Another reason we loved being back at school was because our mum made the best lunches. It was almost like she was so happy to get us out of her hair after us leaving sand in the shower every day for the past two months that she would send us to school with delicious lunches as a celebratory gesture.
We have taken inspiration from some of our favourite lunchbox snacks from our mum and put our own healthy twist on some classics.
First up are our honey soy chicken wraps with slaw. We all love a good chicken sandwich but these wraps will have the kids eating all of their veges. Our mum would marinate a big batch of chicken on Sunday night, then freeze small portions of it.
She would then cook them the night before school and put this yummy chicken wrapped in a wholemeal wrap in our lunch. Some kids would even try to trade them for their best marbles during marble season.
Our mum would also make these cheese and vegetable skewers with yoghurt dip. They were like our own homemade substitute for the commercially made crackers and cheese dip.
The other kids thought we were pretty fancy with our little skewers as we dipped them in the yoghurt. We didn't realise then that it was just a creative way mum would get us to eat celery and carrots.
Kale was not all the rage back in our day but our younger cousins can't get enough of these when we make them. They are surprisingly addictive and we have created our own barbecue flavouring to coat them. Who needs packets of potato chips when these are even better?
Finally, no lunchbox would be complete without something sweet to keep the kids' energy up. Our coconut, banana and chocolate chip biscuits are a healthier alternative to the store-bought kind and the kids won't even notice.
We hope you give these a go. Your kids will love you even more for it.
Honey Soy Chicken Wraps
Serves 4
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
600g chicken tenders
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
¼ red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
¼ red onion, finely sliced
4 wholemeal wraps
1 Mix together the soy sauce and honey. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.
2 Fry the chicken in a pan until cooked through. This should take about 6-7 minutes or until the juices run clear. Toss the sesame seeds over the chicken.
3 Mix together the cabbage, mayonnaise and onion for the slaw. Take a wholemeal wrap and place some chicken and slaw in the middle, then roll it up.
Barbecue Kale Chips
Serves 4
1 bunch kale
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 Preheat oven to 175C and line an oven tray with baking paper.
2 Carefully remove the kale leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite-size pieces. Toss the leaves in the spices and coconut oil.
3 Place in a single layer on the oven tray. Bake until the edges brown but are not burned. This will take about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Coconut, Dark Chocolate and Banana Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
½ cup coconut flour
½ tsp baking soda
8 tbsp coconut oil
2 eggs
2 medium over-ripe bananas
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup dark chocolate buttons
¼ cup macadamias, chopped
1 Preheat oven to 175C. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the coconut flour and the baking soda.
2 In a separate bowl, mix the coconut oil, eggs, banana and vanilla. Mix the flour with the coconut and egg mix. Stir until just combined. Add the chocolate buttons and macadamias.
3 Spoon the mix on to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes.
Vegetable Skewers with Yoghurt and Cucumber Dipping Sauce
Serves 4
Assorted seasonal vegetables
½ cucumber
125g punnet Greek yoghurt
½ clove garlic, minced
1 tsp mint, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces. You can put these on small skewers or you can cut the vegetables into matchsticks.
2 Grate the cucumber on to a clean tea towel. Squeeze out the excess juice. Mix the cucumber with the yoghurt, garlic and mint. Season to taste.
