Lunch Box ideas

A day on the tractor or out on the hill needs to be accompanied by a nice full lunch box. I sometimes feel like the farmer must get bored with the same old things in his lunch but he assures me that he would eat B&E pie every meal if I let him!

Despite my feeling of a severe lack in creativity most days, I have compiled a list of some of the ideas I use for work lunches. We don't have any little people in our house, but these would be great for school lunches too (smaller portions that what the farmer gets tho!?).

Please do not be under the illusion that I am up at 5am each morning creating great feasts for the farmer, most days he gets sent with a water bottle and a frozen slice of Bacon and Egg pie (given the lack of complaints, I assume it defrosts by lunch time).

Morning tea:

• savoury and sweet muffins
• scones (cheese, savoury or date)
• banana bread
• un-iced cake (make one on the weekend, slice and freeze ready to be thrown in the lunch box)
• pikelets with butter and jam

Fruit:

• Anything as long as it is in season
• I sometimes put a handful of frozen berries in a drink bottle of water. It makes the water taste good, keep cold (for a while anyway) and you are getting some of the goodies out of it in each sip!

Sandwich fillings:  
Don't forget to change the type of bread that you use, ciabatta is great and so is Turkish and home-made is best!

• Vegemite & cheese
• Steak leftover from BBQ with some lettuce and onion relish
• boiled egg mashed with a little egg mayonnaise, season and add some fresh, finely chopped chives and/or parsley
• canned tuna mashed with a little whole egg mayonnaise, squeeze of lemon juice and fresh, finely chopped parsley
• grated cheese and grated carrot and a light spread of avocado
• leftovers – chicken, roast beef, corned beef, meatballs, rissoles or sliced sausages
• Sliced sausages, cheese and red capsicum
• chicken leftovers go well with just some avocado or mayo and salad leaves
• chicken, mayonnaise and a yummy salad of lettuce, tomato and grapes
• cream cheese, grated carrot and shredded lettuce
• hummus, sliced tomato, grated carrot and salad leaves
• bacon, lettuce, tomato with a light spread of avocado (the farmer likes cheese with this)
• sliced ham and cheese with thinly sliced pickled onions
• ricotta, semi sun-dried tomatoes and rocket leaves
• mix some fresh herbs into cottage cheese and top with ham or chicken
• cheese and honey (yes, together! Go on, try it- I dare you!)
• sliced leftover corned beef with some BBQ sauce and rocket leaves
• sliced left over corned beef with wholegrain mustard
• banana and honey (this is best made fresh, but making the honey sandwich and adding the banana later works fine too)
• Ham, cream cheese and capsicum & apricot chutney
• tomato relish and cheese

Sandwich alternatives:

• make a big pasta salad and it will last for a couple of days
• leftover pasta tossed with some cooked bacon, halved cherry tomatoes and grated cheese
• leftover pasta, diced ham, cooked corn kernels, grated cheese and a little mayo
• fresh spring rolls – shredded chicken, bean sprouts, grated carrot, crushed peanuts and fresh coriander and mint
• bread cups – butter bread and place into a muffin tin hole, butter side down to use as the pastry for a mini quiche. Great fillings are bacon and egg, corn cheese and bacon, leek, spinach and egg
• home-made sausage rolls
• ploughman's lunch – bread roll, cubes of cheese, sliced corned beef, sticks of carrot and dip
• Frittatas, quiches or vegetable slices
• Cold meat patties left over from a BBQ with some cheese slices and tomato sauce
• hot soups or leftovers in little flasks for cold Winter days

Govino glasses-must have in the Susie's bag!

These glasses are the best darn thing I have got on to lately, I can't think of how many times I have been boating with a good bottle of Central Otago Pinot Noir and felt like a criminal as I poured it into a plastic cup, or been camping and broken the last of the glasses!? There is a list of stockists here http://www.bytheglass.co.nz/ so check it out and get some of these before you head to your next BBQ!!
P.S I do not get paid to endorse stuff but would be open to the idea.....

Enjoy xx
A

Beetroot Relish

This is a sweet relish with a hint of spice- perfection when served with cold meat or cheese. Admittedly the chopping is a bit tiresome but the effort is very much worth it in the result.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.35kg (3lb) raw beetroot
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 450g (1lb) shallots finely chopped
• 600ml cider or white wine vinegar
• 1 Tblsp pickling spices in a muslin pickling/spice bag
• 450g (1lb) granulated sugar- use what you have, white is fine

METHOD:

Put the beetroot (with skin on) in a preserving pan or a large heavy based, stainless steel saucepan. Pour over enough water to cover them, add the caster sugar. Bring them to the boil and then simmer for an hour or until the beetroot is soft and cooked. Drain and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and dice into small neat pieces.
Put the shallots and vinegar in the rinsed out preserving pan or saucepan and cook for 10 minutes ona  low heat. Add the chopped beetroot and the muslin bag of spices. Give the mixture a stir, add the sugar and cook gently until the sugar has all dissolved. Bring to the boiland cook at a rolling boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
Remove the spice bag and ladle (usually with great difficulty!) into warm sterilised jars with vinegar proof lids. Fill them all the way to the top so that there are no air gaps. Seal, label (pretty labels of course) and store in a cool dark place. Allow the flavours to mature for about a month and pop it in the fridge once you open it.

TIPS:

• If you want to save time, you can cook the beets the night before so they are cold when you want to get started
• Add some corriander seeds or a fresh chopped chilli with the shaloots for an extra spice flavour
• remember to try and 'top and tail' the beets without cutting into the flesh too much because otherwise they bleed into the water when you cook them and the colour of your relish wont be as good.

Beetroot Chutney

This is a recipe that is fast to make because there is no hand chopping you use the food processor or mincer and then throw it all in the pot. I love making beetroot chutney, it makes an absolute mess and you can threaten the farmer that no one would notice if you chopped him up and put him in with the chutney if he doesn't do as he is told!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lb beetroot
• 1/2 lb onions
• 1 lb sugar
• 1 Tblsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups vinegar (I use apple cider, but white is good too)
• 1/2 cup of vinegar (yes as well as the 3 1/2cups)
• 1 Tblsp flour
• 1 tsp allspice

METHOD:

Put beetroot and onions through the mincer or put through food processor with the grater/chopper attachment. Put onions and beetroot in a saucepan with all of the remaining ingredients (except for the flour and 1/2 cup of vinegar) and boil for half an hour. Mix the flour and remaining vinegar together and add gradually to the beetroot. Boil for a further 5minutes and the mixture will thicken slightly. Coll a little and then bottle and boil.

TIPS:

• You can replace the allspice with a spice bag in muslin

Rachel Keeley's yeast free pizza base

Rachel and I flatted together when we went to Lincoln University and this pizza was such a good way of feeding the boys in the flat for cheap and really fast to try and stop them emptying the fridge before dinner!! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Cups flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3-4 Tblsp Butter
• 3/4 Cup milk 

METHOD:

Mix all of the ingredients together and then kneed the dough until you can roll it out easily. Roll it to the shape/size of your tray.  Then put your toppings on and bake at 250 degree Celsius until cooked.

TIPS: 
I always bake the base for two or three minutes before putting on the topping because I like it crunchy, but you don't have to.
Don't forget that cold pizza makes for a great lunch box filler too. 

Watch this space- just need to convince the farmer we need a pizza oven......
xx A