Nutritious lunchbox recipes from Siba Mtongana

The doyenne of quick meals in South Africa, Siba Mtongana, has a mission this year – getting the perfect lunchbox meals for all kids. As a passionate and dynamic food enthusiast who brought style and charisma to South Africa’s food scene, she released nutritious recipes on her new website, sibamtongana.com to make school lunchboxes fuss-free and a delight for both parents and kids. You can also adapt them for work and for meals at home.

Speaking from her Innovation Kitchen and Studio in Cape Town, Mtongana says the key to a successful lunchbox is to ensure that the food is nutritional and healthy, but still a treat. “I’m a strong believer in balanced eating, meaning don’t punish the kids. Let them enjoy the full spectrum of food, be properly nourished and manage their intake of certain types of food, especially sugar,” says Mtongana.

She believes there is a misconception that malnutrition has only to do with those who are poor and hungry.

Siba Mtongana

“You’ll be surprised to know that you can be wealthy, have access to everything and still suffer from malnutrition because of bad eating habits and not eating enough nutritious food.

“Being a mom is by no means easy as out of four, I have two fussy eaters at home and the other two eat everything. The video is a start to get you going on how you can experiment to add some excitement to that lunchbox,” she says.

Apart from international multi-award winning achievements, one of the biggest highlights for Mtongana and her company, The Siba Co, was being hand-picked by the Presidency to direct and curate the VIP menu for the 2019 inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa, where she served 450 guests, including more than 70 heads of state, former presidents as well as kings and queens from the continent and around world.

As the first African culinary star to have a global reach and influence in over 135 countries with her show on Food Network, Siba’s Table, Mtongana continues to break industry barriers through her passion for food and people. In the US alone, the show airs in more than 60 million homes on the Cooking Channel – another first for a SA chef.

When Siba’s Table first aired on Food Network, it not only cemented Mtongana’s standing as one of South Africa’s premier culinary phenomena, but catapulted her to the status of global food icon in more than 135 countries. The world was hungry for local and African dishes with a twist. This food fundi with majors in food sciences and nutrition, who is also a former magazine food editor and model, served up what they were looking for. And they continue to consume every bite she creates with her unique deftness.

With so much under her belt – including being one of the most in-demand celebrity chefs on an array of local and international programmes, at food festivals the world over, not forgetting appearing on the covers of glossy magazines – Mtongana has certainly made a name for herself. And her star can only get brighter.

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To download, prep and experience Mtongana’s exclusive back-to-school lunchbox delicacies first hand, visit http://sibamtongana.com or find her on Facebook @sibamtongana, Instagram @sibamtongana and Twitter @sibamtongana

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