Welcome to Week 18 at 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

Welcome to Week 18 and the second week back of the Australian school year.
Here at Lunch Matters we've gone Moomin mad! This week some fantastic Moomin cookie cutters arrived from far flung corners of the globe and they've made a big impact on my son's lunches.
I've had yet another "The www. is an amazing place" experience with my Moomin cutters being sourced by a young German student on a study course in Finland. Yes, that's right through the wonders of ebay, a wonderful fellow trawled the streets of Finland to source the remaining Christmas stock of Moomin cutters for me. It's amazing how small the world can feel with the internet :o) For those of you thinking "Moomins? What on earth are they?" you may have yet to discover the joys of reading the Tove Jansson books to your little ones or you may have just missed out on them yourselves as little ones.
As an X-Gener - there is something incredibly nostalgic about these little creatures. I remember finding them in the library a long time ago and delighting in their adventures and now I am reliving it all with my 5 year old who seems to be equally enchanted. "Comet in Moominland" was the first Chapter book that I have read to him and he hung on every word. So if you've a spare moment and can forgive Lunch Matters for sounding more like Literacy Matters, I can't recommend heading down to find these books in your local library highly enough.
If you are already a Moomin fan (and I know that there are plenty of you out there) and you'd like some of these cutters, I've just listed the remaining stock in the store. They are as rare as hen's teeth now with Christmas being over, so we only have very limited stock to offer. You'll see that the Groke is there above looking out at you with her creepy, cold stare.
On the lunch packing front, the every day packing is certainly a new challenge for this mum, however, the rewards have been great. My son appears to be needing lots of fuel to keep him going throughout the day and the supportive environment where he finds himself seems to appreciate the importance of sitting down to enjoy a good lunch.
I had the interesting experience this week of trying out the egg rolls that you can see above. Another lesson in never anticipating what you think your child will or won't eat. I made him a couple of the egg rolls the day before and popped them in his lunchbox, really thinking that they looked a little fancy for a cricket bat weilding 5 year old. To my delight however, he came home with rave reviews. "Mum those egg things were delicious - can I have more of them tomorrow?" and so you'll see they were offered as the main for the following day. He would have had them every day that week if I'd given him the option - but for the Flickr viewing public I thought that the repetition may be a bit hard to take!
The other thing that you'll notice in that snap above is those amazing dragons! A trip to the local asian store revealed an entire range of amazing metal cutters - they're the best for cutting through veggies. I was amazed to hear that there was an even more elaborate dragon on offer but the budget dictated that this dragon would suffice for now. Melissa C's comment on the mandating of dragon cookie cutters in every household to entice the reluctant veggie eater seemed apt. How could anyone turn their nose up at a carrot that looked like that?
It's all about generating a little enthusiasm for food. When I picked my son up that day a little girl in his class bailed me up to ask how I'd made those dragons. Seemed like she would have liked to hop into them too :o)
You can see from my other shots that novelty foods don't make it into every lunch, but every now it really does help to present healthy food in fun ways. We all know what amazing things the processed food companies do to lure children towards their products - so the odd fancy cutter is just my way of keeping up with the Jones' so to speak. And when you look at how much you are saving by not buying the prepackaged processed foods on offer, there's often a kitty left over to spend on the odd cookie cutter here and there.
Now without futher ado let's get to this week's recipes.

RECIPES

Egg rolls - such a hit, so simple and a great way to up the protein level of your lunch.

One organic egg beaten (I still can't believe the number of different things that are being added to eggs - I don't want my eggs stuffed with any extras - just a plain old egg from a happy farm is all I need)
A splash of milk
Organic ham

Heat a non-stick pan and spray lightly with some canola oil. Pour the egg mixed with the splash of milk very, very thinly onto the pan. It will cook in about 30 seconds and because it's so thin you don't need to flip it.
Invert the pan and turn the omlette onto a wire cooling rack to cool - again because the omlette is so thin it will cool in no time.
When cool, place some thinly sliced ham on the first thirds of the omlette and roll it up.
Cut the omlette into pin wheels and there you have it egg rolls!
If you aren't interested in adding the ham these are equally appetising as straight egg rolls.

Half an apple cucumber

Again not rocket science here - but apple cucumbers that used to be everyhwere when I was little are now really a seasonal vegetable and now's the time.
I found some at the Farmers' Market last week and if you can, look for those that have a little green stripey action on the skin.
Half an apple cucumber scooped out and cut up then returned to its shell is a fun way to introduce your children to a veggie that they may not have had before.
A little olive oil and lemon or balsamic vinegar dressing and that veggie serve is good to go.

Links of interest:
An interesting article that reflects on the dietry requirements of a school child.
The Vegan Lunchbox blog - I know I keep coming back to this, but Jennifer's Valentine's lunch is too good to miss.

Well on that note - I'd better head off and think about the Valentine's lunch that I'll be packing for tomorrow. We'll see what the cricket bat weilding 5 year old has to say about that!

Until next week, happy lunch packing and happy days.

Welcome to Week 17 at Lunch Matters

First Day, 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

Well today was the day, my son started school.
We had a great day, I am so thrilled that he was happy and that his little eyes were twinkling when I picked him up. It's the twinkly eyes that I look for every time. When I was teaching - it was the thing that I really noticed. Some kids had that look like it was all out there and they couldn't wait to get at it and some had a look like their fire had been extinguished (think I'm mixing some serious metaphors there!).
So Day 1 was an unmitigated success, twinkly eyes and an "It was better than kinder mum!".
School lunchpacking 101 was also passed with flying colours - I asked him what he would like for lunch Vegan Lunchbox mum style and packed the lunch he ordered. It was all packed this morning and it only took a moment. Homemade huumus - it's so easy and so yummy and so quick, it will be a school day favorite.
On the Lunch Matters' front we are pleased to let you know that the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook will be shipped express mail from the States on Friday - hot off the second run press so we expect the books to be here very soon for those of you already waiting on orders. The book will be reviewed in a number of publications this month which will be very exciting for us and for Jennifer.
For those of you who have been waiting on the egg molds from Japan - they are back in stock now. This month we also welcome the BuiltNY Gourmet totes to the store for those adults out there looking for some lunchpacking pizazz. They are gorgeous, but stock is limited. As far as I know we have the only stripey bags in the country!
Finally, before I get to the recipes of the week, a note that BentoTV is back upadating regularly. For those of you wanting to know how to make the most of your sushi molds and various Japanese lunchpacking goodies - this is the place to visit. The video tutorials are excellent and they are entertaining too :o)

Recipes

This was an absolute winner for a day out lunch last week - the details (such as they are) are in this link from Playschool

I always feel that cooking with kids, especially young ones, is really quite difficult due to the relative complexity of even fairly basic 'kid friendly' tasks, but this one is a winner. Even my two year old assembled what he believed to be a face with gusto! We picked up some wholemeal, organic, homemade bases at the farmer's market. Lots of people that I know make their own bases, I should give it a try but the whole bread area is something that I have yet to embark on.

Hummus

Ingredients

1 tin organic chick peas
A couple of lugs of olive oil
Lemon juice
Fresh parsley (continental or regular)
Garlic (optional - for kids)

Method

Blend to a smoothish consistency and add taste - add more lemon juice if it needs more zing. Enjoy.
Will last for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Can be packed with fresh veggies, grissini, corn chips or used as a spread in a sandwich or wrap. Yummo and sooooo good for you.

Links of interest:

Whilst this Breakfast Blog doesn't quite come under the Lunch Matters blogs of interest umbrella - it's an interesting read and if you are a Melburnian or Sydney sider looking for a breakfast out, you may too.

And continuing on from last week's recommendation for those of you looking for a visual feast: http://www.flickr.com/groups/mrbento/pool/ is definately worth a look.

Welcome to Week 16 at Lunch Matters

Monday1501, 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

Congratulations to Jennifer McGann of Vegan Lunchbox for her recent award. We're delighted to hear about this well earned honour. Lunch Matters is eagerly awaiting the next shipment of the Vegan Lunchbox cookbook after a flurry of sales over the Christmas/New Year period.

This weeks photo features the refired bean dip and "Back-to-School" cookies from the book - both have been big hits here.

Congratulations to all the other Food Blog Award winners - if you click on the icon above you'll see them all listed and find a wealth of recipes and ideas from around the globe.

NEWS

Week 16 at Lunch Matters sees us in the midst of the back-to-school rush. Hard to believe that tomorrow week my little fellow will be marching off through the school gates for the first time. I don't think that it will really hit me until I help him hang his little bag on it's hook and wave goodbye. Luckily for me, they have short days for the first month so that the children (and their parents) can get used to the idea of 5 days a week 9-3 school days. I shall miss his company during the day, that much is for sure.

On the organization front it will also mean stepping it up quite a few notches. Last year lunch packing was reserved for the couple of lunchtimes that he spent at kinder. Having to pack lunches each and every day will be a new frontier. We have decided to all opt for packed lunches where appropriate. We figure that if there's one lunch to be packed then it makes sense to pack one for us all. It will mean significant savings, as lunches bought at work are notoriously expensive and often not as healthy as they could be.

I have had some lovely emails from customers over the last few weeks. Many of them are facing their first year as full time 'lunch packers' and are gearing up for it too. Some are still concerned about what's on offer at the school canteen and it amazes me that in 2007 with all the talk of children eating well, some schools are still offering lollies, chips and pies as the staple fare at the canteen. Forums everywhere are abuzz with chat about what healthy options they might choose for their children so we can only hope that as parent education continues to improve, all schools will be encouraged to move away from supplying processed and nutritionally inferior food at the canteen.

For many of you, this will be your first look at the Lunch Matters blog. It is important to note that many of the meals that are featured here as lunch options are the left overs from the night before. So to cut down on the thinking and the preparation time, always try to cook a little more the night before so that there are some goodies left to pack for lunch the next day.

One last tip before we get into the recipes. When your child returns to school next week, or the week after, make sure you find out where their lunch is stored. Is it inside in a cool spot or hanging on a hook outside where it's warm/hot? Knowing what temperature the food will be stored at is really important in terms of planning for what goes inside. If their lunchbox is in a hot spot over the summer months - avoid packing and dairy, poultry or deli items that need to be kept cool. It will help if you have an insulated bag to pack their lunch in, but even the best insulation won't be sufficient if their lunch is out and exposed to the elements on those really hot days.

Without further ado - here are a couple of back-to-school recipes...

Recipes

Lunch Matters' Museli Bars (LMMB's) not to be confused with...

Unfortunately these didn't make it to the photo shoot this week as they were gobbled up before they had the chance. I'll make a new batch this week and feature them in Week 17's photo set. Where possible all ingredients are organic.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups rice puffs
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots (really worth looking for the sulphur free option here), soaked in hot water then drained
125grams butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey

METHOD

Preheat oven to moderately slow (160 degrees/ 140 degrees fan forced)

Grease and line a 20cm X 30cm lamington pan.

Combine butter, sugar and honey in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat, without boiling until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Place remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, add butter mixture, stir to combine.

Press mixture into prepared pan, bake in oven about 1 hour or until golden brown and crisp. Cool in pan before cutting into bars.

CHICKEN DIPPERS

A great meal to have hot the night before served with rice and stir fried vegetables and pack the leftover dippers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients (Makes 10 dippers)

250grams organic chicken breast cut into thin strips

1 tbsp cornflour

60grams wholemeal breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp paprika

1 small egg beaten

a little good-quality vegetable oil for frying

METHOD

Dip the chicken strips in cornflour, covering them completely, and shake to remove excess flour. Mix the breadcrumbs and paprika together. Dip the chicken strips in the egg then roll in the breadcrumb mixture until entirely coated. Refridgerate for 1 hour (this will stop them from losing all their coating when they hit the pan).

Heat the oil in a good non-stick pan and fry the chicken strips over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, turning them at least once, until golden on both sides.

Pack with a little organic mayo/lemon juice in the dipper.

Links of interest:

Worth checking out is www.gastrokid.com - I think it's a bit of a mad name for a food blog but the content is good and it links off to a million other interesting sites.

If you're looking for a visual feast check out this Flickr group for some inspiration: http://www.flickr.com/groups/kideats/

See you next week with a photo of those LMMBs...

Welcome to Week 14 at Lunch Matters

Tuesday0512, 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

Week 14 at Lunch Matters has seen the beginning of the wind down leading up to the holiday period. Schools and Kinders are wrapping up their years and children are bouncing all over the place, too excited at the prospect of Santa making his way down their chimney in the not too distant future.

It has also meant that here in Melbourne we are well into the summer season and the sweltering heat has arrived early this week. On the lunch packing front this has made life easier for me as there is nothing that my children and I love more than cold noodles and cold soups!

So this week I am featuring two of my all time favorite meals for those days when it just is too hot to think about eating anything heavy. Both dishes make ideal dinnertime options, with left overs making their way to the lunchbox without any effort the next day.

Recipes

Gazpacho

This soup is different every time that I make it as it is one of the few dishes that I prepare Jamie Oliver style - aka a splash of this, a lug of that, however, here is the basic recipe and you can splash or lug as you see fit.

Ingredients

250 g tomatoes (tinned are ok to substitute if you don't have fresh tomatoes)
225 g green peppers
1 cucumber
2-3 cloves of garlic
50 g good white bread, 2-3 days old
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3oz/90ml olive oil
1-2 cups homemade chicken stock
Ice cubes

METHOD

Throw everything in a food processor and blend. If you like your soup with lumps only process lightly, if you like it smooth process for longer.

Chill in the fridge.

Pack for lunch in a thermos so that it is nice and cold for lunchtime. If you are packing your LTLB for work where you have access to a fridge, pack in the lidded container and place in the fridge until lunchtime.

COLD SOMEN NOODLE SALAD

Ingredients

1 packet Somen noodles

1 cucumber

5 eggs

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon sugar

seaweed cut into fine strips

Dressing:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon light soy

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1.5 teaspoons mirin

METHOD

Cook noodles according to directions on packet.

Drain and rinse under cold water.

Cut cucumber into matchsticks.

Japanese omlette

Stir eggs and add soy, sugar, mirin - don't beat the eggs to much just a quick whisk.

Heat omlette pan and spray with a little oil.

Reduce heat to medium and pour in 1/3 egg mix.

Cook omelette, remove from pan and roll in a sushi mat.

Slice thinly.

Repeat until all the egg mix is used.

Place noodles in lunchbox and put the egg, cucumber and seaweed on top.

Make dressing for saladby mixing dressing ingredients together and dress noodles either before you pack your lunch or in the dipper to be poured over at lunchtime.

Pack an ice pack with this lunch as the noodles really are at their best when eaten nice and cold.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: For Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's lunches this week as Thursday and Friday's are two of the lunches created by those amazing 15 year olds.

Fruit:

cherries

kiwi

orange

lemon

passionfruit

Vegetables:

tomatoes

Red pepper and green pepper

avocado

cucumber

In the pantry:

mini bagels

lavash bread

plum and grape paste

organic eggs

Homemade chicken stock

flour

Baking soda

Baking powder

golden syrup

ginger

sugar

soy

mirin

rice vinegar

somen noodles

olive oil

sesame oil

balsamic vinegar

silver balls for decorating biscuits

In the fridge:

creme fraiche

yoghurt

butter

NEXT WEEK: LUNCHBOXES FULL OF FESTIVE TREATS...

Welcome to Week 13 at Lunch Matters

Lunchbox1, 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's blog is a little different to those that have come before because we are featuring five of the amazing lunchboxes prepared by some very clever 15 year olds in Melbourne. I had the priviledge of going out to observe these young chefs in action on Wednesday and I was so impressed with what they were able to achieve with their teacher in such a short time. There were busy bodies everywhere chopping herbs, browning mince and garnishing their lunchbox creations like professionals. They all were working from plans that they had developed and submitted to their teacher in advance, with the criteria of including something from their cultural background, and a healthy amount of fruit and veg. They worked from the start of the lesson to the finish and supported each other in their efforts brilliantly. As you will see from the photos that I have posted this week (more to follow next), what they have achieved is incredible and certainly a strong indication that they are well on their way to developing the life skills that we all need to plan and prepare healthy meals.

They have the recipies for all that you see in the photos and if you'd like to know more - don't hesistate to post some comments on their photos, I'm sure that they'd be delighted to have some feedback from the world wide web.

What was very interesting to note as I moved around the kitchen amongst such industry, was the number of students who commented on having seen someone at home preparing some of the dishes that they had chosen. When I remarked on some of the super professional looking items that they were including, they often commented that they had seen nana or mum making whatever it was many times before. There was also a general sense that many of them played a part in the meal preparation at home. One of the boys chopped his herbs for the Tabboleh that you'll see next week, like a pro and said he did it all the time at home. So in terms of lessons for others, it was a big vote for getting everyone on board at home. They all seemed to understand the food that they were preparing, tasting and adjusting flavours as they went. As a mother of young children, I know that sometimes it can seem like more trouble than it's worth to get the kids working in the kitchen - the prospect of flour from one end of the kitchen to the other and the subsequent cleanup not thrilling at the end of the day, but clearly the foundations that are laid in these experimental years are all important.

It should be added that these students all cleaned their workspaces from top to bottom, washing all their varied utensils and leaving their benches sparkling without a single complaint. So the clean up is part of the process and an important life skill too!

With the students doing all the work for me this week - I'm going to end it here and get on to organising our Christmas tree for next week. We'll have some recipes and ideas for those end of term lunches next Sunday but until then, take care and see if you can find some youngsters of your own to engage in the kitchen. If Wednesday is anything to go by, you may just find an amazing assistant in your own living room.

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