Lunch packing tips

Yana Kalwani, Co-Founder of Pantry Café and mother of two, shares her school lunch packing tips.

• Balance healthy with fun: In kids’ minds healthy = boring. Challenge this perception by introducing healthy snacks. Try adding a couple of baked crisps or a whole wheat cookie to go with their fruits. I bake Banana muffins using whole wheat flour and flax meal or oats. Other fun items that my kids like to find in their lunch boxes include popcorn, edamame with rock salt, Actimel and strawberries with cream.
• Get your kids involved: Having your child help out in the kitchen makes sure they feel good about what they are eating. Getting them involved in the planning process and allowing them to choose from a couple of (healthy) options ensures that they know what to expect in their lunch boxes and gives them a sense of ownership for their own healthy choices.
• Don’t experiment: I never add new/experimental dishes in their lunch boxes that they haven’t tried before. If there is a recipe that I would like to introduce to them, I’ll first serve it at home a couple of times before packing it in their lunch box. Kids are fussy eaters and sometimes get intimidated when trying new foods.
• Prepare a weekly meal planner: A weekly planner helps to ensure that all daily nutrient requirements are met. A planner also comes in handy when doing your weekly grocery shop: I make sure to plan ahead to pack enough carbs for each day to help them get the extra energy they need at school.
• Leave notes: These are a great way to reassure your child that you are thinking about them while they are away from home. After a certain age, lunch time for kids becomes about more than just eating - they are also learning to socialise with other children. Throwing a joke or a riddle into their lunch box allows them to share a laugh with their friends or to break the ice with new peers.

Tasty treats for tots

Cheesy Spinach Quesadillas

Pantry Café makes cooking for the kids that much easier with this great kids’ recipe, also available on the Pantry Café menu for Dhs 25. This delicious dish takes less than 30 minutes to make and is the easiest way to get your kids to eat their greens. #heygoodliving!

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas

200g baby spinach

100g corn kernels

50g grated cheddar cheese (or ricotta cheese for a lighter version)

30g green onion

3g ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Heat a large non stick pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with a little olive oil. Sweat the green onion for 2 minutes, add the baby spinach and corn and sauté until the spinach wilts. Add cumin and season to taste.
3. Remove from the heat. Brush one side of the tortillas with oil. Place tortillas - coated side down - on a large baking sheet. Top evenly with sautéed spinach mixture and cheese. Fold tortillas in half over filling, pressing firmly.
4. Bake at 200C for 10 minutes or until tortillas are crisp and cheese melts. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with your favourite dip or tomato salsa.

Easy Chicken Tenders

Pantry Café makes cooking for the kids that much easier with this great kids’ recipe, also available on the Pantry Café menu for Dhs 30.

This tasty dish is always popular with the little ones, and surprisingly easy to make yourself. It is also a healthy alternative to quick ‘microwave-meals’ if you make it yourself, as you can ensure the chicken, milk and eggs you use are all fresh, organic and free of antibiotics and preservatives. #heygoodliving!

Ingredients:

400g boneless, skinless chicken breasts

40g butter

150g breadcrumbs

50g Parmesan

100g flour

1 egg, beaten

a splash of milk

a pinch of salt and pepper

Method:

1. Set the oven to 200C . Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over low heat. Add breadcrumbs and slowly stir until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer in a shallow bowl and leave to cool down. Stir in the grated Parmesan.
3. Set up a breading station by putting three shallow bowls on counter. Fill first bowl with flour, second bowl with egg and milk seasoned with salt and pepper, and third bowl with breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan.
4. Lay down a layer of wax paper on top of a large cutting board. Place a chicken breast on the wax paper and cover it with another layer of wax paper (slit thick chicken breasts horizontally approximately two-thirds the way through the breast). Begin pounding the chicken with the meat mallet, starting in the centre or if you don’t have a meat mallet, you can pound the breast with a rolling pin. Pound lightly around the centre. Then, move out to the sides of the breast.
5. Continue pounding until the chicken breast is uniformly flattened. Lift the top layer of wax paper off of the chicken and cut it into strips or bite size.
6. Dip the chicken in the flour bowl, shake off the excess and dip in the egg mixture then roll in breadcrumbs, coating thoroughly. Press breadcrumbs into chicken and place on a wire rack.
7. Once all chicken pieces are breaded, spray chicken with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil. Bake for 10 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature of 75 degrees).
8. Serve straight up or with your favourite dipping sauce.

Pantry Café is located at Wasl Square (04-3883868) and at Bay Square, Business Bay (04-5587161). Visit www.pantrycafe.me.