Back To School Meals Your Kids Will Enjoy

It’s another back to school season. Thinking of what should be in your kid’s lunch box can be a hassle. Especially if you don’t want them going to school everyday with the same meal. It will definitely be boring for them. Be grateful if they don’t come home with a full lunch box.

Here are some easy meals that you can try this season. They are all simple and will make school lunch worth enjoying for your kids.

Remember that your child’s lunch box should consist of the following to make a balanced meal:

• Starchy food like rice, potatoes, yam, plantain or pasta.
• Protein, for example eggs, beans, meat, chicken or fish.
• Dairy products like cheese, milk, yogurt.
• Vegetables and fruits.

Plantain and Cornmeal Moi-moi Recipe

Ingredients: (makes about 6 muffins)

• 1 cup Cornmeal
• A very ripe or over ripe Plantain
• 1 medium tin Sweetcorn (optional if making for baby or toddler to avoid choking)
• 2 tbsp ground Crayfish
• 1 medium Onion
• An egg
• 1 Seasoning cube
• Small chunk Ginger
• 1 tbsp Palm oil or Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups warm water

Method:

1. Blend plantain with the onions, ginger, egg, pepper and a cup of water until smooth.
2. Pour into a bowl, add the cornmeal and stir to combine well. Add the remaining ingredients and water to get a smooth mixture.
3. Pour into foil plates and steam for about 35 minutes or till its firm and done. Alternatively, bake in muffin cups in a preheated (180 degrees celsius) oven till a toothpick inserted in it comes out clean.
4. Serve either alone, with pap, porridge or with stew.

Steamed Noodles with Mixed Veg Recipe

Credit: Mummy’s Yum

Ingredients:

You need the foil packs for cooking moimoi or any other container that can withstand steaming.

• 2 packs instant noodles
• 3-4 large eggs
• 1 chopped onions
• Chopped mixed vegetables of your choice – I used carrot, peas, sweetcorn and red pepper
• Seasonings (curry, thyme, mixed spice). You can use the sachet seasoning that comes with the noodles if you prefer that.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cold water

Method:

1. Open the pack of noodles, break into pieces and soak in cold water for about 5 minutes to soften a bit, but still hard. Remove from water and allow to drain.
2. Put the noodles in a bowl and mix with the seasonings, onions and mixed vegetables. Once mixed, scoop into foil plates up to 3/4 levels of the plates.
3. Break eggs into a bowl and whisk well. Pour into the foil plates just enough to reach the top of the noodles but not completely cover it.
4. Steam in a pot of boiling water or a steamer for about 15-20 minutes, or till the egg sets. Bring down and allow to cool before removing from plates.
5. Serve by slicing up and serving with pap or porridge or as a side dish. You can also dice the noodles, toss in tomato sauce with fried plantain and chopped meats or gizzard…just like the ‘gizdodo’

Sardine Jollof Rice Recipe

Credit: Mummy’s Yum

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice (parboiled)
• A small 70g tin tomato puree
• 1 or 2 cans of tinned sardine
• A cooking spoon of vegetable oil + oil from tinned sardine
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• seasoning cube
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water for cooking

Method: 

1. Mix tomato puree with water, curry and thyme.
2. Pour both the vegetable and sardine oil in a pot and heat up. Add the chopped  onions to fry  till translucent and then add the tomato puree.
3. Fry for about 3-5 minutes maximum and add the quantity of water to cook your rice. Add some of the sardine, stock cube, pepper and salt.
4. Allow the stock to boil and add the parboiled rice. Stir and adjust your seasoning before adding the rest of the sardine, then cover to cook. You may top up the water to cook the rice more to your desired texture.
5. Give a final mix to combine the sardine well with the rice.

Also read: Back To School: How to cope with your baby’s first day at daycare