Mix and Match Leftovers, Then Call it Lunch

Every week we take a peek inside the lunches of the luckiest kids in Brooklyn. Read on, suppress your jealousy, and get a little brown bag inspiration. 

I like lunches that involve assembling foods I've cooked separately; this is because I might want to use one ingredient in a lunch and the rest of it in another dish at dinner. It gives me flexibility and adds bandwidth to my menus. (This approach to cooking can also be found in our column, Halfway To Dinner.)

Today, I made our kids a modified tuna Niçoise. I mixed Helmann's mayonnaise with coarse grain mustard and lemon juice and spooned it into their glass lunch containers. Then I built the rest of the salad on top of the mayo: some halved roasted potatoes from dinner last night; some oil-poached tuna (the leftovers of which will make an appearance in tomorrow's lunch); sliced asparagus, and a medium-cooked egg. I sprinkled on some capers and sea salt, et voila, tuna Niçoise-ish!

Yesterday, our babysitter made rhubarb, strawberry, and blackberry cobbler, and I totally snagged some of it for their dessert. Call me a cheat!

What's in your lunch today? See some of the twins' past lunches.