So here are the final recipes from 2 blogposts ago about how to upgrade your child’s lunchbox. I chose roast beef and roast turkey (to replace deli meats), homemade ketchup, and homemade peanut butter as those are some of the most commonly used ingredients in kids’ sandwiches.
Roast Beef and Roast Turkey Breast
Ingredients:
1 roast beef and 2 turkey breasts
3 large onions, grated
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
10 shallots, peeled
10 small button mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
Seasoning:
Cinnamon
Sea salt
Black pepper
Allspice
Garlic powder
Cardomum powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat your oven to 375F/190C. Place the meats in roasting pans. I put the roast beef in one and the 2 turkey breasts together in another one. I then sprinkled cinnamon, sea salt, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder and cardomum powder on the top and bottoms of the meats making sure to rub in all the seasoning well. I then added the grated onions and rubbed that in as well.
I put all the chopped vegetables in a bowl together and seasoned them the same way but I also added the olive oil. I mixed them well and divided them up between the pans.
I then added water to each pan to the halfway point. I covered the pans and put them in the oven to roast for 3 hours.
Once they are ready, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before slicing them. You may want to even wrap them in foil and slice them the next day. They are easier to slice when they are cold. Wrap the slices individually in aluminum foil or in batches to keep in the freezer for later use. Not only can you use the beef and turkey slices in your child’s lunchbox, but they can double up as quick dinners you just reheat when you are short on time.
Total preparation time: 20 minutes. Total roasting time: 3 hours
Homemade Peanut Butter
Ingredients:
3 cups raw or roasted peanuts (if you buy them raw you must roast them yourself. Place them in an oven pan or baking tray and roast them for 15-20 minutes)
1 teaspoon raw honey
2-3 tablespoons cacao (raw or regular)
Place all of the peanuts in a food processor. Turn the food processor on and simply watch the peanuts as they become crumbly, then soft then creamy.
Once they are creamed completely, add the honey and turn the food processor on again for about one more minute. Transfer the peanut butter into a storage container. If you would like to make chocolate peanut butter, transfer a portion of the peanut butter into a storage container and keep the remaining portion in the food processor to make the chocolate peanut butter. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the cacao powder and turn the food processor on for 1-2 minutes more.
Total time: 10 minutes if using roasted peanuts, and about 25-30 minutes if you need to roast the peanuts first.
Homemade Ketchup
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 medium chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
36 ounces pureed fresh tomatoes with skins removed
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Directions
Heat oil and cook onions and garlic until softened. Add everything else and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it simmer for about an hour or until you reach your desired consistency. Before blending it, let the mixture cool slightly and then puree the mixture until all the ingredients are completely pureed. (BE CAREFUL – Blending hot liquids can be dangerous.)
Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
You will notice that natura ketchup is not as red as commercially made ketchup. That is because we didn’t add any artificial colors, additives or preservatives.
At this point you may either put it in a storage container in your fridge right away for put it in the freezer. It will last in the fridge for 3-4 weeks, longer in the freezer.
Again, although this recipe took about 1 hour and 20 minutes, the majority of the time, one hour, was for the ingredients to cook. Preparing the ingredients and then blending and straining took a total of 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Dana