Marja La parfaite maman imparfaite is here to help us out with back to school and the return of the boxed lunch! Here’s her pasta salad that’s sure to please your entire crew!
Here’s what Marja says:
180, that’s the number of days in a school year. So, with certain exceptions, when I look at it, that’s about the number of lunches I need to prepare over the year. Sound of crickets. I could be out of inspiration by the second week! Sure there’s the old standby, the sandwich, but I always feel I end up making the same kind over and over again. Am I the only one? That’s why I really like to change things up from time to time and why I make this pasta salad. In addition to being superrrr easy to do, the kids are crazy about it and I get to knock off a couple of lunches in one shot (happy day!).
And to keep those little tummies full, I add Six Pourcent cheese from Fromagerie Bergeron. It’s a cheese I just discovered recently and I’ve developed a weakness for it, because it’s mild (criteria No. 1 for children!), it’s lactose free, it’s a good source of protein and it only contains 6% butterfat, (criteria No. 1 for Mom!). Which makes it a great choice for the lunch box.
Veggie-packed pasta salad
Preparation time: 15 minutes
8-10 servings
Ingredients
5 cups cooked pasta*
(*A little twist my kids love, pasta in fun shapes like insects or animals… a little surprise that brightens a school lunch. You’ll find them in the pasta section and also at the bulk food store.)
1 cup broccoli, chopped fine
1 cup celery, chopped fine
1 cup carrot, chopped fine
1 cup sweet pepper, chopped fine
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup Six Pourcent cheese from Fromagerie Bergeron, cut into fine dice
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup French dressing
Preparation
In a large bowl combine all ingredients.
Tip: to save time and to make sure all the vegetables are the same size, I run them through the food processor.
Adjust the amount of mayonnaise/dressing to taste.
Add salt and pepper.
I like to accompany the salad in lunches with mini pitas, rusks or bread sticks.
*Snack tips*
Because cheese is always a good choice for the lunch box, I like to serve it as a snack with fruit or little crackers.
– Because sometimes the number of containers on hand is limited, and it’s often easier for a child to manage a single container for his or her snack and main lunch, try using silicone muffin tin liners to keep everything neatly separated!
– Quartered apples that don’t turn brown? Totally doable!
2 possible ways; cut apple into wedges and hold it together with an elastic band.
The second way; cut apple into wedges and soak them in a solution of 4 cups water and one tablespoon lemon juice.
Disclaimer: though this article was written in collaboration with Fromagerie Bergeron, the opinions contained herein are most sincerely my own.
Source: La parfaite maman imparfaite
