Welcome to Week 12 at Lunch Matters

Monday2011, originally uploaded by Lunch Matters.

Got a favorite photo or recipe to share?

Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!

Click here to see this week's menu suggestions

NEWS

This week brings with it the happy news that the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook is safely in our hands and has been sent out to all those eagerly awaiting the opportunity to put Jennifer's meal ideas into practise. It also brings with it exciting news in that we shall be visiting a school in Melbourne that has been hard at work planning healthy meals to pack in a Laptop Lunchbox. On Wednesday, I shall be out working with some committed Year 9 students and their teacher to help them put their plans into action. The best meal plans will be featured on the Lunch Matters website very soon, and some of their suggestions will be great additions to your own lunch packing ideas pool and proof that even teens can be actively involved in healthy lunchtime solutions! I have been so impressed with the work that I have seen to date. You may like to think about asking your own children to take photos of the lunches that they design to send in to us, we'd love to post their ideas on the site!

RECIPES

Arancini

Arancini are a great way to use up left over risotto in your lunchbox. They are a snap to make and a delicious addition to your lunchbox. They can be eaten warm (if you have a microwave at work) or cold.

Method

Use any risotto that you have left over. If you have a rice mold you can fill it with the left over rice and if not, you simply make small balls with the left over risotto and then poke a small piece of gruyere cheese into the center of the ball. Then, depending on how sticky your rice is, you can simply breadcrumb them and lightly pan fry the balls until they are golden brown or if the rice isn't very sticky you can dip them in a beaten egg and then breadcrumb and fry. The cheese will melt in the center while they are cooking and then there's a delicious cheesy surprise ready for lunchtime.

AVOCADO MASH

INGREDIENTS

Avocado

Lemon juice

Cream cheese

A pinch of salt

METHOD

This recipe has been much requested and given how easy it is (the truth be told it's adapted from one I saw on Playschool many years ago) I thought I'd post it.

It is a great recipe to make with young children as they love to mash the ingredients and as there's no cooking involved it can be done with relatively little supervision.

Scoop the contents of a ripe avocado into a bowl, add a generous tablespoon of cream cheese, squeeze the juice of half a lemon and add the pinch of salt and then mash with a fork until it's the desired consistency. It is important to be generous with the lemon juice as this will stop the avocado dip from browning.

Packing dip in you lunchbox is a great way of encouraging you or your children to eat veggies, vegetable sticks are great fun to dip! You can also pack wholemeal pita wedges featured in an earlier blog or if you haven't much time, grissini are always a big hit here.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Remember for optimum health the aim is to have 3 fruit and 5 veg a day...
Fruit:

strawberries

cherries

apricots

plums

grapes

watermelon

lemon

passionfruit

Vegetables:

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Asparagus

Cherry tomatoes

Pumpkin

Red pepper, yellow pepper and green pepper

snow peas

avocado

carrots

leeks

parsley

In the pantry:

Turkish bread

Organic eggs

Aborio rice

Stock

Spelt flour

Baking soda

Baking powder

self raising flour

dried figs

sultanas

sugar

grissini

wholemeal pasta

soy

honey

tomato chutney

breadcrumbs

organic eggs

icing tubes (I justified the colouring in these as a rare addition - the biscuits that they topped were sugar free, so the fun factor got the colouring over the line)

In the fridge:

Milk

Cheddar cheese

Yoghurt

Cream Cheese

Feta cheese

Organic chicken drumsticks

Lamb (cold meat left over from a roast dinner)

Hokkien noodles

Welcome to Week 11 at Lunch Matters

Friday1711, originally uploaded by Lunch Matters.

Got a favorite photo or recipe to share?

Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!

Click here to see this week's menu suggestions

NEWS

Looking at the calendar it's hard to believe that Christmas will be here so soon. I don't know where this year has gone and I'm sure many of you are starting to feel that end of year wind down on the school and work front and the ramping up of the social calendar. There is always lots of talk of food at this time of the year and for us in Australia, Christmas is a time where we are spoilt for choice when it comes to fruit. At the Farmer's Market this morning, there were cherries, nectarines, apricots and the first of the peaches to welcome us. So look out for lunches packed with these goodies over the coming weeks.

A quick update on the Vegan Lunch Box front, we are hoping to mail out the books next week - the delivery was supposed to arrive last Monday, however, as yet they haven't arrived. We will send out an email as soon as they arrive to those of you who are waiting on orders.

Due to a recent wave of orders we have run out of Primary systems, however we have some on route as I write and we would encourage any of you wanting to place orders for Xmas to preorder, as the stock this side of Christmas is limited. We have placed a big order due to arrive in early January in time for the new school year but if you are looking for gifts, get in quick. Laptop lunchboxes make a great gift idea for anyone big or small wanting to rethink lunch packing in 2007.

If you'd like to order any of our products as gifts for Christmas, please let us know in your order as we are offering complimentary Christmas gift wrapping with tags for all gift orders placed in November and December.

Now without further ado onto some recipe ideas...

RECIPES

PUMPKIN AND PASTA CUPS

INGREDIENTS

canola oil spray (I'm not sure about this stuff yet - bought my first can this week because I've been reading lots about how healthy it is but it seems a bit weird - anyone have any thoughts?)

200 g spiral pasta

300 g cooked chopped pumpkin (roasted or boiled)

100 g chargrilled red capsicum, cut into thick strips

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

50 g fetta cheese, broken into bite-size pieces

salt and pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 egg whites

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup cheddar cheese

METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Lightly
spray a 6 x 1 cup (250 ml) capacity non-stick
muffin pan with canola oil spray.
2 Cook the pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling
water until al dente. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
3 Add the pumpkin, capsicum, parsley and feta to
the pasta and mix to combine. Season with salt and
pepper. Divide the mixture among the muffin holes.
4 Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and
cheese. Pour over the pasta mixture. Bake for
35 minutes or until the egg is set and starts to
come away from the side of the pan.

Makes 6
Adapted from the Health for Life series by Jody Vassallo - published by Fortiori Publishing

Pearl Couscous Salad

INGREDIENTS

Pearl couscous

Cherry tomatoes

Kalamata olives

Cucumber

Basil

Orange juice

Olive oil

METHOD

Cook pearl couscous according to directions on the packet

Cut up cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives and cucumber

Toss through cooled couscous

Blend orange juice, olive oil and basil and then stir through salad.

Note: Pearl couscous isn't cheap but a little goes a long way and it is such a fun grain it's too good to pass up. So have a little every now and then to add variety and texture to your lunchbox.

Links to sites of interest:

If you are into upskilling or just wanting to have a look at some culinary extravaganzas you may want to check out http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/ What that Melissa is doing in her blog leaves this Melissa lost for words - I think I may have to have a go at the Watermelon and feta salad when we next get a watermelon - my gut reaction is NOOOOO but then again I'll try anything once...

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Remember for optimum health the aim is to have 3 fruit and 5 veg a day...
Fruit:
oranges

kiwi

strawberries

rhubarb

cherries

apricots

apples

Vegetables:

Broccoli

Beans

Asparagus

Cherry tomatoes

Cucumber

Pumpkin

Red pepper

Carrots

Celery

In the pantry:

Four bean mix

Organic mayonnaise

Wholefoods jelly crystals (from Macro)

Rice paper

Bread

Organic eggs

Mirin

Soy

Sake

Sesame seed, seaweed sprinkles

rice

oven baked sesame pretzel sticks

museli

pasta

plum sauce (watch the numbers on this item - some have lots of additives)

In the fridge:

Milk

Cheddar cheese

Creme fraiche

Cream Cheese

Organic chicken thighs

In the freezer:

Frozen blueberries

Edamame

Welcome to Week 10 at Lunch Matters

Wednesday0811, originally uploaded by Lunch Matters.

Got a favorite photo or recipe to share?
Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!
Click here to see this week's menu suggestions

NEWS
I am delighted to announce that Lunch Matters is now stocking another fantastic resource for those of you looking for inspiration on the lunch packing front, LUNCHBOX by Helene Canavan is now available on the website in the resource section. I stumbled upon this book in July and I was very impressed for a number of reasons. Firstly it is a beautiful colour photo publication, which always helps when you are trying new things, secondly the philosophy that underlies all the recipes and information is right in line with the Lunch Matters ethos and thirdly because it offers so many great ideas beyond sandwich fillers! Her page on drink suggestions really sealed the deal - it's one page and it starts with water, water and more water. So many of the books that I pick up have a million suggestions for juices and smoothies and really, at the end of the day, there is nothing better or more suitable than water as a drink with lunch!

For those of you who have been in for the long haul - you'll recall my blogging the rice quiches and Lentilles Nicoise some time back - these are just two of the recipes that I have used from the book, simple and delicious. There are many more contained within its pages and if you are looking for a great Christmas gift idea you would do well to check it out - at AU$19.95 it represents excellent value for money!

You can read a review of the book here.

If you have read the review you'll probably smile at the reviewer's comments about people who get up early to cut our smiley faces from Rye...am I one of those mothers that makes her want to stay in bed? I did read something somewhere about a points system for parents, points were allocated to parents who packed takeaway sushi in their kid's lunchboxes but serious points were deducted from those who made their own - I guess along the lines of get a life??

What interests me is that somewhere in the liberation of women from the kitchen, the preparation of family meals has somehow become associated with the shackles. My feeling is that this has a little to do with what's gone wrong with our children's eating habits as a nation. That's not to say that it's the mother's responsibility for a minute, but it is to say that someone needs to take up the slack and ideally that means a team approach, parents and kids included.

In racing out of the kitchen we have raced into the arms of the processed food companies and the takeaway food industry and we have lost our way a little.

In the early years of my professional life, I was a teacher who worked in the independent school system. I often wondered about parents paying so much for school fees who, no doubt because they had to work so hard to pay those fees, had little time left over to pack adequate lunches for their children. The net result was that even in the best teaching and learning setting that money could buy, the child who had a bag of chips, a vegemite sandwich and a can of coke for lunch spent the afternoon bouncing off the walls or finding it very hard to concentrate on the task at hand. Then, more so than now perhaps, parents didn't seem to understand that packing a nutritionally sound lunch for their child would do more to help them get through the academic and social demands of the day than almost anything else that they did.

That's a long and soap boxy (sp?) way around the issue, but I guess what I'm trying to get at is that this is a priority not a luxury. And those of you reading this, already realise it. What can be left to slide is housework, ironing, gardening etc. Our children will not suffer if their clothes aren't ironed, if the floor isn't cleaned every other day or if the grass is left to grow another week. They will not thrive, however, if they are not given the nutritional building blocks that they need to grow and learn. We need to make time for this. Who prepares the family's meals is not important but the fact that they are prepared and prepared with care is.

So to cut a long story short - why do those smiley face cutting parents do it? I guess the answer is, if getting their sons or daughters to eat Rye bread every once in a while means cutting it into a smiley face or if making sushi for them because they love it, is part of that equation then they'll be getting up out of bed! For my part though, if there are easier ways, I'm always always on the lookout as long as it doesn't mean outsourcing - if anyone wants to take over those other jobs though I'd be thrilled! Needless to say a new company called Ironing Matters isn't in the pipeline.

RECIPES
Tuna patties or potato croquettes.

INGREDIENTS

Mashed potato

Peas

Onion (sauteed) or fresh spring onion sliced finely

Canned tuna (optional)

BBQ Sauce (Japanese style)

tomato sauce

worchershire

sake

ginger

garlic

sugar

mirin

These are very popular bento items in Japan and I love them because they are delicious to have for dinner the night before and they are equally delicious cold the next day. They also freeze very well so it's worth putting some unfried ones in the freezer.

The way that they are prepared is the same, its just a matter of adding some tinned tuna to the mix if you'd like tuna patties. It is important to remember that tuna contains mercury and as such shouldn't be a lunchbox staple but it is far to delicious and great for you in other ways to leave aside on those grounds.

METHOD

Mix left over mashed potato with peas, sauteed onion and some spring onions. Form into patties and then coat lightly in flour, dip into egg and then breadcrumbs (homemade from the off cuts of smiley faces...).

Heat a little olive oil in the pan and fry until lightly golden.

Allow to cool then place them in your lunchbox and refrigerate over night. Serve on a bed of sliced cabbage or salad.

Japanese croquettes are sometimes served with a bbq sauce, the store bought version almost always contains MSG but you can make your own by mixing:

1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup worchershire
1/2 cup sake
2 tablespoons ginger
2 tablespoons garlic
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup mirin
Put all above ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.
Reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes skimming any foam that rises to the top.

Will keep refrigerated for 4 weeks
Pack the sauce in a dipper so that it can be poured onto the croquettes just before they are eaten.

Cucumber chains

This is a great edible garnish that will entice the less enthusiastic cucumber consumers to give cucumber a go!

Cut a 20cm piece of cucumber from the whole. Use a corer if you have one to remove the seeds, if not slice the cucumber into thickish slices and use a cutter to remove the center - or if you don't have any of these things, just cut the center out like I did (not so neat but still works).

Slit every other ring and then link the chain together et voila a chain that can be as short or long as you desire. If you add a little dressing that will make them even more enticing.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Remember for optimum health the aim is to have 3 fruit and 5 veg a day...

Fruit:

cherries
apples
bananas
lemons
kiwi

Vegetables:

cabbage

avocado

asparagus

potatoes

beans

cucumber

cherry tomatoes
broadbeans pumpkin
onion
spring onion
carrots

In the pantry:
sushi rice

freeze dried apples

bagels
cranberries
almonds
sultanas

canned tuna

bread

tomato sauce

worchershire

sake
biscuits for dipping

In the fridge:
Cream cheese
Ham
Creme fraiche
Organic eggs
Smoked salmon

Welcome to Week 9 at Lunch Matters

Tuesday3110, originally uploaded by Lunch Matters.

Got a favorite photo or recipe to share?

Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!

Click here to see this week's menu suggestions

NEWS

A quick turn around time between blogs this week as last week's went out a little late. It's been a great week at Lunch Matters with the interest in what we are doing, gaining momentum. We have had interest from a whole range of groups, some that we had hoped for and others that that we would never have anticipated. We are expecting some media coverage in a range of publications over the next couple of months, so keep your eyes peeled for Lunch Matters in the press.

What I have marvelled at throughout this process has been the generosity and openess of all those that we have dealt with. From the outset Amy and Tammy from Obentec were extremely helpful and supportive. The Latop Lunch Times for November is out today and if you haven't signed up for that it is well worth your while. They share great ideas for the LTLB and are committed to following through on the environmental issues so there is always plenty of food for thought in their free newsletter.

In recent weeks Jennifer McCann has also been amazing. It would come as no surprise to those of you have read her blog that she is one of the world's nice people. Her efforts over the last week have meant that the Vegan Lunch Box cookbooks are on a plane as I write and we are expecting them in about 8 days. The whole experience has left me with a strong sense of being a global citizen, people all on the same page trying to get things up and running. It is such a lovely change to be able to make things happen without getting bogged down in the burocracy that hinders progress in some of the big organizations.

Web2 is upon us and the way in which it is able to be used to bring people together is amazing. There is such creativity out there and we can bring it all into our homes just by logging on. I am still chuffed that somewhere, way over on the other side of the world, people take the time to comment on the photos that I post to the Laptop Lunches flickr site. For thoses of you who haven't found Flickr it's well worth a look. Remember too, that when you're looking at the Lunch Matters photos, if there's something in a photo that I've posted that you'd like to know more about just post a comment and I'll get right back to you.

On that note let's have a look at this week's suggestions.

With the warmer months coming I though that it may be useful to think about the logistics of how you pack your lunchbox.

Below are a few hints for packing foods that need to be kept cool:

• Put your lunchbox in an insulated case and remember to put an icepack in.
• Where possible pack some or all of the lunch the night before and place the whole lunchbox in the fridge for the night so that it is lovely and cold when it goes into the case.
• Keep a couple of healthy frozen foods, like blueberries (have you seen enough of them already??? - The Farmer's Markets in Melbourne have a fantastic blueberry man who sells big containers of blueberries that are delicious) or edamame in the freezer so that on particularly warm days they can go in first thing in the morning. They will be thawed by lunchtime and they will also serve to keep the lunchbox cool.
• If you are packing your child's lunch, try and find out where their lunchbox is stored in the morning. If it is in locker in a bright, sunny corridor it may be that even with the best insulation, their lunch is going to warm up. If this is the case then be particularly careful to avoid packing any of the 'risky' items, like dairy, smallgoods, fish, chicken whenever it's warm.
• Some foods are just not worth the risk - I've found children's lunchbox recipe ideas for raw fish sushi and there is no way that can be a good idea for kids or adults unless they have a fridge at work.

RECIPES

Wholemeal Pita Crisps

This is a super easy and delicious lunchbox filler that is an excellent way to increase the wholemeal quota for the week. For those children who may be surrounded by kids with chips they have all the qualities of a chip, ie. they are crunchy, look pretty much like a chip and they taste great but they don't have all the rubbish of their prepackaged counterparts.

The other good thing about them is that they are a great way to use up the remainder of the pita if you have used some left over from making wraps.

INGREDIENTS

Wholemeal pita
Olive oil
Parmesan or cheddar cheese or both

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C (If you are cooking something else just bang them in the oven underneath - to save heating an oven especially)

Brush the top (and bottom if you like but not necessary) lightly with olive oil.

Cut the pita into the desired shape - you can use metal cookie cutters if you really want to make fancy shapes but otherwise just cut wedges, etc. with scissors, you could just tear it if you're in a real rush.

Sprinkle tops with cheddar or parmesan or a combo and bake in the oven until crisp (about 5 minutes - depending on what sort of pita you are using)

Serve with homemade dips or just as they are. I find that they never last long enough for me to test the theory that they will store well in an airtight container for a week!

Broccolini, asparagus and smoked tofu salad with toasted sesame seed/seaweed sprinkles

INGREDIENTS

Broccolini - read this to find out all about this superfood
Asparagus
Organic Smoked Tofu (Japanese)
Toasted sesame seed and seaweed sprinkles

METHOD

Cut the broccolini and asparagus into pieces and blanche then plunge into iced water (this keeps them looking beautiful and green and makes them retain their natural crunch).

Slice smoked tofu into thin slices.

Heat a splash of sesame oil and soy in a wok and toss the vegetables and tofu in the hot wok for a couple of minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Place in your lunchbox and sprinkle with sesame/seaweed mix.

This salad remains crunchy and delicious when made the night before so it's a great dish to serve hot for dinner and then use the left overs for lunch the next day.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:
If you haven't had a look at this site it is worth spending a couple of minutes looking through what Dr. Fuhrman has to say. I have linked here to a post on Heathly lunchbox packing but there is much more there that's worth looking at too.

Diseaseproof.com

If you're into podcasts, I found this podcast of his particularly interesting: http://www.diseaseproof.com/mp3/Healthy_Food_for_Your_Family.mp3

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Remember for optimum health the aim is to have 3 fruit and 5 veg a day...

Fruit:
apples
mango
strawberries
banana
watermelon
lemons

Vegetables:

cabbage
green pepper
yellow pepper
red pepper
cucumber
avocado
broccolini
asparagus

In the pantry:

wholemeal pita
Smoked organic tofu
sushi rice (to make use your Laptop Lunchbox User Guide)
frezze dried apples
cranberries
bagels
oven baked sesame pretzels
macaroni
rice paper
Organic Australian peanut butter from the Farmer's Market
soy
rice vinegar
honey

In the fridge:
Frozen blueberries from the Farmer's Market
Frozen Edamame (soy beans)
Organic chicken drumettes
yoghurt
Babybel cheese
parmesan
cheddar
gruyere
mozzarella
feta

NEXT WEEK: Slices, muffins or biscuits - something wholesome but a little sweet :o)