Healthy packed Lunches

[puddicat]

Looking for some healthy ideas for my sons lunchbox! want to try maybe some noodle type dishes or pasta,and some sarnies that are a wee bit different from the usual!, he has access to a microwave at his work any ideas are welcome!

[Jugglering]

A really easy and tasty way to make up a pasta salad is just to boil some pasta (say the shell or twirly shapes), rinse in cold water and drain. Add the contents of a jar of ready made pasta sauce (Tesco's do a nice own brand range, the mushroom or the chilli - mild - ones are really good), just enough to coat the pasta. Great served up cold and even more filling if you use the wholewheat pasta rather than the white.

For slightly different sandwiches, how about a pitta bread sliced open, spread some chilli hummus and a bit of shredded iceberg lettuce and cucumber (that's got protein, carbs and vitamins !) Or you could spread some bean pat� onto a tortilla wrap, add some thinly sliced tomatoes and a few bean sprouts or very thinly sliced red peppers for extra crunch.

I often make up a (veggie) quiche and take into work a slice of that, plus some pasta salad, some rice salad (cooked brown rice, peas, sweetcorn and chopped peppers in a very light vinaigrette sauce), a bit of home made potato salad and then a fruit yoghurt for pud...

[Postdog]

As for different sarnies, why not try deli wraps with fillings - very cheap too. Just get assorted salad stuff, chop it and mix it, and add with whatever you want - prawns ham turkey tuna chicken cheese etc etc.

Staying with slad, you could also get some pasta shapes (penne etc), cook them up, let them go cold, and make salads of that too.

[gallapunk]

If he has use of a microwave, just batch up meals that you make at home into microwaveable containers and he can take those in to zap.

If you use the pasta idea from Jugglering, you can also add anything to it that he likes: chicken, peppers, tuna, etc.

Those fruit salad tubs are OK, but if you eat a lot of fruit, it's always easier (and healthier) to buy some plastic containers and make your own up; ditto the salad options.

[beanebabe]

Pasta with roast vegetables is good hot or cold. Chop a red onion, yellow pepper, courgette and 10-12 cherry tomatoes, put on a baking tray/dish with 2-3 cloves of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for approx. 45 mins at 180 degrees. Squash garlic and mix with cooked pasta and some fresh basil and parmesan cheese if you like! Very good for dinner with a glass of red wine!

[MEJ]

Your son is at work and you are still making packed lunches for him????