EXTRA School & Work Lunches Workshop on Thursday 12th Feb @ 7:30pm

As the first workshop is fully booked with a waiting list I will, as promised, run a second workshop the following week. All of the information on how to book and details on what is covered is set out in my blog post advertising the first workshop here other than the date for the second workshop which is Thursday 12th Feb. Please text me 0407 871 884 to book in and I will confirm if there are spaces available. If anyone in the first workshop prefers to switch to the second workshop date just let me know.

School & Work Lunches Workshop: Thursday 5 Feb @ 7:30pm

With school about to start next week (yikes!!) I thought it would be timely to kick off the new year with a school /work lunches workshop. As parents, we all want to raise happy, healthy, vibrant kids and the best place to start is with nutritious home-made meals made simple and easy.

I will be covering the following:

• why childhood chronic illnesses and degenerative diseases are becoming an epidemic
• why such illnesses didn’t exist in traditional (pre-industrialised) societies
• what are some nutrient-dense wholefoods that will give your children the building blocks and energy they need to play, learn, concentrate, grow and function properly, and perform their very best
• why the source and processing of our food is paramount
• why nutrient-density and removal of toxins are key
• myth busting around saturated fats
• what’s wrong with what children (and adults) are typically eating for lunch and snacks: the dangers of sugar, gluten and industrial seed oils
• a 3 step action plan!
• equipment to have on hand
• how to deal with uneaten food and fussy eaters

Cost is $70 per person and includes:

• theory discussion on the above
• detailed handout including theory, lunch box suggestions & recipes
• practical demonstrations
• hands-on experience
• food tasting
• opportunity to ask questions

This workshop is ideal for:

• parents who are confused about what to pack for their children for lunch or morning tea, or want further ideas or inspiration
• students and adults who are confused about what to pack for lunch or morning tea, or want further ideas or inspiration
• people who have transitioned off processed foods but are not 100% clear on how to incorporate or combine wholefoods into their lunches
• people whoare constantly hungry throughout the day despite their lunch
• parents whose children are constantly hungry throughout the day despite their lunch
• people who want to replace or reduce the amount of store-bought /canteen lunches in favour of home-made nutritious lunches
• parents whose children frequently succumb to colds and infections.

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Where: 23 Kent Street, Waverley, 2024.
When: Thursday 5th Feb 7:30pm- 10pm ish
Spaces limited to 15. Spots typically book out within 24 hours so get in quick! If the class is fully booked, I will run another class the week later. If you can’t make it on a weeknight let me know and I will organise a weekend class if I get a sufficient quorum requesting that.
RSVP:  To secure your spot  you will need to:

1. Text me on 0407 871 884 to confirm that there are spaces available. Spots can only be reserved for 24 hours; and
2. Once I confirm that there is a spot available please transfer $70 (referencing your name and ‘lunches workshop’) within 24 hours to secure your spot into this bank account:

Account name: Star Anise Organic Wholefoods (Aust.) Pty. Ltd.

BSB: 062 000
Account no: 15110110

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Please feel free to forward to any friends or family members.

Cancellation Policy: once funds are deposited into my bank account they are non-refundable but can be transferred to another cooking class/workshop upon 48 hours notice.

Plan for school/work lunches!

Need inspiration for the daily grind? No I'm not referring to school traffic (can't help you there) but the other one - school/work lunches? I hope these simple ideas make the daily prep work more of a pleasure than a grind:

• Fry up some peeled prawns in butter and added salt and pepper. They only need to be cooked for a minute or so on each side to change from translucent to white. Throw them into a lunch box with all the yummy buttery juices and there's a perfect protein and healthy fat rich morning tea. Or add them to a salad for lunch. So quick and simple.
• Make extra salad from the night before with some grated parmesan cheese or left over meat.
• Veggie sticks with cheese (my kids got sick of eating cheese that I cut into cubes or sticks so instead I grated it and the love it - just for the novelty!)
• Veggie sticks with home-made dip (eg Moroccan spicy dip made with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon turmeric, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, 3 egg yolks and if you have some, 1 tablespoon whey)
• Throw together a frittata with beaten eggs, steam veggies and grated cheese, bake until firm then cut into sections and freeze when cold. Defrost a piece from the night before. Store defrosted foods in school lunch boxes on paper towels to absorb moisture and prevent them from going soggy.
• If you have broth on hand (its a staple in my fridge!) steam up some diced veggies (even from the night before) and throw into some heated stock for instant soup. Pour into a wide mouthed thermos and lunch is kept warm for hours.
• Make a casserole from the night before (just whack into a casserole dish some meat on the bone, water or stock, chopped veggies, salt, pepper and herbs) and slow cook covered all night on 80 degrees so that you can scoop into a wide mouthed thermos in the morning for lunch.
• Small tubs of goats or sheeps milk yogurt (or spoon yogurt into thermos container) make a great kids' morning tea (add an ice pack to keep cold).
• Fruit with cheese is my 'default' morning tea. The cheese is essential to slow the release of the sugars in the fruit to avoid insulin spikes and crashes (and to avoid teeth being left coated with fructose).
• My kids love the simple delicious pleasure of grated carrots or carrot sticks for morning tea which is a good reminder for me that food doesn't need to be fancy or have many ingredients to be well received.
• Afternoon tea is something similar to morning tea or some activated nuts (which are no longer allowed at schools due to the prevalence of nut allergies) teamed with a glass of whole unprocessed milk.

Variety is good. A mixture of cold and hot lunches. Planning school/work lunches one day ahead takes a lot of stress out of the morning rush hour. Prepare cold lunches from the night before (add any salad dressing before they are popped into school bags)  and keep hot lunches really simple so that can be heated or cooked within 2 minutes that morning.

Notice that all these suggestions DON'T involve any grains or legumes (which are not really what humans are biologically designed to eat and cause more harm than good) and only take a few minutes to prepare with very few nutrient-dense ingredients. So there's more to lunch than Vegemite sandwiches......

Have any of your own work or lunch tips? Please share them with us by leaving a comment below.