Yesterday's Left over Today's Lunch

Dinner is where most Australians enjoy a healthy, balanced meal with nutrient-rich protein foods such as beef or lamb, a variety of vegetables or salads and grains such as pasta or rice. This also happens to represent the perfect combination of foods and nutrients for the school lunch box, to fuel kid’s minds and bodies to ensure they have enough critical nutrients and energy to be alert and concentrate at school.

Using leftovers of protein-rich foods such as beef and lamb are not only filling, they are also packed with nutrients. Swapping a simple sandwich with spread for a leftover roast beef and salad sandwich provides more than double the amount of protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12, making a valuable contribution to nutrients intakes of kids.

Lunch box leftover tips

• To keep food fresh and cool, use an insulated lunch box and include a small freezer brick or bottle of frozen water. Foods and drinks that are kept cool will be safe as well as more tasty and appealing
• Invest in a series of containers of various sizes to make leftover packing easy
• Consider using an insulated thermos container so you can heat and pack hot food. These special containers can keep food hot until lunch time
• If you don’t regularly have leftovers after the nightly meal, cook an extra serve of meat and vegetables or double your recipe to ensure leftovers for lunch the next day

Lunch Box combo's using last night's dinner

Kids and adults alike will not only love these delicious lunches but they’ll also benefit from the nutrition goodness that beef and lamb provide.

Leftover roast lamb or beef

Leftover juicy roast beef or lamb is a perfect lunch starter.

• Slice and place in wholegrain sandwiches, rolls, pita or wraps with fresh salad ingredients and hummus or tzatziki
• Cut into small pieces and toss into a veggie, pasta or rice salad

Barbecued beef or lamb steaks

Barbecued steaks are so delicious that it’s worth cooking an extra one or two to have on hand for the family lunch boxes.

• Top a piece of lavash bread with sliced steak, shredded lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes and grated cheese
• Toss sliced steak through a salad with leftover roast veggies, salad greens and a drizzle of dressing

Rissoles or meatballs

Leftover rissoles or meatballs are delicious as sandwich filler the next day.

• Split a pita pocket bread, spread with hummus or tzatziki, add a halved rissole and some tabouli or salad greens
• Split a wholegrain roll in half, add a halved meatball, salad greens, a slice of beetroot, grated cheese and a dollop of tomato relish