School Lunch Box Recipes‏

The kind folks over at Roberts Bakery have sent me over some fantastic school lunch box recipes to share with you. Robert's Bakery teamed up with top nutritionist Dr Carina Norris to produce a series of top tips and simple and healthy recipes to make kids lunch boxes more fun.

FISH AND CHIP BUTTY

Serves 4

Fish fingers are just as good cold – dare i say better?

I’ve mixed mayonnaise with fat-free Greek yoghurt in this recipe – this gives a creamier taste than the salad cream I used in the egg mayo recipe. If you prefer a tangier flavour, then use salad cream.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices Roberts medium white bread
• 8 fish fingers
• A few low-fat oven chips
• 3 tbsp fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper
• Some crispy leaves of Iceberg lettuce, or rocket

Method:

Grill the fish fingers, cook the oven chips, and leave to cool. Combine the fat-free Greek yogurt and mayonnaise, and season with the salt and pepper. Lay out two slices of bread and spread with the yogurt mixture. Lay 2 fish fingers and a few chips on each slice of bread. Top with some lettuce leaves, and cover with the lids of the sandwiches.

ADD A TWIST: Add some thinly sliced gherkins OR mix some tartare sauce with the fat-free Greek yoghurt, instead of the mayonnaise or salad cream.

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING 

Serves 4

This sweet treat goes down particularly well with children!

I think ‘Thunder and Lightning’ is originally an American idea (though I'm happy to be corrected!).

I’m a big fan of adding nuts and seeds to sandwiches, as well as all my cooking. Not only do they add crunch, they’re also rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

Pumpkin  seeds are particularly good for the immune-boosting mineral zinc.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of Roberts 50% White 50% Wholemeal bread
• A tub of low-fat cream cheese
• 3 level tbsp treacle
• 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds 

Method:

Split the rolls and spread with a generous layer of low-fat cream cheese. Spread a thin layer of treacle on top. Sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds, and top with the bread rolls’ lids.

ADD A TWIST: Add a few thin slices of cucumber.

SLT

Serves 4

If you’re a fan of a classic BLT, try our healthy version of the SLT – sausage, lettuce and tomato.

Sausages are usually high in fat, especially unhealthy saturated fat – that’s why we've used low-fat or vegetarian sausages. But as a treat you could use a ‘premium’ sausage with the highest possible meat content.

Ingredients:

• 4 Roberts 50% White 50% Wholemeal rolls
• 8 low-fat sausages, or vegetarian sausages
• 3 tbsp fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 4 tomatoes, sliced
• 2 Little gem lettuces
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Grill the sausages, leave to cool, then slice lengthways. Combine the fat-free Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. Split the bread rolls and spread with the yoghurt and mayonnaise. Share out the sausage slices between the rolls. Lay the tomato slices on top of the sausage. Season with the pepper. Separate the lettuces into leaves and lay them on top of the tomatoes – you may not need all of the lettuce. Top the rolls with their lids. 

SUNSHINE SANDWICH

 Serves 4

Traditional cheese sandwiches are high in fat and salt – ours is lower, because the cheese is bulked out with the carrots and other ingredients, so you don’t need so much. The carrots, raisins and sunflower seeds also give you a nutrient boost.

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which the body can convert to vitamin A.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of Roberts 50% White 50% Wholemeal bread
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 100g reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• Low-fat olive spread

Method:

Combine the carrots, cheese, raisins and sunflower seeds. Split the rolls and spread with low-fat olive spread. Fill with the carrot mixture.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM

Serves 4

Make the most of the strawberry season with this ‘cream tea in a roll’.

Black pepper and strawberries may sound strange, but give it a try - it works.

I wanted to make a ‘fruity’ sandwich, and I’d seen a dessert using fresh strawberries  with a dash of black pepper. I thought this would transfer well to a sandwich, but needed something creamy to set off the sweet and sharp flavours. Cottage cheese or soft/cream cheese were perfect.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of Roberts 50% White 50% Wholemeal bread
• Approximately 8 - 10 good-sized strawberries, sliced
• 1 – 2 tubs cream cheese (as much as you like, that will fit in the rolls!)
• Iceberg lettuce (try to use the whiter, crispier leaves. Although they’re less nutritious, they give more ‘crunch’ in this dish)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Split the rolls and lay some of the lettuce leaves on the bottom layers. Drain the cream cheese to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Add a generous layer of cottage cheese, and top with strawberry slices. Season with a generous grind of black pepper, then replace the lids of the rolls.

NUTTY NANAS

Makes 2 rounds of sandwiches

I think these are sweet enough without the honey, but if you’ve got a particularly sweet tooth, then feel free to include it. Peanut butter is a good source of protein. Try to use a brand that’s as low as possible in added salt and sugar.

This is another sandwich that’s delicious toasted.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of Roberts 50% White 50% Wholemeal bread
• 2 small bananas (approx.)
• Crunchy peanut butter
• A couple of teaspoons honey (optional)

Method:

Spread two slices of the bread with the peanut butter. Thinly slice the banana, then lay on top (use more than one layer if you like). Drizzle with honey, if using. Top with the other slices of bread

ADD A TWIST: Use almond butter instead of the peanut butter. Because this isn’t as crunchy as peanut butter, add some flaked almonds on top of the banana.

ADD A TWIST: Use maple syrup instead of the honey

Facts About Bread

1. Roberts 50% White 50% Wholemeal bread contains protein, complex carbohydrates, calcium, iron and the B vitamins - thiamin, niacin and a little riboflavin.

2. Bread provides more protein, iron, B vitamins and complex carbohydrates per penny than any other food.

3. It is the major source of fibre in our diet, providing a quarter of our daily intake.

4. All white bread in the UK is fortified with calcium because of mandatory flour fortification laws.

5. It contains very little fat and virtually no sugar.