THE SCHOOL LUNCHBOX
It's a hard thing to provide a healthy, cheap lunch for children at school. There is pressure to have food that conforms to the chips/yoghurts/crisps ideas that kids often think they want. However we have some good ideas for lunch things that look like you might have bought them in the supermarket, yet you have cunningly made at home with love and a lot less $dollars. These recipes should help you along the way.
Cheese Crackers with/without Garlic Salt
pinches of grated cheese
Ingredients Required: Cheese(2oz) Garlic Salt (optional)
Grate the cheese. Put a piece of baking paper on a dinner plate. Take about 5 pinches of grated cheese and distribute around the baking paper. Sprinkle on garlic salt if you wish. Microwave for about 1min10secs till all have melted and slightly browned. Take off while warm (be very quick) and leave to cool. Repeat till you have used all the cheese up. Crunchy and delicious, they are a great alternative to crisps.
Grate the cheese. Put a piece of baking paper on a dinner plate. Take about 5 pinches of grated cheese and distribute around the baking paper. Sprinkle on garlic salt if you wish. Microwave for about 1min10secs till all have melted and slightly browned. Take off while warm (be very quick) and leave to cool. Repeat till you have used all the cheese up. Crunchy and delicious, they are a great alternative to crisps.
Cheese Biscuits
Ingredients: Cheese, Butter and Plain Flour
Measure out equal quantities of each - 6oz is a good amount. Whizz in a food processor till it all comes together as a dough, add 1T water if you need to, to make it stick together well. Add 1t of cayenne pepper if you want some ZING. Roll out thinly, cut into shapes and bake at 200C for 5-10mins till they are golden brown on top. Makes a big batch.
Measure out equal quantities of each - 6oz is a good amount. Whizz in a food processor till it all comes together as a dough, add 1T water if you need to, to make it stick together well. Add 1t of cayenne pepper if you want some ZING. Roll out thinly, cut into shapes and bake at 200C for 5-10mins till they are golden brown on top. Makes a big batch.
Marmite Busters
Spread slices of bread with butter and marmite, cut into squares and bake in the oven till brown and toasted. Wait til they are cold before putting in a tin or they will go soggy.
Fruit Jellies
Make up your kid's favourite jelly. While it is cooling, peel and divide up mandarins and oranges. Divide the fruit into small containers and pour over the cool jelly. Set in the fridge. Send to school with a spoon (remind your child to bring it home afterwards)
Popcorn Necklaces
Buy popping corn (not the microwave kind, just plain old stuff). Pop 4T in a pot with 1T butter and 1T oil. Let it cool. Give your kids a needle and some thread, and have them thread the popcorn on. It's a great activity for a winter's night! Tie the strings into necklaces, include one in a lunch the next day. (They will keep in a tin for a week or so)
Clever Cookie Cutters
Make your child's favourite sandwich, then cut with cookie cutters to make wonderful shapes, lovehearts and stars go down well for a start.
Layer Sandwiches
Place buttered bread, butter side up in the bottom of a loaf tin. Spread with a layer of filling (cheese, marmite, lettuce etc), then put another layer of buttered bread, and another layer of a different filling. Keep going till you have about 5 layers, top with buttered bread, butter side down. Put some paper on top and press hard with your hands to squish down. If you can keep a weight ontop overnight, even better. In the morning, slice off 1" slices. You get a "terrine"-like sandwich. Be creative with colours and fillings for the best effect.
Rice Bubble Cakes - Mums own LCM's
8c Rice Bubbles
7oz Butter
8T Sugar
3T Honey
Put the ricies in a big bowl. Everything goes in a pot on the stove. Heat on a low heat till the sugar is dissolved (this is important). The turn up the heat a little till the mix bubbles a bit. Stir infrequently. One it turns a golden brown pour over the rices and mix well. Use wet hands to push it into a baking paper lined tin. Be careful, it will be hot.
Thanks to Karen for this recipe
7oz Butter
8T Sugar
3T Honey
Put the ricies in a big bowl. Everything goes in a pot on the stove. Heat on a low heat till the sugar is dissolved (this is important). The turn up the heat a little till the mix bubbles a bit. Stir infrequently. One it turns a golden brown pour over the rices and mix well. Use wet hands to push it into a baking paper lined tin. Be careful, it will be hot.
Thanks to Karen for this recipe
Muesli Bars with Choc Top
1/2c honey, 1/4c sugar, 125g butter, 3c oats, 1c rice bubbles, 1/2c chopped apricots, dates etc, 1/2c coconut, 1/4c pumpkin seeds or other seeds you fancy.
Combine honey, sugar and butter in a pan. Cook 2-3mins till butter melts and sugar is disolved. Bring to the boil and cook 2 mins. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowle, pour over hot syrup and stir well.
Press into a greased and lined square tin. Press firmly with wet hands.
Bake 15-20mins till golden. Cool then refrigerate. Melt 125g dark chocolate with 2T milk, spread ontop. When set cut into squares. (freezes really well, if you make a big batch and just pop the pieces into a bag in the freezer)
Combine honey, sugar and butter in a pan. Cook 2-3mins till butter melts and sugar is disolved. Bring to the boil and cook 2 mins. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowle, pour over hot syrup and stir well.
Press into a greased and lined square tin. Press firmly with wet hands.
Bake 15-20mins till golden. Cool then refrigerate. Melt 125g dark chocolate with 2T milk, spread ontop. When set cut into squares. (freezes really well, if you make a big batch and just pop the pieces into a bag in the freezer)
Bacon & Egg "Muffin Pies"
Butter slices of bread. Squash them, buttered side out, into large muffin tins. 1 slice per tin. Sprinkle some chopped bacon into each, and then break in an egg into each. Stab the egg with a fork to break the yolk, and whisk a bit. Sprinkle with grated cheese if you like. Bake at 180C until browned and set, which is about 30mins or so.
Sandwich Sushi
Take 2 slices of bread. Butter them, and top with whatever your child fancies. Roll each slice up lengthways, and then cut like sushi. Pack into the lunchbox cut side up, like a sushi pack.
Hedgehog Sticks
Cut pieces of cheese, salami, luncheon sausage and assemble onto toothpicks, put a grape on the end to keep everything on. Variety is best for these, so go mad and use your imagination.