LUNCH BOX SALAD – PRAWNS, VEGETABLES AND PASTA
I made this salad this morning for my daughters school lunch.
Taking lunch with you to work or school has many benefits, including:
- You know exactly what you are eating;
- It is much cheaper than buying it;
- You have control over what you put in to it – ie dietary restrictions easily catered for, balance of nutrients (mix of protein, good fats and good carbohydrates) which will keep you satisfied for longer and (hopefully) stop you snacking on less healthy options;
- You can add lots more vegetables into your lunch very easily – lots of color and variety.
It really does not take that much time to prepare a lunch for the next day, often it can be leftovers from dinner the night before (I often cook extra for dinner for exactly that purpose), or you can make it fresh, but once you get in to the habit of taking your lunch you will find that is becomes second nature and you do fit the preparation in to your busy schedule, as you do it without really thinking about it.
I cooked the pasta for this salad whilst I was making breakfast for my children, and chopped the vegetables whilst the breakfast was cooking. (I cooked extra pasta, so that tomorrow I can make another salad which makes it even easier). It did not take very long at all, and I did cheat by using a Marks and Spencers tub of Marinated King Prawns with Chlli, Paprika and Garlic dressing. You could of course use fresh prawns with your own marinade (but then obviously you would have to cook them also), or Salmon, or Chicken or any other protein that you like. This has made enough salad for two people (or two days).
- Cooked Wholemeal Pasta – will be Gluten Free if you use Gluten Free Pasta
- 1 tub of Marks and Spencers Marinated King Prawns with Chilli, Paprika and Garlic dressing (or your protein of choice but you will need to also add some dressing – simple lemon juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil would be a good choice).
- 1 Carrot – grated
- 1/2 small tin of Sweetcorn
- 2 small Yellow Peppers – diced
- 2 sticks of Celery – finely sliced
Once the Pasta is drained, add the Protein and Dressing of your choice and let sit to infuse the flavours.
Once the pasta is cool, add the rest of the ingredients, give a stir and put into your lunch box.
You can add anything else that you like, tomatoes, olives, leaves, herbs – anything tasty that you like to eat.
It is as simple as that!
