healthy snack or lunch ideas

It's back to school time for a lot of people and a great time to think about some new ideas for the school lunchbox or bag for the office. Even if you aren't going back to school or don't have someone in your household that is sometimes lunch ideas go a bit stale. Over the next month I'll post a few recipes that might freshen up your lunch routine, but for starters here are some ideas to get you going.

Dips, spreads and sandwich, pita bread or tortilla fillings:

• A simple hummous with pureed chickpeas, fresh squeezed lemon juice, tahini, and a bit of chopped garlic 
• Yoghurt 'mayo' made with plain low- or non-fat yoghurt mixed with some spicy, dijon or horseradish mustard - add as little or much mustard as you like 
• Light guacamole - mashed avocado, a bit of plain yoghurt, fresh squeezed lime or lemon, and a bit of chopped or crushed garlic. Simply mashing the avocado is a great sandwich, wrap or pita bread pocket spread or filling
• Tsatsiki made with plain yoghurt, chopped mint and/or parsley and fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice (and chopped garlic if you like). 

Filling Ideas:

• Sliced cucumber, red onion, tomato, carrot, avocado, red/yellow//orange bell pepper
• Chopped parsley, cilantro, spring onion

Other Ideas:

• Rice crackers dipped in hummous, tsatsiki or guacamole
• Rice cakes spread with almond or peanut butter
• Crispbread such as Wasa or Ryvita spread with hummous, tsatsiki, or cream cheese (try with thinly sliced cucumber on top too)
• Rye or whole grain toast with warm, tinned kippers on top (this may not be a great office snack idea though) 
• Any of the spreads described above combined with tinned tuna and either spread on a crispbread of some sort or used as a sandwich filling.

We've all read it before but one of the best ways to eat more vegetables really is to slice enough for multiple snacks ahead of time and have them ready to eat in your fridge. Whenever I do this it really does work! I find myself grabbing handfuls, whipping up some sort of healthy dip and munching away with my lunch or while I'm prepping dinner. Throw some in a container or bag and it's great portable food. For kids you might try using cookie cutters to make fun shapes and entice them to munch away. 

The same goes for fruit. Make an extra large bowl of mixed fruit salad - a great evening snack and easy to put in a container and take for lunch. Scoop some plain yoghurt on top and perhaps a bit of muesli and you've got a fun and nutrition packed snack or dessert. Here's another chance to get out that cookie cutter and make a fun shapes fruit selection for the kids. 

Hopefully this inspired you to add some new things to your snack or lunch ideas. Look out for more ideas soon!