Easy Lunch Box Ideas

I cannot believe I haven't posted anything since the beginning of this year. I guess I got so caught up in the daily routine - office, kid's school, home work, extra curricular activities, volunteering etc. that this blog got put on the back burner. Now that summer vacation is here, I feel so relaxed, like a load has lifted off.

 

Here are couple of quick and easy lunches that featured weekly in my kid's lunch box when school was on.

 

Pesto Cucumber Sandwich

 

 

 

Take 2 slices of bread. Butter one slice on one side and generously apply pesto on a side of the other slice. I use Costco's Basil Pesto. Make few thin slices of cucumber, pat dry on a paper towel. Sandwich between the 2 slices of bread. That's it. Ready in 2 minutes flat.

 

 

I have also taken this to picnics and parties (my daughter's 5th grade graduation party at school) and it carries well and is appreciated by all.

 

Mini Paneer & Peppers Skewers

 

Cube paneer pieces and cut green and red bell peppers into squares. Sprinkle some salt, cumin pwd, coriander pwd and a tsp of oil over the paneer and peppers. Mix gently. Let sit for 5 mins.

Then roast in a non-stick pan on medium high heat for 3 to 5 mins until paneer cubes are lightly browned and peppers are slightly cooked but still firm. Take off heat and sprinkle some chaat masala.

Let cool for 5 mins, then thread on to toothpicks. Pack in lunchbox or serve immediately. If making for young kids probably better to avoid the toothpicks altogether.

Picnic Food - Pasta Salad and Fruit Salad

With the Memorial Day weekend just behind us and summer ahead, thought I'd post some of my fave picnic food recipes....starting with this Pasta Salad and simple Fruit Salad I took to a picnic recently.

Here's how I made the Pasta Salad:

1 cup uncooked rotini pasta - cook per package directions
1 to 2 cups chopped veggies - onions, tomatoes, colored peppers, zucchini, mushrooms
Dressing - 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves garlic - minced, 1 tsp black pepper pwd, 1 tsp fennel pwd
1 tsp chopped basil (fresh or dried)
2 tbsp prepared pesto (I used Trader Joe's)
2 tbsp Italian dressing (optional)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese (optional)

Mix the ingredients for the olive oil dressing in a small bowl. Pour over the chopped veggies. Spread the veggies in a glass baking dish. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 20 mins. Sprinkle the chopped basil and stir the veggies around. Bake another 20 mins, stirring in between. As the veggies are roasting, cook the pasta. Drain and mix with the roasted veggies. Add the pesto, Italian dressing and parmesan cheese. Adjust salt/pepper as needed.

This pasta salad tastes good warm, at room temp or cold.

The Fruit Salad I took along is really simple. I used a dressing of 3 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp lemon juice, poured over fresh cut fruits I had on hand - strawberries, blueberries, oranges, apples, mangoes and watermelon.

Green Chutney Sandwich

Every 2 weeks or so when I buy fresh cilantro and mint, I make a small batch (abt 1/2 cup) of green chutney. It comes in very handy for quickly putting together my daughter's lunch box in the morning and she loves her Green Chutney Sandwich. I usually use whole grain or whole wheat bread, remove the crust - her preference, slather one side with the green chutney, the other side with some butter and put some slices of boiled, peeled potato or cucumber. Thats it, lunch box gets ready in a jiffy.

Here's how I make the Green Chutney:

Blend together 1 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup mint leaves, 1/2 a serrano pepper (or to taste), salt to taste, pinch of sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 to 2 tsp roasted ground peanuts (optional) with just 1 or 2 tbsp of water. This chutney can be stored in an airtight box in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Here's my Green Chutney Sandwich with some more veggies (onions, cucumber, tomato and potato) and sprinkled with fresh ground black pepper.

Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce

This home-made pasta sauce is loaded with veggies and herbs, then blended, making it an ideal way to sneak in many of the daily nutrients required for kids/picky eaters or any one else for that matter.

Here's how I make it:

1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 small clove garlic - minced
1 tbsp chopped green bell pepper
1 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
2 large roma tomatoes - chopped
2 tbsp grated carrot
1/4 cup chopped spinach
handful of chopped basil leaves or 1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp sugar or to taste
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning blend
1 cup cooked pasta

The quantity I have given above is just enough for a child's lunchbox, but can be easily multiplied for a family meal. Increase cooking time as needed and add/subtract the veggies as desired.

Heat the oil and saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic and bell peppers. Saute another 2 - 3 mins. Add the carrots, saute 2 - 3 mins. Add the tomatoes & spinach, cook 5 mins. Add the basil leaves, oregano, salt, sugar, pepper and seasoning. Mix well and take off heat. Cool slightly and blend either smooth or you can leave it slightly chunky.

Cook the paste per package instructions, drain and mix the prepared loaded sauce with the hot paste. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy immediately or pack in a hot thermos style lunch box.

This Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce goes to the Kids Lunch Box Treats event at Taste Buds.

This Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce also goes to the Presto Pasta Night # 184 event at Cook, Eat. Play, Repeat. This event was started by Ruth.

Masala Roti

I adapted this recipe from Tarla Dalal's food magazine. It makes for a healthy, tasty and mess-free lunch box item for kids and adults alike.

Here's how I make it:

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 heaped tbsp cup gram flour/besan
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup boiled, peeled and grated potato (or used shredded hash brown)
1/4 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/4 tsp red chilli pwd or to taste
1/2 tsp amchur pwd
Salt & sugar to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead to a soft pliable dough. No additional oil should be required. Roll out into about 8 - 10 rotis and roast each on a hot griddle with a few drops of oil until brown spots develop on both sides.

To pack for my daughter's lunch box, I just roll them up and wrap them in a foil. She does not need any accompaniments with these rotis. But tomato ketchup, pickles, yogurt or any curry would also work with these.

These Masala Rotis go to the Kids Lunch Box Treats event at Taste Buds.

Squash Puris

Packing lunch for my kindergartner is always a challenge. What works one day may or may not work another time. But so far, these Squash Puris or 'Lal Bhoplyachya Purya' have had a high success rate. She ofcourse loves puris, so once a week its either these squash puris or palak puris for her lunch box.

The availability of frozen cooked squash here makes this a breeze to prepare. I've heard from my cousin, who is an ophthalmologist, that lal bhopla (orange squash) is very good for eyesight, hence I try to cook it once every week, sometimes in a curry (using fresh lal bhopla) or in raita (lal bhoplayache bharit using frozen cooked squash) and ofcourse these puris for N.

Here's how I make them:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp frozen cooked squash (thaw overnight in the fridge or for 2-3 hrs on the counter)
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
oil

Make a slightly stiff dough with the above, using 1-2 drops of oil. Keep for 1/2 hr. Roll out into puris. I've used a star-shaped cookie cutter to make the puris in the above picture. Deep fry in hot oil. Drain on a paper towel. The addition of sugar makes these puris slightly sweetish but not overly so.

Hope you folks like these simple puris.

These puris are my contribution to the Kids Lunchbox event at Cooking Up Something Nice.

I am editing this post after my trip to India Dec. 2008. I found out that these squash puris are called 'Gharges' in Marathi. They are made pretty much the same as above, except jaggery is used instead of sugar. The jaggery and squash are cooked together and then the wheat flour is mixed into them. I made a batch of these gharges for N's lunch box after my return and she loved them just as much. I'll end this post with a picture of these gharges.