The ultimate leftovers lunchbox for hungry kids

COMING up with clever lunch ideas for kids is always a challenge.

Lunchbox

COMING up with clever lunch ideas for kids is always a challenge.

Despite fridges groaning with food, leftovers are often thrown away and children go to school with a pocket full of change or white bread sandwiches smeared with peanut butter or Vegemite.

Using leftovers including protein-rich foods, such as beef and lamb, in the lunchbox are not only delicious, they are also packed with nutrients. Swapping a simple sandwich with spread for a leftover roast beef and salad sandwich with a lovely relish and cheese is a much better and tastier option.

The average family spends up big buying food for the lunchbox - Aussie parents put more than $2.75 billion into kids' school lunches each year - but nine out of 10 parents admit to throwing out leftovers, a Galaxy Research survey for Meat and Livestock Australia has found.

If you don't regularly have leftovers after the nightly meal, cook an extra serve of your main meat dish and vegetables or double your recipe to ensure leftovers for the next day, says Brisbane dietitian Kate Di Prima. 

"Leftovers are cheap, easy and, best of all, you can ensure your child is getting a healthy, nutritious meal to keep their mind active throughout the day," says Kim Coverdale, food editor at Super Food Ideas.

"It's not just about cooking extra bolognese or stir-fry for dinner. Try creating something new for your child so they aren't eating the same meal they had for dinner the night before." 

"In general, kids like foods that are easy to eat and small pieces of things they can pick up. For this reason, leftover meat used in wraps, meatballs or a small container of rice are good choices," says nutritionist Susie Burrell says.

HER recommended checklist for lunchboxes goes like this:

1) Vegetables - not just fruit. It's important children get used to eating vegies as part of their daily food intake.

2) One whole piece of fruit -  not dried or juice.

3) One protein snack, such as dairy - milk, cheese, yoghurt, nuts (if they are allowed), an egg (if allowed), chic nuts (roasted chick peas).

4) One small container of food or one wrap with a protein (beef, lamb or chicken), which is easier to eat than sandwiches.

5) Water to drink. 

"CHILDREN often prefer simple sandwich fillings to more elaborate concoctions, so try not to be offended if they reject your mix of lamb, hommus and roasted vegetables, instead asking for plain ham or a simple spread," Susie says.

Try mixing bread types for sandwiches with one slice of high-fibre white and one slice of grain and, in sandwich negotiations with children, try offering their choice once each week and maintaining a mix of salad and protein on the other school days," she says.

One tip Susie offers to parents is that if you are worried about food safety and using meats in sandwiches, try freezing the sandwich the night before or keep a small popper of frozen water in the lunchbox to keep the food cool. Alternatively check out cooler-style lunchboxes, which are popular during the summer months.

Kim says leftover chicken kebabs or grilled chicken breast can be chopped up finely and tossed with diced cucumber, diced tomato, plain yoghurt and shredded lettuce then rolled up in a multigrain wrap. 

PASTA salad is a great medium for a range of leftover lunch ideas. For lunchbox meals containing protein and fibre, try cooking extra pasta and adding roasted tomato, eggplant, feta to create a great salad. Finely sliced lamb with a mix of lettuce or English spinach leaves, red onion, cherry tomatoes and grated cheese also makes for an appetising midday meal. 

WHILE you can use roast lamb, beef or chicken directly in sandwiches, combine with roast vegetables and leafy lettuce to make a salad.

More creative uses include a shredded roast chicken and waldorf salad or try a cubed roast lamb and vegetable salad with red onion, baby rocket leaves, olives (if your kids will eat them) and a dressing of balsamic vinegar, garlic and crumbled feta.

"Leftovers can be enjoyed cold in the school lunchbox or heated and packed into an insulated thermos container an easy way to save time and money," Kate says.

"Using leftovers from dinner, such as roast beef to make a salad or wrap, gives kids a nutritious lunch they will also enjoy eating."

Turn a leftover roast chicken dinner into a chicken and roast vegetable couscous salad, says Kim. "Or if you have some grilled steak or roast pork left over, simply slice the meat thinly and toss through cooked rice noodles, sliced vegetables and a little sweet chilli sauce for a delicious Thai-style salad," she advises. 

INSTEAD of a quiche, try making frittata, which is easy to cook the night before and there is no pastry to go soggy.

A slice of frittata and a separately wrapped wholemeal roll with their favourite filling makes for great lunch-box companions.

--

* HONEY-SOY CHICKEN

- Serves 4

- Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 2hrs refrigeration)

- Cooking time: 35 minutes

- Skills needed: Beginner

-- 

1/2 cup salt-reduced soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

8 chicken drumsticks

2 tsp sesame seeds

-- 

Combine soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a large dish. Add chicken. Turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Remove chicken from marinade. Place in a single layer on prepared tray. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 35 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Serve with fried rice 

Recipe: Emma Braz, Super Food Ideas

Picture: Jeremy Simons

--

* LAMB, TABOULI AND HOMMUS WRAP 

- Serves 4

- Preparation time: 10 minutes

- Cooking time: 10 minutes

- Skills needed: Basic

-- 

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp olive oil

3 (100g each) lamb leg steaks*

3/4 cup hommus dip

2 cups tabouli

4 lebanese bread rounds

-- 

Combine lemon juice, oregano, garlic, oil and lamb in a glass or ceramic dish. Turn to coat. Cover. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, if time permits.

Preheat a barbecue plate or char-grill over medium-high heat. Cook lamb for

3-4 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil. Set aside lamb for 5 minutes. Thinly slice.

Spread hommus over bread. Top each with tabouli and lamb. Roll up firmly to enclose filling. Serve.

TIP: If making these for school lunches, use leftover roast lamb, chicken or beef. 

Recipe: Emma Braz, Super Food Ideas

Picture: Amanda McLauchlan