Healthy Isn't Boring

Great ideas for packed lunches by Fiona Bird of Stirrin’ Stuff

Team effort

Try to make the time at least once a week, for your children to help with the preparation of their packed lunch. Encouraging children to prepare and cook a variety of affordable, well balanced foods will help to develop and retain healthy eating habits throughout life. 

Learn while you cook

Cooking can support a number of curriculum areas from maths (weighing and measuring) through to geography (where food comes from) to the history of food, as well as practicing dexterity and organisational skills. Cooking with real ingredients means that the salt, sugar and saturated fat content are usually visible and this of course, helps them assess the health value.

Balanced eating

There is a current trend to talk in terms of ‘rainbows of colours on a plate’. The key is to eat a variety of different foods – the balance of good health. Look at the Food Standards Agency website for more information on this (and they have some good lunch box ideas too). www.food.gov.uk. Children know all about the need to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day but the next step is to make the theory a daily practice.

For my younger children I think mini. Mini anything is fun, manageable, speedy and easy to eat. Very little people are often conservative in their taste; they sometimes prefer to keep each food separate. The kebab stick is a brilliant way of introducing an occasional new food whilst allowing the child to enjoy individual flavours

Ring the changes. Begin with those sandwiches.
•    Try wholemeal matched with seeded white, or focaccia, pita pockets, rice cakes, tortilla wraps fixed with blunted cocktail sticks and oatcakes.  
•    Use cutters to shape sandwich and add interest for younger children. Fight against sandwich boredom.
•    Pasta, couscous and cracked wheat are good for salads. Maximise seasonal change with food that requires minimal fuss and packaging.
•    Create trails of toasted sesame and pumpkinseeds seeds, mixed with dried fruits with variety of texture and taste.
•    Try out homemade drinks but always have plenty of water too.

Cool Tips
•    Make sure that your child’s lunchbox isn’t left on top of (or near a radiator). Lobby the school for a fridge for packed lunches.
•    A frozen juice carton will keep the lunchbox cool. Children will enjoy oranges quartered and frozen. And freezing need not stop there. Sandwiches and cakes will defrost within a few hours.
•    Put fun stickers on to fruit or wrapped food. Homemade food can be made just as glitzy as processed shop foods.

Chicken Wraps – makes 4
What to Find:
Two coloured peppers
2 skinless chicken breasts
Two tablespoons olive oil
One carrot
Two handfuls salad leaves
One large tablespoon natural set yogurt

For the Avocado Salsa
One large, ripe avocado
1 medium-hot green chili (seeds removed and finely chopped)
Zest of a small washed  lime
Juice of half a lime
Garlic clove crushed
2 salad onions, washed trimmed and chopped
Handful parsley
2 tbsp olive oil

Kitchen Stuff:
Chopping board
Knife
Food processor
Peeler
Mixing bowl
Frying pan
Tablespoon
What to do:

1.    Wash the peppers place on a chopping board and cut them in half lengthways. Remove the seeds and cut the pepper into thin long strips.
2.    Cut the chicken into very thin strips and put the chicken into a bowl. Wash your hands well.
3.    On a clean chopping board cut the avocado in half. Cut through from the stalk end (lengthways) and mark around the stone. Grip the fruit gently and twist to separate the two halves. Remove the stone with a teaspoon and then remove the avocado flesh. The greenest flesh is just below the skin, so don’t leave it in!
4.    Put the avocado into a food processor with all the other salsa ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl for serving.
5.    Peel the carrot and continue peeling long strips (ribbons). Cut the ribbons into bite sized pieces or use your clean fingers. Tear up the lettuce and put them into the mixing bowl. Heat the tortillas as instructed.
6.    Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the pepper slices and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the chicken has cooked. Put the chicken and peppers into the bowl with the salad and carrot.
7.    To make your fajita, mix two tablespoons of avocado salsa with the yogurt in a bowl and spread it onto the tortillas, add the chicken, peppers and salad and roll it your fajita. Yummy hot or cold.

  ALWAYS HAVE A GROWN-UP IN THE KITCHEN WITH YOU, WHEN YOU COOK
©Stirrinstuff.org

Fiona Bird is a mother of six and founder of Stirrin’ Stuff, which aims to teach basic coooking skills to children through workshops and demonstrations.  She has written for publications throughout the UK, including The Green Parent and Organic Life.  Based near the Angus town of Kirriemuir, Fi is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and is also a former masterchef.
For more recipes and tips visit her website at www.stirringstuff.org.  If you would like Fi to come to your school or event please email admin@stirrinstuff.orf