Your lunch doesn’t have to be the same old boring sandwich, just a little bit of time and creativity can transform your lunchbox AND save you money!!!!!
Here’s a couple of ideas to get you started :

Pasta salads :

The only limit to a good pasta salad is your imagination!!!!!!!!
Stir pesto through cooked pasta and then throw in whatever you fancy :
• When the pasta is cool, stir through the mayo, yogurt, lemon juice and veg.
• Add cooked chicken or tuna
• Add feta cheese for a Mediterranean twist

• Or how about a BLT pasta salad :

• 2 cooked crispy bacon rashers, broken into pieces
• 15g spinach, chopped
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ tbsp crème fraîche
• ¼ tsp wholegrain mustard

Frittatas :

Frittatas are a great lunch box idea cook the night before with whatever ingredients you have and they’ll last a couple of days in the fridge or freeze for ultimate convenience. Again you can be as creative as you want!!!!!

Bacon , leek and pea frittata

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter
• ½ leek, trimmed, washed and finely shredded
• 4 rashers of back bacon, sliced into 1cm strips
• 5g frozen peas
• 6 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• 1 ball of mozzarella (roughly 125g drained), torn into large chunks

Method

1. Preheat your grill to maximum.
2. Melt the butter in a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat.
3. When bubbling, add the leek and bacon and fry for about three minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through and the leek softened.
4. Add the frozen peas and cook for about one minute, or until they have defrosted.
5. Beat the eggs together with a little salt and black pepper.
6. Crank up the heat to maximum under the pan and, when the butter is bubbling up, pour in the eggs and cook, pulling the edges into the middle as they start to set.
7. When most of the egg is cooked, scatter over the mozzarella and slide your pan under the hot grill – if you have a pan with a plastic handle then make sure it doesn’t end up under the element.
8. Cook for about three minutes, or until the egg is totally set and the mozzarella melted and bubbling.
9. Slide the frittata from the pan and cut into wedges.

Cold noodle salads :

Again you can add your favourite ingredients or any leftovers you may have !!!!!!
Below is a recipe idea to get you started :

Cold chicken noodle salad

Ingredients :

• 4 leftover cooked chicken legs (from our Chinese poached chicken & rice recipe, below right)
• 400g noodles
• ½ tsp wasabi paste
• 1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• juice 1 lemon
• good pinch of sugar
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 6 spring onions, sliced diagonally
• large pack coriander, leaves only

Method :

1. Cook and Drain the noodles and cool in cold running water.
2. Mix together the wasabi, soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Toss the cooled noodles with the dressing and arrange on a serving plate. Top with the cooked chicken, chilli, spring onions and coriander. Toss everything through just before serving.