As the first day of school approaches, kids everywhere are filled with excitement (and probably a few nerves). Parents look forward to getting back into the school routine, too, but there is a daily chore looming: the dreaded task of making lunches. It’s not easy to come up with healthy ideas to keep kids from getting bored with their food. And even if you do have a good idea, it’s a 50-50 shot that your kids will actually eat it. Now do it five days a week for the next 10 months. To make that task a little easier, we’ve come up with a few kid-friendly recipes that you’ll feel good about packing – and that your kids might actually eat.
Protein-packed chicken salad wraps
This wrap is loaded with protein and incorporates chia seeds, one of the superfoods of the moment. You can use your favourite roast chicken recipe for these wraps or, if you’re short on time, poach chicken breasts in broth. Flour tortillas can be used as a substitute for protein flat bread.
Ingredients
(One 1,200 gram chicken should yield about five wraps)
1 whole chicken, roasted
1 cup mayonnaise (more or less as desired)
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup seedless grapes, quartered
1 celery rib, diced
2 tbsp chia seeds (either whole or ground)
Salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce (optional)
Sliced or grated mild cheese (optional)
Protein bread*
Method
Remove the skin from the roasted chicken and discard. Shred or chop the chicken into small bits and put into a mixing bowl. Add the
mayonnaise, walnuts, grapes, celery and chia seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spread lettuce on a piece of flat bread. Spread the chicken mixture onto the lettuce. Top with cheese. Fold the edges in and roll into a wrap. Wrap in aluminium foil to keep the roll intact until lunchtime.
*This protein bread is flat bread made at Modern Bakery. You can find it at Lulu in packs of four for Dh6.50. Each flat bread contains 10g of protein and fewer than 5g of carbohydrates. It’s mild-flavoured, thin and soft, and a great way to pack more protein into little bellies. Raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and chopped apples all work well as alternate mix-ins.
Stacie Overton Johnson, Mum to Nola, age 5 and Calla, age 2
Egg-in-a-hole sandwich
Eggs are high in protein, contain every essential amino acid and are loaded with vitamins. They’re one of the only foods that naturally contain vitamin D (many people are deficient in vitamin D). Let your kids help with this one — they’ll love dropping the egg in the hole.
Ingredients
(serves one)
1 slice of whole-wheat bread
butter or cooking spray
1 egg
Method
Cut a hole in the middle of the bread. Butter both sides of the bread or spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Over a medium-low heat, put the bread in the pan and crack the egg into the cut-out section of the bread. Brown well. Flip to brown the other side. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool completely before packing into a lunch box.
Linda Al Darwish, mum to Jamila, age 28 and Farris, age 23 (who are now old enough to pack their own lunches)
Vegetable spring roll pop
This one will take a little more work, but it’s a fun one to do with kids. They can help with much of the preparation.
Ingredients
(serves 10)
2 sheets rice paper
1 litre water
2 heads of young romaine lettuce
1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper, cut in long strips
1 green bell pepper, cut in long strips
50g prepared Japanese sõmen
noodles
1 avocado, cut in strips
10 coriander leaves, picked
1 tsp black and white sesame seeds
2 lemons, squeezed juice
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black and white sesame seeds
Method for Spring Roll
Soak rice paper in cold water for 10 seconds or until soft.
Place romaine lettuce leaves
in the centre of rice paper. Place
cucumber, bell peppers, sõmen
noodles, avocado and coriander leaves inside. Sprinkle with one teaspoon of sesame seeds. Roll rice paper tightly around the mixture.
Cut into four pieces and arrange in a takeaway container. Pour prepared lemon-sesame vinaigrette over the rolls and pack it up.
Method for vinaigrette
Squeeze lemon juice from two lemons in a mixing bowl. Slowly mix in sesame oil and olive oil. Add one teaspoon of sesame seeds.
Executive Pastry Chef at Emirates Palace Alexander Haebe, dad to Sophia, age 5, and Anthony, age 4
Cute Courgette Mini Muffins
Kids love mini muffins! This isn’t the healthiest recipe, but it’s a fun, occasional treat – and kids will at least get a dose of veggies. You can also make regular-sized muffins with this recipe, but remember to increase cooking time accordingly.
Dry ingredients
(makes 48 mini muffins)
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
½ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts (optional)
Wet ingredients
¾ cup + 2 tbsp oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated courgette (you can chop
instead of grating if desired)
Method
Spray a mini-muffin tray with cooking spray and set oven to 175°C.
Combine wet and dry ingredients separately. Use a rubber spatula to fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Keep folding until combined.
Drop spoonfuls of the mix into the mini-muffin tray.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in tray for five minutes. Then remove muffins and cool further on wire rack.
Recipe submitted by Nicholas Leech, dad to Thora, age 4 and Annys, age 2
Pancit canton
Pancit canton is a Chinese noodle dish that’s popular in Filipino cuisine. This recipe only takes about 10 minutes to make, so it’s something parents can prepare before school. Prep the
veggies the night before to save time.
Ingredients
(serves one)
150g chicken
1 cup chopped beans and carrots
1 tsp garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
Canton noodles
Chopped coriander to garnish
Method
Cook noodles as directed on package; drain. Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry garlic until aromatic. Add chopped vegetables and cook until beans turn bright green.Add soya and oyster sauce, cook one minute.
Throw in noodles and toss until mixed completely.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Stephanie Alindao, mum to Chrisanne, age 4
Rather than grabbing quick carbs after school, try these savoury snacks for little ones
Beans and Onions
Ingredients
One can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion
1/8 chicken stock cube
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
Fry the onions over a medium heat using olive oil until they become soft. Add the stock cube, salt and stir. Add the kidney beans and stir until warm. Add more or less of the stock cube as desired.
Eggs and Tomatoes
Ingredients
2 eggs, whisked
4 cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Fry the tomatoes using the olive oil until they become tender then press the juices out of them using a spoon. Add the desired amount of salt and black pepper. Add the whisked eggs and mix with the tomatoes in the pan until the eggs are cooked.
Recipes from Sarah Khamis, mum to Majid, 5 and Ayesha, 3