I have been asked SO many times - what food can I bring for my breaks and lunch? Some people are serious repeat offenders, and bring the same thing every day. Others like to spice it up a bit and change their food daily. Either way, it's nice to have a selection of healthy, nutritious and most of all, easy lunches and snacks. So I'm going to have some suggestions here, and if there's any recipes, I will pop them into the Recipe Ideas section of the website :)
This website is great for recipe ideas, but I really like his post they have on healthy lunch boxes for adults: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/healthy-lunchboxes-adults
Snacks/Small break
I find that my breakfast tends to keep me full until big break/lunch time, but if I need something small at break time, I try to stick to small snacks and healthy options. I'll always have a few of these in my classroom, just in case! I often need a three o'clock 'pick-me-up' so these come in handy then!
Sandwiches/Wraps/Bagels/Pita bread
With these type of lunches, I find, if they're prepped the night before or even that morning, they're soggy and horrible by half twelve. So what I do, is bring everything separate, and make the lunch in school at lunch time. I'd have my bread/wrap/bagel/pita wrapped in tin foil (or in it's original packaging, to keep it fresh) and then the fillings in a lunch box.
As always, when choosing your bread, choose a wholegrain or wholemeal version. I love these seedy slim bagels as a sandwich option. They're light, but filling enough, and super tasty! So here's some suggested fillings which can be used with any of the above mentioned breads
Snacks/Small break
I find that my breakfast tends to keep me full until big break/lunch time, but if I need something small at break time, I try to stick to small snacks and healthy options. I'll always have a few of these in my classroom, just in case! I often need a three o'clock 'pick-me-up' so these come in handy then!
- Handful of nuts - almonds, cashews, walnuts
- Fruit - apple, berries banana, mixed fruit salad
- Yogurt - Greek (WATCH OUT FOR SUGAR FILLED 'LOW FAT' YOGURTS!)
- Nakd* bars (or similar)
- Nut butter and an oat/rice cake
- Popcorn (not salted)
Sandwiches/Wraps/Bagels/Pita bread
With these type of lunches, I find, if they're prepped the night before or even that morning, they're soggy and horrible by half twelve. So what I do, is bring everything separate, and make the lunch in school at lunch time. I'd have my bread/wrap/bagel/pita wrapped in tin foil (or in it's original packaging, to keep it fresh) and then the fillings in a lunch box.
As always, when choosing your bread, choose a wholegrain or wholemeal version. I love these seedy slim bagels as a sandwich option. They're light, but filling enough, and super tasty! So here's some suggested fillings which can be used with any of the above mentioned breads
- B.L.T. (bacon medallions/parma ham/prosciutto , crisp lettuce and chopped tomato - add avocado for extra yummy-ness!)
- Turkey and Apple (turkey, rocket, thinly sliced apple)
- Greek salad (lettuce, feta, cucumber, peppers, onion, chickpea)
- Chicken Pesto (chicken, pesto, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes)
- Chicken Avocado (chicken, tomato and smashed avocado - avocado mashed with a spoon of natural yogurt and seasoned with salt, pepper and chilli)
- Egg and Avo (boiled egg, smashed avocado - as above, lettuce)
- Turkey Caprese (turkey, mozzarella, red onion, spinach, sundried tomatoes,)
- Tuna Salad (onion, peppers, tuna - seasoned with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil)
- Greek Chicken Salad (chicken, Waldorf salad - apples, celery, grapes diced and mixed with some Greek yogurt)
- Hummus and veg (hummus, grated carrot, cucumber, peppers, avocado)
- Roast beef salad (thinly sliced beef, rocket, tomato)
- Egg salad (boiled egg, 'mayo' made with seasoned Greek yogurt, scallions, lettuce, tomato)
Salads
Salads can be as boring or as adventurous as you like! I always like to have a good mix of meat and salad (I'm a big meat eater!) and then balance the salad with a nice fresh dressing. Again, I pack my salad and my dressing separate as I find the salad goes very soggy if the dressing is added that morning or the night before. Some lunchboxes have little containers for dressings, which is really handy! I spotted the one below (left) in Tiger the other day with a dressing container and a fork.
Salads can be as boring or as adventurous as you like! I always like to have a good mix of meat and salad (I'm a big meat eater!) and then balance the salad with a nice fresh dressing. Again, I pack my salad and my dressing separate as I find the salad goes very soggy if the dressing is added that morning or the night before. Some lunchboxes have little containers for dressings, which is really handy! I spotted the one below (left) in Tiger the other day with a dressing container and a fork.
As regards dressings - home made is always best! And dressings are so easy to make and they keep great in the fridge. I use a simple balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper dressing. I sometimes add a spoon of honey or wholegrain mustard in, whatever you like yourself!
I'll often bring some home-made brown bread or some oat crackers or rice cakes to have along with my salad, but it's not always needed!
I'll often bring some home-made brown bread or some oat crackers or rice cakes to have along with my salad, but it's not always needed!
- Simple mixed salad (lettuce, peppers, onion, tomato, beetroot, carrot, cucumber, sweet corn, and add meat/fish of choice)
- Chicken and pasta salad (roast chicken, spinach leaves, pasta, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pine nuts)
- Ham and Egg salad (spinach, boiled egg, strips of baked ham, onion/radish)
- Greek salad (olives, feta, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers)
- Chicken club salad - like the sandwich, just no bread! (chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion/scallions, avocado)
- Asian salad (crisp lettuce, yellow pepper, noodles, chicken or duck, but chicken is better and an Asian style dressing with ginger, sesame oil, etc)
- Hawaiian salad (chicken, pineapple, cashew nuts, spinach/mixed leaves, chili, lime and honey dressing)
- Chickpea salad (chickpeas, basil pesto, cucumber, celery, tomato, peppers, chicken)
Soups
Soups are my favourite lunch, particularly during the winter months. They can be made in batches, easily frozen and defrosted and so warming and nourishing! Again, soups can be as simple or as complex as you like. I like to have some home-made brown bread with mine. Again, a sensible tub for soup is essential - you don't need soup spilling all over your bag! I have this one, from Homestore and More:
So I'm going to post some soups I've used and some that I'd like to try! I'm just going to list ingredients and maybe I'll post some exact measures in the Recipe Ideas section soon. Seasoning (salt, pepper, herbs, spices, etc) is to be added to all recipes - based on personal taste.
- Potato and Leek (leek, celery, carrot, potato, onion, garlic, veg stock)
- Tomato (carrot, celery, onion, garlic, veg stock, tinned tomatoes, ripe tomatoes, basil)
- Minestrone (tinned tomatoes, veg stock, broken spaghetti, diced carrot, frozen peas)
- Chicken noodle (chicken stock, chicken breast, garlic, ginger, rice noodles, mushrooms, sweetcorn, soy sauce, scallion)
- Super Green (veg stock, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, broccoli, kale, courgette, lime, parsley)
- Cauliflower (onion, garlic, cumin, celery, cauliflower, potato, chicken stock, red pepper)
- Butternut Squash (butternut squash, onion, garlic, apple, nutmeg, chicken stock)
- Carrot and Coriander (onion, garlic, carrot, coriander, veg stock, lemon juice, nutmeg)
- Easy Pea-sy (onion, celery, frozen peas, veg stock, mint -optional)
- Tomato and Bean (tin of beans, onion, celery, garlic, tin of tomatoes, veg stock)
- Mushroom (onion, garlic, mushrooms, veg stock)
- Roast Sweet Potato (sweet potato, bacon, garlic, onion, stock)
Other options
Sometimes, I'll bring left overs for lunch. If I've cooked a chilli or bolognese the night before, I'll bring some extra in, re-heat it and have it inside a wholemeal wrap, or even a lettuce wrap. I'll sometimes do an extra baked potato and have one for lunch with some bacon bits and a sprinkle of cheese, or have it along side a salad. As always, any dinner can be made into a smaller portion for lunch the following day. Some things re-heart better than others, so shepherd's pie, stir fry, stews, curry, risotto, etc. are good options. Most of these can be frozen and re-used too, making it easier on you! Eggs are a great alternative for a fresh and healthy lunch - you can easily scramble, poach or boil and egg for your lunch and have some on wholegrain toast.
So, I hope this gives you some food for thought (literally!) and I hope it helps you with your eating in work. It can be difficult to get started, if you're not used to it, so start small and change one thing at a time. Healthy eating is all about habits - forming good ones! And habits take time - to implement and to break! Plan your week and your meals, make your shopping list, prepare the night before if you can and enjoy the process!
:) x
:) x