Crunchy Crouton Salad

Most kids don’t like salad, but my kids have loved this.

It has crunchy toast and bacon and avocado in it. Its fresh, and is a source of protein, carbohydrates, and vitamin C.

Best thing for busy mums is that it can be made the night before.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Serves: 2 children

Ingredients:

• 30g of Parmesan cheese
• 5 bacon rashers
• 2 slices of bread
• 4 eggs
• 1 avocado
• 1 small cos lettuce

Optional salad dressing:

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small lemon or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

Steps

1. Heat oven to 200oc.
2. Put the slices of bread on an ovenproof baking tray, and place the bacon on top of the bread.
3. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes
4. While the bread is cooking grate the cheese
5. Hard-boil the eggs by placing them in a saucepan of boiling water and cooking them for 4 mins. Remove the eggs and cool them in cold water, remove the shells and cut them into quarters
6. Peel and remove the stone from the avocado. Cut the avocado into small chunks.
7. Tear the lettuce into small pieces.
8. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl
9. Remove the cooked bacon and leave to cool.
10. Place the grated cheese on the and baked bread and place back in the oven for a further 5 mins until the cheese has melted. Remove the bread and allow to cool.
11. Cut up the bacon and bread into small bite size chunks and mix with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and serve into your lunchboxes.

Optional salad dressing

Making the salad dressing is very easy.

1. Place the olive oil and squeeze the lemon juice and mustard into a small bowl and mix well.

If you have a small container with a lid you can put your salad dressing in there and your child can add it just before eating at lunchtime, this will stop the ingredients from getting soggy which some kids don’t like.