Healthy, Winter Lunch Ideas For Everyone

 

Lunch is the second most important meal of the day after breakfast, which helps children and adults to keep alert and productive. Usually by lunch time the energy boosting effects of your breakfast has worn off and you will start to feel less energetic and tired.

 

Many people reach for a chocolate bar or a fast food take-out to revive the energetic boost, but high sugar foods and many take out don't last, the give an initial high, but very soon wear off. Plus they are more expensive than a home-made meal. A healthy meal at lunch time will help increase your alertness, boost your energy and help to keep you going for the rest of the day.

 

The right healthy foods gives energy

 

To help boost your energy for the second part of a day when you need to be alert and capable to do our job effectively, or children need that extra boost to get their homework completed with an alert mind. The body needs healthy carbohydrates, healthy fats and healthy protein.

 

Carbohydrates helps increase your energy levels quite quickly which is what you probably need, the healthy fats and protein give you the staying power needed to get through to supper.

 

For healthy meals pack lunches of any of the following foods groups or combination of them:

 

• Fruits: strawberries, spanspek (cantaloupe), mangos, any citrus fruits, avocados, banana and apples, you need at least three servings of fruit a day

• Vegetables: Bell Peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli are high energy food, butternut, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, (save the pumpkin seeds, dry them they a good energy snack) but almost any vegetable is important for a balanced meal

• Proteins: Nuts, soy beans, soya mince, meat, the cheaper cuts are ideal for stews

• Carbohydrates : Whole grains and oatmeal. Dried beans, dried soup mix

• Dairy products, milk cheese and eggs - choose low fat options.

 

 

Some lunch ideas:

 

In the cold winter months a warm meal is usually welcomed, soups are a good idea, an inexpensive flask to keep it warm, together with a sandwich will fill any child's tummy.

 

Left over meals from the night before can be enjoyed cold or heated up and put in a flask.

 

Avoid giving your child 'kid friendly' pre-packaged meals they may be quick and convenient, but they usually loaded with too much sodium and preservatives, which are not healthy. The same with polonies and processed meats they are high in bad fats, loaded with sodium, preservatives and colourings which can result in alergic reactions.

These types of foods are false cheap, because they usually dont have very much good food content. Chicken and eggs are a better and healthier alternative and they are on about the same level price wise as processed meats.

 

A vegetable soup is easy to make with ingredients that are easy to obtain, many supermarket sell packages of soup greens, they usually contain potatoes, leeks, celery, turnips, parsley, add to that chopped tomatoes, onions, dried beans, lentils, pearled barley, flavoured with stock cubes (chicken or beef), salt and pepper to taste, cook for a few hours to allow the flavours to develop. Perfect with a slice of bread for lunch or supper, and warmed up the next day added to a flask to take to work or school.

 

Stews, are always welcomed with any meal, there are any number of combinations to create a stew, soya mince or meat fried lightly with onions, then add vegetables – potatoes – pumpkin/butternut, extra whole onions, tomatoes or tomato paste, stock cubes, beans fresh or dried, your favourite herbs and spices if you wish. Left overs can be warmed up the next day for lunch, or taken to work or school.

 

For hot or cold lunches, you can buy an inexpensive Thermos flask for food and a cooler bag for cold foods to keep fresh and bacteria out.

 

For balance whole-grain/wheat breads for sandwiches instead of white bread, they much healthier, if your child does not like the crusts cut them off as long as they enjoy the sandwich.

 

Make a home made hamburger – its cheaper than bought and healthier as you know whats in it – hamburgers are easy to make, in bowl add finely chopped onions, minced meat, flavourings, herbs and/or spices, salt and pepper. You can add crumbed bread and an egg to bind but not necessary. Shape into hamburger rounds and fry, serve on a whole-wheat roll with slices of tomato, lettuce.

 

For protein boiled eggs, cooled and peeled can easily be added to a lunch meal

 

Whole-wheat crackers or Provita with cheese is a perfect snack for a child. Wrap the cheese in a plastic bag or cling wrap and put in a cooler bag, you child can make their own 'sandwich' at school. Peanut butter also goes down well with whole-wheat crackers.

 

For a sweet treat, popcorn with cinnamon and sugar. Popcorn is easy and quick to make and very healthy. In a pot add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot, sprinkle some dried popping corn put a lid on the pot, turn on heat, and wait for them to pop. for a savory flavour add salt or cheese Aromat. This is a healthy all year round snack.

 

Some nuts can be very expensive but peanuts are still reasonably priced, to make a mid afternoon trail mix energy snack you can add, peanuts, raisins, dried fruit chips, sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds, this will help provide energy for the balance of the day.

 

 

 

It is also very important to stay hydrated to maintain energy, keep a bottle of water near you and drink throughout the day you should drink about 8-10 glasses of water a day.

 

Involve your children in the lunch making process

 

Its easy to give your children money to buy snacks from the tuck shop or nearby fast food outlet, but are you being fair to them to make it easy for yourself.

 

For children to be able to study well and concentrate on what they need to learn, they need the right nutrients, which they won't get from tuckshop snacks and fast foods.

 

Sometimes it difficult to get your children to eat more healthy food at least 3-4 times a week, and to make a tuck shop snack a treat rather then an every day meal

 

The biggest hurdle is to make meals that children would love and not toss away or swap at lunch time.

 

• If children are allowed to be in the lunch making process, give them a chance to choose what they want to eat, they are more likely to eat it then toss it away

• Ask your children to bring home any food they don't eat, this will give you an indication of what not to put in the lunch pack and you will get a good idea what they enjoy and give it to them another day.

• For a child that has a sweet tooth you can offer a healthy alternative that tastes just great, on cinnamon-raisin bread add cream or cottage cheese topped with apple slices

 

Granola or cereal bars are another alternative snack that is healthier than a chocolate bar or other sweets. It gives the child an enjoyable treat without the loaded sugar. There are several for sale on the market but you can make your own, they are very easy to make. Make a batch and store them safely for about 2 weeks if they last that long.

 

Tasty home-made cereal bars

 

You don’t need to stick to the exact ingredients, add your favourite nuts and fruits, use your imagination and let your kids get involved in the making its a fun way to bond with them.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2 cups of uncooked oats

• ½ sugar – brown is healthier

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, mixed spice

• 2-1/2 cups of fruit and nut mix – this can be varied. Dried fruit pieces, chopped nuts. puffed rice, chocolate chips or carob chips for a healthier alternative, bran flakes, sunflower seeds, Flax seeds

• 1/3 teaspoon of peanut butter or any other nut butter

• 6 tablespoons of olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, even butter will work

• ¼ cup of honey, or maple syrup, molasses

• 1 tablespoon of water

 

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 180c

• Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper with cook 'n spray

• Mix together all the dry ingredients – if pieces are large like dried apricots chop up small or process in a food blender

• Mix wet ingredients, peanut butter, oil, water, honey

• Mix wet ingredients with the dry ingredients

• Press the mixture into the baking dish

• Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

• Leave to cool, remove from baking dish using the parchment paper to lift up, cut into bars.

• Store in an airtight container

• you can wrap individual bars with cling wrap

 

These homemade cereal bars are popular with children, they provide the necessary boost to energy when needed.