Back to School Week

Isn’t it hard to get back into the routine after such a long summer break?

Getting those packed lunches sorted and of course the snacks ready when the hordes come streaming through the door declaring: “I’m starving…….what have we got to eat?”

And while this summer’s washout weather has meant we haven’t exactly been queueing up to buy barbecues, the summer now feels officially “over” now the children are heading back to school……

Now could be a good time to shake up your usual meals and try something different, we can all get into that rut of making the same thing (and sometimes even on the same day!) every week….If you normally pop the same stuff in the lunchbox, why not mix it up a bit? How about, instead of cheese or ham, a bit of crispy coated chicken in a wrap? It can be kept healthy with lots of salad – pile in the lettuce, tomato and cucumber and it’s delicious. To keep it crispy, and make it lots of fun, you could even keep the elements separate until it’s time to eat – a “build your own” lunch!

Healthy snacks that won’t spoil an appetite are always hard to think of – it can be very tempting to hand over a biscuit (while of course grabbing one for yourself!). Hummus and breadsticks, carrot sticks, celery and sliced peppers are all crunchy, satisfying and really tasty.

And what about dinner itself? Why not try a delicious macaroni cheese – there’s loads you can do with it to make it different….we like to give ours a crunchy topping either with a mix of breadcrumbs, cheese and a little butter or you could try something to give it an extra spice like mixing some crumbled up bhaji with your breadcrumbs? You could form the mac and cheese into little balls, bread it and deep fry (serve with LOTS of veggies to keep it a bit healthier!). And make extra cheese sauce and freeze in bags – it keeps really well and can be used as a topping for cheesy veg like cauliflower or broccoli.

And you never know……the weekend might be sunny and we’ll get a chance to dust off that barbecue……

For some great kid-friendly food ideas visit BBC Good Food.

About Neil Shaefer

Marketing & Communications Executive of SK Foods.

Your food. Our Passion.

View all posts by Neil Shaefer | https://www.skfoods.co.uk