Back to School, Tasty Treats

Delicious food ideas for children to enjoy at school See recipes below

The summer holidays are over and its back to school time for the kids. But just because holiday fun time is over doesnt mean school lunches cant be enjoyable and nutritious.

Finding meals that children will want to eat can often be challenging and frustrating for parents, so to help out weve compiled a range of tasty treats that your children are sure to love.

These delicious grain-based recipe ideas mean you can rest easy knowing youve provided your child with a tasty, healthy and nutritious lunch box to see them through the school day.

Grain-based foods give children the physical energy and mental fuel they need to keep them active and alert throughout the school day. Foods such as multi-grain breads, wholemeal pitas and wholegrain rolls are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals and are a great source of healthy carbohydrates - providing children with energy for physical activity, healthy growth and good brain function.

How many servings?

A healthy diet should contain at least four serves of grain-based foods each day. Examples of one serve are: two slices of bread, one cup of cooked rice or pasta, or just over a cup of flaked breakfast cereal.

If you try the recipes provided below, youll be helping your family reach the recommended four plus servings of grain-based foods every day.

Lunch Time, Fun Time!

Make lunch time fun time for children and encourage them to help out in the kitchen by creating kid friendly sandwiches that let them play with their food! By incorporating an element of play into your childs lunchbox, theyll look forward to eating and might even help you make their lunch.

Here are some helpful tips to make lunch time fun time:

Include the children in your shopping trip and let them pick their favourite sandwich fillings.

Look out for brightly coloured vegetables like shinny red tomatoes or vibrant yellow capsicums.

Help your children create crazy sandwich faces by using sandwich toppings in the shape of facial features such as lettuce for hair, a nut for a nose and olives for eyes. You could even sprinkle some poppy seeds in for freckles!

Try cutting your childs sandwich into different shapes, like circles or triangles, to make them more interesting for children to eat.

Below we have prepared a range of appetising meals and snacks your children can enjoy throughout the day - including a tasty tabbouli pita pocket, a delicious rolled tuna sandwich for lunch, and scrumptious spiced scones.

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Tasty Tuna Sandwich

Preparation time: 5 min.
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1 slice Bakers Delight Wholemeal loaf
1 tablespoon reduced fat cream cheese
1 small tin of drained plain or flavoured tuna (in springwater or brine)
1/2 small grated carrot
1/2 small grated cucumber
Handful of lettuce leaves, (washed & trimmed)


Method:

1. Spread slices of Bakers Delight Wholemeal loaf with cream cheese, plain or flavoured tuna, grated carrot, cucumber and lettuce.

2. Roll and secure with a toothpick or plastic wrap.

NB: Cutting the crusts will make rolling easier

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Rice Tabbouli in Pita Pockets

Preparation time: 10 min.
Cooking time: 90 seconds
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
250g packet Sun Rice Microwave Brown Rice
1 red onion, finely diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch continental parsley, chopped
1/2 bunch mint, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 wholemeal pita pockets
Mixed lettuce leaves, to serve

Method:

1. Place rice in the microwave and cook on high for 90 seconds. Place in a bowl.

2. Add onion, tomato, parsley, mint, lemon juice and oil and mix well.

3. Serve in pita bread with mixed leaves.

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Spiced Scones

Preparation time: 10 min.
Cooking time: 20 min.
Serves: 12

Ingredients:
2 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
30g reduced-fat margarine
1 & 1/4 cups Kelloggs® Just Right® Original, crushed
¾ cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon skim milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to very hot (240°C/220°C fan-forced).

2. Grease a 22cm-round cake pan.

3. Sift flour, sugar, bicarbonate soda and spices into a large bowl.

4. Rub in margarine with fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in Kelloggs® Just Right® Original.

5. Pour in juice and enough of the water to mix to a soft sticky dough.

6. Gently knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth; use hands to flatten out dough to 3cm thickness.

7. Cut twelve 5cm rounds from dough; place rounds, slightly touching, in prepared pan. Brush each scone with a little of the milk.

8. Bake, uncovered, in very hot oven about 20 minutes or until browned lightly; turn scones onto wire rack.

9. Serve scones warm with reduced-fat margarine and your favourite spread.



For more information on grains for a healthy lifestyle, and more recipe ideas for the family, visit: www.gograins.com.au