Long, library oriented days on campus have, no doubt, recently begun to take their toll on many of our fragile bank balances. We find ourselves squandering away precious pennies on countless mediocre lunches and snacks; purchased from the overpriced ‘Forum’ monopoly and endless treks to Costa. Yet the alternatives; a soggy sandwich wrapped in a sorry piece of cling-film, a wilted salad, or a hard triangle of leftover pizza that fester at the bottom of bulging handbags hardly form part of an appetizing feast that one would hope for.
Following a particularly challenging week, plagued by one day too many of the stated ‘lunch box’ conundrum and faced with the sobering prospect of many more, I decided to readdress the concept of a packed lunch. The result of my efforts; a step by step approach involving a weekly plan of interesting and different ideas that are both affordable and easy to make are provided as a guide below.
Step 1: a little investment goes a long way…
We’ve all fallen victim to the leaky flask fiasco, flimsy plastic ‘spork’ breakages and pulverised pieces of fruit. Investing in appropriate containers will go a long way towards making the whole process of packing lunches as stress free as possible. My, minor, ‘Pinterest’ addiction came in handy when searching for innovative container designs; from bento boxes to portable soup bowls and thermos flasks there is an ever growing range of specialised equipment available. Whilst it may be tempting to economise and recycle old take-away boxes or buy a cheap ‘Wilkos’ flask I would recommend spending a little more; guaranteed you will save money in the long run. One of the best products available at the moment are ‘Easy Lunch Boxes’; great value for money, high quality and free from chemicals. A ‘Thermos’ flask is also a highly useful piece of lunchtime innovation; fill it with coffee, tea, soup or even porridge and beat the winter chill with a much needed hot treat at any point throughout the day.
Step 2: Organize…
You’ve got the ‘gear’ now get organized; if you approach your week with a plan and some pre-made lunch options you will save time and effort later on. Sundays in university are notoriously unproductive so instead of wallowing in a two day hangover set aside an hour or two and draw up a brief food plan for the coming week. It is also a good opportunity to pre-cook some foods that will keep for a few days in the fridge and form part of a more exciting healthy lunch.
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Step 3: Recipes and ideas…
Approach packing your lunch the same way you would any other meal. You need a healthy balance of fruit/veg, carbs, protein, sugar and fat as well as a few snacks to keep further hunger pangs at bay.
Soup:
I make no secret of the fact that I am a homemade soup fiend. There is a part of me that fundamentally rejects buying something that is not only so easy to make but so easy to make to a higher standard than the shop bought equivalent. You can put pretty much anything in a soup and in less than an hour have enough food for a week’s worth of lunches; what’s more it is incredibly cheap to make. Pre-make on a lazy Sunday afternoon then simply heat up, portion by portion, throughout the week and take onto campus in a flask. Alternatively you can freeze portions for a quick and easy meal whenever time is tight.
Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup with Sage – Serves 8+
Ingredients:
· Drizzle of olive oil
· 1 x medium Butternut Squash – diced
· 3 x medium carrots – diced
· 2 x Red onions – chopped finely
· 3 x sticks of celery – diced
· 2 x potatoes (sweet or normal depending on what you have in your cupboard) – diced
· Generous chunk of fresh ginger – finely chopped
· 1-2 Red Chillis (depending on taste) – seeds removed & finely chopped
· Medium handful of fresh sage leaves – finely shredded
· 1 xt sp Cumin
· 1 ½ x tsp coriander
· 1 x tsp cayen pepper
· About 2 ½ to 3 litres of Beef Stock (or any other stock) – quantity depends on size of butternut squash
· Large handful of rice
Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pan
2. Add onions & celery – cook until soft (approximately 6 mins)
3. Add spices, chilli and ginger – allow to ‘cook off’ for about 2 mins
4. Add the rest of the veg and potatoes along with the sage – allow to cook at a low-med heat for 10 mins or until starting to soften
5. Add the stock (making sure it covers the veg – if you don’t think there is enough liquid you can add a little more liquid – but remember you can always add more liquid at a later time after you’ve blended the soup if you prefer it to be of a runnier consistency)
6. Cover and cook for about 20mins – then season with salt and pepper
7. Blend (judge consistency – if too thick I recommend adding more liquid before the rice as this will thicken it up anyway)
8. return to the heat, adding rice – cook for about 12 mins – Blend again
9. To serve – a dash of balsamic vinegar and lots of fresh coriander leaves
NB: This soup keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge if stored and covered appropriately, it also freezes really well
Green Vegetable and Rice Soup – Serves 8+
Ingredients:
· Knob of Butter
· 1 x large onion – finely chopped
· 1 x clove of garlic – finely chopped
· 1 x Broccoli head – trunk removed and roughly chopped
· 1 x med-large potato – diced
· 3 x leeks – shredded
· 1 x medium savoy cabbage shredded
· 1 x large bag of spinach leaves (can also use frozen if liked)
· 2 litres of good stock (preferably chicken or vegetable)
· Generous handful of fresh thyme – finely chopped
· Handful of Sage leaves – finely chopped
· 1 x Bay leaf
· Large handful of rice
Method:
1. Heat the butter in a large pan
2. Add onion and allow to soften slightly at a med heat for about 3 mins before adding the garlic and leeks
3. Cook for a further 4 mins – or until the onion is soft
4. Add the potato, cover and ‘sweat’ for about 6 mins – stir to stop any sticking
5. Add the cabbage, broccoli and herbs – stir and cook for 5 mins
6. Add the stock – cover and simmer for about 30mins
7. Remove the Bay leaf add rice and spinach – cook for 12 mins
8. Blend
NB: Another soup that keeps well in the fridge as well as freezing. If preferred you can leave this soup chunky however if doing so I recommend taking a bit more time when preparing the vegetables – chopping a little smaller perhaps
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Salads, Pasta and Pulses
The very suggestion of salads in relation to packed lunches conjures up unwelcome memories of the sweaty pasta salads lovingly made by my dad; delectable at time of creation however practically inedible having spent a good few hours sweating it out at the bottom of my school satchel. But it need not be the case; use of one of the many revolutionary compartmentalized ‘bento-style’ boxes and create fantastic salads that will remain fresh until lunchtime.
Super Salmon Salad
Ingredients:
· Handful of lettuce leaves
· Handful of spinach leaves
· Handful of bean sprouts
· Fillet of cooked salmon (you can either cook this in advance yourself or, if feeling lazy, buy a pre-cooked packet)
· 1 x tblsp tinned sweet-corn
· 5-6 sundried/sun-blush tomato pieces – cut into chunks
· 1 x tblsp of light soy sauce
· 2cm fresh ginger – finely chopped
· ½ x red chilli – seeds removed and finely chopped
· Squeeze of lime
· Pinch of Chinese five spice
· Some pre-cooked rice
· Handful of coriander leaves
Method:
1. Mix the soy sauce, ginger, chilli, sweet-corn, spice and lime juice together – set to one side
2. Flake the salmon into bite-size chunks – place it into one of the compartments of the ‘bento-style’ lunch box – drizzle with half of the dressing
3. In the largest of the compartments – put the lettuce, spinach, beansprouts sun-blush tomatoes and coriander leaves
4. Put the rice in the third compartment with the rest of the dressing
NB: this is just a suggestion of how to serve a salad for lunch. However it would work equally well:
– With another protein such as chicken, turkey, tofu, beef…the list is endless
– Substituting the rice for couscous, quinoa, new potatoes or noodles
– Also depending on tastes you can experiment with different types of dressings
– If you don’t have a lunch box with separate compartments you can either put all of the ingredients in together (although I then suggest you use a small separate container for the dressing) or you could use three separate containers…
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Herby Roasted Veg with Orzo – Serves 4
Ingredients:
· 1 x pepper – any colour depending on taste – diced into large chunks
· 1 x red onion – cut into pieces
· 6 x cherry tomatoes – halved
· 1 x courgette – diced into large chunks
· Handful of olives (if liked)
· 2 x tsp fresh thyme
· Few sprigs of rosemary
· 2 x tbsp balsamic vinegar
· 1 x tbsp olive oil
· 3 x servings of Orzo pasta
· Generous handful of basil leaves – shredded
Method:
· Pre-heat the oven to 180C
· Put the pepper, onion, tomatoes, courgette, olives, thyme and rosemary into a roasting tin
· Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper – toss to ensure all of the veg is coated
· Place in oven and roast for about 20 mins making sure you stir about 2 times during this period
· Remove from the oven and set to one side
· Cook the Orzo according to instructions on packet
· When cool mix the veg with the orzo and top with basil leaves
Lemony lentils with smoky ham – About 4 servings
Ingredients:
· 140g Lentils (preferably green)
· 50ml white wine (optional)
· 1 x small onion – finely chopped
· 1 x clove of garlic (optionl) – crushed
· Drizzle of olive oil
· 1 x large carrot – diced into 1cm cubes
· 1 x stick of celery – diced
· Zest and juice of 1 lemon
· 1 x bay leaf
· About 50-75g of smoked ham – diced
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan – add the onion and garlic – cook at a medium heat until the onion is soft
2. Add the celery and carrot and cook for a further 6 mins
3. Add the lentils and add enough water until it covers everything
4. Add the zest and juice of the lemon along with the bay leaf – bring to simmering point
5. Simmer for about 25 minutes – until the lentils are tender
6. Add the smoked ham about half way through the cooking time
7. Taste – and season accordingly
8. Serve either hot or cold
NB: this will keep up to 4 days in the fridge and freezes well. You could add any form of smoked or un-smoked protein; try smoked mackerel if feeling a little more adventurous.
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Use up the Leftovers
When we think of leftovers we rarely see potential for an exciting meal; indeed to many leftovers just mean a less tasty repetition of a, once appetising, meal. However by getting a bit inventive with your left-over food you will find you can save time, money and effort yet still produce something that you genuinely want to eat!
Left-over roast chicken
A versatile ingredient at the best of times, left over roast chicken lends itself to a whole plethora of different lunch options. Try shredding it and adding it to a soup, mix with a dressing similar to the one in ‘Super Salmon Salad’, add to roasted vegetable cous-cous or perhaps put it into a wrap along with some salad or roasted vegetables.
Left-over chilli con-carne
Chilli is another versatile dish. You could re-heat and take onto campus in a thermal soup bowl for a comforting hot meal to lift the spirits. Or alternatively it is just as good cold when eaten alongside some guacamole and salsa with some tortilla chips as a quick tex-mex treat . Again this is another ingredient that makes a different and nutritious filling to a wrap.
Left-over noodle stir-fry
It may sound a little bizarre but stir-fry is often just as yummy cold as it is hot, after-all cold-noodle salad isn’t such a strange dish and is often eaten in many Asian cultures. You could also try making some little filo pastry parcels out of it (a different take on a samosa): Just take a sheet of filo pastry, fold it in half, brush the edges with egg, pile the cold noodle stir-fry onto one side and fold to create a parcel. Then just place it in a pre-heated oven (180C) for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is crisp.
Snack Ideas
Snacking has become a bit of a naughty concept; often associated with hidden calories, lack of control and a whole load other obsessively weight conscious depressing discourse. However scientific research has shown that snacking, provided it is on the right thing, keeps your metabolism moving and prevents over-eating at meal times. So below are a few ideas to help inspire you:
· A handful of dried fruit and nuts
· Raw vegetables and hummus
· Peanut butter and banana on ryvita
· Homemade flapjack or muffins
· Malt loaf (bought or homemade)
· Fruit
· A boiled egg
· Popcorn
Image Credits: cdn.thelemonbowl.com, pinterest.com