Perfect for school lunches & super suppers!
Ah. Listen to the quietness of the house now. The calm house that arrives with September’s first breath is something to be relished. I only had two days to enjoy it before heading back to college myself, but, my oh my, was it lovely. The floors stayed clean, the laundry was done and I managed not to trip over one toy. A place for everything and everything in its place, right? Oh—a girl can dream!
The kids are back in school and seem quite happy. They had a rambunctious summer with all their cousins visiting from France and Switzerland and we are finding it to be a lot more fun now that everyone is out of nappies and way past the toddling stage. As hectic as it was, we managed to do a lot of local touristy stuff in and around Galway and Mayo and one of our favourite day trips was to the Museum of Country Life near Castlebar. If you have not already been there, then mark a day on the calendar and make it a fun day out for the family some Saturday. It is free admission and a perfect place to go on a fine (or rainy!) day.
Now that we are settling back into the routine of school for the kids and college for me, the one thing we struggle to keep on top of is the school lunch boxes. Like most parents, we strive to provide the children with a healthful, and well balanced lunch, to keep their tummies full and brains engaged for the school day. There is still, however, no guarantee that they will actually eat it though!
One of our favourite things to make with leftover roast chicken is Chicken curry salad. Over the years we have increased the spiciness of this dish so the kids are well able to handle a bit of heat at lunchtime now. If you are just starting to introduce spicy foods to your family members then just do it in small doses. A spoonful here and there. You will find that when done right, they will start asking for it!
We hope you are doing well and keep an eye out for us in The Sunday Times. We have a column every Sunday where we share three recipes. Definitely worth the read!
Chicken Curry Salad (serves 4)
If you are trying to steer clear of giving your children processed meats (we are) then stay tuned to the blog at www.WiseWords.ie. I am going to share a recipe on how to poach a piece of pork or chicken or turkey leaving you with a few delicious pieces of meat for their lunch boxes. You will never need to buy the (very expensive) deli meats again!
What you will need
- 450g [2 filets] chicken, cooked
- 4 scallions
- 90g [6 tbsp] Mayonnaise
- 30g [1 oz] natural yoghurt
- 2 tsp mild curry powder
- 240g red (seedless) grapes
- Juice of half a lemon
- Black pepper
- Salt
- One head of bib lettuce
How to prepare
- Shred the chicken using a fork while it is still warm. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. Leave to cool for an hour (in the fridge).
- Mix mayonnaise with remaining lemon juice and curry powder. Add in the yoghurt and taste. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Chop scallions and cut the grapes in half.
- Once chicken has cooled, in a large bowl, mix (gently) the chicken with the mayonnaise mixture until the meat is completely coated.
- Throw in the chopped scallions and grapes and toss them into the chicken curry mix.
- Once all mixed up well, scoop out a few spoonfuls into the lettuce leaves.
- Eat and enjoy.
Thanks for reading along,
Móna Wise
