Name: How to Turn 3 Simple Items Into A Week of Healthy Lunchboxes | Add Some Veg
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How to Turn 3 Simple Items Into A Week of Healthy Lunchboxes | Add Some Veg

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Skip to contentHealthy lunchboxes. Can you feel your heartbeat rising as you contemplate those words?Packing a healthy lunchbox can feel like a stressful task, but the truth is, once you’ve got the basics covered and have taken a few mins to plan ahead, it can be very simple.To show you just how simple, I wanted to show you how I make varied, balanced, healthy lunchboxes for a week from 3 cooked items (and a handful of pre-prepped or simple prepped ones). This is the formula I use almost every week!Let’s start with the 3 basic recipes:I personally love cooking a whole free-range chicken in my InstantPot in just 45 mins. It still amazes me I can do that! This is the recipe I use.Not got an InstantPot? The next easiest way is to stick a whole chicken (or 2 if your crock pot is big enough) into a slow cooker and leave it to cook on Low for 6-8 hours like this recipe.Or stick with tradition and pop a whole chicken in your oven at 200C/400F/gas 6 for 1.5-2 hours (depending on the size of the chicken) like this recipe.Once you have your roasted chicken, remove the meat from the carcass and slice thinly or shred. Keep in the fridge for a few days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. (PS: Don’t throw out the carcass – stick it in a large stockpot or saucepan and cover with water, chuck in some veg scraps like carrot ends, onion bits and celery hearts and add a little salt, pepper and a splash of cider vinegar, then cover with water and simmer for 4-6+ hours to make your own chicken stock for the soup!)For a veggie alternative, soak some dried beans of your choice overnight in water with a splash of cider vinegar, then drain and rinse and cook in an InstantPot following instructions for soaked beans, in a slow cooker on High for 2-4 hours (they should be cooked but not soft enough to squash), or in a large pan of water simmered for 30 mins-1.5 hours (check packaging to be sure for the different kinds of beans).You can, of course, use whatever soup recipes you love (I make soup ALL THE TIME as it’s so easy, a crowd-pleaser, dirt cheap, and simple to eat out of the house). I have a whole Pinterest board just for soups here.For a basic, adaptable soup recipe (that serves about 8) however, you will usually have about 2kg (4ish lbs) of a mix of veg and potatoes (I sometimes use sweet potatoes instead of white ones here to give it starchiness but also more serves of veg) and about 2l-4l (8-16 cups) of liquid like stock (I almost always use homemade – see above) as in this recipe. You can definitely make it without potatoes, and can vary the amounts easily. I find it always best to start with less stock/water/coconut milk and add more at the end to thin, as it’s much easier to thin it out at the end than try to thicken it back up (plus, my family loves a soup thick enough to spread on toast!).Muffins are almost always a winner with kids, and are infinitely adaptable (not to mention portable!). Yes, you could make or buy cooked grains or wholegrain/sourdough bread here easily, and feel free to sub. But I know what a popular food muffins are for kids, and they are super easy to make!Make up a batch of 12 muffins (or double-batch and freeze them for later weeks) and add in plenty of grated, cooked and chopped veggies, fresh or dried herbs, and some meat/cheese if you like. I love using this recipe as a base and playing with our favourite add ins.Here’s the plan:Day 1: Savoury muffin(s) + fresh fruit + raw veg on the side (optional extra: plain yogurt with cinnamon, some cheese or some cooked meat/beans for protein)Day 2: Soup in a Thermos + a savoury muffin (or slice of wholegrain bread) + fresh fruit and/or veg on the side (optional extra: add some cheese with the bread)Day 3: Cooked chicken (or beans) in a wholegrain wrap with shredded lettuce or mixed salad leaves, sliced avocado, a little mayo or mustard and some halved cherry tomatoes + fresh fruit on the side (I used plain Greek yogurt and unsweetened applesauce I had frozen in portions)Day 4: Soup in a Thermos + a handful of tortilla crisps (chips) that are good quality/minimal ingredient + whole fruit and/or veg on the sideDay 5: Cooked chicken (or beans) stirred into pre-cooked grains (shop-bought or home-cooked) with fresh veggies and a simple dressing made from mustard, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil + fresh fruit and/or veg on the sideThis is just one option – you can reimagine these simple items in many different ways with different dips, dressings, grains, and combinations. You can use pre-chopped and prepped fruit &amp; veg or take a few mins to do your own chopping on Sunday for the week ahead while the chicken and muffins are baking and the soup’s bubbling on the stove.Play around with the different ingredients by swapping out chicken for cooked free-range sausages, tinned fish, cooked tempeh, or your favourite protein. Swap the muffins for a loaf of homemade or good-quality wholegrain bread or some cooked grains.The possibilities are endless. Make sure you share with us some of your own favourite ways to re-think this basic formula over on Instagram and tag @addsomeveg .Just starting out with healthier lunchboxes and need some quick tips to really nail it? Try 6 Foolproof Steps to a Healthy Lunchbox in Minutes!Sometimes going sugar free or trying to cut back on your sugar intake can feel totally overwhelming, especially once you start to realise just how much hidden sugar there is in your food. To help make the initial steps a bit easier, I have compiled a list of some of the simplest sugar free swaps…While my daughter may happily munch through a sandwich with a few salad leaves added in, my son loves to take every food I lovingly make for him and pull it apart into its elements. Seriously, even pizza gets eaten in parts: toppings, cheese, then crust. And if I dare to put some spinach leaves…Yum. Oh sorry, I mean YUM. YUM.YUM.YUM. Ok, you get the idea. There is something so totally-not-healthy-in-any-way and majorly guilt-inducing in a completely delicious kind of way about BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. I almost didn’t touch them, because it doesn’t feel like the kind of thing that should be&nbsp;allowed to be made more healthy. Like…A healthier low sugar take on a classic hazelnut chocolate spread, this recipe is made from just 5 ingredients (6 if you want to include some unnoticeable veg!) in 1 minute. Yep, you read that right. Hands up if you love chocolate spread! Let’s face it, we all have our hands up right now, right?…Sometimes it feels like this time of year is just a string of relentless sugar-laden parties and over-exuberant marketing to children. Don’t get me wrong, I love this time of year. And the tips I gathered for my Party Survival Course for Low Sugar Families certainly help make this a far less stressful season. But…This no-knead bread is really quick and easy. It is perfect for first time bread-makers or those who are short on time. It’s very hands off, takes 90 minutes start-to-finish, and is a wholegrain bread that is low in gluten if you choose to use spelt flour. I grew up with the smell of freshly…Hello,I’d love to know where your little thermos pots are from?Thanks 🙂ReplyThis site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.HI! I'M CLAIRE!I believe that you don't have to spend all day in the kitchen to create healthy food your family will actually eat.Find out more here.

Skip to contentHealthy lunchboxes. Can you feel your heartbeat rising as you contemplate those words?Packing a healthy lunchbox can feel like a stressful task, but the truth is, once you’ve got the basics covered and have taken a few mins to plan ahead, it can be very simple.To show you just how simple, I wanted to show you how I make varied, balanced, healthy lunchboxes for a week from 3 cooked items (and a handful of pre-prepped or simple prepped ones). This is the formula I use almost every week!Let’s start with the 3 basic recipes:I personally love cooking a whole free-range chicken in...

How to Turn 3 Simple Items Into A Week of Healthy Lunchboxes | Add Some Veg

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