What's for lunch? How many times have you heard this during lockdown, only to find yourself eating the same old boring sandwiches?
We've been trying to vary things a little, without necessarily spending too much time in the kitchen.
Here we share some of our family favourite easy lunchtime recipes and ideas, which both the kids and adults have enjoyed.
*Click on the images for full recipes*
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Baked Potatoes
For the perfect crispy baked potato: wrap the potatoes in foil, place in the oven (190/170Fan/Gas5) for 90 minutes, remove the foil, then return the potatoes to the oven for a further 30 minutes to crisp up the skin.
As my family all seem to be on a different timescale when it comes to lunches, I've found this one a lifesaver, as it's easy to keep the potatoes warm until required. Plus, everyone can have their preferred filling. Some of our favourites include:
- Beans, cheese, or combination
- Tuna Mayonnaise with Sweetcorn
- Coleslaw
- Chilli & Cheese (using leftover chilli from an evening meal)
- Or, much to my disgust - one of our teens likes a Tuna, Beans and Cheese combo!
Although a bit more work is required, these loaded potato skins always go down a treat. Providing a delicious alternative to traditional baked potatoes.
This is a fun recipe for when the kids want to help prepare lunch.You may wish to leave out the chillies for those who prefer something a little less spicy, but the cheese and onion flavour works just as well.
Wraps
Filled Tortilla wraps are another straight forward lunch idea which lends itself to a variety of fillings, some of our choices include:
- Chicken Caesar - lettuce, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese and Caesar salad dressing
- Tuna Mayonnaise with sweetcorn
- Pulled Pork - our Pulled Pork recipe always provides leftovers, so combine these with coleslaw and barbecue sauce or stuffing and apple sauce
- Hummus with salad (grated carrot, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and cucumber)
- Goat cheese, beetroot, rocket and red onion relish - add some balsamic glaze for added flavour
A particular favourite of the kids is turning the wraps into Quesadilla Pizzas. A simple yet extremely tasty lunch or snack.
Soups
Get some fresh vegetables down them with a bowl of nutritious homemade soup, which can be made in advance to re-heat when required.
Check out our Soups section, where you'll find a number of simple classics such as Tomato & Red Pepper, Carrot & Coriander, Leek & Potato, plus many more.
Salads
We've also been eating various salads over the past few weeks - it's helped balance out the copious amount of baking we've been consuming too.
Again, these can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for everyone to serve themselves when required.
To help keep everyone satisfied until dinner, we've tended to favour the more substantial salads such as: Tomato Bulgur Wheat with Grilled Halloumi, or Greek Salad with Pita Bread.
Hummus
Homemade hummus is another quick, easy, healthy make-ahead dish, which can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days.
Our Red Pepper Hummus recipe provides a generous portion, and is delicious served as a dip with:
- Carrot sticks
- Sliced Peppers
- Cucumber sticks
- Toasted Pita breads or flat breads
- Bread sticks
It also makes a great accompaniment to salads, as part of a charcuterie deli board, or for spreading over wraps to be filled, as mentioned above.
Bruschetta
A tasty idea for serving the artisan bread so many have been making during lockdown is as a scrumptious bruschetta.
This is a great way to use any bread which is slightly past peak freshness, and as most of the versions tend to include freshly chopped tomatoes, it's another healthy lunch option.
Some topping ideas include:
- Tomato & spring onion
- Caprese - tomato, basil & mozzarella cheese
- Tomato & olive
- Goat cheese & red onion relish
- Garlic Mushrooms
