Thinking outside the lunchbox

What pops into your head when you hear the words "snack food"?

Chips? A cookie? Hunk of cake? Perhaps a wedge of cheese? Or in these health-frenzied times, maybe a piece of fruit, handful of nuts or a rice cake?

As an example of what else is possible, here's something I recently prepared for a mid-afternoon treat.

"Homemade chicken-fingers?" comes the yell from the living room. "Sheer genius!" (This care of my partner, Fred, appointing himself rep for cavemen everywhere.)

Think I'll string Fred along for a bit, keep him believing this little concoction cost me a pile of effort. In reality, preparation was easy peasy.

The key? When cooking chicken parmesan (or comparable dish of steak or pork), merely toss an extra portion or two into the pan. Of course, many folk already do this to have an extra meal on hand. But seriously, why not sizzle up extras to use for snacks?

The rest is simple:

• allow chicken to cool
• slice
• thread onto wooden skewers (optional)
• pack pieces (or mini shishkabobs) in storage container or ziplock bag.

Presto, one high-protein, tasty, low-cost snack. Ready to go.

Serving up slabs of meat as a snack? Now that's thinking outside the lunchbox.