Do you have a teen returning to school? Or starting first year? As a mother of two teens, I have found that school lunches are a whole different ball game in secondary school compared to primary school.
Firstly, there are no strict guidelines on what can and cannot be in the school lunches. Only being allowed a “treat” on a Friday, no yoghurts (because they might stain the carpet) and no nuts are rules that are all gone out the window in secondary school, in my experience.
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Secondly, our teenagers have much more freedom. They may be allowed out of the school at lunchtime, there might be a canteen in school, or they might have money to buy their own food.
And thirdly, they are teenagers.
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The lure of the corner shop with its chicken fillet rolls, a whole packet of biscuits for less than €1 and noodles (a staple food of every teen I know!) might mean the school lunches that mammy makes are often no longer on the menu. The challenge is to make things at home that might resemble their favourite foods. These lunches need to be tasty and, most importantly, easy to prepare for my kids to buy into taking them to school.
Here are three recipes that might work for your teen’s school lunch box.
Chia seed jam
Peanut butter and jam sandwiches are all the rage in our house. By using 100 per cent peanut butter and chia seeds, this is actually a very nutritious lunch option.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
How to make it:
- Cook your raspberries over a low heat for about five minutes until they have gone all mushy.
- Add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the chia seeds and cook on a low heat for another five minutes or so. Again, add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
- When cooled, spoon into a clean, airtight jar.
- Great for the peanut butter and jam sandwiches, to top porridge or ice cream, or simply to eat from the jar!
Pizza bagels
Is there a teen out there who doesn’t like pizza? Maybe, but I’ve never met one. These are really easy to make, especially in the air fryer. They are best eaten warm, so if your teen has access to a microwave at school, you’re on the pig’s back. If not, they might be able to bring it in a food flask. For ease of transport, I suggest sandwiching the two pizza bagel halves back together, and then your teen can eat it like a normal bagel in all it’s pizza deliciousness!
Ingredients
- 1 wholemeal bagel, pre sliced
- 1-2 tbsp tablespoons tomato passata
- Large handful of grated mozzarella
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Toppings: ham, sweetcorn, chopped peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc
How to make them:
- Turn your grill on to medium, or get your air fryer out.
- Place your bagel halves, cut side up, on a baking tray.
- Spread the tomato passata over each half.
- Add whatever toppings desired.
- Divide the cheese between the two halves and sprinkle some oregano on top.
- Pop under the preheated grill for 3-5 minutes, or into your air fryer at 200 degrees for about 3 minutes (keep an eye on them so they don’t burn or dry out).
- When the cheese is melted and bubbling, take them out, allow to cool and sandwich them together. Pop in the lunch boxes.
Awesome chicken nugget wrap
Make these as an alternative to the ubiquitous chicken fillet roll. Make a large batch of them so they are on hand and ready for lunches – no excuses!
Ingredients
- 4 slices wholemeal bread
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 large or 2 small eggs
- 4 free-range Irish chicken breasts
- Wholemeal wraps or rolls
- Ketchup and mayonnaise
- Lettuce
- Chopped red onion
- Tomatoes
- Grated cheese
How to make it:
- For the breadcrumbs: Set the oven to 200 degrees and line a tray with baking paper.
- Tear the bread in half, put it in a blender and blend until you have breadcrumbs.
- Tip onto the baking paper and spread evenly on the tray.
- Pop into the oven and toast for five-seven minutes, turning once. When toasted, put into a bowl.
- You could also use panko breadcrumbs instead of doing this step
[ School lunches that your kids will actually want to eatOpens in new window ]
- For the chicken nuggets: Chop the chicken breasts into pieces.
- In a bowl, pop in your flour and mix in a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- In another bowl, crack your egg(s) and mix well.
- The third bowl has your breadcrumbs.
- Dip each piece of chicken into the flour first, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, making sure they’re fully coated. Place on the baking tray.
- When all the chicken is done, pop into warm oven (or air fryer) for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn pieces once after about 10 minutes.
- Assemble the chicken wrap or roll whatever way your teen fancies.
Ta-da…
Recipes taken from Deirdre Doyle’s children’s cookbook Chop, Cook, Yum. Deirdre Doyle is a food educator, children’s cookbook author, blogger and social media influencer