Chicken
1. Use last night’s chicken for tomorrow’s lunch. Dice up some leftover baked chicken and mix it with pasta, cheese and fresh parsley. Add a cream-based salad dressing for extra flavour 2. Swirl a bit of smashed fruit into plain yogurt for a low-sugar side 3. Sliced apples are simple and still a universal favourite among children.
Tip To keep sliced apples from turning brown by the time lunch rolls around, squeeze a slice of citrus on them before packing. Try lemon, orange or pineapple juice – any citric juice will do the trick – then pack in an airtight container or plastic bag.
Pasta
1. Leftover pasta mixed with bite-sized veggies, cheese and Italian salad dressing is quick, easy and delicious. 2. Don’t give kids an unpeeled orange or they will spend half their lunch time peeling it. Peel it for them. They’ll eat it. 3. Cheese sticks and homemade granola are a great way to get more protein into carb-loving kids.
Tip For healthier granola, find a recipe you love and make it yourself. Use ingredients such as rolled oats, grated coconut, sesame seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, dried fruits and pumpkin seeds. Add honey, spread on a baking sheet and bake on low heat for 10 minutes. Avoid nuts, of course, in consideration for classmates with allergies.
Ground beef
1. Mix ground beef with scrambled eggs, diced tomatoes and a few spices for a new meal. We used Arabic seven-spice blend and chilli powder. 2. Whole-wheat Arabic bread is a great “spoon” to scoop up the beef. 3. A watermelon and halloumi salad (recipe below) is refreshing and easy to make.
Ingredients 8 cups of seedless watermelon, cut into cubes; 225g halloumi cheese, cut into cubes (grill if preferred); 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped; 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; pinch of salt
Method Toss all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Serve chilled.
• Courtesy of the team at Kris Kros in Downtown Dubai
