The Ultimate Backpack Lunch

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The Ultimate Backpack Lunch

Summer is coming to an end and the new school year is starting. With all the children returning to school, we are once again confronted with the issue of what to pack your child for lunch. If your children don't like the school lunches or you feel the need to pack a more nutritious lunch for your child you will run into the challenge of packing something different every day. The tips below will also help you pack a fabulous lunch for day hikes or day-long outings.

The ultimate backpack lunch should be nutritious simple and -- most importantly -- delicious. There are a few items which make packing backpack lunches much easier. Firstly, an insulated lunch box gives you much more leeway in items that you can pack. They keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold much more effectively than a brown paper bag. In addition, a good stainless steel thermos allows you to pack warm foods such as homemade soups and noodles.

An average backpack lunch usually contains a piece of fruit, maybe some vegetables, a sandwich, perhaps a snack and a treat. To make an average backpack lunch the ultimate backpack lunch you really only need to spice-up these items a bit. The ultimate backpack lunch is a packed lunch that you look forward to with delight rather than ambivalence.

Fruit
A balanced lunch should always contain fruit. Many packed lunches simply contain a whole piece of fruit. A simple method of spicing this up is to slice the fruit rather than packing the whole fruit. If you are slicing apples you should always remember to mix a slight amount of lemon juice with the apple slices, as this prevents them from going brown while waiting to be eaten.

Another excellent way to spice up the fruit portion of lunch is to use dried fruit instead of fresh fruit. Unsweetened dried fruits are healthy, but are more like a treat than many types of fruit. You can also find new types of fruit to pack in your lunches. I especially enjoy packing a kiwi, sliced in half, so I can eat the kiwi fruit out of the skin with a spoon.

Snack
Instead of packing potato chips or pretzels, try packing a nice trail mix. Nuts are a very healthy snack and are especially good for packed lunches as they provide plenty of energy. If you have the time, visit your local market's bulk food section. You can purchase your favorite types of nuts as well as dried fruits if you want something a little sweet. I suggest a mixture like this:

1/2 cup each peanuts, pecans, almonds, and walnuts
1/4 cup each raisins, golden raisins, dried halved apricots, dried pineapple pieces, and dried mango pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened banana chips
1/2 cup mixed dark chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and white chocolate chips

You can mix whichever types of ingredients you like best. If you or your children enjoy certain types of fruits and nuts, use more of these. When you mix up you trail mix, make enough to last for a week or so.

Another good snack idea is to pack yogurt and perhaps some granola. If you have some small plastic or glass containers, you can purchase a quart sized container of your favorite flavor of yogurt, then pack an individual serving of yogurt for lunch. Adding a small bag of granola adds a little more substance to the yogurt. I would suggest mixing banana-flavored yogurt with plain granola

Sandwich
You should try to make sure you pack a good serving of whole grains in your daily lunch. A nice alternative to the traditional sandwich is whole grain crackers. You can use your basic sandwich ingredients and eat them with crackers instead of bread. I enjoy sharp cheddar cheese and ham or salami. For the ultimate backpack lunch, make a nice tuna curry to spread on your favorite crackers.

Tuna Curry
12 oz tuna, drained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp curry powder

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Sautee the onion in the olive oil until it is soft. Add the garlic, tuna and curry powder. Continue to cook until the ingredients are mixed and thoroughly heated. You can serve this hot or cold, but it is especially good served warm on crackers. As always you should adjust this recipe to fit the flavors that you like best. The best way to find recipes you love is it to experiment with the ingredients and their proportions.

These are just a few simple suggestions that can spice-up any backpack lunch. I have also found that packing leftovers can be an enjoyable lunch. A thermos full of soup is a great lunch. I hope you can use a few of these suggestions to create a truly delicious backpack lunch.

Picnic Foods

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Picnic Foods

A picnic is a great way to share a meal with someone special in your favorite outdoor setting. You can make your picnic a romantic outing or a fun day in the sun with your friends and family. Picnic foods can be anything that you enjoy eating. Here are a few simple, easy and delightful picnic options.

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Lemonade
Lemonade is one of the classic summer drinks. The juxtaposition of tart and sweet gives this simple drink wonderfully complex flavor. It is a great refreshing drink to pack up in your picnic basket.

Approx. 6 lemons
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 to 6 cups cold water

Prepare simple syrup using 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Allow simple syrup to cool, and then refrigerate. Juice the lemons (you want about 1 cup of lemon juice).  You can strain the juice if you would like pulp-free lemonade. Combine lemon juice and simple syrup then dilute with cold water until desired flavor is reached, generally at about 4 to 6 cups cold water.

You can adjust the proportions of lemon juice to simple syrup to change the sweetness or tartness of the lemonade depending on what you like. If you really want to jazz up your lemonade for your picnic, crush fresh strawberries in the lemonade for a delicious strawberry-lemonade swirl.

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Fresh Fruit
Fresh fruit is a must for any picnic basket. It is a great addition for any meal and it is perfect for picnics. Fruit is easy since it requires almost no preparation. Combine several types of fruit for a simple fruit medley.

Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapes
Strawberries
Orange
Scant lemon juice

These are just a few of my favorite fruits to combine into a fruit salad. You can choose any fruits that you like. You can use more exotic fruits such as star fruit, kiwis or figs if you can find them at your local store. When satsumas are available, they are a great addition.

Peel and chop melons into about 1-in squares, or if you want something a little more decorative, use a melon-baller and make melon balls. Peel orange and cut into pieces. If you are using star fruit or kiwis, slice crosswise. Star fruit make very appealing star-shaped slices. Mix all fruit together in a bowl, leaving the strawberries and grapes whole. Tossing fruit with a little lemon juice will prevent any browning and keep fruits fresh. It also adds a nice flavor.

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Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Salad
This makes a great, fresh tasting salad that is simple to prepare and can be a great picnic dish. The recipe for this dish is very flexible, if you enjoy some flavors more than others you can adjust the recipe however you see fit.

Approx. 1-cup fresh small mozzarella balls
Approx. 1-cup cherry tomatoes
Approx. 10 small fresh basil leaves
1/4-cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain the mozzarella balls, and combine mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Drizzle the oil over the mixture, and add salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
Fresh green beans are one of the greatest pleasures of summer. This recipe makes a great salad, hot or cold.

Approx. 1lb fresh green beans, de-stemmed
5 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil

Pull the stems off the green beans and, if the beans are large, pull out the string from the beans. Drop beans in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, drain and plunge the beans into ice water. When the beans are cooled, heat olive oil in a skillet. Lightly sauté garlic in heated oil for a few seconds, and then add the green beans, stirring frequently until warm. Serve warm or cold. If you enjoy garlic, add a few more cloves, or less if you don't like the flavor of garlic.

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Sandwich
Sandwiches are an easy main dish for your picnic. I like to pack a few simple ingredients in my picnic basket, so I can put together my sandwich during the picnic. I enjoy very simple cheese and meat sandwiches, so I don't have to worry too much about items that need to be kept cold at all times.

Sourdough baguette
Cheese
Sliced meat

Choose your favorite combination of meat and cheese, pack with a fresh baguette and a knife. Slice your bread and make yourself a tasty sandwich for your picnic lunch.

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Graham Cracker and Frosting Sandwiches
Finish off your delicious picnic meal with a sweet treat. Sometimes the simplest desert can be the best, and for a picnic, simple is generally the best to pack into your basket. One of my favorite sweet treats is graham cracker and chocolate frosting sandwiches. All you need is a box of graham crackers and some frosting. You can use purchased frosting or you can make it yourself at home and bring it with you.

For the frosting, you will need:
1/3-cup butter, softened
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
11/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk

Allow the chocolate to cool after melting. Combine the butter and chocolate and mix thoroughly, then mix in the sugar. Add the vanilla and milk to the butter and chocolate.  Beat until the frosting is smooth.

Pack a container of frosting with a spreading knife. To prepare a sandwich break a graham cracker in half, spread some frosting on one half and place the other half of the cracker on top. Squish together and enjoy!

Cool and Refreshing Dishes

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Cool and Refreshing Dishes

On the hottest days of summer, turning on the stove and cooking a meal doesn't sound too fun. Instead try a couple of these cool and refreshing dishes. The secret to the best refreshing dishes is using the freshest ingredients you can find.

Melon Balls
Melon balls are a great starter to a summer meal; they are also fun to prepare.

You need:
1 melon-baller
Assorted melons
Mint sprigs for garnish

You can use any type of melon that you like. Cantaloupe is one of my favorites. You can also use different types of melons if you want a colorful and tasty appetizer. Cut the melons in half and seed them. Use the melon-baller and make as many melon balls as you can. Don't worry about making perfectly round melon balls; the shape doesn't change the flavor of the melon. Mix all the balls in a large bowl and place the sprigs of mint decoratively on top as garnish. To add a little pizazz to your melon (for the over 21 crowd) pour a little vodka over the melon balls and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!

Tomato and Pesto Sandwiches
Tomato and Pesto sandwiches are a simple and refreshing meal, great for a hot day. You can use store-bought tomatoes and pesto for a quick meal. This treat is the most rewarding when you have grown your fresh tomatoes and prepared your own pesto.

Pesto: This is a relatively loose recipe; you can alter the measurements depending on how you like your pesto.

1 1/2 cups fresh basil
1/4-cup pine nuts
2 gloves garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2-cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Homemade pesto also freezes well for use later.

Sandwiches: You can use however much of each ingredient you like depending on how many people are there for dinner. Also, you should choose whichever types of cheese you enjoy with tomatoes and pesto. Brie and goat cheese  both have excellent flavor and spread easily.

French baguette
Large tomatoes
Pesto
Brie
Goat cheese

Slice the baguette into 1/4in rounds. Very lightly oil and toast in 350-degree oven for approximately 10 minutes. The bread slices should be very lightly toasted. Slice tomatoes into thick rounds. To serve, place each ingredient individually on the table. To eat, spread some pesto and cheese on a piece of toast and top with a tomato slice, then enjoy as many as you like. These sandwiches are also excellent with just pesto and cheese for those who don't like tomatoes.

Fruity Chocolate Popsicles
Popsicles are a very refreshing dessert to finish off you summer meal. This recipe makes a great fruity chocolate popsicle. You can also put this recipe into a mold for a frozen desert. For a delicious smoothie, replace the milk with yogurt, and add a little more sugar to make the recipe sweet enough for a smoothie. Adjust quantities, keeping proportions the same, to make enough for the number of popsicles you want. Double the recipe to fill a 1-quart mold.

1 small ripe banana
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons coca


Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze until frozen through. When ready, remove from mold and enjoy.