Healthful, Packable Lunches

Getting the kids ready for school in the morning sometimes requires throwing together a last minute lunch. Often the rush dictates that nutritional value suffers in favor of convenience. But with a little planning, you can create lunches that your children will enjoy and that are good for them.

This week’s recipes offer tasty alternatives to the traditional ham and cheese sandwich or turkey roll-up. Both can be made the day before to avoid the last minute rush. And both are so tasty that when you’re filling your children’s lunchboxes, you may want to dish some out for yourself to take to work.

Neelam Taneja of Whiteville, N.C. (pop. 5,148), sent us the recipe for pistachio and pasta salad. Loaded with healthful vegetables and flavorful cheese and nuts, this salad is mayonnaise-free, so there’s no need to refrigerate it. Add an apple, some grapes or other fruit to create a meal that is delicious and nutritionally well balanced.

The recipe for cranberry bread comes from Kathy Antus of Viola, Ark. (pop. 381). A slice of this bread makes a nice accompaniment to a leafy green salad, a small thermos of chicken soup, or celery sticks with peanut butter. Your kids might even enjoy spreading a couple of slices with low-fat cream cheese.

As always, American Profile looks forward to receiving—and publishing—your favorite recipes each week, and sharing them with our millions of readers across the nation.

Pistachio Pasta Salad - Neelam Taneja, Whiteville, N.C

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup pasta (rigatoni, gemelli or small shells)
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• Pistachios, chopped
• Parmesan cheese, shaved

In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside to cool. Blanch snow peas and spinach by putting them in hot water and taking out immediately. Quickly rinse vegetables in cold water, drain well on paper towels and pat dry. Mix snow peas and spinach with pasta, pistachios, cheese, tomatoes and marinade in a medium-size bowl. Garnish salad with more pistachio nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serves 4 to 6.

Tips From Our Test Kitchen: Substitute sugar snap peas for snow peas if you desire.

Mom’s Cranberry Bread- Kathy Antus,Viola, Ark.

• 1 orange, for juice and rind
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons melted shortening
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup fresh cranberry halves
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans. Using a grater with small holes, grate rind off orange. Squeeze orange juice into a measuring cup, and add rind and enough hot water to equal 3/4 cup. Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a medium-size mixing bowl. Combine orange juice mixture with shortening and egg, and add to dry ingredients. Mix well. Stir in berries and nuts. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tips From Our Test Kitchen: This low-fat quick bread is tasty and moist. If fresh cranberries are unavailable, this bread can be prepared with dried cranberries that have been "plumped" in boiling water.

 

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