Lunchbox ideas the whole family will love

UPGRADED CHEESY CHICKEN & MAYO TOASTIE
Prep time: 10–15 mins
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 4 slices white bread of your choice
• ½ cup shredded chicken
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• ½ tsp smoked or regular paprika
• 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• Salt and milled pepper
• 2 gherkins, chopped
• 2 spring onions, sliced (optional)
• 1 cup grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• Oil for frying

METHOD
1. Butter one side of each bread slice and set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine chicken, mayo, mustard, paprika and parsley. Season well.
3. Fold through gherkin and spring onion.
4. Place 2 slices of bread, buttered side down, onto a chopping board.
5. Divide chicken mixture between the slices.
6. Sprinkle generously with cheese and top with remaining bread slices, buttered side up.
7. Heat oil in a large frying pan.
8. Fry each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden and cheese has melted.

SWEET CHILLI BACON PASTA SALAD JAR
Prep time: 10 mins
Serves: 1

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup cooked pasta of your choice (macaroni or any short-cut pasta works well)
• ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
• 1 Tbsp sriracha or any type of hot sauce
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley or coriander
• Salt and milled pepper
• 4 rashers bacon, fried until crispy
• 2 spring onion, sliced
• ¼ cup feta, cubed (cheddar or gouda works well, too)
• Handful baby spinach
• Glug olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon

METHOD
1. In a bowl, mix pasta, sweet chilli sauce, hot sauce and herbs. Season well.
2. Add pasta mixture to a large jar. Top with crispy bacon, spring onion, cheese and baby spinach.
3. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and seal with a tight-fitting lid.
4. Shake jar contents just before serving to combine all the ingredients well.

Top Tip: No baby spinach? No problem, use shredded Swiss chard instead.

CREAMY & SPICY CHICKEN LIVERS WITH QUICK SALSA
Prep time: 15–20 mins
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

Chicken livers:

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tub frozen chicken livers, defrosted and drained
• 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup cream or milk
• Salt and milled pepper
• Handful fresh coriander, chopped

Salsa:

• ¼ cucumber, chopped
• 2 salad tomatoes, chopped
• 3 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• Crusty bread for serving

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large pan.
2. Add onion and fry for 2-4 minutes or until lightly golden.
3. Tip chicken livers into a pan, add cayenne pepper and paprika and give it a quick stir. Fry livers for about 5-6 minutes or until almost cooked.
4. Add chilli, garlic and butter and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Pour in cream and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes. 6. Season well, toss in coriander and remove from heat.
7. For the salsa, combine ingredients in a small bowl and season well.
8. Serve chicken livers topped with quick salsa and crusty bread.

Top Tip: Use dried coriander if you don’t have fresh leaves.

BBQ CHICKEN SHEET PAN PIZZA
Prep time: 30 mins
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 250g store-bought bread dough
• 2 chicken breast fillets, cubed
• 1 Tbsp Aromat
• 1 Tbsp BBQ or chicken spice
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• ¼ cup BBQ sauce
• 1 sachet tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp white or light brown sugar
• 1 red or white onion, sliced
• ½ pepper, chopped (red, yellow or green)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• Handful fresh parsley, chopped

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Roll dough out onto a floured surface into a large rectangle about 5mm thick.
3. Place into a lined and greased rectangular baking tray and set aside.
4. In a bowl, combine chicken, Aromat, BBQ spice and garlic.
5. Heat oil in a large pan and cook chicken for about 6-8 minutes or until brown.
6. Remove from heat and toss through BBQ sauce.
7. Combine tomato paste and sugar and spread generously onto cooled dough base.
8. Top with chicken mixture, onion, chopped pepper and cheese.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until dough is cooked through and cheese has melted.
10. Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh parsley, slice and serve.

MEATBALL SALAD
Prep time: 20–25 mins
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 500g beef, pork or chicken mince
• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• 2 Tbsp steak & chops spice
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and milled pepper
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, whisked
• Canola oil for frying
• Handful iceberg or butter lettuce
• 3 salad tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cucumber, sliced
• Glug olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Chutney for serving

METHOD
1. In a large bowl add mince, onion, ginger and garlic paste and spices, and mix well using your hands.
2. Add breadcrumbs and egg and combine well.
3. Using your hands, take tablespoons of mixture and roll into balls.
4. Heat oil in a large frying pan and fry meatballs for 6-8 minutes or until well browned and cooked through. Set aside to cool completely.
5. Arrange lettuce, tomato and cucumber in a lunchbox.
6. Drizzle with oil and lemon and season well.
7. Top with meatballs, dollop with chutney and serve.

Top Tip: In a rush? Simply use pork bangers removed from their casings, shape into meatballs and fry until golden. Lucky for you, they’re already seasoned to perfection.

MINI COLOURFUL VEGGIE QUICHES
Prep time: 30 mins
Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup broccoli florets, cooked and roughly chopped
• ¼ cup frozen peas, defrosted
• ½ pepper, chopped (yellow, green or red)
• ¼ red or green cabbage, shredded
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 eggs, whisked
• ¼ cup milk or cream
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• Salt and milled pepper

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Divide broccoli, peas, chopped pepper and cabbage between a greased 12 cup muffin pan.
3. Divide half the cheese between each cup.
4. Combine egg, milk, garlic paste and parsley. Season well.
5. Divide egg mixture evenly between each cup and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and lightly golden.
7. Serve mini quiches with a side salad.

Top Tip: This recipe works well with any leftover shredded meat, or cooked vegetables as the filling. Simply pour over egg mixture and bake until golden.