Lunchboxes made easy and delicious: #FoodPornFriday

As parents, it’s easy to fall into a rut when preparing lunchboxes.

Constantly putting thought into what to include can often lead to the easy solution – R30 and the tuckshop.

However, it’s important your child has correct nutrition to succeed.

Unhealthy meal choices can lead to a host of physical and mental problems, and that’s obviously not a good thing.

Here are five ideas you can adapt to suit your child’s lunchboxes:

Lose the pasta

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease an ovenproof dish with oil or cooking spray.

Fill a large pot with water, add salt and bring to the boil. Cut one large cauliflower head into florets. Cook the cauliflower in the water for about five minutes, until crisp but tender. Drain the cauliflower well and transfer to the ovenproof dish.

In a small saucepan, bring one cup of heavy cream to a simmer, then whisk in 50 grams of cream cheese and 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Add in a cup of grated cheddar cheese, a ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, salt, pepper, and whisk the mixture until the cheese is fully melted.

Remove the mixture from the heat, pour it over the cauliflower and combine. Top with another ½ cup of cheese and bake at 180C for about 15 minutes, until the cheese topping is browned.

This recipe was adapted from foodnetwork.com: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cauliflower-mac-and-cheese-casserole-recipe-2013849

Pack in those carbs

In salted, boiling water, cook 500g of your preferred pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse off starchiness in cold water. Set aside for later.

Heat 20g of butter and fry two finely chopped onions and 2 garlic cloves until tender. Add in four sliced tomatoes and simmer until cooked. Season with salt and pepper and set aside for later.

Heat a small amount of butter in a pan and fry two chopped green peppers until tender. Transfer to the tomato mixture. In the same pan, add 500g sliced mushrooms and another clove of garlic. Cook off the excess moisture, and add to the tomato and peppers.

For an optional extra, cook 500g chopped bacon and combine with the peppers and tomato.

To finish, combine one cup of mayonnaise and one cup of plain yoghurt to form a dressing. Combine all the salad ingredients and the dressing in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator.

This recipe was adapted from you.co.za: https://www.you.co.za/food/pasta-salad/

Nothing corny about this one

Sift together 1 and a ½ cups of cake flour with a teaspoon of baking powder. Combine this with two eggs, a ½ cup of milk, one cup of grated cheese and salt to taste. For freshness, you can also add in some chopped fresh herbs.

Add in a tin of drained sweetcorn kernels and combine.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan and drop the batter in one spoonful at a time. The fritters should be golden brown and slightly puffy.

This recipe was adapted from justeasyrecipes.co.za: https://justeasyrecipes.co.za/2009/10/03/sweetcorn-fritters/

Is something fishy?

Cook 800g hake fillets and then flake the fish with a fork. Remember to remove any skin and small bones.

Boil four potatoes until tender. Peel the spuds, mash them and add to the cooked fish. Add in freshly chopped dhania, three teaspoons of fish seasoning, a half cup of breadcrumbs and two eggs. Combine this mixture well.

Shape the mixture into whichever shape you desire, but make sure the cakes are about 2 centimetres thick. Heat oil and fry the cakes over medium heat until crisp and golden brown (about five minutes).

For a simple sauce, combine one cup of mayonnaise, 60ml of sweet chilli sauce and a teaspoon of turmeric. Combine and chill until ready for serving.

This recipe was adapted from robertsons.co.za: https://www.robertsons.co.za/recipes/durban-fish-cakes

The old faithful

What list of lunchboxes would be complete without a delicious sandwich?

Instead of plain old peanut butter and jam on white, why not change things up with different kinds and styles of bread?

Try out different combinations too.

Our favourites include turkey, cheese and tomato, corned beef combined with chopped tomatoes, onions and a little chilli, and even gherkins, cheese and mayonnaise (it works somehow).

Remember to season all fillings well with salt and pepper.