Hot Lunch Ideas

I've started involving Danny in preparing his own lunch as part of his homeschooling curriculum. Most days, he assembles what the recipe calls for, puts as much of it together as is safe, and I cook it. This is useful for teaching basic nutrition, as well as fractions (all that measuring). We have a sit-at-the-table hot lunch during the school-week, and as he eats, I read to him from whatever we're plodding through at the moment. At this very moment, we're 3/4 of the way through Huckleberry Finn. I'm not enjoying reading that aloud. I rather enjoyed Pilgrim's Progress, and Man Without A Country-but Huck Finn is killing me. I cannot wait to be done with it. All that damed exaggerated dialect.

I thought it might be helpful to list off some examples of lunches we rotate through here. Most are easy enough to prepare, reasonably healthy, and inexpensive.


Panini Sandwich-Actually, it is anything I have leftover placed between slices of bread and weighted under a heavy pot in a frying pan. Carrots, cous cous, tinned salmon-all have found their way into panini sandwiches. Gosh, isn't bread great?

The Stationmaster's Sandwich-because you know, the train yard gets busy and they don't have time for a sit-down breakfast. Toast, scrambled egg, a slice of cheese and ketchup.

A Baked potato with toppings. Hard to find complaint with that.

Sardines on toast-Danny is pleased that he knows how to mash up sardines with some oil, onion and paprika because it is, "Bachelor food...and I'm NEVER getting married!" That's a direct quote.

Tinned beans on a sweet potato.

A bowl of Grape Nuts with raisins and cinnamon sugar, microwaved for exactly 45 seconds. He's kind of insistent about stuff like that.

French Toast.

Vegetable soup with cheese and crackers (I freeze small batches of soup when I make it, so I always have a single serving on hand).

Grilled chutney and cheddar sandwiches. Also good without the grilling.

Sauteed apples in butter on toast.

Oatmeal porridge.

Apples stuffed with curried rice and raisins, then baked (needs a bit of planning ahead, but still simple enough to manage.


Anyone have good lunch recipes they'd like to share? And what are you reading?