word is fart, the ‘b’ word is bum and the ‘g’ word is god.

For me, the word that makes me the most uncomfortable is the ‘L’ word…. Lunchbox.

Like a scary movie, the l-word is back, along with homework, morning deadlines and the need to get your washing schedule planned so that you have enough clean uniforms to make it through the week (yes, I should just buy the extra tunic and save myself the hassle).

Despite all the myths and expectations, I hate lunchboxes as much as every other mother in the country. They are a pain, particularly when you attend a teeny-tiny school with no canteen to fall back on. I’ve been paying keen attention to all the ideas in the media (particularly The Healthy Food Guide which also features a Vegie Smugglers excerpt this month) and it seems the same 10 ideas get shifted around and nuanced each January. Simple sandwiches (roll into pinwheels or use cookie cutters to make them cute), foods – apparently that start with ‘c’ – in sticks (cheese, carrot, capsicum, cucumber), the odd melon ball, dried fruit, savoury muffins and home-made muesli bars. Older kids can tackle a yoghurt. Avoid fruit juice. Freeze stuff in summer.

For mornings where you are motivated, you could try some of these combinations…

Beetroot dip/grated carrot/roast beef
Poached chicken/avocado/lemon
Canned tuna in springwater/corn kernels/cottage cheese
Ham/swiss cheese/pesto

So many ideas to make lunchtime fun. But so many ways to feel disappointed in yourself when for the 14th time in a row you pack a ham and cheese sandwich (crusts on, cut into two), a store-bought muesli bar and a bunch of grapes.

This is real-life, folks, nothing glossy. None of us have time so don’t sweat it. Particularly since the kids don’t care. They want the same boring whatever as what’s in their bestie’s box and they’re so busy talking they won’t eat most of it anyway. Then they’ll be off to run about like lunatics and play ‘dance school’ or (my favourite) ‘slap bottom’ and lunch won’t even be vaguely remembered.

The moral to my rant is to give them a good breakfast, healthy and varied dinners, lots of fruit for snacks and forget about the rest. Lunchbox stress is just another area where mothers are made to feel guilty. Do your best and then relax.

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Lunchbox lethargy and a good schoolyard chat

November 2, 2010 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, News, Sweets & treats, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged family, feeding the family, ideas, lunchbox, parenting, recipe, vegetables

I’m back into the groove of term 4 and the other morning I found myself in the schoolyard way past bell-time, gas-bagging away with my new collection of mum friends. None of us are shy about a chat, we talk kids, schools, educations, housing, ponder why our daughters are all such chatterboxes and we chat chat chat. We see the irony.

Conversation got onto the dreariness of our daily lunchbox scenarios – even I had to admit that my sandwich repetoire is getting a little stale. I’d started the year well, but now mostly opt for cheese, but fancy it up with chutney, mustard or avocado. There are the usual dried fruit options, the odd muesli bar and fruit, fruit and more fruit.

Soggy sandwiches are a major problem in our hot Australian conditions, even with the coolie brick. And then there’s the time factor and the fact that the lunchbox usually gets thrown together in less than 5 minutes.

So what can we do to break the dreariness?

Try and find 20 minutes at the beginning of the week to mix up or bake something interesting that you can dig into for the rest of the week. Try savoury muffins, salmon pikelets, beetroot dip (there’s a good recipe in the Vegie Smugglers cookbook), poach a chicken breast or just chop a batch of carrots and cucumber into interesting shapes.

Have a go at this home made muesli slice. It’s really quick and easy to make and you can modify it to suit the tastebuds of your family.

***Since I first posted this, I’ve gone on to create The Complete Lunchbox Planner, with 40 weeks of seasonal recipes to keep you inspired throughout the year.

Made by mum - not Uncle Toby

Home made muesli bars

Butter, for greasing
2½ cups rolled oats
½ cup desiccated (or shredded) coconut
1 cup Sultana Bran
½ cup All Bran
1½ cups dried fruit (I use chopped prunes, chopped apple and sultanas)
125g unsalted butter
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup honey
2 eggs, lightly whisked

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a lamingon tin with baking paper, allowing overhang on each of the long sides.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the fruit and mix through well.
Place the butter, oil and honey in a small saucepan over low heat. Melt gently till the butter just melts and mix together. Add to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Press firmly into the pan (roll a glass over to apply even pressure) and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Leave in the pan to cool and refrigerate until set and firm before slicing into squares.

MAKES 15 SQUARES