Growing up in Ireland, you were given a very basic lunch heading off to school every morning.
It was far from kale crisps and organic yogurt we were reared!
But now that we're all grown up and our Mammies are no longer filling our schoolbags with pre-prepared lunches every morning, the majority of us find ourselves running to the local deli at 12pm to grab a sambo, which ain't cheap!
Paula MacSweeney asked her Early Breakfast listeners to tell her what their favourite no-fuss lunches are and now we have lunch-inspiration locked in for the whole summer!
The best part is you don’t have to be Jamie Oliver to whip up these ridiculously tasty lunches and they'll all work for little ones in school too!
Win/win.
- Ben in Wexford goes big on fruit: 'Yogurt, banana, apple, brown bread sandwich and a coconut bar with lots of coffee every day."
- Lainey suggested: "Hey Paula I'm not as early as you I only get out of bed at 5:15 but I like to have coconut granola made ready to bring in for lunch really easy just baked oats and coconut but very tasty! I usually have it with some Greek yoghurt and fruit like berries and almonds."
- Terese says: "Get wraps and just make one the night before. Not too stodgy but nice and filling!"
- Ger's son’s school has a healthy-lunches only policy which he says is brilliant because "it forces me to be inventive and creative – lots of hummus and carrots, and home-made sandwiches. I just make the same for myself the night before."
- Lana sent in what could possibly be the ultimate salad recipe, complete with container solutions! "Another one for you is container of salad, with a little mini container for your salad dressing. This takes less than five minutes to prep. I put my ingredients in in reverse order how I want them on the plate. First cherry tomatoes, some olives, red onion, half a ball of mozzarella and lastly spinach. I make my own salad dressing olive oil mixed with either balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar. Absolutely delicious!"
While some other suggestions make no-fuss lunches sound simply delicious
- "I bring rice cakes for lunch – dress them up with low fat Laughing Cow and salads on top. Easy and delish."
- "You have to try a cream cheese bagel with smoked salon and a little salad. Quick and most importantly easy to prepare."
Pro tip: do yourself a favour and make mornings easier and lip-smackingly tastier by prepping a delicious smoothie the night before. Pick your favourite fruit, grab some Tropicana, blend it all together and leave it in the fridge overnight. Whether you are sitting in the office, smugly having your smoothie or regularly on the go at lunchtime, it’s the perfect option to get one of your 5 a day.
And as the weather heats up (finally!) we've got the ultimate smoothie recipe for you to try out.
Feel free to mix and match, variety is the spice of life!
- 2 cups tightly packed baby spinach or combination baby spinach and baby kale
- 2 kiwi, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup seedless green grapes
- 1 cup frozen sliced peaches or mangoes
- 1 small Granny Smith apple, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 cup Tropicana Orange Juice (with bits or without)
Enjoy delicious lunches with Tropicana. A Little Glass has a lot of what you need including 60% of your daily vitamin C intake, and even counts as one of your 5 a day.
Squeeze more into your mornings with Tropicana
