Stumbling to put it all together at 7 a.m.? For busy families, mornings are all about multi-tasking: orchestrating breakfasts, packing schoolbags and taking something out of the freezer for supper. Somewhere in between you wonder-what are you going to take to work for lunch?
Early morning kitchen chaos often leads to one of two things-either a dull packed lunch or a costly (and possibly unhealthy) purchased lunch. Throwing something together late the night before isn't always possible. So what's the solution?
No question-efficiency is key in a busy family household. My best tip is what I call "overcooking" (no, not burning food-just cooking more!). So the next time you take something out to thaw multiply it by three. I always try and make extra to take for lunch the next day. This eliminates processed foods and allows for tasty brown bag lunches.
Should it be a great sunny day and a barbecue is in the making, why just grill up supper? Say you're making hamburgers. Use your time wisely and just add more meat to the grill. Add some extra patties and chicken breasts rubbed in pesto and a pork tenderloin in hoisin sauce. You now have supper and three lunches. Place the extras into ovenproof containers while you're preparing the remainder of your immediate meal.
A few extra moments spent making supper can allow you fabulous packed lunches with little effort.
Buy better
Remember that great lunches begin at the grocery store. Here are a few tips for your grocery cart.
- Fresh herbs are a great way to be creative when packing lunches. Try buying one herb a week. Introduce your family to the basics: basil, dill and coriander. Wash gently and wrap in a clean tea towel. The possibilities are endless!
- Fresh greens provides texture and vitamin D to sandwiches. Expand your horizons from the same old head of lettuce. Try the great new boxed arugula, baby greens, Chinese cabbage or even a bag of Asian mixed salad greens.
- Sliced cold meats can be expensive. With a large household, I try to prepare most of our meats destined for packed lunches. Of course living in the real world this does not always happen. I have purchased the odd whole cooked chicken in my day and made many a meal out of the bird (see the Chicken Curry recipe). When turkey breasts are on sale I stock up. There is tremendous value in cooking turkey breasts as opposed to buying processed sliced meats. (See the Mexican Spiced Turkey recipe.) Turkey breasts tend to dry out. Apply any one of the following: hoisin sauce, barbecue sauce, chicken rubs, jams, chutneys and salsa to a skinned breast, tent with foil and bake with a small amount of moisture in pan. Rub with smoke flavour and grill on barbecue for an amazing flavour.
- Oh, processed cheese, full of fat yet not of taste. Better to splurge with a better cheese that offers both taste and less fat. You'll even use less! Try moving to aged white cheddars, goat cheeses and low-fat herbed cream cheeses. Take a look at your grocery store's international gourmet cheese selection to add a little "wow" to your lunch. Here's a great, easy-to-pack (and quick) lunch idea: combine some caraway gouda with sliced kielbasa (seasoned Polish sausage) on some rye crackers. Add a quartered deli dill pickle and you could be having lunch in Germany! Add a little honey mustard to the mix for extra zing.
- Try bread other than sliced white! Expand your horizons with choices such as gourmet cheese bagel rolls, wraps, oversized pitas, rye and sesame flat crackers and muesli baguettes. The latter (and baguettes in general) are easy to assemble in a hurry, making one sandwich and cutting it four ways.