Lunch Matters

Welcome to Week 18 at Lunch Matters

2007-02-13T19:54:00.001+10:30

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

2007-02-05T20:30:00.000+10:30

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

2007-01-23T21:26:00.000+10:30

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

2006-12-10T20:03:00.000+10:30

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

2006-12-03T19:41:00.000+10:30

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

2006-11-26T22:57:00.000+10:30

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

2006-11-18T18:59:00.000+10:30

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

2006-11-11T18:47:00.000+10:30

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

2006-11-03T19:33:00.000+10:30

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)

Welcome to Week 8 at Lunch Matters

2006-10-29T21:52:00.000+10:30

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 very warm welcome to all those of you who are joining us for the first time after chatting with us at World Vegan Day today. It was a fantastic day for us as we had the chance to speak with so many people who already knew something about the Laptop Lunchboxes or who were fans of the Vegan Lunchbox blog. There were also a great number of others who we were able to talk to and introduce to the Lunch Matters concept. We hope that you find some of the information that is contained in this blog useful and relevant. The menu suggestions for the week are Vegan to celebrate World Vegan Day and as a way of welcoming our new subscribers.

The most exciting news of the week for me was the arrival of a sample copy of the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook. This is a resource that will keep me going with ideas for months if not years to come. Jennifer has put an enormous amount of work into this publication - it's nearly 300 pages long and there's something for everyone in there. Her chapters are cleverly organised so that you can find everything from the quick and easy to the more exotic. Jennifer very kindly sent us a copy of the book so that we would have it for show and tell today and I know many of you were as excited as I am about seeing the book.

We will be shipping in 30 copies for the end of November and if you are considering purchasing a lunchbox, then parcelling the two items together will be a great way to save on postage and the savings will be significant. If you are just interested in the book - the US$5 shipping deal that Jennifer is offering on International postage will mean that the savings that we will be able to pass on will not be significant, I'm sure that many of you will know that International shipping doesn't usually come that cheap! Just to give you an idea, we expect to be selling to book for AU$29.95 + $4.90 shipping if it is ordered as a stand alone item.

We'll enough about selling, let's get down to some cooking...

RECIPES

Blueberry Couscous
(adapted from Marie Claire Bruches by Jody Vassallo)

1 cup couscous
2 cups apple and cranberry juice
1 cinnamon stick
blueberries
zest of I orange
2 tablespoons golden syrup

Place the couscous in a bowl. Place the apple and cranberry juice in a saucepan with the cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and pour over the couscous, cover with the saucepan lid and allow to stand for 5 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick Separate the grains of couscous with a fork, add blueberries, (add raspberries and blackberries too if you have some - Summer’s coming!), and orange zest and stir through gently. Spoon the mix into your lunchbox container and place a small amount of golden syrup (or maple syrup if you prefer) into your dipper. When it’s lunchtime and you’re ready to eat – drizzle the syrup over the couscous before you eat. YUMMO!

INGREDIENTS

organic refried beans
avocado
lemon juice
Better than Sour Cream
Olives

METHOD

The other lunch of note is the one that I made to celebrate the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook release. Here's the original post.It is worth noting here that as a rule I won't be blogging Vegan Lunch Box meals as there are already so many great resources available at the site - so this is what you'd call a one off, WVD event :o)

It sounded a little out there when I saw it but when I made it, it was really delicious and super filling so a great lunch to pack for a day when you or your children are busy.

All you need to do is mix a little salsa with some organic refried beans (available from healthfood stores, organic stores, Macro) and then layer the avocado mashed with a little lemon juice on top, then another of bean/salsa mix and then on top of that put some Toffuti Better than Sour Cream (you can leave this out of course if you don't have access to a supplier) with some olives. Use the veggies and pita for dipping.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:

For the newcomers - don't forget to check out the Laptop Lunches Flickr site

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

Fruit:

oranges
apples
kiwi
mango
banana
lemons

Vegetables:

Garlic
peas
carrots
green pepper
yellow pepper
red pepper
corn
potatoes
avocado
cucumber
parsley

In the pantry:

organic chick peas
olive oil
wholemeal pita
cranberry and apple juice
Organic tinned refried beans
Smoked organic tofu
grissini
sushi rice (to make use your Laptop Lunchbox User Guide)
Organic museli for trail mix, includes puffed rice, nuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit
dried bananas
dried nectaries

In the fridge:
Frozen blueberries from the Farmer's Market
Soygurt

Welcome to Week 7 at Lunch Matters

2006-10-20T20:53:00.000+09:30

1610Monday 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

Things are really heating up this week at Lunch Matters as we work towards our first exhibits at the Ecosustainability Fair and World Vegan Day. We are really excited at the prospect of being able to meet with people and to hear their thoughts about the lunchbox and the Lunch Matters concept. Whilst there are obviously lots of plusses about running a web based business, the downside is that the only contact that we have with customers is via email. The fairs will really give us an insight into what the Australian customers are interested in.

In other breaking news I have had some wonderful discussions with Jennifer McCann of the Vegan Lunchbox and we are going to be in a position to have her book straight off the press and available in time for Christmas, so if you're looking for a wonderful resource to add to your lunchpacking repetoire then watch this space. If you're lucky enough to be in Melbourne and able to come to World Vegan Day, we anticipate having a sample copy of the book for you to see and we'll be taking preorders on the day.

RECIPES

With all the focus that we've had on Veganism this week I thought I'd post the recipe for the Vegan Patties that you can see in this week's menu suggestions. If you are looking for a lunch idea that packs some serious punch you can't do much better than these serious super food patties.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Patties

Adapted slightly from http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/255/Sweet-Potato-and-Black-Bean-Burgers/

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons oil
2 onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, grated finely
2 cups black beans, tinned (available from organic wholefoods stores)
10 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water until soft, coarsely chopped
2 cups shitake mushrooms, dried, soaked in hot water until soft, coarsely chopped
2 baked sweet potatoes, scooped out of skin
2 cups quinoa, cooked
1 1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 - 1 cup tomato puree
4 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

METHOD
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and lower heat. Cook until lightly browned, several minutes. Add carrots, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat. Mash slightly in pan, until beans are half crushed.
Place mixture in large bowl with remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. If mixture is too moist, add more wheatgerm. Form into 12-15 patties and baked on an oven tray for 25 minutes at 180C.

They freeze really well - so you can make a big batch and keep some in the freezer for the rainy days.

Rocket, parmesan and sundried tomato rolls

Adapted slightly from Jill Dupleix's recipe that appeared in Delicious Magazine October 2004

This recipe is for the omlette featured in the photo of the week. I imagine that you're thinking - when am I going to find time to make an omelette? But the beauty of this is that it literally takes about 3 minutes to make and it keeps beautifully if made the night before and stored in your lunchbox (in the fridge) until morning and then kept with your icepack until lunchtime the next day.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
splash of verjuice or dry white wine
Olive oil
6 sundried tomatoes + a little of the oil that they are stored in
50g rocket
50g parmesan, shaved

METHOD

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk, add the splash of verjuice

Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and add half the egg mix. Tip the pan to help it spread thinly and cook for about 1 minute until lightly golden. Flip the omlette out onto a wire cooling tray. Repeat to make the second omlette

Finely chop the sundried tomatoes and place in a bowl with the rocket and parmesan. Toss together with one tablespoon of the sundried tomatoes' oil. Place the mix onto the cooled omlette and roll up. Garnish with a little of the left over salad mix.

If you are making lunches for school children - this may be a bit adult for the average child, so I packed this for my husband and me and made the omlette roll ups that you can see in the menu suggestions for my son. They were light and delicious the next day and a fun way of adding some protein to his lunchbox.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:

We've made some great cloth napkins to give away at the fair on the weekend thanks to some fantastic resources made available by Tea Priestess, a member of the Laptop Lunchbox Flickr group. I'm continually amazed by the generosity of people over the web and the sense of belonging to the global village that this can give you - even in these crazy times when the news seems so full of the sad stuff.

If you'd like some napkins for your box you may like to make your own - if you have a child who's particularly into a certain theme, this can be a great way to incorporate it into lunchtime without upgrading lunchboxes everytime a new craze hits. You don't need to be a wizz to make them, all you need is some fabric, about 20 minutes and a sewing machine (you could even do them by hand if you didn't have that).

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

Fruit: (roll on summer - I think we're more than ready for some of that summer diversity here)

oranges
apples
kiwi
pear
lemons

Vegetables:

Tomatoes
Beetroot
Garlic
Lettuce
Broccolini (YUMMO - much nicer than it's straight cousin in my experience)
sweet potatoes
carrots
onions
fennel
celery
beans
red pepper
rocket

In the pantry:

verjuice
tomato paste (another item where you really need to read labels!)
freeze dried veggie chips
kamut bread
Lavosh bread (from the freezer) tinned chickpeas
Prunes
Dried unsweetened SA cranberriesOrganic free range eggs
Organic tinned black beans
Quinoa
Smoked organic tofu
ham

Dairy:

Bocconcini cheese
goat's cheese
parmesan
cream cheese
cheddar cheese

Welcome to Week 6 at Lunch Matters

2006-10-13T20:02:00.000+09:30

0910Monday, 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

Lots of exciting news at Lunch Matters this week! If you're reading this you'll be aware of the first new venture for the week and that is to post the weekly newsletter as a blog entry in an attempt to minimize the impact that the weekly newsletter was having on your inbox...It will also allow you to really easily add your comments and feedback.

If you're subscribed to our newsletter we'll send you an email each week letting you know when we've updated the blog so that you know when to pop in for a visit.

Now to the really exciting news. Lunch Matters has secured stalls at two big events in Melbourne this month. Next weekend we'll have a stall at the EcoSustainability fair on Sunday the 22nd October and the following Sunday (29th) at World Vegan Day. We'll have the Laptop Lunchboxes and a selection of other goodies there for people to see and buy and we'll be offering an event discount of 10% to anyone who is wanting to buy their lunchboxes on the day. So if you're in Melbourne and you're wanting to have a look at the lunchboxes or you know someone else who is interested, let them know.

In recent weeks we have looked at some of the hot topics that surround packing healthy lunches for children. This week again there have been a number of stories in the media about parents wanting to steer their children away from making unhealthy choices. But how do we actually convince our children that the wizz bang packaged foods that they see at school are not what they should aspire to eat in their lunches? One approach that I have found particularly effective when I have to take my children to the supermarket is to focus on a ‘no numbers’ approach to filling the trolley. Very young children are capable of recognizing numbers on food labeling. When browsing the isles, as the inevitable temptations come my children’s way, we stop and I ask them to read the labels. “Are there numbers on the packaging?” If the answer is yes then it goes back on the shelf. If you can explain what those numbers mean and why some foods have numbering on the package, this can be an easy way to help your children to understand about foods that are good for them and foods that are not so good for them.

We make regular trips to the ‘no numbers’ supermarket – Macro. In Melbourne and Sydney, these stores are expanding. They have shelves of foods that are organic and free from artificial colours and preservatives. Health food stores all over the country offer similar products. When I first made the transition to buying organic foods nearly 5 years ago, the stores that I needed to shop in were few and far between and still pretty rustic, it seemed to go with the territory. To see how much that has changed in such a short period of time, suggests that more and more people are getting on board and what that means for the consumer is that the price tag that often made organic foods prohibitively expensive are gradually coming down and availabilty is on the way up. I have even found a couple of regular Coles supermarkets with half an aisle dedicated to organic produce!

Recipes

Simple fare was the order of the week at Lunch Matters this week - although looking back I think I was bitten by the bento bug. I am a Japanese teacher by trade and having spent time living in Japan, all that delicious Japanese food is one of the things I miss the most. When the weather heats up I often find it is cold noodles and sushi that I crave so I thought I'd post a tried and tested recipe for soba salad and one for the Japanese meatballs that are featured with the quail eggs in this week's menu suggestions.

INGREDIENTS

50g soba
1 small carrot julienned (I have a nifty thing like a peeler that juliennes in about 10 seconds)
toasted nori cut into strips or shapes
1cm piece fresh ginger (5g), grated
1 teaspoon organic sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add soba and allow the water to come to the boil again, as soon as it does add a cup of cold water, and repeat twice more until just tender; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain.

Place soba in your open container with carrot and nori. Mix the dressing ingredients and put those in the lidded dipper to pour onto noodles at lunchtime. This is one of the BEST ever dishes for a hot summer or spring (as was the case this week here) day!

Japanese Meatballs

As I suggested a couple of weeks back, to make these just for lunch rests in the realms of the lunchpacker with lots of time on their hands, the key to these being a handy lunchbox filler is to make them for dinner and then to use the left overs for lunch or freeze a few for the days when you need to grab something quick and easy for lunch.

Ingredients
1/4 onion minced
1/2 tsp cooking oil
80g ground beef
2 tsp beaten egg
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tsp soy sauve
1/2 tsp each sugar, mirin and sake
3 Tbsp water

Method
1. Saute the onion in the oil and let cool.
2. Combine the ground beef, cooked onion, beaten egg, breacrumbs.
3. Knead well. Form into small balls.
4. Cook on an oven tray for 25 minutes until well browned.

At this point you can add them to a tomato based sauce and have them with pasta for dinner
or if you want to make them Japanese meatballs then:

5. Place meatballs in a pan with all remaining ingredients. Boil for 4-5 minutes.
6. Place the meatballs on short skewers alternating with quail eggs.

Links of interest
In line with the Japanese theme:
Cooking cute and Bento Corner have some great ideas if you are looking to pack your Laptop Lunchbox with some delicious ideas from Japan.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST

Fruit:	Vegetables:
Kiwis Bananas Lemons Limes Apples Pears Oranges	Tomatoes (cherry and regular) Carrots Parsley Ginger Avocado Cucumber Asparagus Red Pepper Rocket Onion
Meat: organic mince
In the pantry:	Dairy
Sushi rice Olive oil walnut oil organic sesame oil free range quail eggs Quinoa Soy sauce Brown sugar Sake Organic dried nectarines and banana (no sulphur) Marinated organic tofu Organic seaweed and sesame sprinkles	Cheddar Cheese Fromage Blanc and goat's cheese from the farmer's market plain yoghurt

Welcome to Week 5 at Lunch Matters.

2006-10-08T21:05:00.000+09:30

Got a favorite photo or recipe to share?
Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!

NEWS
Is taking a packed lunch to work the new black?

A few thoughts this week on taking your lunch to work as a cost saving, diet friendly, environmentally conscious way to go.
It would appear from the growing number of blogs dedicated to people discussing their daily lunch fare, it is back in vogue to take a packed lunch with you to work. For all the reasons that I have listed above, it is a great idea and again once you are in the habit of packing a lunch it becomes much less onerous than you’d expect.
I still can’t explain the joy that my packed lunch brings me. I think as I am usually immersed in feeding my family when I sit down to the other meals of the day, I am often distracted from what is on my plate by the discourse and general mayhem around me. It is perhaps for this reason that when I actually stop, during a working day, and open my lunchbox I really do enjoy what I have packed. I still can’t really understand how everything that I pack in the morning and bounce on my hip all the way to work is not scrambled by lunchtime! The whole layout/presentation does give me the sense that I am doing something nice for myself. I do believe though that it is important if you pack your lunch for work that you still take the time to get up and away from your desk – those days when the sun is shining and you can perch somewhere warm while you eat your lunch are the best.
The issue of cost and environmental waste reduction is significant. I made the transition from sushi from the sushi bar to my packed lunch so I was already eating a healthy lunch but it came in a plastic packet with 3 plastic fish of soy sauce and a plastic bottle of water and it cost AUD$10 a go. So each week that I pack a lunch I am really making substantial environmental and financial savings.
This is a feature of the Laptop Lunchbox that has been explored by many of the bloggers who are into Frugality (there seem to be a number of them). If you’re interested in reading some of their entries see the links section this week.
A little housekeeping hint here: If you are packing leftovers and reheating them at work in the microwave do remember to remove the lids before you do – the lids have to be more flexible than the hard plastic that makes up the containers and as a result they aren’t suited to a blast in the microwave.
The other thing about packing your lunch is to include as many others in the production line – the more lunches you pack the less effort per lunch you are expending and the more likely you are to improve the eating habits of the whole family.

RECIPES

Very simple recipes this week – one for the mountain bread toasted wraps and one for the baguette roll.

As both recipes include ham it is important to make a couple of comments about processed meats. Where possible it is best to buy free range, organic or boutique ham simply because if you spend a minute looking at the labels on some of the mass produced ham products you’ll be horrified with the actual meat content versus all the other products that they contain. The hams that I have described above are much more expensive – I think the ham that I bought this week was $29 kilo BUT I don’t buy ham very often and when I do I don’t buy very much. So I guess what I’m saying is that every now and then, processed meats can have a place in a lunchbox but think about the quality and frequency seriously as too much of a low grade processed ham product is not good for anyone.

Rye Mountain Bread toasted wraps with swiss cheese and polish leg ham

The only real purpose of drawing your attention to this item on the week’s menu is to suggest that if you haven’t tried toasting mountain bread as a wrap – you definitely should. They are delicious cold and a big hit with my children and me. They are great way to incorporate rye bread into the lunchtime experience.

Baguette rolls

Ingredients:
Swiss cheese
Ham
Parsley
Fresh breadcrumbs
Baguette (half size)

Scoop out the inside of the baguette and place in a bowl with your other breadcrumbs and parsley
Heat a dot of olive oil in a pan and add the bread and parsley mix, then add the ham and cheese and mix until the mixture is all melted together and then spoon back into the baguette.
Then slice the baguette as you would a sushi roll and you’ll have a delicious new look ham and cheese roll. They are very filling so you’ll only need two in a box to satisfy your hunger.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:

The Vegan Lunchbox even for non vegans it’s amazing! Lunch Matters is hoping to be able to sell the Vegan Lunchbox cookbook through the website when it is released – we’re waiting to hear and will keep you posted. I’m sure many of you are onto this site already but if there are any of you who haven’t discovered it yet, in my opinion this is the best site on the web if you’re looking for ideas for how to fill a LLB – take a look at the archives.

Then Things – A Personal Finance Blog that reviews how the LLB has helped her to economize.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST:

Fruit:
Vegetables:
Blueberries
Mango
Rockmelon
Kiwis
Bananas
Lemons
Strawberries

Tomatoes (cherry are the best, but this week I just chopped up big tomatoes)
Potato
Beetroot
Carrots
Parsley
Garlic
Lettuce
Corn
Cucumber
Avocado
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Fish:
Salmon fillets

In the pantry:
Dairy:
Olives
Mountain bread – rye
Baguette
Sushi rice (I used brown but I think I’d be recommending white – for less mess, stay tuned for the brown white blend recipe, it’s in development)
Tahini
Olive oil
Organic free range eggs
Quinoa
Soy sauce
Brown sugar
Sake

Bocconcini cheese
Swiss Cheese

NEXT WEEK: A TRIP TO THE NO NUMBERS SUPERMARKET…

Welcome to Week 4 at Lunch Matters.

2006-10-06T23:15:00.000+09:30

News
Recipes
Links
Weekly shopping list
Got a favorite photo or recipe to share? Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!

NEWS

Many thanks to all of you that completed the online survey – it has provided me with invaluable feedback! Overwhelmingly people are happy to receive the newsletter weekly and the length doesn’t seem to be a problem – the scroll bar is a wonderful thing! So the format will remain the same.

This week I thought I’d take the news story about ‘healthy’ muesli bars as a focus point for the newsletter.

Many of you would have seen the news this week about Choice Magazine's review of so called healthy muesli bars. It comes as no surprise to me and I am sure to many of you, that products that are marketed as ‘healthy’ are often not what they report to be. In a world where McDonald’s is trying to promote the nutritional value of their food, where Nutella and Coco Pops are recommended as ways to enhance your child’s performance at school and prepackaged fruit juice is marketed as a way of boosting your vitamin intake, we cannot walk away from the fact that at the end of the day what comes off the tree or out of the ground directly to us is always better than anything that comes out of a factory.

Presentation:

What we have to accept is that marketing of these foods is fantastic – the producers are very good at making these foods attractive and will often try to put a healthy spin on the product. The Laptop Lunchboxes and the other products available at Lunch Matters aim to redress the imbalance, to highlight the presentation of natural foods in an effort to make them as appealing as their nutritionally inferior counterparts. In a recent trip to the park we had a little circle of children standing around our lunchboxes peering in to look at all the goodies inside – it works, good presentation of natural foods looks amazing!

Products that enhance the appeal of fruit and veggies are a great addition to your suite of lunch packing accessories. We recently purchased a device that cores and slices apple like a ‘slinky’ – our apple consumption has gone through the roof! Some schools have bought these for their tuckshops/canteens and they too are finding that apple sales are up from 1 a week to 50 a day! I spent ten minutes cutting out carrot into alphabet letters with cutters with my 5 year old today – he ate two carrots in the process! Kid’s love a good novelty and where we can it’s an idea to think about this too.

Planning:

The main perceived advantage of prepackaged foods over the homebaked/natural alternatives is time. We have little of it and sometimes packing a lunch filled with prepackaged foods seems like the only option if we are to make it out the door.

To overcome this – it is worth putting a little time into planning for the week ahead. If there’s a window on the weekend where some homemade muesli bars (page 74 of the Laptop Lunch User's Guide) can be baked or some muffins baked and frozen then there are goodies to grab and pack in your lunchbox even on the busiest mornings.

Always think about lunches when you’re preparing dinners. This week you’ll see that mini meatballs make an appearance in the lunchbox. To suggest making them just for lunches would be mad, but to prepare meatballs for dinner in a tomato based sauce and then to include some that were intentionally left out of the sauce as a lunch meal the next day makes life easier.

If you have a dish with rice for dinner – use the leftovers to make the rice quiches also featured in this week’s box and recipe section. It’s just a matter of planning out the week, and in my experience thinking about the week ahead can really take the pain out of thinking about every day’s options.

Think seriously about the freezer too – some things really freeze well and will thaw by lunchtime when taken out of the fridge first thing in the morning or late the night before.

The last tip is to think about natural easy to pack items – I love cherry tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, nuts and dried fruit (if appropriate – finding dried fruit free of sulfur is hard but less so now than before) as they are so good to have on hand when you just need things to grab and go.

RECIPES

I have two great recipes to include this week.

The first is again from the fantastic publication recently published by a Melbourne mum, Hélène Canavan called Lunchbox. It is pictured in Monday’s photo. This is a great way to use up the left over rice.

Quiche with Rice Base

Rice shell

8 tbsp cooked white rice

2 tbsp grated parmesan

lightly greased muffin tins

Mushroom filling

1/2 onion grated

4 mushrooms sliced and quickly browned with onion in pan

2 beaten eggs

2 tbsp yoghurt

Preheat oven to 200C

Use fingers to mix cheese and rice. Place 3 tbsp of rice mixture in each muffin tin and press down gently. Pour over beaten eggs and yoghurt mix then place the sauteed mushrooms and onion on top.

Bake 20-25 minutes

Allow to cool

These really take about 5 minutes to make and they are really yummy cold or warmed up for lunch the next day.

Bean Dish

The second recipe is for the bean dish which is a great stand by to have when the cupboard is looking a little bare- this is a family favourite of ours and is again a great dish to have for dinner the night before and then cold for lunch the next day.

1 onion

1 red pepper

4 ripe tomatoes (or a tin of tomatoes if that's what's in the cupoboard)

1 tin of 4 bean mix

Fresh bread

Cheddar cheese

Parsley

Yoghurt

Cut onion and pepper, saute in a little olive oil.

Add beans and tomatoes and season to taste

Place bean mix in an oven proof dish

Leave some out for the lunchbox the next day

Process the bread, cheese and parsley together

Then spread the crumb mixture over the top of the bean mix and place in the oven at 200C for 15-20 minutes or until the top is a little browned.

Serve with a generous dolop of yoghurt.

If you are reheating the lunch the next day (and remember to remove the lids before you microwave) there is no reason not to just pack it as you had it for dinner - I find though that it works better cold without the topping.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:

It really is worth visiting the Laptop Lunchbox flickr group regularly - you'll see our photos there but also lots of new ideas daily.

The other site of interest this week is the site where the Laptop Lunchboxes are now being sold in the UK http://www.laptoplunches.co.uk/

You’ll find a wealth of information there on both the gourmet and environmental possibilities of the Laptop Lunchbox systems.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST:

Fruit:	Vegetables:
Apples Strawberries Oranges Kiwis Bananas Lemons	Tomatoes (cherry are the best, but this week I just chopped up big tomatoes) Avocados Onion Fennel Mushrooms Parsley Celery Red pepper
Meat:	From the freezer: (it is handy to have a couple of items in the freezer for various uses)
Organic beef mince
In the pantry:	Dairy:
Olive oil Soy sauce Baguette Organic museli - for trail mix Brown sugar Mirin or sake Eggs (quail and chicken) Wholemeal flour Organic dry biscuits OrganicChickpeas Green Olives with pimento Four bean mix organic tinned Beans Organic dried cranberries and& nbsp; blueberries Caster sugar Bread (Kamut bread is delicious)	Cheese Cream cheese Organic plain yoghurt Light mayonnaise Milk

Welcome to week 3 at Lunch Matters.

2006-10-06T23:14:00.000+09:30

News	A testimonial from one of our new customers, reproduced with permission: "G (nearly 5) hasn't put his lunchbox down since he received it - except to sleep. He's packed his lunch by himself every day and has eaten more salad this week than he's eaten in his life!"
Recipes
Links
Weekly shopping list
Survey Got a favorite photo or recipe to share? Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!

Week 3 at Lunch Matters has seen more lunchboxes on their way to new homes. We've had lots of local enquiries but also many from further a field - it seems that there are people interested in seeing what the Austra lians are doing with their lunchboxes, even some from Japan (the land of super deluxe packed lunches) are interested in finding out more.

We thought that we might take a minute this week to focus on the waste minimization angle of the lunchbox and to workshop some of the environmental and cost issues.

The table below compares the costs and packaging associated with the packing of like products in your lunchbox. Pricing of items was undertaken last week and obviously are subject to change. It is worth pointing out that for the purposes of creating a true comparison we priced like products – if you were doing the shopping, and savings were on the agenda then you could search the isles for cheaper bulk packaging that is available in all of the categories below.

sultanas		total size	serve size	pack price	per serve	packaging
1	Sunbeam 6x40g	240	40	$2.26	$0.38	6 boxes, plastic wrap
2	Sunbeam 500g	500	40	$3.08	$0.25	1 box
muesli
1	Uncle Toby's Chewy 12 pack 375g	375	31.25	$5.78	$0.48	1 box, 12 foil wraps
2	Uncle Toby's Muesli flakes Plus	750	31.25	$5.71	$0.24	1 box
yoghurt
1	Yoplait Go-Ghurt Berry 12 pack	1200	100	$6.05	$0.50	1 box, 12 tubs
2	Yoplait Original Berry 1kg	1000	100	$3.49	$0.35	1 tub
fruit
1	Uncle Toby's Roll Up 8 pack	125	15.625	$4.47	$0.56	1 box, 8 foil wraps
2	Mandarin	120	120	$0.62	$0.62	none
sandwich
1	Bread	650	65	$2.48	$0.25	1 bag
2	Bread	650	65	$2.48	$0.25	1 bag
1	Kraft Singles Chedder 12 pack	165	13.75	$2.80	$0.23	1 plastic wrap,1 plastic tray,12 plastic wraps
2	Kraft Cheese	250	13.75	$2.99	$0.16	1 plastic wrap


	Total 1	2,755	266	$23.84	$2.40
	Total 2	3,270	370	$18.37	$1.87

What you will notice is that there is a cost saving, it is marginal but nevertheless a saving, what you will What you will notice is that there is a cost saving, it is marginal but nevertheless a saving, what you will see, however is that the packaging that is saved is significant, and therefore the impact on the environment is substantially less when you pack a lunch that doesn’t require packaging. The beauty of the Laptop Lunchbox systems is that you can pack lunches everyday without ANY packaging. The lid of the lunchbox acts as a seal for all the containers so items that are packed do not require glad wrap and they remain in their place and fresh for lunch.

Many schools in Australia are implementing waste-wise lunch policies. Bins are being removed from schools and parents are asked to pack lunches without zip lock bags and cling film. A quick survey of morning tea at Kinder last week revealed some lunchboxes with up to 4 zip lock bags!

RECIPES

We have to share the Tabbouleh recipe with you this week. This will make enough salad for 2.

It keeps well so why not double the quantities and have it as a salad for dinner the night before and then pack some with lunch the next day.

INGREDIENTS:

· 1 cup water

· 1/2 cup quinoa (see explanation below – you can find it in many stores now)

· 1/2 pinch salt

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

· 2 tablespoons lemon juice

· 1-1/2 tomatoes, diced

· 1/2 cucumber, diced

· 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Stir in cooled quinoa.

What is quinoa?

If you are looking to cut down your family’s intake of wheat or to increase their veggie intake on the sly this is the perfect grain for you!

[ KEEN-wah ] Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain. It's considered a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also higher in unsaturated fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains, and it provides a rich and balanced source of vital nutrients. Tiny and bead-shaped, the ivory-colored quinoa cooks like rice (taking half the time of regular rice) and expands to four times its original volume.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:

You may like to ask your school about their Waste Wise initiatives to see if they have a current action plan. If you’re interested in finding out more you may find the following websites useful. The links are by no means the only ones – all States and Territories in Australia have a commitment to promoting sustainable schools and the Waste Wise program is in full swing in a large number of schools.

VIC

ACT

The Laptop Lunchboxes have become an integral part of the American movement to reduce lunchtime waste. If you’d like to read more about this click here.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST

Fruit:	Vegetables:
Apples Oranges Passionfruit Strawberries Lemons	Tomatoes (cherry are the best, but this week I just chopped up big tomatoes) Avocados Cucumber Parsley Beetroot Mushrooms Corn Asparagus Carrots Red pepper Silverbeet Lettuce
Meat:	Breads:
Organic chicken thighs	Wholemeal pita Spelt fruit bun/regular fruit bun
In the pantry:	Dairy:
Dried lentils Quinoa Olive oil Soy sauce Eggs (chicken) The items below were for the rice crackle things – I think trail mix would be a better option – less sugar and less sticky! Rice puffs Oats Dried mango Dried apricots Golden syrup Organic white chocolate Sesame seeds Seaweed Organic dry biscuits Tinned tuna	Cheese Cream cheese/crème fraiche Organic plain yogurt Organic mayonnaise

Welcome to week 2 at Lunch Matters.

2006-10-06T23:12:00.000+09:30

News
Recipes
Links
Weekly shopping list
Got a favorite photo or recipe to share? Email it to us at lunchmatters@lunchmatters.com.au and we'll publish it here!

NEWS

The first week of trading has been wonderful here at Lunch Matters! Some of you have your Laptop Lunchboxes already and we've received some great feedback. One of the week's highlights was a blog entry at www.kiddley.com. If you haven't had the chance to read this blog then it's well worth a visit if you have young children. Claire Robertson posts regularly and her suggestions and web links are always inspirational. If you'd like to read the blog on Lunch Matters you can view it here: http://kiddley.com/2006/09/08/lunch-box-ideas-part-one

We spent a lazy afternoon at the Slow Food Festival in Melbourne and were amazed by the number of people attending - a strong indicator of the way people are moving today - increasingly away from the supermarket and into the realm of the Farmer's Markets and towards the idea of getting back to basics.

Finally, I’d like to say that the results from the survey are in and it seems that the idea of weekly shopping lists to supplement the photos is appealing to many, so we will pilot this for a while and then review its usefulness in a couple of week’s time.

RECIPES

I have two great recipes to include this week.

The first is from a fantastic publication recently published by a Melbourne mum, Hélène Canavan called Lunchbox. It is pictured in Monday’s photo. Delicious!

Lentilles Niçoises

Patrice Repellin

1 cup dried green lentils

¼ avocado, diced

½ mango, slightly underripe, diced

6 black olives, finely chopped

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

½ small sweet potatoe, diced, steamed and cooled

Vinaigrette

½ tsp crushed garlic

2 anchovies (optional)

½ tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Bring lentils to the boil in plenty of salted cold water, the reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave lentils in the saucepan with the lid on for a further10 minutes.

Drain and spread lentils over a large, flat dish to cool evenly and dry. (Lentils should be prepared in advance and covered with a cloth overnight.)

Blend vinaigrette ingredients with a hand-held mixer. Place the lentils with all other ingredients in a salad bowl and gently stir in the vinaigrette.

Sesame-Ginger Tofu

The second is from a blog that has a whole lot of great ideas – you’ll see the Sesame-Ginger Tofu featured in this week’s photo number 4 – we served it hot for dinner the night before and my 20mth and 4 year old loved it. Then I packed the left overs cold in my son’s lunchbox the following day and he ate the lot!

Blog: Beet & Potatoes

Post: Sesame-Ginger Tofu

Link: http://beetandpotatoes.blogspot.com/2006/06/sesame-ginger-tofu_08.html

LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF INTEREST:

As some of you may have seen, I linked to www.bentotv.com earlier in the week. If you didn’t get a chance to have a look it’s well worth your time. Some of the archives are particularly useful. Mushroom cups and spicy onigiri rice balls are great. You will also find a demo of many of the products that we have in store.

The other site of interest this week is the site where the Laptop Lunchboxes originated from www.laptoplunches.com. You’ll find a wealth of information there on both the gourmet and environmental possibilities of the Laptop Lunchbox systems.

WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST:

To make this week’s lunchboxes you’d need the following ingredients:

I will note here that all fruit and vegetables that are packed fresh are organic, we have a box delivered home each week. This sounds like a luxury but we pay $55 a week and what we get is what’s in season and that lasts a family of four a whole week – so it’s a great way of exposing your family to things that you may not ordinarily select yourself. We found that before we were doing this we’d spend a lot more money at the greengrocer’s as we’d buy all the things that looked good and didn’t think about whether or not they were in season so they came at a premium.

It is still very important to involve children in the food shopping where possible. So we make it a habit to go to the Farmer’s Markets each weekend wherever they are – lots of things to try, farmers to talk to and the opportunity to shop for food outdoors and in a relaxed atmosphere. It beats supermarket shopping for fresh fruit and veg. hands down.

So with all that out of the way – let’s get to the list:

Fruit:	Vegetables:
Apples Grapefruit Strawberries Lemons	Sugar snaps Tomatoes (cherry are the best, but this week I just chopped up big tomatoes) Avocados Broccoli Mushrooms Corn Asparagus Sweet potatoes Garlic Ginger
Meat:	From the freezer: (it is handy to have a couple of items in the freezer for various uses)
Lamb cutlets Veal	Edamame (Soy beans) Blueberries
In the pantry:	Dairy:
Dried lentils English mustard Red wine vinegar Olive oil Soy sauce Brown sugar Mirin or sake Soba noodles Eggs (quail and chicken) Wholemeal flour Sesame seeds Seaweed Organic dry biscuits	Cheese Cream cheese Organic plain yogurt Organic firm tofu

Laptop Lunchboxes on Australian shores

2006-09-19T20:27:00.000+09:30

Jennifer's (The Vegan Lunchbox's mum) choice of lunchbox lead me to the next major crossroad. It looked fantastic - she was able to pack the most wholesome meal and make it look like something that you'd be mad not to want to eat. Where did she get it? It was a question posted time and time again and she pointed her eager readers in the direction of the Laptoplunches site. I went to visit and scoured the pages for information about how I could find one of these lunchboxes here in Australia. It was possible, but very expensive to ship them out here. I decided (as I do when I get my mind on something) that it would be worth the expense and I ordered two. They arrived and they lived up to their reputation that seemed to be growing as quickly as the blogs that logged the their daily contents in households all over the States and Europe.
Once I had my own, I began to think about how wonderful it would be if parents, perhaps a little more financially responsible than I, could order this lunchbox in Australia. I could then offer suggestions about how they may want to fill it, provide shopping lists to help make it easier and share my ideas with others. As a working mum, I know all too well what it's like to wake up in the morning and have to come up with ideas about what to pack in lunchboxes. I wondered if I could do the thinking and planning, whether or not I could help others avoid that first thing in the morning panic when the day's menu planning can be hard to stomach?

Food and Parenting

2006-09-19T20:26:00.000+09:30

As a parent my children's food choices have been very much a part of my parenting. From those long nights when breast feeding them sometimes seemed too hard to be 'natural', to their first foods until now when we sit down to dinner together as a family, I am trying to instill in them the joy of eating that was passed down to me.
As the years have gone by, I have become increasingly persuaded that organic and non-processed foods are the way forward. We have our weekly box of seasonal produce delivered to the door and despite the fact that we've been doing this for years now, Thursday afternoon is always like Christmas. "Mum, look we've got some bok choi this week!", "Look mum, there are these things with roots!" The toughest task is to stop B2 from sinking his teeth into all that he pulls from the box.
The local Farmer's Markets are also a great source of inspiration to both me and my children - they love to wander in the outdoors, chatting with the farmers and sampling their wares with their dad. The food lives and breathes in that environment, well away from the sterility of the supermarket.
So it is no surprise that when I came upon the Vegan Lunchbox blog nearly a year ago that I jumped for joy. Here was a mum, sharing her son's lunches with the world. She is Vegan and I am not, but the paths collide and the values to a great extent are shared. I followed her blog and its increasing fame with interest - with all the focus on the nutritional negatives in the wider community, it was wonderful to see her blog and its followers grow.

Where did it all begin?

2006-09-19T19:51:00.000+09:30

I guess when I sit down now to think about it, it all began a long time ago when a little girl opened her lunchbox to reveal the goodies that her mother had so lovingly packed way back in the 70's. Inside my lunch box were all sorts of things that reminded me of home. Tabbouleh pita pockets lined with hummus, taramasalada sandwiches, apple cucumbers, sliced kiwi, half a passionfruit...it was all out there back then. My mum loved to prepare food for her family and lunches were no exception! Mum made a commitment long before childhood eating habits were on the National agenda that her children would be exposed to the foods of the world and sugary treats would not be something her children would become accustomed to. It must be said that there were days when I would have readily traded my tongue sandwiches for one of the tic-toc biscuits that my friends had packed in their lunchboxes but looking back now and looking at the legacy that she has left me to pass on to my children, I will always be grateful that she took the time and care to pack lunches for us like she did. There was always a little bit of her in those boxes and my memories are fond.
So today here I sit as one of the founding partners of Lunch Matters. A business that is making its business the promotion of healthy lunches for children. I have taken all that my mother shared with me and am now hoping to inspire other parents who are looking to pack interesting lunches for their children. Technology means that the act of sharing is instantaneous. I can pack a lunch for my boys, take a digital photo and within minutes people from all over the world can take a look at what's on offer in our household today.