High in dietary fibre and packed full of vegetables, salads are a healthy addition to any lunch box. Because the typical salad contains 2, 3 or even 4 servings of Vegetables and Fruit, packing a salad is a wonderful way to boost your child’s intake of this important food group.
The key to a good lunch box salad is keeping it fresh and crisp. Use an ice pack to keep the salad cool and choose vegetables that retain their crunch, such as carrots, sweet peppers, cucumbers, celery, shredded cabbage, romaine lettuce and radishes. When adding greens, be sure to pack the dressing on the side to prevent the lettuce from wilting.
This chapter is divided into 2 sections: One Pot Salads and Dinner Salads. Our One Pot Salads are specifically designed for lunch boxes and come in single serving portions, whereas our Dinner Salads are made in larger portions and can last in the refrigerator for several days.
To help with the morning rush, our salad recipes outline what can be done the night before.
One Pot Salads
Whether served with a whole grain roll and a slice of cheese, half a sandwich or a Thermos of soup, our One Pot Salads are sure to be a hit.
Kid’s One Pot Green Salad
Any vegetable can be added to this salad—what we’ve included are merely suggestions. Chop up a variety of veggies and get your kids to make their own salads. Remember, children are more likely to eat food that they have helped prepare. To add a boost of protein, sprinkle a few chickpeas, a few black beans, a few cubes of chicken or even some shredded Cheddar cheese on the salad.
1½ cups chopped mixed dark green salad greens (such as arugula, romaine, green leaf lettuce or spinach)
½ cup assorted vegetables, such as:
Radishes, thinly sliced or diced
Carrot, grated
Canned corn, drained and rinsed
Celery, diced
Cabbage, shredded
Sweet red or green pepper, seeded and diced
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Cucumber, seeded and diced
Green onion, thinly sliced
1½ tbsp Orange Honey Dressing (below) or your child’s favourite alternative
• The night before, place mixed dark green lettuces in reusable container. Add assorted vegetables on top. Pour dressing into separate leak-proof container and refrigerate it and salad overnight.
Yield: Serves 1
Orange Honey Dressing
This is Brenda’s kids’ favourite salad dressing. Extra dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.
2 tbsp orange juice concentrate
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• In small bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: Approximately ½ cup
One Pot BC Salade Niçoise
Although this salad can be made with canned salmon, it’s best made with fresh, so plan for extra salmon when cooking dinner. Try Barbecued Asian Salmon (this page), which is a favourite at Cheryl’s house.
2 cups chopped mixed dark green salad greens (such as romaine, arugula and spinach)
8 green beans, steamed for approximately 3 minutes until tender-crisp, rinsed under cold water, dried and chopped into 1-inch segments
3 baby potatoes, boiled just until tender, quartered
1 tbsp finely diced red onion (optional)
2½ tbsp White Balsamic Vinaigrette (below)
2 oz / 56 g cooked salmon (leftover from dinner or canned)
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
• The night before, place mixed salad greens in reusable container. Top with green beans, potatoes and onions (if using). Pour dressing into separate leak-proof container and refrigerate it and salad overnight.
• In the morning, place salmon and tomatoes on top of salad.
Yield: Serves 1
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
This dressing is Brenda’s favourite. The extra dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, Dijon mustard and garlic. Slowly whisk in oil until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: Approximately ¾ cup
Go Wild for Wild Salmon
While both wild and farmed salmon are good sources of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, we recommend choosing wild salmon whenever possible. The wild variety of salmon is both healthier and easier on the environment than farmed. Wild salmon contains lower levels of chemical contaminants, including PCBs, which have been linked to increased rates of cancer and birth defects.29 Farmed salmon are given drugs, pesticides and antibiotics. In fact, farmed salmon receive more antibiotics by weight than any other livestock,30 and this may, in part, be contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant disease.
Most farmed salmon is raised in densely packed floating cages, and the impact of these farms on the natural ecosystem is devastating. Salmon farms pollute coastal waters with drug-laden waste from feces and excess food. Disease and parasites pass through the cages infecting and depleting wild stocks. Escaped salmon further the spread of disease and may displace wild stocks in their natural habitat. Because salmon are carnivores, the farmers are depleting natural fish stocks in order to create salmon feed. In fact, it takes 2 to 4 kg of wild feed to produce 1 kg of salmon.31
When purchasing salmon, always confirm that it is wild. If salmon is labelled “Atlantic” it is farmed. Sockeye, chum and pink are not farmed. Coho and chinook are available in farmed and wild varieties. Canned salmon, an economical choice, is usually wild, but check the label. In most cases, sending a canned salmon sandwich to school is a healthy and environmentally friendly choice.
One Pot Kid’s Cobb Salad
A traditional Cobb salad is made with blue cheese instead of Cheddar, so use that if your child likes it.
1½ cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 tbsp shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 cup diced cooked chicken breast
1 slice bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (optional)
1½ tbsp White Balsamic Vinaigrette (this page) or your child’s favourite dressing
¼ avocado, diced
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
• The night before, toss lettuce and cheese together and place in reusable container. Prep tomato, chicken and bacon (if using). Pour dressing into separate leak-proof container. Refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, place chicken in strip in centre of salad. Place tomatoes in strip next to chicken.
• In small bowl, toss avocado with lemon juice, and place in strip next to chicken. Scatter bacon over salad.
Yield: Serves 1
One Pot Greek Salad
Most kids love Greek salad. Served with Toasted Whole Wheat Pita Chips (this page), a little Minted Tzatziki (this page) and Homemade Hummus (this page), it makes a healthy lunch.
1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ rounded tsp dried oregano
½ English cucumber, seeded and cut into ¾-inch chunks
½ sweet green pepper, seeded and cut into ¾-inch chunks
5 kalamata olives
1¼ oz/35 g chunk feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp finely diced red onion (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• The night before, place olive oil and oregano in small bowl. Add cucumbers, green peppers, olives, cheese and onions (if using) and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste and pack in reusable container. Refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, add tomatoes and toss.
Yield: Serves 1
What about Pesticides on Produce?
The decision whether or not to choose organic produce is a personal one and there are many factors that need to be considered. Given that 70 per cent of children are not eating the recommended number of servings of fruit and vegetables per day,32 the vast majority of Canadians would improve their diet and their health by eating more produce, organic or not.
Be assured that, to date, there is little evidence to suggest organic produce is safer or more nutritious in any meaningful way. However, some fruit and vegetables do carry higher pesticide loads. As a general rule, fruit and vegetables with thicker skins (for example onions and watermelon) have lower pesticide loads. For an up-to-date list of produce with high and low pesticide loads, turn to Appendix II. It may make sense to use this list as a guide when shopping. Regardless of what you decide, you can minimize your exposure to pesticides by thoroughly washing all produce under cold running water and avoiding fruit and vegetables with cuts or insect holes.
Another factor to consider in your decision is that organic farming is generally believed to be better for the environment than conventional farms—organic farms use less energy, produce less waste and do not release synthetic chemicals into the environment. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are often made with fossil fuels and transporting and manufacturing these chemicals uses energy and produces greenhouse gases. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that chemical farming uses significantly more energy per unit of production than organic farms.33 However, there are times when organic produce isn’t always better. When faced with buying organic strawberries from California or seasonal, local berries, choose local. Not only is local food fresher, it tastes better and is easier on the environment. As the distance between the food and fork increases, so does the use of fossil fuels needed to transport the food.
One Pot Turkey Taco Salad
This is a delicious way to use up leftover Black Bean Turkey Tacos (this page) from last night’s dinner.
1½ cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 tomato, seeded and diced
3 tbsp shredded Cheddar cheese
⅓ rounded cup Black Bean Turkey Taco mixture (this page)
3 tbsp salsa
• In reusable container, combine lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. In separate leak-proof container, combine Black Bean Turkey Taco mixture and salsa and mix to combine. Refrigerate overnight.
• At school, your child pours turkey mixture over salad and enjoys!
Yield: Serves 1
One Pot Melon Ball Salad
For best results this salad should be made in the morning. If you don’t have a melon baller, just cut the fruit into 1-inch cubes.
5 balls watermelon
5 balls cantaloupe
5 balls honeydew melon
1 squeeze fresh lime juice or to taste
½ tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
Approximately ¼ tsp granulated sugar
• In reusable leak-proof container, combine watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, lime juice, mint and sugar. Taste and add more lime juice or sugar as desired.
Yield: Serves 1
Dinner Salads
Dinner salads or, dare we say, leftover salads, are larger than one pot salads. They can be served for dinner, will last in the refrigerator for several days and tend to travel well. Dinner salads have the added advantage of being packed full of beans, whole grains and pasta, complex carbohydrates that supply a steady stream of slow-release energy. Since complex carbohydrates take longer to break down, they’ll keep your child feeling full a little longer.
To save precious morning minutes, all of the salads in this section can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator until morning.
Kid’s Pesto Pasta Salad
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets (approximately 3 cups)
4 cups fusilli pasta
6 tbsp Homemade Pesto (this page), or store-bought equivalent
25 cherry tomatoes, halved and sprinkled with kosher salt
1 cup frozen peas, cooked
1 cup baby carrots, sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
• Bring large pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until broccoli is tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside.
• Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again.
• In large bowl, toss pasta with pesto, reserved broccoli, tomatoes, peas, carrots and fresh basil.
Yield: Serves 6
Mediterranean Bulgur Salad
1 cup bulgur
1 cup boiling water
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
1 rounded cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or cooked chickpeas
⅓ cup finely diced red onion
1 bunch chopped fresh parsley (approximately 1 cup)
⅓ cup chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Place bulgur in bowl, pour boiling water over it, and stir with fork. Place foil directly on surface of bulgur and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Fluff bulgur with fork and drain if necessary to remove excess liquid.
• In large salad bowl, combine bulgur, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, onions, parsley and mint.
• In small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over bulgur and mix thoroughly. Serve salad at room temperature or store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Go Loco for Local Produce
Make a concerted effort to minimize your environmental footprint by serving seasonal, local produce whenever possible. Encourage your children to read labels and find out where their food comes from. How much sense does it make to buy apples from New Zealand when we grow fabulous ones in Canada? Why eat a banana in the summer when a delicious selection of local fruits and berries are in season? Support your local farmers’ market. To find out where it is, go to www.farmersmarketscanada.ca. You can also ask your grocer to bring in local produce. Doing so not only reduces the environmental cost of food, it also helps to support Canadian farmers, which in turn helps to preserve precious farmland around our cities.
One of the best ways to obtain local produce is to grow it yourself. Vegetable gardens are the perfect way to teach your children about the connection between nature and food, while reducing both your food bill and carbon footprint. Moreover, there is no better way to entice children to eat their vegetables than getting them involved in a vegetable garden.
Not only is seasonal local produce easier on the environment, it tastes better and is generally more nutritious. Once picked, the vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables begin to deteriorate. Generally, the longer produce has to travel, the more time it has to deteriorate.
Chickpea Tabbouleh
To boost the veggie content and colour of this salad, you can add a seeded and diced sweet red pepper.
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 bunch chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
(approximately 1 cup)
⅓ cup chopped fresh mint
½ English cucumber, seeded and diced
2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup Lemon Shallot Dressing (below)
• In bowl, combine ingredients thoroughly. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for several days.
Yield: Approximately 4 servings
Lemon Shallot Dressing
According to Chef James Schaeffer, the creator of this dressing, the key is to use a sharp knife to dice the shallots. A dull knife runs the risk of bruising the shallots, which can muddy the dressing.
1 tbsp finely diced shallots
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup canola oil
Kosher salt and white pepper
• In small bowl, combine shallots and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in oil until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: Almost ¾ cup
Chickpeas
Like most beans, chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), are a good source of protein, cholesterol-lowering fibre and folate, the nutrient proven to prevent spinal cord defects in newborns. Chickpeas are also an excellent source of magnesium. Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body and is needed for over 300 biochemical reactions. It is needed to build strong bones, maintain normal muscle and nerve function, support a healthy immune system, help regulate blood pressure and keep our heart rhythm steady. However, we know that approximately 50 per cent of teens have an inadequate intake of magnesium.34 To ensure your teen doesn’t become part of this statistic, serve a wide variety of magnesium-rich foods such as halibut, almonds, soybeans, oatmeal and green vegetables.
Italian-Style Orzo Salad
At any summer barbecue, this salad looks great on the picnic table. Be careful not to overcook the orzo—mushy pasta is the fastest way to ruin a good pasta salad. This recipe makes a fairly large quantity, and any extra can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. To turn this salad into an entree, add a couple of cans of tuna.
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cups orzo pasta
10 shallots, sliced (approximately 3 cups)
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
2 cans (14 oz/398 mL each) artichoke hearts packed in water, drained, rinsed and quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
15 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
⅓ cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• In large bowl, combine 4 tbsp oil, lemon juice and zest.
• Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again.
• Toss orzo with oil and lemon juice mixture and set aside.
• Heat remaining 4 tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and sauté for 5 minutes. Add artichokes and garlic and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add shallot and artichoke mixture to orzo.
• Add olives, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper, cilantro, parsley, mint and feta cheese to reserved orzo and mix thoroughly. If salad seems a little dry, add extra drizzle of olive oil and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Sprout Warning
Bean sprouts should not be a part of your child’s lunch box. Bean sprouts provide the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and, as a result, have been linked to a number of outbreaks of both salmonella and E. coli. Because of this, Health Canada advises young children, senior citizens and people with weak immune systems to avoid raw sprouts altogether.35
Mediterranean Bean Salad
Admittedly this salad is rather sophisticated for the average child’s lunch box, but we love it so much we decided to include it anyway.
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) black beans, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups cooked black beans
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) artichoke hearts packed in water, drained, rinsed and diced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups chopped kale
15 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
8 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (this page)
In large bowl, combine all ingredients.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Balsamic Vinaigrette
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• In small bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, mustard and garlic. Slowly whisk in oil until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: ¾ cup
Winter Greens
In an effort to eat seasonal local produce, many Canadians are turning to winter greens such as kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, turnip greens and beet greens. Not only are these vegetables low in calories and virtually fat free, they are packed full of nutrients, including vitamins A, C and K as well as folate, calcium, iron, potassium and fibre. What’s more, these vegetables are an exceptional source of disease-fighting phytochemicals such as beta carotene and lutein. An easy way to include winter greens in your child’s lunch box is to chop them up and add them to homemade soups, or try Mediterranean Bean Salad (this page).
Karen’s Greek Quinoa Salad
This is a delicious accompaniment to any lunch.
1½ cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
25 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 sweet green pepper, seeded and diced
¾ of an English cucumber, seeded and diced
⅓ cup kalamata olives, halved and pitted
¼ cup finely diced red onion
⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 to 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
⅔ cup crumbled goat’s milk feta cheese
¼ cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (this page)
• Bring large pot of water to boil. Add quinoa and cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender yet still slightly crunchy. Drain and spread on baking sheet to dry (approximately 5 minutes). Transfer to large bowl.
• Add tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber, olives, onions, parsley, 2 tbsp basil, feta cheese and dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add more basil if desired.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
The Magic of Quinoa
Quinoa, the ancient grain of the Incas, is sometimes called a super grain because of its high nutrient profile. Rich in protein, quinoa is an excellent source of essential amino acids, most notably lysine. Lysine, not found in other grains, is needed for the growth and repair of body tissue. Quinoa is also low in fat while being a good source of fibre, B vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, potassium and zinc. Immune function, cognitive function and behaviour are all dependent on adequate levels of zinc.
Quinoa is inexpensive, quick to cook and versatile. It is delicious hot or cold and can be substituted for rice in recipes.
Mexican Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned corn, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 cup cooked black beans
25 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
5 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 tbsp canola oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of granulated sugar
2 large handfuls arugula, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Bring large pot of water to boil. Add quinoa and cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender yet slightly crunchy. Drain and spread on baking sheet to dry (approximately 5 minutes). Transfer to large bowl.
• Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, green onions, red pepper and cilantro.
• In small bowl, combine lime juice, canola oil, garlic, cumin and sugar. Pour over quinoa mixture and toss to coat.
• Add arugula, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, and toss again. Serve at room temperature or store in refrigerator for several days.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Fish Boosts Brain Power
A recent large-scale study indicated that teenage boys who ate fish more than once a week tended to score higher on intelligence tests 3 years later.36 Researchers believe this is of critical importance because the late-teen years are a key time for brain plasticity. Plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to novel experiences such as learning a skill or reacting to one’s environment. The researchers believe it is the omega-3 fatty acids present in fish that act in several ways to improve brain function. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially highly concentrated in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, trout and, to a lesser extent, tuna.
Salade Niçoise
This recipe comes from The Good Food Book for Families. It makes an easy, last-minute dinner and, as an added benefit, leftovers can be sent to school the following day.
¾ lb/375 g green beans, trimmed
1¼ 1lb/625 g baby potatoes, quartered
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
2 cans (6 oz/170 g each) low-sodium, light tuna, drained
½ cup White Balsamic Vinaigrette
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• Blanch beans in boiling water until bright green, approximately 3 minutes. Drain, and plunge into ice bath to stop cooking process.
• Cook potatoes in boiling water until just tender. Drain well and let cool.
• In large bowl, combine green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, onion, tuna and dressing until coated. Arrange salad on serving platter and place hard-boiled eggs around edges.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6