Salad recipes and generally healthy snacks

[fireheart]

OK, so I'll be off at my placement school for 4 weeks in July and August. Said school does not have a canteen and the nearest food outlets are a good 1km away from the school. (and no, I am not going to drive out simply for the sake of getting lunch...) So I will be bringing in my lunch from home.

Now while it's a Waldorf school, the restrictions on what you can and can't eat are fairly flexible: be respectful of allergies and don't bring in lollies, soft drink and chewing gum. (for those in Australia, South Australia DOES have a "right bite" policy, but due to there being a lack of available canteen, this doesn't apply) Make sure that it's wholesome and nutritious. (to give you an idea of how liberal they are, one of the waldorf schools interstate is a lot more restrictive and will confiscate students lunches if there's anything like nutella or jam in there)

Which brings me to my question: I am looking for decent COLD lunchtime meals that don't require heating in the microwave. I am thinking of things like sushi and salads.
I am also looking for a way to stop apples getting bruised in my bag. So any suggestions on both counts?

Also any salad recipes would be much appreciated!

[ArcticChicken]

My favorite salad is whatever greens you like, feta cheese, and clementines or other citrus. Generally you have to cut the wedges up a bit, so I do that over the rest of the salad and it doesn't need any dressing.

[lilnizzie]

My version of Cobb salad. Lettuce of choice (I use coleslaw mix, cause it's pre cut) corn, a meat (I use either roast beef or crab / pollock) mushrooms, egg and a fave shredded cheese. Except for the lack of croutons, it's got every food group in it. Dress with dressing of choice, it's open to anything from cream to oil and vinegar.

As far as the apple goes, if you're using an insulated lunchbag, if you put the fruit between two other things (like the container for the salad, and a drink, or a bread in a container) the whole thing won't move around very much, and it's going to keep the apple safer.

I'd invest (if you haven't already) in a good quality insulated bag for your lunch. You may pay a bit more at the beginning, but it will save in the long run. Also, check if there's a specific section you can use for holding an ice pack to keep it all cool.

I also like roasted red pepper hummus (mix red pepper dip with hummus) and pretzels or naan. flavoured rice crackers are also nice here.

[Cookie]

The salad on this page is fantastic: http://thediva-dish.com/uncategorize...ts-and-salads/ Chickpeas, quinoa, avocado, cilantro...mmmm! It calls for lemons, but I always make it with limes instead. After we tried it the first time, it become a dinner time staple for us. Also, with that list of ingredients, nobody can tell you it's not healthy!

[Merriweather]

Another thing you might consider is a container for hot/cold items. Thermos is the most popular brand in the US, they make all the large containers for keeping coffee piping hot. But they make smaller containers, with wide mouths, that hold about a cup or so of food. I'm sure you can find something similar. They're great for a bit of hot soup or stew without needing a microwave, and equally as good for a bit of cold potato salad, pasta salad, or even jello or pudding for dessert.

I love salads, but am the only one in the house who eats them much, so I buy those small bags of mixed greens - otherwise I'd be very bored with one type of greens til I could get thru a whole head of lettuce,etc. They make so many different mixes, I just bounce from one to the next. Other than that, it's jjust "open the fridge & toss stuff in", LOL. I usually toss in tomato (sliced, wedges, or little grape tomatoes), and often cucumber (or carrots, brocolli - any veggie you like that's good raw). Consider the odd fruit, too - grapes are wonderful. Sometimes I add a bit of meat to make a chef salad (thinly cut deli meat, or thicker cut leftovers) - turkey, chicken, ham, beef, almost anything that's cooked. Oh, bacon works, too. Occasionally I'll slice a hard boiled egg onto my salad. I keep two or three types of shredded cheese on hand to mix or match - mozerella, cheddars of various types, etc. And in my pantry I keep several little tupperware containers labeled & filled with little "extras" for topping - sesame seeds, chopped almonds, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, croutons, bacon bits, dried cranberries, raisins, all sorts of things, almost any dried fruit or nut will work. Oh, dry chow mein nppdles are good too. Obviously I never put all of the above in one salad, but I fnd if I mix and match, I can have quite different tasting salads for a week or two at least. My favourite salad dressing is just a fat-free Italian
, but sesame-ginger is great - there are endless choices nowadays.

If you like pasta salad, my favourite quick & easy one is to boil up some pasta (almost anything, elbow macaroni, twists, bowties, penne, any shape or any colour), make sure you don't overcook, so it's nice and firm. Rinse & chill a bit. Then add canned chopped tomatoes, and chunky off-the-shelf salsa from a jar. Add just enough to coat it nicely, mix well, voila. I made it the first time when hubby & I were going to a BBQ, and he forgot to mention we were supposed to bring a dish until about an hour before the party. I had absolutely nothing suitable in the house, no time to go out, so I came up with the above out of desperation, and took it, feeling terribly lame - and everyone raved over it, LOL.

[Divra]

Mix:

3 fl.oz. sour cream.
2 tbsp mayonnaise.
½ red onion, finely chopped.
1 tin of tuna.
Salt, black pepper, tabasco and lemon juice to taste.

Spread the mixture thickly on the bread of your choice (mine is an extremely high-fibre crispbread), add a lettuce leaf or two and a few slices of tomato, and you have a sandwich that, along with a piece of fruit and a drink, is a complete meal. The tuna mixture also works well on baked potatoes, and keeps well in the fridge.