Lunch Box Salads

Salads are great for lunch boxes, but for them to be a success they have to be packed well and have to have dressing.

Ingredients

• A largish size rectangular plastic container with lid. This is for the salad.
• A small plastic container to fit into the above larger container. This is for the ‘protein’ component of the salad.
• Disposable/recyclable container with lid (like those tiny containers you get your condiments in when you buy take-away Asian food). This is for the salad dressing.
• Different dressings. Make these for the week, put them in little containers or jars with lids and store them in the fridge. They will keep for a week.
  • Oil and vinegar
  • Beetroot and yoghurt
  • Chick pea and tahini
  • Yoghurt and garlic
• Make a salad with as many as possible of the following vegetables. Toss well.
  • Lettuce
  • Baby spinach leaves
  • Grated carrot
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Onions
  • Snow peas
  • Grated beetroot
  • Capsicum
  • Avocado
  • Baby rocket
  • Red cabbage, etc., etc.
• Have different ‘protein’ components for the salads handy so that you can pack different ones through the week. The following are good examples of what you can pack.
  • Tuna
  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Cold roast beef
  • Cold grilled chicken
  • Cold lentils
  • Canned mixed beans (drained and rinsed)
  • Canned chick peas (drained and rinsed)
  • Cold roast lamb, etc., etc.

Method

1. Now, the following simple steps will give you a perfectly packed lunch box.
2. Portion the protein component of the salad into its container and place it into the larger salad container, towards one side.
3. Portion the salad vegetables into the remaining space of the salad container.
4. Place the ‘dressing’ container on one corner of the salad.
5. Wrap a paper napkin around a plastic fork, seal it in a small freezer bag (or similar plastic bag) and place it on top of the salad. Close the container tightly with its lid.
6. You can pack the lunch boxes in the evening and store them in the fridge.