Foodie Footsteps

Soup for the Sick

2011-02-23T08:47:00.005-06:00

Chicken soup is the quintessential "sick" food. Always has been and always will be. When the kids or the hubs gets sick, they always request chicken soup. In the past, I've relied on pre-made stock or broth as the base for my soup, but I've honestly never been incredibly happy with it. There is a ton of sodium in canned or boxed stock and they add preservatives and who knows what all else. For some reason, I always thought that homemade stock or broth would be a pain to make and never really tried it. WELL, I finally found an easy yet incredibly flavorful recipe to use as a base for my soups. Guess where? Come on, guess...give up? Pioneer Woman, of course! Hyacinth's Chicken Soup is amazing! I mean it, a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Throw everything in the pot and simmer for a long long time. Easy! It does take a while to cool enough for the fat to coagulate at the top so that you can remove it (fatty chicken stock is just gross!) so, with that in mind, I would make it the day before you actually want to make soup. The only change I made to the original recipe is that I cracked the chicken bones before putting them back into the pot-a little tip I picked up by reading all of the comments on Pioneer Woman's blog. I always read the comments on recipes. People always leave suggestions on ways to improve the recipe or variations that they have made. It's one of the reasons that I love using the Internet for new recipes.

Anyway, after you make the broth, your possibilities are endless. You can use it in any soup you like. Little chic's favorite is chicken noodle with egg noodles. Always a good option when you're feeling under the weather. But, the last time I made the soup, I made my new favorite variation...matzo ball. I think matzo ball may be the best sick food around. Matzo balls are basically cracker dumplings which means they are soft enough for a sore throat and "crackery" enough to help soothe an upset stomach. I'm telling you, it's perfect!

One last thing before I go...my most wonderful and incredible doctor has started a blog that I think is chock full of great ideas and tips for healthy living! I've seen this same doctor for almost 20 years (wow that makes me feel old!)and one of the reasons that I really like him is that we share a passion for a more natural, chemical free lifestyle. On his blog, he's discussed all sorts of topics from red dye to grass fed beef. You should all check it out! Your Health, Your Life

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays!

2011-02-09T16:38:00.004-06:00

Well, I'm still here. I haven't posted in a while, but it's not because we haven't been cooking! We've had some family emergencies to deal with and vacations and we are finally back into the swing of things...I hope! Lunches have pretty much been "second verse, same as the first"- a whole bunch of repeats. I mean, even I will admit to the fact that there are only so many things you can do with a pb&j! So no real lunch updates this time. Birthday goodies though? Yeah, I got some of those!

The beginning of the year always brings a three month stretch of birthdays. And the end of January/first of February is particularly crazy because little chic's birthday, my birthday, and big chic's birthday are all one week after another. What this means to me? Well, I'm sure most of you can imagine what happens to mommy's birthday sandwiched in between the chics'...it gets greatly diluted! OR I inevitably end up at American Girl Bistro because it is smack dab in the middle of the girls' birthdays. Anyway, the chics love taking treats to school to share with their friends and they are very opinionated about exactly what those treats will be (Hmmm...wonder where that comes from?).

We'll start with little chic. She requested, "strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting with a strawberry on top with B's like you did sissy's cupcakes". Pretty specific and pretty easy to accomplish. Exhibit A... She added the hearts as I was piping the B's.

Now big chic's birthday request was a little more challenging. She wanted rice marshmallow treats with chocolate inside. I suggested adding chocolate chips to them, but was shot down. I told her I could do a layer of chocolate sandwiched in between the squares, but was shot down again. Many ideas, many rebuttals. Finally I said that her request might be kinda difficult. To this she replied by patting my leg and saying, "That's okay mommy. You're a good cook. You'll figure it out." The hubs almost fell out of his chair laughing so hard. Soooooo, after a little experimentation, I decided to put the chocolate on the outside...and put them on a stick...and roll them in sprinkles. Exhibit B... Then I wrapped them in treat bags and made little tags for them.

I have to admit that I was THRILLED with how they turned out! They were a little finicky to figure out though, so if you wanna try them yourself, here's are a few secrets to success...

I made a test batch a few weeks ago and I am glad that I did! At first the balls fell off the sticks the second that I stuck them into the melted chocolate (oh and I used Candy Melts, by the way! Regular chocolate doesn't dry as hard or as quickly.) Fortunately, one of my friends was hanging out with me that day and she suggested I freeze them before dipping. Genius idea, I tell ya! Not only did they keep they're shape, the chocolate hardened much more quickly. The other trick is the exact timing for sprinkles. If you put them on too soon, they sink into the chocolate, wait too long and they won't stick to them at all. There's no scientific method to it. I wish there were! It'd make things much easier. But I found that as soon as they were a bit difficult to pull off the parchment, they were just tacky enough to hold the sprinkles but not let them sink in. After figuring out the first batch, these were super easy to make. The most time consuming thing was wrapping and tagging. The end result was worth the effort, though and I will definitely be making these again for other school and party treats!

Back from the break!

2010-11-29T12:32:00.005-06:00

I think the first day back from a break is the worst. Even though the chics consistently got me up before sunrise during their Thanksgiving break, somehow the sound of the alarm this morning was just excruciating. After getting the big chic ready for school today I realized that I forgot to make her a lunch! Oops! We were so preoccupied with other things this weekend, that school kinda snuck up on me. Fortunately there's always the dining hall! Tomorrow, though, little chic has school, too and there is no dining hall at preschool.

Cucumber slices, Clementine with dried cherry, Wheat Chex, Cheddar cheese with ham twirls

Turkey Turkey

2010-11-10T15:18:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I haven't made any Thanksgiving lunches! I'm trying to come up with some fun crafts for the kids over the holidays and came across the cutest turkey shaped sandwiches on Family Fun's website so I thought tomorrow would be the perfect day for a Thanksgiving lunch. My turkey did not turn out as cute as I would have liked, but I think it will suffice (plus big chic is becoming more concerned with having a grown up lunch, rather than a cutesy one!)

Turkey turkey and cheese sandwich with mini pepper feathers, grapes, chocolate chunk cookie

Immaculate Baking Co. makes ready made cookie dough in all sorts of flavors. Recently the hubs was reading some review of the best ready made cookie doughs and their chocolate chunk was the winner. I had seen it at Central Market, but had never tried it and that article convinced me that I should. The cookies are really good, but what I like more is that all of the ingredients are natural...no weird stuff, no corn syrup. They're made from the same ingredients that I make cookies from. LOVE that!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-20T15:14:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow little chic is visiting a pumpkin patch! Well, technically the pumpkin patch is coming to preschool, but still... so, the theme for the day is orange. When I saw some orange globe carrots at the store this weekend, I knew I had to buy them for her orange lunch.

Ghost marshmallows, Cheese skewers (yes, it's American cheese...don't judge!), Orange globe carrots, Fruit leather and Trail mix cookie.

Big chic eats too...

2010-10-14T14:25:00.000-05:00

This is one of big chic's lunches this week. She's on an anti-bread kick lately. I don't know why, but she came home from school last week with a seemingly uneaten peanut butter and jelly. When I asked her why she didn't eat her sandwich, she said that she didn't like bread so she just licked the peanut butter and jelly off of the bread. Okay... so sandwiches are out. Not sure how long the no-bread kick will last. We'll see.

Cucumber chain, Ham cheese and carrot flowers, Fruit dip with strawberries and pineapple, bagel chips.

FIRE!!!

2010-10-13T15:11:00.005-05:00

On Monday, after a very long day of activities, we finally returned home after 7:30pm. Here we were, already a half hour past bedtime and I had two chics that needed baths, one chic that needed to work on her homework packet and do her daily reading, and another chic that thinks she's the Lady Gaga of preschool fashion that had not yet picked out her outfit for the next day (believe me...this is NOT a simple decision for her!). Did I mention that I hadn't even packed lunches for the next day? Well, exhausted and in a hurry, I tell big chic that she can buy lunch the next day (YAY for the dining hall!) and ask the little chic if she will just take a normal lunch (meaning undecorated) cause mommy is tired and it's late. "Mommy, no!" she says, "I want a fire lunch cause we're having a fireman for preschool." UGH!!! The hubs just laughs and says, "You created this!' and I know he's right. Sooooooo while he gets the big chic ready for bed, I try to create the quickest, fastest and easiest fire themed lunch I can. Here it is...

PB&J house with baby bell pepper fire, Crust tree trunk with parsley leaves, Carrot sticks with Twizzler fire hoses (I was desperate, okay?), Grapes

Today's lunch brought to you by the letter E

2010-10-04T14:56:00.004-05:00

This week's preschool letter is E. Not many E foods out there except eggs and I just wasn't feeling an all egg lunch. So, I decided that E would stand for eclectic cause these lunches are kind of a mish mosh of several different things we had around the house this weekend. We had some leftover sticky rice, some blue cheese and pecan dip, some granola bars...none of it really goes together but we're gonna make it work. E is for Eclectic, remember?

Little chic's lunch

Rice balls with nori "E"s on a bed of carrots, Grape and blue cheese salad, Granola bar, snack mix with popcorn, puffed corn and chocolate Cheerios.

Big chic's lunch

Celery sticks, Granola bars, Grape and blue cheese salad, Ham and cheese sushi

I started out making "sushi" with ham, cheese, spinach, and carrots. Big chic loved it but Little chic wanted me to make hers into rice balls, so the ham and cheese and veggies are on the inside.

After a party this weekend, we had some leftover blue cheese and pecan dip. I mixed it with some halved grapes to make one of the hubs favorite salads. I was making it for his lunch, but the chics wanted to taste it and then insisted it go into their lunches as well.

The granola bars are the beloved Smitten Kitchen Thick and Chewy Granola Bars. So yummy!

"B" happy!

2010-09-20T18:33:00.007-05:00

In preschool, the letter of the week is "B" so we did a lunch of all "B" foods...

"Brooke" made with Bread, Berries, Baby chick made with a Boiled egg, Blue cheese dip with Baby carrots

I know that my posts seem to focus only on the little chic's lunches, but I promise that big chic still takes her lunch! She pretty much takes the same lunch as the little chic on Tues and Thursdays and takes leftovers the rest of the time. It works out well and gives me a break from an entire week of fancy lunches. Here's one of her leftover lunches:

Wild Mushroom Quinoa Risotto, Blue jello (leftover from "blue day"), Applesauce, Purple carrots, Cheese stick

See...I'm feeding the big chic lunch...I swear!!

A whole lot of packaging!

2010-09-15T13:07:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow's lunch was requested by the little chic. She remembers the banana hot dog that I made for her sister's lunch last year and has asked for it a few times since then. For some reason she thinks it's SO funny to have a banana in place of a hot dog. Fortunately for me, it's super easy to do. I take a whole wheat hot dog bun and spread peanut butter and honey on the inside. I leave the banana in the peel so that it stays fresh and she puts the banana in the bun when it's lunchtime. Here's what it looks like as a finished product (this one was on a regular white hot dog bun):

The rest of her lunch is leftover items from big chic's class. Big chic's class does community snack where parents trade off weeks when they provide snacks for the class. The verdict is still out on whether or not we will continue doing community snack. It really all depends on what other families will send when it is their turn. I'm hoping that other families will send healthy snacks and that we don't get PopTarts and "fruit" snacks. I volunteered to bring snack the first week so that I could kinda set an example and so that if I decided to opt out, I didn't feel like I owed anyone snacks. Anyway, we have to send the stuff ready to serve, so we bought lots of prepackaged snacks. I am tired of seeing the leftovers in the fridge so the chics are going to be taking some of it in their lunches.

Banana hot dog, Cheesestick, Fruit Leather, Baby Carrots

Blue Food

2010-09-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

Warning: if the sight of unnaturally colored food makes you queasy, look away now!

Tomorrow is "blue day" at preschool. Gotta say, not the easiest color to achieve naturally. This lunch is more of a purpley blue combo, but it was as close as I could get. The only thing that I added color to was the cottage cheese. I thought it looked gross, but little chic thought it was awesome. Go figure!

Purple baby carrots, Cottage cheese(with a dot of blue icing color), Frozen blackberries, Blue jello.

"O" yeah!!

2010-09-06T10:35:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I find myself struggling to come up with a new idea for the chic's lunches, and we all know that the little chic has seriously high expectations for her lunches this year. My lack of creativity and her demand for pizazz is a recipe for disaster. In the past, on a day where I'm just not feelin' it, I can tell big chic to buy her lunch in the dining hall. But, preschool has no dining hall to turn to in moments of weakness. Needless to say, I've been a little worried about disappointing her with the uninspired lunch. So imagine my delight when she comes home last week with a calendar listing all of the themes for the month. It's like the lunches can just plan themselves! WOOHOO! This week the theme is "O is for Ocean". She had already asked for this salad in her lunch so I decided to focus on the "O" rather than the "Ocean".

Spinach salad with apple O's and pistachiOs with pistachiO dressing, O sandwich with turkey and cheese, Carrot chips, Cherry fruit leather.

Big chic is buying her lunch tomorrow so little chic got to pick whichever containers she wanted to take and she chose the blue with the big container.

The salad is another Aarti Party recipe called The Ugly Duckling Salad. Little chic devoured it and asked if she could take it in her lunch this week. Aarti is my new favorite for finding new recipes. We've made almost all of her recipes so far, and we have loved every one of them. Nothing has even been mediocre, like "meh it was okay". It has all been so good, we are fighting over the little bits left in the bowl or pan. Seriously yummy! Tonight we are making her tumeric rubbed shrimp stuffed with cilantro and garlic with her apple lime peanut slaw and the whole family is excited about another Aarti menu!

A few from this week...

2010-09-03T07:39:00.006-05:00

Two lunches (okay, technically three - I made the first lunch twice) to post today from this week. Both chics took this lunch this week:
Orange segments with blueberries, Homemade granola bar, Carrot and okra chips, Black olives, Turkey and cheese skewers.

These granola bars are called Playgroup Granola Bars. I used to make them all the time. That was before I found the Smitten Kitchen granola bar recipe! Anyway, I've been making Smitten Kitchen's granola bars for so long that I completely forgot about this recipe. One of my friends made them the other day and it reminded me of them. Although I like the Smitten Kitchen's granola bars more, the Playgroup Granola bars are much easier and require less special ingredients.

The other lunch for the week was a leftover lunch...Big chic took leftover Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Spaghetti and meatballs with parmesan cheese, Celery sticks, Fruit leather

Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti and Meatball recipe is really good and fairly easy. I made a batch of it a couple months ago and froze the leftovers in the trusty Foodsaver. All I had to do for dinner was cook the pasta and heat up the sauce. It's perfect for a busy weeknight and it's even better the next day (or a few months later :) )

Double Trouble

2010-08-31T11:12:00.005-05:00

As I write this post today, my little chic is sitting in a preschool class...her FIRST preschool class...EVER! She was so excited about it this morning that she was literally telling me to leave. I think the exact words were, "Can I go color now? You can go ahead and leave." Although I am so glad that my little darlings are confident enough to meet new challenges head on, another part of me is kinda sad that my baby pretty much kicked me out of her class this morning. I have to say, though, that I was a tad excited too. I haven't had a day alone with no children, and no husband, and no appointments in years. So, I'm sitting here typing, listening to the sounds of the dishwasher and air conditioner instead of whining for snacks or the sweet sweet sounds of Nickelodeon (raise your hand if you wanna scream every time you hear a Big Time Rush song).

Because big sister's lunches were such a big deal last year, little chic has been thinking about her first day of school lunch for quite a while. When I originally asked her what she wanted in her lunch, she told me to make a Tinkerbell sandwich. I told her that might be a little hard and she said, "Nuh uh. Just make the sandwich shaped like Tinkerbell and her eyes can be blueberries and her dress can be lettuce leaves." Ooooookay... Maybe she should start making the lunches? I finally convinced her to go with something a little less time consuming and she decided to help me make them. While big chic goes more for the surprise aspect of the cool lunch, little chic wants to have a bit more control (and by control I mean BOSSY!) She told me every thing that would be in her lunch and how to make it (again, BOSSY!) Did I mention that she stood over me, umm, I mean helped, the entire time? Both chics took pretty much the same lunch today with a few variations..

Big chic's...Lite turkey bologna butterfly sandwich, Peach flower filled with goat cheese and almonds, Sugar snap peas inside mini pepper rings, Cranberry white chocolate chip cookie and dried cranberries

Little chic's...Cranberry white chocolate chip cookie and dried cranberries, Celery sticks inside mini pepper rings, Peach star filled with goat cheese and almonds, Lite turkey bologna butterfly sandwich.

Beet and Orange Salad

2010-08-24T10:33:00.005-05:00

This is the lunch that big chic was supposed to take earlier in the week (before the awesome Sloppy Bombay Joes). We've had our back and forth with beets. Big chic loves them, then hates them, then loves them again. One thing she always loves, though, is goat cheese. So, when I made beet and orange salad (with goat cheese) with our dinner last weekend, she loved beets again. She asked me to pack this salad for her lunch this week.

Beet and orange salad with orange vinaigrette, Plum, Carrots with red pepper heart

Sloppy Bombay Joes

2010-08-24T10:19:00.003-05:00

We made a new recipe last night that was a huge hit with the family. It's an Indian twist on sloppy joes from Aarti Party, the new show on Food Network. The recipe (Sloppy Bombay Joes) sounds a bit odd (raisins, pistachios, garam masala) but the end result was phenomenal. Everyone devoured their dinner and both the big chic and the hubs asked me pack up leftovers for their lunch. We served ours on whole wheat sandwich rolls and topped them with sliced mango. DELISH!

Sloppy Bombay Joe with sliced mango on top of saffron rice, Half of a cowgirl cookie, Cucumber slices, Greek yogurt with strawberries.

1st grade, here we come!!

2010-08-22T19:03:00.005-05:00

Today's the big day! YAY!!! And I'm not even going to try to pretend that I was a teary eyed mommy walking my sweet little angel in to the school this morning. No, no...I was the one that slowed down just long enough for the big chic to jump out and then peeled out of the school parking lot screaming, "WOOOOHOOOO!". I'm just kidding! I walked her in, took her picture, the whole thing, BUT I admit that as I drove out of the parking lot, I might have said, in a very soft yet excited voice, "woohoo!"

Let's be real, these last few weeks of summer have been a killer. The big chic and little chic are beyond tired of being together and could be a psychological study in mood swings. One minute they are hugging each other and playing nicely together, the next minute someones crayon "accidentally" marks on someone else's paper and the screaming, crying, and whining begins. Last year, at the end of summer, I was a sobbing crying mess because my first child was starting kindergarten. This year, at the end of summer, I was a sobbing crying mess because I couldn't take one more "I'm telling mommy!" or "Then I'm not playing!". I will miss the big chic while she's in school today, but I sure as heck am not going to miss the fighting!

Back to school means back to lunches. This year will be a bit different. I'm probably going to let her buy lunch a little more. The school is keeping the same lunch provider as last year so we know enough about the menu options now to let her eat there a little more. AND the little chic will be starting preschool next week, so I'll be making two lunches a couple times a week. We are sticking with the tried and true Laptop Lunchboxes, but we've added a few pieces to the collection to make my life a little easier. Another difference is that, this year, I'm not going to promise to post every single day. I have so much going on this year that I'm a little nervous about how it's all going to work out. But, the healthy lunch issue is important to me so I'm continuing on with the blog hoping that someone somewhere is getting some inspiration.

So, after all that, here's our first lunch of first grade...

Yogurt dip with cucumber and carrots, Clementine and blueberries, Cranberry white chocolate cookies, Peanut butter and jelly flower cut outs.

How to Make Meatloaf in the Summer

2010-08-18T14:49:00.008-05:00

Well, hello there! The big chic starts school next week and my mind has been turning towards lunchboxes and Foodie Footsteps. It's been a great summer, and although I haven't been blogging, I've thought about my blog sooooo many times. I should have blogged more this summer about recipes that I was making, but we have been so busy. A Disney trip, a visit to the great grandparents across country, and countless play dates, summer camps, and movie days have occupied my mind as well as my time. I hope that I still have some readers left after my summer break!

Anyway, for those of you that are still left, I thought I'd share a very interesting recipe that I rediscovered this summer. I say "rediscovered" because I've had the recipe for quite a while stuck in one of my many binders filled with printed, copied or handwritten recipes that I've collected over the past fifteen years. If you're like me, you have an entire section of your kitchen dedicated to this mish mosh of recipes. The hubs complained about it constantly. A very good friend and fellow foodie told us about an e-reader for your kitchen. I thought it was an awesome idea, but the hubs, being the money saver that he is, had a hard time justifying the purchase. Well, a few weeks ago, he finally broke down (or I wore him down, depending on who you ask) and he bought me a Demy Kitchen Reader.

My New Best Friend...the Demy

It is SO cool. You put all your recipes into the Key Ingredient website and sync them to the Demy. You can create your own cookbooks and add pictures and everything. I thought adding the recipes to the Key Ingredient website would be horrible, but most of my recipes are from magazines and websites and you can just cut and paste them from the website. Now, I don't have to print out recipes or take my laptop into the kitchen (which REALLY freaks out the hubs). All my recipes are at the tip of my finger...literally...it's touch screen. Such an awesome idea. You don't have to have a Demy to use Key Ingredient, either. You can create an account and add recipes to it (similar to All Recipes). Here are links to both in case you'd like to take a gander: For the Demy For Key Ingredient

There is a point of all of this rambling, I swear. One of the bonuses of putting my recipes into the Key Ingredient website, is that I found a bunch of recipes that I completely forgot about. One of those recipes was a meatloaf made in the bread machine. Yes, you read that right...meatloaf in the bread machine.

Now, if you've read my blog, you know that big chic loves some meatloaf! But, since we live in Texas, summer in unbearably hot and the idea of baking in the oven is not a pleasant one. Meatloaf is usually not on our summer foods list. The bread machine puts off very little heat, though (especially compared to the oven). I decided to give it a shot, I mean, how bad could it be? I'm guessing you could use any meatloaf recipe as long as it made to same volume. This is the recipe I used...

Breadmaker Meatloaf

MEATLOAF

1 medium onion, chopped

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used dried wild mushrooms that I rehydrated in some boiling water)

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)

2 eggs, beaten

GLAZE

1/2 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp prepared mustard

Combine all meatloaf ingredients in a bowl. Mix glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove the paddle from the bread machine pan and press meatloaf into the pan.

Next is the hardest part. You need to set the machine to skip the rise and proof setting and to bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. My machine doesn't have a way to bypass the proof or rise cycles, so I had to start a bread cycle and let it go through the steps. I put the pan into the bread machine when there was 1 hour and 10 minutes left in the bake cycle. Needless to say, since a full cycle on my machine is almost four hours, this recipe would require some pre-planning. (It would be worth it though since the proof and rise cycle use almost zero heat!)

When there are 30 minutes left on the bake cycle, open the machine and pour the glaze over the top of the meatloaf. Close the lid and continue to bake.

Once the meatloaf is done, allow it to cool for a minute and drain the juices. Remove from the pan...gently...NOT like this...

Slice and serve

I certainly won't say that I had the most supportive team of taste testers for this. When I told the hubs what we were having for dinner, he crinkled up his nose and said very slowly, "okay". The chics said, "in the bread machine?" and made yuck faces. After tasting it though, all of their skepticism disappeared. It was surprisingly moist and delicious. We'll be making meatloaf in our bread machine again. It makes me wonder what other things I could make in the bread machine...hmmm...

Baked Lemon Pasta

2010-05-19T08:36:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I came across a recipe that I had never seen before. I thought that I knew all of Pioneer Woman's recipes, but I was mistaken. I was trying to find a recipe that I could add a random 1/2 pound of sea scallops left in the freezer. Some sort of pasta seemed like a good option and I thought that Pioneer Woman had a scampi recipe. Well, it turns out that she didn't have a scampi recipe, but she did have a recipe for Baked Lemon Pasta. Lemon...scallops...pasta...sounded like a winner to me! I've gotten pretty fast at making homemade pasta so I made a batch of fettuccine to go with the sauce. Her recipe doesn't use scallops (or any other meat) but I thought it would be a good pairing. I seared the scallops and then quartered them but I didn't add them until I baked the pasta (I had a sneaking suspicion that the big chic would want to take it in her lunch and didn't want her to worry about having a stinky seafood lunch!) Although the recipe sounds a little weird (sour cream?), it was really good...kinda like a lemony fettuccine alfredo. It was so popular with the chics and the hubs that we only had about 1/2 cup leftover! Just enough for big chic's lunch...

Lemon pasta, Watermelon, Cookie, Caesar salad

We are currently overhauling the chics' playroom and went to Ikea this weekend to get some storage ideas. We always leave Ikea not with boxes of furniture, but with bags of food. These cookies are from our last visit. They're called Kakor Chokladflarn. They're like the Swedish version of a Peppridge Farm Brussels cookie. But better...much, MUCH better!

Big chic gets to buy her lunch for the rest of the week. Because I don't want to leave a balance in her lunch account over the summer, I figured out that she needs to buy lunch two times a week for the next three weeks to use up the balance on her lunch account. After looking at the lunch calendar, she chose Thursday and Friday of this week. So I'm off of lunch duty for the week! Everyone enjoy your weekend!

White Trash Strawberry Shortcake

2010-05-17T16:45:00.004-05:00

I know there are a lot more things in tomorrow's lunch than this one little dessert, but I just love the name of it, so that's what I'm focusing on. I'm not even going to try to deny the fact that I bought not one Twinkie, but an entire box. I was at the store last week and when I passed them on the end cap, the 10 year old in me had to have them. Now that I've eaten a couple, my craving has been satisfied. So, what do I do with all the leftover Twinkies? White Trash Strawberry Shortcake, of course. Twinkies are "cream" filled sponge cake, after all. All the work is done for you!

Peanut butter and jelly silly face sandwich with fruit leather tongue, Cucumbers and carrots, White Trash Strawberry Shortcake, Watermelon

Greek Yogurt....mmm!

2010-05-16T19:33:00.005-05:00

Greek yogurt is awesome! Even the hubs, who's normally not a lover of yogurt, likes Greek yogurt. (likes it - still doesn't love it, but we're working on him!) It's thicker, creamier, and a lot less tangy than your usual yogurts. I like to make my own yogurt but can never get it as thick (or even close) as Greek yogurt. I used to spend way too much money on it at a specialty store, until finally the wonderful and most awesome Costco started selling it in a huge container at a great price! LOVE that Costco! Big chic loves her Greek yogurt two ways - 1. with a drizzle of honey or agave nectar and walnuts 2. with strawberries and granola. Tomorrow she's getting variety #2.

Natural Peanut Butter with Celery Sticks, Bakerella's Congo Bar, Granola, Greek Yogurt with Strawberries.

Summer's getting closer!

2010-05-13T14:41:00.003-05:00

This is the time of year when I love going grocery shopping! All the summer fruits and veggies are starting to show up in the stores and we start focusing on eating more salads and grilled proteins. (It also helps to know that we will be having to put swimsuits on at any moment!) You can pretty much buy any food any time of year now, but the quality is usually poor and the price is usually high. We are finally starting to see some of the "in season" fruits at "in season" prices. YAY!! Tomorrow's lunch is include the first of our REAL summer berries.

Bagel Thin with strawberry yogurt spread, strawberries and blackberries, Jicama and sliced cucumbers, Babybel cheese

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions on my Laptop Lunchbox carrier issue. A few hours after I posted my review, the wonderful people at Obentec contacted me and offered to replace my carrier. YAY! There are so many companies that don't stand behind their products once it's out of their hands and I'm glad to know that they AREN'T one of them! It's that kind of customer service that makes me stick with a company!

The Laptop Lunchbox - My almost end of the year review

2010-05-12T08:16:00.007-05:00

There are only three weeks of school left. WOW! Really?? Where did this year go? It seems like such a short time ago I was preparing the big chic's first lunch for her first day. Now our schedule is full of all of the "end of_____" events - graduations, recitals, parties, etc... And while it seems to me that the time has gone so quickly, many of our school items are starting to show that they have indeed seen the inside of a school for the past 9 months. Chic's burgandy and navy uniforms are fading, white uniforms are stained beyond hope, the backpack is scuffed and dirty, and our Laptop Lunchbox carrier is on it's last legs. When I discovered the tear on the carrier, I remembered that when we bought the lunchbox, the hubs and I both wondered how durable it would be. I decided that I'd write a little "year in review" for anyone that is considering the purchase and wonders the same thing.

When we first bought the Laptop Lunchbox, our main concern was that the chic would lose it. I mean, let's be honest...they are not the cheapest lunchbox option out there. And the hubs is notoriously "thrifty" and was, therefore, very hesitant about spending that much money. But I stood firm that the chic would take care of it and that we would be saving money in the long run because we wouldn't be buying all those plastic baggies. I can be very convincing (or annoying depending on whose version of the story you hear) so we bought it.

Looking back over the year, I have been very pleased with our purchase. The containers have been dishwashered, microwaved, and refrigerated and the lids are still leak proof. The water bottle, which I had reservations about, has never leaked, and the container keeps everything amazingly cold even hours later.

There are a few unadvertised benefits of the Laptop Lunchbox as well. It really stands out. Big chic was the only one with that lunchbox in Kindergarten and the teachers were interested in it so naturally everyone is looking out for it and recognizes it as the chic's. And because it was so unique, she was really proud of it and took great care of it. She never lost it or forgot it in the dining hall and our only "incident" was a day when she forgot to put it in her backpack and left it in her locker. THAT I can live with. Now before you think my chic must be some unusually responsible kindergartner, let me assure you that she is just as forgetful as the rest. We've lost a uniform sweater and a fleece jacket this year as well as other assorted hair bows and headbands. But the Laptop Lunchbox? Never forgets it!

So this brings me to the only somewhat disappointing aspect of the lunchbox - the carrier. I have loved the carrier for it's thermal properties. With a thin ice pack in the pocket, the food stays very cool. The lunchbox is still cold when I open it up to clean it out after school. And it seemed very durable. I really expected to be replacing containers before the carrier, but when she came home last week, I discovered a tear in the seam of the bag.

Granted, she's carried the thing to school all year, but it's in her backpack until lunch. Then she carries it to the dining hall, eats lunch, and carries it back to her backpack. The thing is only out of her backpack or locker to actually eat lunch. I don't know...I just expected it to be a bit more durable. I mean, her $10 backpack has been thrown in the car, on the pavement, in her room, in a locker, in the gym, in a dance studio, and dragged on the ground while she complained that it was too heavy and other than a few scuffs and stains, it's still perfectly fine. A replacement carrier is $19 or so and we'll end up having to buy another before next year, but then I gotta justify the fact that we are again spending more than we normally would on a lunchbox. I'm hoping that our next carrier will last longer, that maybe this was just a fluke. We'll see. If not, I may end up having to find another way to carry her container. I'm just not sure how many years I can convince the hubs that we need to spend more money.

So, would I buy the Laptop Lunchbox again? Yes. Overall we have loved the Laptop Lunchbox. We've had an unending variety of food to send to lunch and she has really enjoyed her lunches this year. We'll be taking out lunches in the Laptop Lunchbox again next year. And her sister, who will be starting Pre-K has already requested one.

Here's her lunch from yesterday:

Tomatoes (to put on her wrap), Baby cucumber, BLT wrap, Strawberries, Fruit Leather

I didn't take a pic of today's lunch. She was supposed to have a field trip, but it was canceled, but she went ahead and took the field trip friendly lunch. Didn't take pics of it though cause it was just too boring!

Nothing special

2010-05-05T16:37:00.005-05:00

Big chic has been buying lunch more lately. Honestly, the dining hall has had some pretty healthy meals. Last week, I stopped in to eat lunch with her and they had roast beef and broccoli. Not even pressed, prepacked roast beef. Like REAL roast beef slices. I was impressed. So, anyway, she IS taking lunch tomorrow and told me what she wanted. Nothing special, but here it is...

PB&J on homemade white whole wheat bread, Frozen blackberries, Granola bar, Frozen green beans

I made the white whole wheat bread from King Arthur's website in my awesome pullman pan. It came out a little disappointing, but it was still good. I have to admit, though, that I didn't have any potato flakes for the recipe, and I'm a little disturbed by the thought of potato flakes anyway. So I'll live with my bread the way it is!

Three Amigos

2010-04-29T14:06:00.000-05:00

This lunch didn't start out being faces, but when I put the ham and cheese in the container, they were just begging for a face. I'm gonna tell the big chic that the ham and cheese people are she and her two besties (one's a boy and one's a girl). She'll love that!

Natural applesauce, Whole grain sandwich thin, Frozen green beans, Ham, turkey, and cheese amigos.

Mushroom Risotto...hold the mushrooms

2010-04-28T12:46:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I was really hungry for risotto. I knew that I had a bunch of mushrooms in the fridge, so I was planning to make it with mushrooms. I normally prep everything before I even turn to range on, but I was in a hurry last night and decided to chop as I went. Well, by the time I got to the "slice mushrooms" part, I found that my mushrooms had gotten all slimy and gross. Since I was already mid-risotto, I had to wing it. I cooked up some chicken and a few slices of bacon, caramelized some onions, and chopped up some frozen grilled eggplant and voila! - smoky balsamic chicken and eggplant risotto. At least that's what I'm calling it and if the hubs asks, it was totally intentional and no I did not waste the $5 container of mushrooms that he told me I would forget about!

The chics call it "the cheesy rice". Whatever. Big chic was thrilled that it was in her thermos, I mean Lunch Jar, today. I didn't take a photo of the thermos, cause, really, it wasn't that exciting. But, here it is in a bowl ready to eat.

She took a slice of French bread, and some white grape juice with her Lunch Jar AND she's buying a yogurt from the dining hall.

Salad and Ricotta Stuffed Peppers

2010-04-26T18:44:00.004-05:00

It seems like sometime around Winter Break the big chic's lunch turned away from the "cute" and towards the leftovers. Even when I try to send a decorated lunch, she ends up asking if she can take "some of this" while we're sitting at the dinner table. We are very lucky that she is able to heat things in the microwave in the dining hall. Otherwise, we'd probably be a lot more limited with the leftovers. Tonight's dinner was Italian salad with ricotta stuffed mini peppers.

Italian salad, red grapes, ricotta stuffed mini peppers

The mini peppers recipe came from my new Giada cookbook (it's also on Food Network) and the salad is the Olive Garden copycat salad dressing with banana peppers, Parmesan, and black olives. (Big chic LOVES banana peppers!)

Lasagna Soup

2010-04-22T12:18:00.004-05:00

Lasagna is soooooo good, but I rarely make it because I feel so guilty eating it. The same things that make it great are the same things that make it bad for you...cheese, cheese, and more cheese! I came across a lasagna soup recipe that had all the flavor of lasagna with only a bit of cheese. It's Paula Deen's Tastes Like Lasagna Soup. I know that Paula Deen is not normally known for her healthy cooking, but this recipe is actually very healthy. I made a few modifications, though, to boost the nutritional value even more. I added a buncha spinach and omitted the mozzarella. I also added a small spoonful of ricotta cheese to the top. YUM!

I packed the soup in her lunch jar and then sent a few snacky type things in a little bento to eat with it.

Oreo, Goldfish crackers, Lasagna soup, Dried cranberries

Elvis Roll-Up

2010-04-18T16:06:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's lunch is a popular item with our family...okay, everyone except the hubs who insists that peanut butter and bacon is gross. But he is so SO wrong! They compliment each other perfectly! I think it's an even better combination that peanut butter and chocolate. Seriously! When I was pregnant I went through a grilled peanut butter, bacon, and honey sandwich phase. (No wonder I gained 53 pounds!) But I still love the sandwich post-pregnancy and this is a much lighter way to enjoy the sandwich.

Elvis roll-up, banana (to add to the rollup at lunch so it doesn't brown), carrot slices, Cottage cheese with strawberry.

Elvis Roll-up

1 tortilla

2 Tbsp natural peanut butter

1 banana, sliced lengthwise

1 slice thick cut bacon, cooked till crisp

1 Tbsp honey

Spread peanut butter on the tortilla. Lay bacon and banana on one end of tortilla. Drizzle with honey and roll up. (If you're feeling adventurous, try it on buttered bread and grill it as you would a grilled cheese. You can thank me later ;) )

Food Revolution

2010-04-15T18:04:00.004-05:00

I love Jamie Oliver! I've been a fan since he was a curly headed young bachelor whose show I could only watch on BBC. He's was so cute and British and his recipes were always good. Well now in addition to being cute, British, and a great chef, he is passionate about changing the school lunch system. How could I NOT love him? I don't know how many of you are watching the show "Food Revolution", but if you're not, you should be. He is trying to change the school lunch system in West Virginia and his journey and revelations are very frustrating and sad at times. I almost passed out when they informed Jamie that french fries were considered a vegetable option! His FIFTEEN vegetable noodle dish was not an acceptable lunch, but a hamburger and fries somehow met their lunch standards. Appalling! Anyway, he's made a stir fry on the show several times for the people in the community to demonstrate that food can be healthy AND taste good (shocking, I know!). I made the stir fry yesterday and big chic made sure that there was enough left to take in her lunch for tomorrow.

Sizzling Beef with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce, Bean sprouts, Fruit leather

You can find the stir fry recipe here. I used noodles instead of rice and added bean sprouts on the top after cooking. It was delish! Check out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution by clicking the button on my sidebar. Sign his petition! And watch the show on Friday nights on ABC!

The Thrown Together Lunch

2010-04-13T21:12:00.003-05:00

Somehow today just got away from me. It seemed like I woke up with a whole day of possibilities in front of me and somehow ended up exhausted standing in the kitchen at 9 pm with no lunch made for tomorrow. I thought about letting the big chic eat hot lunch for tomorrow, but I had already promised her that she could buy hot lunch on Thursday, so I had to stick to my guns and make a lunch.

Granola and Oreos (ya, she's gonna love me!), Ants on a log, Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries.

The Proud Mom Lunch

2010-04-11T13:46:00.004-05:00

I let the big chic make this lunch. I didn't give her any guidance or suggestions like I normally would. I just let her go and gave her free reign of the kitchen to see what she came up with. She even picked which lunchbox she'd use. I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of her!

Spinach salad with chicken, Salad dressing and Babybel cheese, Strawberries on sugar free Hershey's syrup with Cool Whip.

The Giada Lunch

2010-04-08T19:36:00.006-05:00

Giada DeLaurentiis has a new book out called Giada at Home. Last night, I was lucky enough to go to her book signing to get my copy signed by the one and only shiny, sparkly Giada. It was a lot like the Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode...have your ticket visible...move forward...open your book to the signing page...move to the right...hand Giada the book...move to the left.

Here's a photo that I took on my phone from the "photo opportunity spot" (which was NOT, btw, in the line or in any other location than that particular spot. Maybe she only likes to be photographed from her left side? I don't know.) I didn't take my camera cause I was trying to be all cool, ya know, so pardon the poor picture quality, but it's her...really, I swear! I wished I would have taken my camera cause everyone was snapping away. Anyway, my friend and I had a great time watching all the people in line and enjoying some time away from our kids!

So because I have a signed copy of the book now, I felt compelled to make something from the book tonight. The big chic flipped through it at breakfast and asked for the pea crostini, so that was one of our sides and then I decided on Chicken Milanese.

The big chic loved it all, so she is taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Seeded crackers, Pea crostini, Grapes, Chicken Milanese

I know the pea crostini looks a little questionable, but trust me...it is addicting. AND it's healthy. It's like hummus but with peas. The chics loved it so I think we'll be making it often! She's made the recipe on her show so the recipe is actually on the Food Network site. Here it is. Enjoy!

Field Trip #6

2010-04-05T13:45:00.005-05:00

Another week and another field trip! This time I'm chaperoning and am bringing lunch for the beloved Kindergarten teacher as well, so I've got three lunches to prepare. Fortunately, they are all going to be the same.

We are having a picnic and tomato mozzarella sandwiches make great picnic food. They just get better the longer they sit. Okay, so eventually they would get moldy and gross, but an overnight rest makes them awesome!

Tomato mozzarella sandwich, Kettle bbq chips, Homemade granola bars, Green grapes

I try to make lunch for our teacher occasionally and you should too! When I was teaching, I felt so unappreciated about 90 percent of the time and small gestures from parents went a LONG way. As far as I'm concerned they could erect a statue of the beloved kindergarten teacher and throw a parade for her and it STILL wouldn't be enough. She's awesome!

Easter Dinner Redux

2010-04-04T18:32:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post today since we've had a busy weekend with Easter and a birthday and visits with family. Big chic wanted to take leftovers from Easter dinner for her lunch tomorrow so she packed her lunch while we were still sitting at the table!

Ham, Easter egg, Homemade dinner roll, Sweet potato

One for Easter

2010-03-31T17:15:00.005-05:00

And I mean it...ONE. I feel so guilty about feeding the big chic lunch this week, but we've had a bad week. First, I got sick, then the little chic got sick. It's been one big sickly mess of a week. I bought big chic a Central Market kid's lunch for Monday, she took a pb&j on Tuesday for a field trip and she bought lunch today. There's no school on Friday, so tomorrow is my one and only chance for an Easter lunch. And although I was SOOOOO tempted to tell her to just buy hot lunch again tomorrow, my mom guilt got the best of me and I made a lunch.
.
Mashed potatoes with meatloaf bunny (carrot whiskers and ears, cucumber nose and teeth, potato eyes with caraway seeds), Strawberry slices with cheesecake dip, Babybel cheese.

Hopefully I'll be a better mom next week! ;)

Orange Beef

2010-03-24T15:38:00.002-05:00

My love for Weight Watchers recipes is no secret. I did Weight Watchers for a while after the little chic was born and found that the hubs and I really enjoyed many of the recipes. One of their books, Take Out Tonight, has a ton of great recipes and, although I'm not on Weight Watchers anymore, I still make many of the recipes. This orange beef recipe is from that book. I serve it with quinoa instead of rice.

Orange beef on quinoa, Blackberries, Sesame crunch

Banana Hot Dog

2010-03-22T13:22:00.005-05:00

I still haven't been to the grocery store and as I was complaining about our lack of food, the hubs opens the freezer and says, "do you even know what's in here?" I swear that I do, but I have to admit that between our three freezers, we have a lot of food. He swears that I come up with our best meals when I go into it without a plan, but I think he just wants me to clean out the freezers. Whatever the case, I agree to "be creative" and use the food we already have. Of course, this includes the chic's lunches. She is one tough customer, but I do love a challenge!

Little chic's banana hot dog

I know I'm probably not the first person to ever turn a banana into a hot dog, but I thought it was a pretty neat idea. I tested it on the little chic and she loved it! I left the banana whole so that it doesn't get brown and gross before tomorrow. The big chic can add it to the bun when she gets ready to eat.

Peanut butter and honey on a hot dog bun, Babybel cheese and green beans, Granola bar, Banana

Now...what can I make for dinner with frozen green beans, an Amish bread starter, and chipotle chilis...hmmm...this could be an interesting week!

We're back!

2010-03-21T11:51:00.004-05:00

I'm so sad that Spring Break is over. We had so much fun on our vacation, but I guess this is one step closer to summer and we are REALLY looking forward to the summer. Unfortunately, because we've been gone, lunch options are very limited. We haven't been to the store since we've been back. Between digging through the pantry and things that we brought back with us, here's what we came up with:

Tuna salad, Carrots, Cucumber slices, Whole grain crackers, Fruit leather, New York style crumb cake.

The Colorado Lunch

2010-03-10T12:20:00.004-06:00

Spring break is next week! We are going to Colorado for Spring Break this year and the girls are brimming with excitement. The chic has woken up every day this week and asked me how many more days till we leave. She's buying lunch on Friday so tomorrow is her last homemade lunch before the break. I thought it would be fun to do a lunch based on our trip.

Van - quesadilla with whole wheat and blueberry tires and blueberry headlight (We're driving)

Girl's face - Monterrey jack cheese, carrot hair and nori eyes and mouth

Snow capped mountains - strawberries with a bit of honey on the end and rolled in unsweetened coconut

S'more - crackers with marshmallows and chocolate chips with a little peanut butter to hold it all together (Making s'mores is one of their favorite Colorado activities)

Edamame (Nothing to do with Colorado, but she had to have some green in her lunch! :) )

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Spring Break!

Mac and Cheese

2010-03-09T15:30:00.006-06:00

Mac and cheese, Stawberries and blueberries, Dark chocolate cookies, Cucumber and carrots with ranch dip

We enjoy the occasional "blue box" of macaroni and cheese. I've tried the organic, whole wheat, healthy varieties, but none come close to the comfort food satisfaction of the original blue box mac and cheese. We probably have it once every couple months and everyone is always very excited when they see the box. When I was at the store the other day, I saw a new variety of the blue box that was half whole grain. We gave it a try, and really, there was very little difference in that and the original, and the half whole grain variety has 5 grams of fiber per serving. That's better than some granola bars. Yea, sodium is still pretty high, but I'm pretty vigilant about sodium in other things, so one box of mac and cheese probably isn't going to send any of my kids to the cardiologist.

Sandwich Rolls

2010-03-07T11:18:00.004-06:00

These little sandwich rolls are always popular! Just roll out a piece of bread, top with fillings, roll up and cut. Easy and cute. Love it!

Sandwich rolls with turkey, spinach, and nectarines, Green beans, Cheese flowers, Strawberries and cream topped with chocolate disk.

It's Finally Friday!

2010-03-04T14:43:00.004-06:00

Wow! It feels like this week has gone on forever. Chic had a field trip today where lunch was provided so I got a day off. Tomorrow though, she's back to normal. Turkey and cheese is always popular, so I figured it would be a good way to end the week.

Turkey and cheese on whole wheat, Cucumber slices, Ranch dip, Baby carrots, Babybel cheese, Nectarine slices with almonds

Wordless FOR Wednesday

2010-03-02T15:26:00.002-06:00

Cinnamon Rolls and My Foodie's First

2010-02-28T16:01:00.011-06:00

I finally made Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls. My friend got her cookbook and after looking through it, I just couldn't resist. I have another recipe that I normally use for cinnamon rolls, but I rarely make them because they take such a long time. And anyone with two kids breathing down your neck asking for breakfast will tell you that there is not enough time to make cinnamon rolls from scratch in the morning. I've always wanted a recipe that I could make up the night before and bake in the morning and this one was exactly what I was looking for.

The actual roll part of these is good but what makes them really stand out is the icing. It's a maple coffee icing. Maple...coffee...mmmmm! The hubs loves pecans on his cinnamon rolls so we added them after the icing. I only made half the recipe and still came out with three pans full. So, it makes LOTS of cinnamon rolls, but then again, I've never heard anyone complaining about having fresh homemade cinnamon rolls hangin around! These definitely lived up to their reputation. They were fantastic!

Rolled out and spread with cinnamon sugar goodness

Rolled up

After final rise

Grab a fork!

In lunch news... I decided to let the big chic make her own lunch for tomorrow. I thought that after our last week's lunch drama, she might see exactly how long it takes to make a lunch and exactly how much thought goes into it. I told her the lunch rules (a grain, a fruit, a protein, a dairy, and a veg) and she did the rest. She was very concerned with the colors of the foods in the lunch...thus the blueberries. She needed something blue in her lunch, she said. She was really excited about making it herself, so we'll see what she thinks of it after eating it tomorrow!

Banana and granola bar, Babybel cheese on turkey slices, Frozen blueberries, Goldfish, Carrots and ranch.

Salted Butterscotch Brownies

2010-02-25T11:10:00.006-06:00

No lunch today, but I thought I'd share a brownie recipe that I made to take to a little gathering yesterday. I love the salty sweet combination and these are a great combination of the two flavors.

Salted Butterscotch Brownies

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp butter flavoring

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Sea salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray (really well) a mini muffin tin. Combine first five ingredients and mix well. Add flour, powder, and salt and stir in butterscotch chips. The dough will be very thick.

Place a heaping tablespoon into each mini muffin spot. Sprinkle a generous amount of sea salt on top of each brownie. Bake 13 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely on cooling rack. I use a fork to pop them out of the pan. This makes about 20 or so.

I took these to an Olympics watching party. The host (shout out to Amber!) had the Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor that they made in honor of snowboarder Hannah Teter. It's called Maple Blondie. So Amber says, "I bet these brownies would be good in that ice cream!" And I'm like, "Oh yeah!" Sooooo, we did and it was AWESOME!! A match made in heaven!

We had a little drama with the lunch yesterday. I don't know if it's cause she's been sick or moody or what, but the chic decided to buy her lunch on Thursday instead of eating what I packed her. I don't know how exactly she figured that it was okay, but her exact words were that she wasn't "feelin it". Are you kidding me? She told me she doesn't like vegetables. Again, are you kidding me? This is my kid that could easily be a vegetarian. I was really really frustrated with her yesterday and told her she could just buy lunch from now on. Fast forward to today where she's spent the better part of this morning telling me all the vegetable that she loves and how she can't wait to see what her lunches are like next week. ????????? Seriously? When did my cute little six year old turn into a moody, fickle sixteen year old?

UPDATED: Turns out all the hoopla about not liking her lunch was because they had cheese quesadillas in the dining hall, and apparently I never let her buy cheese quesadillas. Guess we've got a new favorite on our hands. When I cleaned out her luncbox, I discovered that she had actually eaten all of the sandwiches, most of the cucumber, some of the cantaloupe, and a few bites of the granola bar. So, it seems that she ate TWO lunches on Thursday. And although I'm not thrilled that she bought lunch without permission, I'm relieved to know that it was nothing major in her eating habits! We'll see what happens in the weeks to come...

Flowers and Granola

2010-02-24T15:03:00.008-06:00

The rainbow lunch from yesterday was not such a big hit. The second that the chic got in the car she told me that she didn't like her lunch. She said that she doesn't like the veggies cut up so small. Apparently I'm supposed to make "fancy" lunches WITHOUT cutting the veggies too much. Lotsa rules involved with the whole lunch making process :)

SO, tomorrow, we get back to the types of lunches she loves...with lots of flowers and minimal cutting!

PB&J sandwiches with homemade blueberry jam, Cantaloupe flowers, Chocolate chip granola square, Cucumber and carrot cut outs

A few days ago, the chic asked me to make chocolate chip granola bars. It was perfect timing cause Smitten Kitchen has just posted a new granola bar recipe that looked awesome! I decided to try it and see how it compared to my usual recipe. The only change I made to the recipe was that I used agave nectar instead of honey or corn syrup. For my dried fruits and nuts, I used coconut, pecans, walnuts, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, wheat germ, and, of course, chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe and baked them in a 9x13 pan. I had to bake them for a few minutes more...maybe 15 minutes.

These were hands down, the best granola bars I've ever made! Not too sweet, not too dry...just a bit sticky. The only drawback to them is that I've eaten a ton of them. I ended up freezing some cause I was afraid that I would completely finish them off. I'm going to make them again and plan out my fruit/nuts mix a little more. This time I just threw in a bunch of stuff I had on hand. You should definitely try the recipe!

A Veggie Rainbow

2010-02-22T17:12:00.005-06:00

Here's the chic's rainbow lunch...

Red plum with cottage cheese, Chocolate coconut truffle and banana, Veggie rainbow sandwich

I used some honey oat flax bread that I had made this weekend. I spread it with a bit of ranch to help the veggies stick and then set out to force the veggies into rainbow shapes. I used yellow mini peppers, green beans, carrots, red peppers and a mushroom. It turned out much better in my head than in reality. It's harder than you'd think to get those veggies into a perfect arch!

The "I'm a lame mom" lunch

2010-02-21T16:58:00.006-06:00

This evening in my house the hubs walked in when I was packing this lunch up and says,"What's the theme of this lunch?" I shrugged and said, "It's the I'm tired and just wanna get a lunch made lunch." He said, "No, it should be called the I'm a lame mom lunch." Thanks babe! Geesh - everyone's a critic!

Coconut cake slice, Orange slices, Whole grain crackers, Coconut chicken tender (from Cent Mkt), Carrots and ranch dip.

Seriously, though, the big chic said that the past couple lunches haven't been very fancy or pretty, so I promised her that there would be some awesome lunches this week. She's crackin the whip so I better start planning!

Pad Thai

2010-02-18T11:15:00.003-06:00

Well, the VERY postponed birthday lunch ended up being VERY VERY postponed. Chic wasn't feeling well so I kept her home yesterday. (We've all been fighting a cold, thus the less than glamorous lunches this week!) So, she took her birthday lunch today. Tomorrow's lunch is leftover pad thai from dinner last night.

Pad thai, Dark chocolate cookies, Celery sticks, Dried cranberries (in the paper), Cucumber slices

Pad thai is one of her favorites so she is always happy to eat it in her lunch. I even put her cute little chopsticks in the box in case she decides to impress her friends with her mad chopstick skills. (Okay, so they're the kid chopsticks that are basically tongs...still...she'll think she's cool.)

The VERY postponed birthday lunch

2010-02-16T15:30:00.000-06:00

It seems like it's been forever since I've made a lunch. In the past week, we've had a snow day, a half day, a hot lunch day, and a field trip day where lunch was provided. I've enjoyed my break, but now it's time to get back to the routine.

As I said in my last post, Friday was the chic's birthday and this is the lunch I had planned to make her that day. It may be a few days late, but I think she will still love it, cause really

she would celebrate her birthday for a month!

Six carrots with ranch dip, Strawberries, Six cucumber "6"s, Ham and cheese "6" sandwich on whole wheat

Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes!

2010-02-12T13:55:00.006-06:00

Today, my oldest chic turns six! I can't believe how fast these six years have gone! And how much my life has changed in such a short amount of time. I really love to celebrate the chics' birthdays. I hope that I make them feel special every day, but I can really go overboard on their birthday and not have to feel guilty about it!

The beloved Kindergarten teacher and I decided that because the Valentine's party was scheduled for the day of her birthday, we would celebrate a day early so I could bring cupcakes and not put the kids into a complete Valentine's party AND birthday cupcake sugar induced coma. The chic loves chocolate cake and her favorite has become Gourmet's Double Chocolate Layer Cake. Who am I kidding? This cake is everyone's favorite. The little heading to the recipe states that some of their staffers swooned over it, and I always think that's funny cause I actually have had people swoon after taking a bite. It is THAT good. It is the ULTIMATE chocolate cake. Really! The ULTIMATE!

(This is what the cake looks like in "cake form". This was for Mother's Day last year.)

So, anyway, there was no question about which chocolate cake recipe I would be making for her classmates. At least to her...I was unsure. First, I had never made the cake into cupcakes and I know that it's really just a time adjustment, but still... and then there's the frosting. It's a ganache frosting. Love the ganache frosting, and on the cake, it's glossy and smooth and gorgeous, but on a cupcake, it wouldn't be very pretty. I told her that I would make buttercream to top the cupcakes, but she insisted on the ganache. We were at a standstill for about a week until I came up with a compromise...I would top the cupcakes with buttercream and fill them with the ganache. She agreed.

I wasn't sure how this would turn out, so I made a few extras to test. I have to admit that I didn't think that anything could top that chocolate cake recipe, but I think the addition of buttercream and the surprise of the ganache filling did just that. They were so so good!

I also made some chocolate "6"s to stick into the top of each one. The chic didn't say much about them (after all, she's eaten this cake many many times) but the pictures that the beloved Kindergarten teacher sent say it all...the kids loved them!

The Granola Roll

2010-02-09T13:01:00.005-06:00

I can't let this week go by without doing a few heart themed lunches!

Strawberry peanut butter sandwich, Granola roll, Cheese hearts with toothpick arrows, Cucumber slices.

The sandwich is made from this huge heart cookie cutter that I have. The cookie cutter is too big for one slice of bread so I cut out two halves (from two pieces of bread) and put them together. When she's ready to eat, she can put one half on top of the other and eat it like a regular sandwich.

I have struggled all year with sending granola to school. We eat a lot of granola and it's usually in loose form not in bars. I never sent it to school by itself because I worried about how messy it was. When it's on top of yogurt or covered in milk, it's a bit more manageable, but dry, it can be a mess. Especially for a Kindergartner...seriously, come look under my dining room table. So, like I said, I've tried to think of a way to send it to school and I think I finally found a way...I think...

We're calling it a "granola roll" and here's how you do it:

First tear off a small piece of wax paper. (parchment would probably work fine also) and place the granola in the middle of the paper.

Roll up lengthwise CAREFULLY. This took a couple of tries, but the secret is that you have to roll it kinda loosely or the granola all smooshes out the ends, but still tight enough so the granola doesn't come out the sides.

Twist the ends closed...again CAREFULLY so you don't tear the paper.

When you're ready to eat, tear off one end and pour into your mouth! (No dropping your spoon, no nuts rolling off the spoon and onto the floor, no one accidentally bumping your arm and granola flying everywhere...just straight into your mouth!)

Although we've tried a few of these at home, tomorrow's the granola roll's maiden voyage to school so we'll see what happens!

Homemade Pasta

2010-02-07T12:30:00.005-06:00

I've been on a homemade pasta kick lately. I've always loved pasta but the hubs doesn't so we don't really eat it that often. Last week I decided to try to make my own pasta and after taking one bite he said, "You have made a huge mistake...this is awesome! Now, I'm never going to want to eat the store bought stuff again." I do not have a pasta machine so I made it all by hand and it really wasn't as big of a deal as I was expecting. You have to roll it out super super thin, which takes a while, but the results are definitely worth it. I also love the fact that I get to use my all natural free range eggs and whatever type of flour I choose.

So...what's the point of all this? Well, this weekend we went to eat at an awesome little restaurant and although we did not order it, we saw tons of orders of fettuccine alfredo delivered to the tables around us. I probably haven't eaten fettuccine alfredo in 17 years, but after seeing those plates at the restaurant, it was all I could think of. I thought about fettuccine alfredo all night. When we woke up the next morning, I told the hubs I was going off to the store to get the ingredients cause I had to make some. Now I know it's horribly bad for you, all cream and butter and cheese, but we figured once in 17 years won't kill us! So, I made the fettuccine and prepared the sauce all from scratch and it was delish! The chics had never had it before, so you can imagine what they thought of it! The big chic wanted me to save some for her lunch on Monday, and since we probably won't make it again for another 17 years, I agreed. Here it is...

Whole wheat hearts, Frozen green beans, Mandarin oranges, Fettuccine alfredo

Bacon and Eggs

2010-02-03T16:14:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow the chic is getting one of her favorite meals for lunch...bacon and eggs.

Whole wheat English muffin with jam, Bacon, Boiled egg with nori butterflies, Grapefruit segments.

About five minutes after I finished this lunch, I remembered that I have those cool egg molds. I shoulda used the egg mold...dang it!

btw...the apple on her sandwich was okay this morning. Not as white as the Pink Ladies, but still fine. Something about those Pink Lady apples keeps them from browning as quickly (if at all) which is why they're my favorite for lunches!

Apple Flower Sandwich

2010-02-02T13:38:00.005-06:00

Wednesday's Lunch...

Apple and pb flower sandwich, Carrots with peppercorn ranch dip, Honey graham Cliff Z Bar, Fruit bites

I accidentally grabbed a bag of Jazz apples instead of Pink Lady apples the other day and I'm not sure that these will have the same "anti-brown" qualities as the Pink Ladies do (even after tossing in lemon juice). I'm gonna check it in the morning and see what it looks like before sending it off to school. I may have to cut another apple.

It would be kinda pointless to go through all the effort of making a cute lunch if it's not even recognizable after being tossed around by a Kindergartner. This sandwich was a great example of how I "shrink wrap" the lunches with the Press N Seal. I even turned it on it's side so everyone can see how solidly it holds it in place.

Why my husband is awesome...

2010-02-01T17:35:00.005-06:00

Yesterday the big chic was acting kinda puny so I didn't pack her a lunch for today cause I wasn't sure she would be going to school. Turns out she was just tired from a busy weekend and she woke up this morning ready to tackle the world. Since I hadn't packed her a lunch, we decided that today would be her hot lunch day for this week.

I was glad that she went to school not only because it meant she wasn't sick, but because the hubs was off work today and we had a TON of errands. By the time she got out of school, we were both worn out. I would have loved to come home and take a nap, but she had dance class this afternoon. The hubs and I agreed that I would take her to dance and he could stay home IF he made her lunch for school tomorrow. Honestly, it was a total ploy on my part to stay home and make him take her to dance. BUT, he agreed and I headed out to dance class.

I was certain that when I got home, he would be asleep in the recliner and would have "forgotten" to make lunch. So, I was surprised, when I walked in and found that not only had he made her lunch, he had made a themed lunch complete with cut outs and everything. This is his "southwestern themed" lunch.

Rodeo clown quesadilla on pb and celery (not sure how a rodeo clown fits in to a "southwestern theme" but hey, I'm not gonna complain), Mini peppers and olives, Mandarin oranges, Cactus quesadilla on "sand" (Sun Chips)

He was pretty proud of it and I was really proud of him. He even explained it, in detail, to the big chic. So glad I married a man that appreciates the creative lunch!

Rainy day with the Pioneer Woman

2010-01-28T12:55:00.009-06:00

It's raining...and I've got a clean house and a little chic that is occupying herself with dolls. What to do...what to do? Well, unfortunately for my waist line, I decided to surf around my usual food sites to see if anything looked interesting.

I shoulda known to stay off of Pioneer Woman's site. I shoulda! But noooooo, I had to go snooping around and I came across THIS recipe. How could I NOT make that? I mean look at it. Plus I have a can of Sprite left over from one of the chic's illnesses and they are just dieing to drink it. Every time I open the fridge, they ask for the Sprite. The pound cake was a perfect way to get the Sprite out of the fridge and out of their minds. I know, I know, making a pound cake so your kids won't drink a Sprite seems way ridiculous, but I'm trying to make excuses for myself, so just go with me, people!

Remember yesterday when I said that the big chic isn't a big sweets eater? Well she did NOT get that from me. I love dessert...love it! And the fact that this pound cake only had a few ingredients AND the Sprite factor...it was a done deal. I had to make it.

Mixing it up in the bowl (Notice the flour all around the bowl? I'm a messy cook!)

Ready for the oven (The hubs' grandmother's bundt pan. Only appropriate I thought since she actually WAS a pioneer woman!)

It was a long hour and ten minute wait time! It smelled divine!

Here's what it looked like hot out of the oven...

...and here it is when it's hot out of the oven...and the hubs comes home from work early...and just WON'T wait until it's dropped out of the pan (yes, it smelled THAT good!):

Fortunately, the destruction of the pound cake didn't affect the taste. It was really good. Very sweet, but very good. And super moist. Even a couple days later, it was still yummy and moist. Definitely a keeper recipe...simple AND delish! Gotta love that Pioneer Woman!

Ham and Cheese

2010-01-28T10:27:00.004-06:00

The chic requested a "ham and cheese" lunch like her friend brings. Her friend brings a Lunchable...almost every day. You all already know how I feel about those things, but this time I had to explain it to the chic. She asked why I never buy "those lunches". We had a pretty good conversation about chemicals and preservatives and packaging and such. She told me that she was glad that I make her the "good kind".

Cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese flowers, Ham skewers, Pita bites, Blueberries, Green beans

Frozen green beans are awesome for school lunch. By the time she eats, they will be defrosted but still cold. She has always loved green beans. So much so that for her first Easter, we stuffed the eggs with green beans. True story...I've got pictures to prove it! Some of my friends thought it was so mean, but the truth was that green beans were the only thing that she loved enough to actually search for other eggs. And she did! She went crazy searching for eggs, popping them open, and shoving the green beans in her mouth. She was never a sugar baby and still isn't. She doesn't care about dessert at all. The little chic, though...that's another story!

Student council pizza day is tomorrow so I'm off of lunch making duty until Monday. Have a great weekend!

Taco Salad Tuesday

2010-01-27T10:49:00.006-06:00

Somehow I forgot to post yesterday's lunch?? The chic took a taco salad and some dark chocolate cookies that the hubs added to the Costco cart this weekend.

This salad was made up of all the leftover chicken taco ingredients from dinner the night before - chicken, lettuce, cheese, red peppers, tomatoes, etc...The dressing was sour cream that I thinned with milk. She loves sour cream!

Pinkalicious and the Princess

2010-01-24T10:21:00.004-06:00

Since the little chic's birthday party was this weekend, I thought the big chic would love to take a leftover cupcake in her lunch. Little chic wanted Pinkalicious cupcakes so I went with a princess theme for big chic's lunch.

Princess wand with pb roll up and cheddar cheese star, Monterey jack crowns, Grapefruit, Mini pepper and carrot rings, Pinkalicious cupcake.

I don't know why I insist on making the chics' birthday cakes. I get so frustrated when I'm making them because I never think they look good enough. I will keep messing with them and messing with them until eventually, I totally mess them up. I made the hubs help out with this batch of cupcakes though and he made me stop perfecting them before I was at the point of no return. I didn't love them when I put them in the fridge last night, maybe because my brain was pinked out! Fifty six hot pink cupcakes covered the counter tops on one side of the kitchen and the other side was covered with a huge bowl of pink frosting and piping bags filled with MORE pink frosting. It was definitely Pinkalicious in my kitchen last night!

Oh and did I mention that this was the day that I finally decided to make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon (which was freakin fantastic, btw!)? Ya...my kitchen was a mess. I'm lucky that I didn't accidentally put pearl onions on the cupcakes instead of cherries! But this morning, with rested eyes, and after placing the cherries on top, I think they turned out super cute. The little chic absolutely loved them, so I think they were a hit.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2010-01-20T11:01:00.005-06:00

When a recipe is on the cover of Bon Apetit magazine, I expect it to be good...no...I expect it to be GREAT! We've made several of the cover recipes over the years and most have been outstanding. When I got the latest issue, I knew immediately that I was going to have to make the cover recipe...Spaghetti and Meatballs All'amatriciana. It looked fantastic! The hubs doesn't normally like many pasta or Italian dishes (crazy, I know) but I knew that he would be willing to give it a go if it was the COVER recipe.

Finally we had a day, a few weeks ago, where I had a chance to make it. I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the recipe overall, but the chics devoured it. The recipe made a ton so I froze the leftovers with my lovely Foodsaver. I'm so glad I did cause the big chic asked me to make it for her lunch for tomorrow!

Spaghetti and meatballs on whole wheat pasta, Breadsticks, Cucumber slices, Clementine, Pecorino Romano cheese

The Do It Yourselfer

2010-01-19T12:26:00.004-06:00

I don't know about your kids, but mine love to make their own food. When the oldest chic learned to make her own pb&j, she would sneak into the kitchen before anyone woke up so that she could make herself a sandwich before I could tell her "no". She loves to eat things that she creates herself (hmmm...wonder where she gets that from?) Tomorrow's lunch will be whatever she makes of it. I included some things that she can spread peanut butter or honey onto and eat however she wishes...muffin and cheese, peanut butter and celery, celery and cheese...whatever. She can make it as she wishes. She'll love it!

Whole wheat English muffin half, Natural peanut butter, Cheddar cheese, Strawberry fruit strip, Graham crackers, Honey, Celery sticks

Just a bit of leftovers...

2010-01-14T20:08:00.005-06:00

We just got home from an all day shopping extravaganza. (Seriously...since 7:30 am, people!) Although I am exhausted, I still had to throw something together for lunch tomorrow. We had sushi and teriyaki chicken at dinner and this bit of teriyaki chicken is all that was left. I added some edamame to make it more filling.

Teriyaki chicken, Cinnamon pita chips, Valencia orange

Everyone have a great weekend!

Stacked Enchiladas

2010-01-13T16:13:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow's lunch isn't the healthiest I've ever made, but at least it's all fresh, homemade, and mostly organic. (Which is more than I can say for the school's hot lunch!)

Stacked Enchiladas, White queso and tortilla chips, Red peppers, Fruit bite skewer

Love the stacked enchilada! Rolling enchiladas always seems like such a pointless waste of time. I don't mind tedious little cooking steps if it affects the taste of the dish. But, enchiladas taste the same weather you painstakingly roll them or quickly layer them in a pan. We discovered stacked enchiladas on a trip to Santa Fe a long time ago. They call them New Mexico Enchiladas and serve them with soft fried eggs on top. It sounds weird, I know, but trust me...they are DELISH! I've converted many a doubter to the "soft egg on the enchiladas fan club"! Anyway, I don't think I've rolled enchiladas since then. Normally stacked enchiladas have white onion, but the chic has been in a no white onion phase, so I used green onions instead.

"That Sandwich I Like"

2010-01-12T08:49:00.007-06:00

For some reason, when the family wants something "light", this is what we go with. This sandwich always impresses me because of it's simplicity...just a few ingredients for such an amazing flavor. The hubs and I call them "Tomato Mozzarella Sandwiches" but the oldest chic can never seem to remember that so she started calling them "That Sandwich I Like". She has called them that so many times that now I know exactly what she's talking about.

Because there are only a few ingredients, it is REALLY important to use the best ingredients. This is the time to bust out the special olive oil and the aged balsamic. They make a huge difference in flavor!

Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich, Chocolate fudge cupcake from The Cakery, Cheez-Its, Red pepper strips, Clementine.

Tomato Mozzarella Sandwiches

1 Vine Ripe Tomato (sliced thick)

2 thick slices buffalo mozzarella

2 slices Ciabatta

A few fresh basil leaves

Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (La Espanola is our fave)

Salt and Pepper

Drizzle both slices of ciabatta with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and chiffonade the basil. Layer the sandwich...Mozzarella on bottom, then basil, tomatoes and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with second slice of ciabatta.

I think the sandwich is best when it's had a bit to sit and let all the flavors meld together. By the time the chic eats this for lunch tomorrow, it should be perfect!

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

2010-01-10T15:05:00.005-06:00

I can't believe I only made three lunches last week! Between a "Bad Weather Day" and Chinese food in the dining hall, I ended up with a pretty short week of lunches. Talk about easing myself back from Winter Break!

The chic is getting back into the swing of things at school, though. Her class is learning about fairy tales and she has become particularly fond of "Goldilocks and The Three Bears". She has told us this story at the dinner table almost every night this week. And it's not the short version...it's the long, detailed, every last event retold in excrutiating...ahem...I mean, glorious detail. I have to admit, though, that she's a pretty darn good story teller...even the fifth retelling! Anyway, her lunch for tomorrow is based on this story.

Three Bears on ham and cheese flowers, Cucumber and cheese Goldilocks with Cucumber slices, Fruit Bites topped with Gummy Bears.

The bears were whole wheat bread, Carrot ears, Mozzarella and Nori eyes, Red pepper mouths (I guess you can call them mouths??) and Raisin noses. Momma bear has a Red pepper bow.

Goldilocks was made with cucumber, Red pepper smile, Nori eyes, Gouda cheese hair, and a Carrot bow. (I wish I would've had some yellow pepper for the hair!)

I must admit that this took me an hour and made a huge mess. I ain't gonna lie! I had this vision in my head when I started, but it didn't all come together exactly like I imagined it (or as quickly) but once I started it, there was no turning back!

Tortilla Soup

2010-01-06T17:00:00.002-06:00

There are tons of recipes for tortilla soup. We've tried lots of them in search of the perfect one. I'm a bit picky about the tortilla soup. For example, if it doesn't actually have tortillas IN it (and you only add them as a garnish), it's NOT tortilla soup. Good tortilla soup also always has little droplets of orange colored oil across the top. Not sure why, but it's always there. So, after trying many many recipes, my family finally decided that The Mansion at Turtle Creek's recipe is our favorite. (I mean, come on...Dean Fearing? Of course it's our fave!) We've been making this same recipe for several years now and it ALWAYS awesome. It also happens to be my oldest chic's all time favorite soup.

My other favorite tortilla soup is from Central Market's cafe. It's more of a broth/veggie tortilla soup. I was lucky enough to go to opening night when they opened a Central Market close to our house (the fourth greatest day of my life next to marriage and the birth of my children!). One of the grand opening tchotchkes was the Central Market cookbook and in this cookbook is a recipe for tortilla soup. So, yesterday I decided to veer from the Mansion's recipe and try the Central Market version. Let me tell you...the recipe in the book is NOT the same as the soup in the cafe. I ended up with a huge pot full of cumin flavored chicken stock. Not only did I waste two red bell peppers, a pound of chicken, two poblano chilies, four tomatoes, etc...etc...but I also wasted two quarts of homemade chicken stock! Grrrrr! I should have turned back when I realized there were no tortillas IN the soup! I guess that'll teach me to vary from our tried and true recipe!

Anyway, the oldest chic was really disappointed that the soup didn't turn out and we had to eat something else for dinner. I figured the only way I could make it up to her was to make a batch of the "good" tortilla soup for dinner tonight and of course she wanted to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Blackberries, Tortilla chips, Cilantro, Shredded cheese, Lime wedge, Tortilla soup, Red bell pepper strips, Cucumber slices, Carrot sticks

It's supposed to be super cold tomorrow, so this should be a great lunch to warm her up. Oh! And we've added sushi to our "most awesome lunch ever" list. She had no problems eating it in the dining hall and said that no one even commented on it. She ate all the rolls in her lunch then came home and ate all the rolls that were left in the fridge. That's my girl!

A Cereal Surprise

2010-01-06T10:25:00.007-06:00

The people at MyBlogSpark sent me some coupons from General Mills to try some of their breakfast cereals. They are trying to reduce the amount of sugar and improve the overall health of their breakfast cereals. (You can read about the importance of a healthy breakfast here.) Normally, we steer clear of the kids' cereal section. Mainly because I have a serious addiction to kids' breakfast cereals. Ya know how the girls in romantic comedies always reach for the pint of ice cream when they are stressed or sad or whatever?? Well, for me it's breakfast cereal. If I buy a box of cereal, I will think about it, contemplate it, imagine eating it, etc...until I finally give in and eat a big ol' mixing bowl sized serving of cereal. I'm a weak weak person. So, we try to buy only healthy cereal that mommy won't eat in one sitting. My usual favorite is an organic pumpkin raisin flax cereal. It's good. It's healthy. But it's no kids' cereal.

Soooooo, because General Mills sent me some coupons, I thought I'd give in and get myself, I mean the chics, a few boxes of cereal. Well, I'm shocked to report that the General Mills cereals we chose (Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cheerios) have more vitamins and less sugar than the cereal I usually buy. I'm a crazy label reader but never really considered comparing Lucky Charms to our "grown up" cereal. Interesting, huh? We don't eat lots of cereal around here (the chics prefer cheese omlettes for breakfast), but General Mills says that they are going to reduce their sugar to single digits in the near future. THAT will definitely make me consider buying cereal more often.

California Rolls

2010-01-04T16:15:00.005-06:00

I love the variety of foods at the stores around where we live! Not that long ago, if I wanted sushi, I had to make it or search for a Japanese restaurant to get it. I can remember when there was ONE sushi place in our area. Now it seems like there's a sushi spot on every corner and you can even get it at the grocery store. I love that convenience! Especially since we are a family of sushi eaters! While doing some shopping today, these California rolls were calling my name. I thought they'd be perfect for the chic's lunch tomorrow.

Cucumber with rice vinegar and sesame seeds, Strawberries, Sesame brittle and Gouda cheese, California rolls with soy sauce

I have to admit that although she normally LOVES sushi, I'm not sure how she'll feel eating it in front of her friends in the dining hall tomorrow. She says that she's gonna eat it and a lot of her classmates have eaten sushi or been with their parents eating it so I'm thinking that it won't be any big deal. After all, they should be used to her lunches by now, right? I packed her some cheese for an extra protein, just in case!

Winter Break is OVER!

2010-01-03T09:21:00.004-06:00

We are halfway through Kindergarten! I can't believe that in such a short time, dropping my precious child off at school every day has become the norm. Winter Break really DID feel like a break. And it really DID feel odd the first couple days when we slept in instead of jumping up to get ready for school. The first couple of days were blissful...the chics enjoyed playing together like they did before school started, I enjoyed having the big chic around all day, and we got to do things on our schedule and not the school's. BUT, after two weeks, the chics are arguing about everything, the oldest is whining about being bored, and I'm ready to get back to our "normal" lives. It's time to get the Spring semester started! With this "back to school" day in mind, the chic's lunch is a school theme.

Clementine with shape punches, Blackberry skewer, Red pepper shapes, School girl rice mold, PB&J chalkboard with cheese letters and chalk.

If you notice something different with our Laptop Lunchbox, you are correct! My friend Amanda at Lunchbox Limbo had some drama with her son's lunchbox and ended up with more lunchboxes than kids. She knew that I wanted the 2.0 and the large inner container and she offered her extra pieces to me! (Thanks Amanda!!!)

I've always wondered about the difference in height from the original and the 2.0. Amanda and I have tried to compare them, but inevitably, the day we think about comparing, one of the kids has their lunchboxes at school. We've never really been able to do a comparison. So, for those of you that wonder about the same thing, here is a photo of the difference in the original and the 2.0.

The 2.0 containers are just a tad too tall to fit in the original container, but the 2.0 container WILL fit in the original lunchbag. I'm excited about the possibilities that the bigger container gives me. I was worried that the big chic wouldn't want to take the blue container to school, but she actually asked me if she could use her "new blue lunch" for Monday.

Kettle Corn!

2009-12-29T11:03:00.005-06:00

I had to share one of my new favorite toys...the Whirley Pop. My friend Paige made popcorn in her Whirley Pop for a sleepover a couple years ago and it was the best popcorn ever! I've been looking for one ever since. When we were out Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, the hubs wanted to stop in at a tool store. Ugh! We've been to this tool store several times and it is always torture. He can aimlessly walk around that place FOREVER and there is not a darn thing that interests me there. I usually follow him around playing on my Blackberry the whole time complaining that I'm bored (I admit it!). Anyway, I walk into the store expecting the usual and run right into a whole display of Whirley Pops! I was so excited! So, we bought a few for friends and family and one of myself (of course!)

When we got home, I had to try it out. I could have just made plain popcorn for my first attempt, but kettle corn is our favorite so I tried that first. (Why walk when you can run, right?) It took me three burnt batches before I made a good batch! There are a few tricks to the thing that I had to find out the hard way. First, you really have to spin the thing...like fast (thus the name "whirley" I guess?) And, if you add the sugar in the beginning, it gets too hot and burns more easily. We like our kettle corn with a hint of sugar and salt and less like caramel corn. I've tweaked the recipe that was in the book a bit to meet our tastes. Here it is:

Whirley Pop Kettle Corn

3 T Canola Oil

1/2 cup Popcorn Kernels (I use whatever's cheapest)

1/3 cup Sugar

2 tsp Salt

Preheat Whirley Pop. Add oil and popcorn kernels and close top. When the kernels begin to pop, quickly open the top and add the sugar and salt.

Close the lid again and spin the handle...fast! The popping will slow because the sugar cools it off, but keep stirring and it will start up again. When the popping slows, take off the heat and immediately pour into a bowl. Let it cool, COMPLETELY. Even though there are cool spots on the top, the three year old will inevitably grab popcorn from the still-hot center and burn her mouth (just sayin :))

Still loving my new camera, can you tell? Seriously, though, this stuff is soooo good! You can use up to 1/2 cup of sugar and it will be more caramel corn-ish in it's coating. But, again, stir the thing FAST or it will burn and your house will smell like burnt popcorn and sugar for a week. Trust me!

Holiday Sweets!

2009-12-22T14:56:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted last. We've been busy around here preparing for Christmas and, as I'm sure you've figured out, the chic is on Winter Break so there haven't been any lunches lately. Well, not the packable kind anyway! We just finished our holiday baking so I thought I'd post some photos.

I love to bake with the chics! They really enjoy getting in the kitchen and getting messy so the holidays are a perfect time to go crazy! Last year I came across this reindeer cookie idea. They were really simple to make and the grandparents and the chics loved the way they turned out so, we had to make them again this year! We used M&M's for the eyes and nose, but you can use anything you have. Cherries also make great noses!

After the cookies, we made some candy. My sister in law brought Buckeyes to our Christmas dinner last year and we all went nuts over them. What is there not to love? Peanut butter and chocolate...mmmm! We had never had them before then, but apparently these are a tradition in lots of families. My chics are awesome at the whole meatball rolling technique so I thought this would be a perfect item to add to our holiday menu. They look pretty time consuming, but with all three of us rolling, it went pretty quickly. You dip them in the chocolate with a toothpick and I didn't like the hole in the top left from the toothpick so I stuck a chocolate chip in each one to cover the hole.

The other candy was a variation of a Martha Washington candy. Another candy that I had never heard of until recently. My friend Amber told me about them when I told her that we were making buckeyes. She said they were also a "ball-rolling" candy and that they were coconut. And since I LOVE coconut, we added them to the list. The "variation" was that I used almonds instead of pecans. I thought it would make them more like an Almond Joy. Plus I'm making Pecan Pie Cake for Christmas dinner so I need all the pecans I have for that!

After the morning of baking and candy making, we are exhausted and my kitchen is a disaster! The chics did a great job though and I think everyone will appreciate their efforts! Everyone have a Merry Christmas!!

Two for One

2009-12-15T13:18:00.004-06:00

As you are all aware, the week before Winter Break is a crazy one, filled with concerts, parties, dinners, gift exchanges, etc...On top of this, our beloved dog is having some serious medical problems. All these things have kept me away from the computer and away from my blog. I finally had a bit of time today to sit down and update, so I've got two lunches to post.

First is tomorrow's lunch... I have to make sugar cookies for the chic's class to decorate and looked everywhere for a huge snowflake cookie cutter. I couldn't find one. I've been complaining about it at the little chic's dance class and yesterday one of the mom's (Hi Jill!) comes walking in the dance studio with a gorgeous gigantic snowflake cookie cutter. I couldn't resist using it to make something for lunch with it, but the thing is too big for anything but a tortilla. I know I posted a quesadilla last week, but I HAD to use the cookie cutter while it's on loan!

Snowflake quesadilla on dried cranberries (the little heart is a Junior Mint), Cucumber holly leaves and bell pepper holly berries, Triscuits

The second lunch was Monday's lunch and it was a disappointment. This was supposed to be more like a reindeer (ya know those cute reindeer cookies you make with pretzels?), but it ended up looking more like a bear. Plus, I really wish I had the Laptop Lunchbox 2.0 cause it's got the bigger container option. The original Laptop Lunchbox doesn't have a larger container so sometimes I feel like I'm squishing my stuff in there (thus the funky bear ears...I mean reindeer antlers).

PB&J Reindeer/Bear, Reindeer food, Carrots, Cheese stick, Fruit Leather, Rice Krispie Angel

White Christmas

2009-12-10T13:24:00.009-06:00

This lunch is supposed to be all white for a "white Christmas" theme. The cucumbers were a little more green than I would've liked, but I'll live with it!

Cheese quesadillas over Pirate's Booty, Cucumber chunks, Homemade yogurt with raspberry on the bottom, Marshmallow skewers and Dried pears.

I learned to make yogurt after the chic started asking for those little sugar filled yogurt drinks at the grocery store. Those yogurt drinks have an ungodly amount of sugar in them and when I found out that I could make my own, I really wanted to do it. I've never been able to get the yogurt as thick as store bought, but the chics like to be able to drink it anyway. It's really easy to make your own yogurt, especially with my handy little yogurt maker. At first I made it in a cooler, but I had to constantly monitor the temperature and it was kind of a pain. The yogurt maker keeps it at the perfect temperature for the entire incubation period. Over the years, I've lost a couple of the jars and really should buy more, but my recipe only fills six jars anyway, so it's hard to decide to spend the money.

I put a tablespoon of homemade jam or fruit on the bottom. The addition of fruit is one of the reasons that the yogurt is not thicker, but, again, they like to drink it.

This batch was frozen blueberries in the back and homemade raspberry jam in front.

The chics just shake them up when they're ready and drink them through a straw.

My gingerbread post is on Tastespotting! Here's the link if you wanna check it out. I love the new camera!

Also, for those of you wanting to get your own Laptop Lunchbox, now is the time! I've posted a link in the right sidebar that will take you directly to their store. If you use the coupon code "foodiefootsteps" you will get 10% off of your order! Who doesn't love to save some money?

Can't Catch Me!

2009-12-09T16:02:00.007-06:00

The chic's class is learning about fairy tales right now and when the teacher asked for gingerbread men, you know I was all over it! The interesting thing is that although I think I've made every other variation of cookie ever created, I've never made gingerbread men. Kinda funny cause I've made gingerbread with stamps, sliced gingerbread, even molasses iced gingerbread...but never traditional gingerbread men. Guess there's no time like the present, huh?

I used "Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men" and "Sugar Cookie Icing" both from AllRecipes. It was the first try with the gingerbread, but I've used the icing recipe dozens of time. It always turns out well and hardens nicely. The gingerbread was pretty good, but I found that the cookies that had been rolled a few times (thus more flour) baked more smooth and less cracked. I may just add a bit more flour next time.

Veggie Christmas Tree

2009-12-08T15:46:00.005-06:00

I can't believe I only have a week worth of Christmas lunches left! The chic has enjoyed the Christmas lunches, but I know that once the holidays are over, she's going to be demanding flowers again! For now, she's getting a veggie Christmas Tree...

Christmas Tree (cucumber, carrots, cheese, bell peppers, turkey trunk), Tropical fruit leather, Pretzels with honey mustard dip

Bell pepper and carrot presents

I made more fruit leather. This time I used tropical fruit. We buy frozen tropical fruit in the summer to make frozen fruit kabobs to take to the pool. (Very popular with the kids! I always make tons so we can share!) The only problem with it is that no one likes the papaya. I don't even bother sticking it on the skewers. I just leave it in the bag. At the end of the summer, I end up with a bunch of papaya left over with a few pieces of the other fruits. I was tired of staring at the bag in the freezer and as luck would have it, it was EXACTLY the right amount for a batch of fruit leather. I thought the girls might not be so opposed to the papaya if it were mixed in with the others. I was right. They gobbled it up!

Frozen Tropical Fruit Medley (Strawberries, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple)

Everyone always asks how I keep the food in place so today I took a picture of the tree after I Press and Seal-ed it. Love me some Press and Seal!

Snowflake Muffin

2009-12-07T16:51:00.006-06:00

I made cranberry orange muffins today. I wanted to try out a new silicone muffin pan AND play with the new camera a bit. I learned that I love the camera, but the silicone muffin pan was not my favorite thing. It was really really hard to get the muffins out of the molds in one piece and cleaning it was almost impossible...all those nooks and crannies. I managed to get only one of the muffins came out in one piece so it went in the chic's lunch.

Cucumber slices and red bell pepper tree, Cranberry orange muffin, Blackberries, Turkey skewer and candy cane cheese

The Retro Lunch

2009-12-06T15:57:00.006-06:00

For some reason, the chic has been really interested in what my life was like when I was her age. I thought it would be fun to send her with a "retro" lunch to show her what I ate for lunch when I was at school. I had to go to the store anyway, so I was able to pick up the ingredients for tomorrow's lunch.

Kettle BBQ Potato Chips, Strawberry Shortcake rolls, Celery filled with peanut butter, Ham and cheese sandwich

I loved the Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake rolls when I was little, and found some that were from the bakery instead of Little Debbie. Honestly, though, they tasted the same as the Little Debbie ones that I remember and the Little Debbies are way way cheaper.

Potato chips are a particular problem at my house. The hubs loves them, saying that he needs something "crunchy" with his lunches or snacks or whatever. And after fighting this habit for years and years, I finally realized that I wasn't going to change his habit. So, I will buy chips, but we try to find healthier varieties...flaxseed, baked, whole grain, whatever. The only concession I make to the healthier chip rule is for these bbq chips. I'm not normally a potato chip eater OR a bbq person, but these chips are TO DIE FOR. I have been known to hide in the kitchen eating them so no one will ask for any. Fortunately, they come in a small-ish bag and are on the expensive side for chips, so we only buy them occasionally.

You might notice that my picture quality is a bit better today. THAT'S CAUSE I FINALLY GOT A NEW CAMERA!!! I have been begging, seriously begging, in the anticipation of Christmas. The hubs has been acting nonchalant about it so I thought it was a lost cause. BUT yesterday while we were out Christmas shopping, he dragged me to a few camera stores to look at them. At first, I just thought it was cruel and unusual punishment. I'm NOT a window shopper. It's torture to look at stuff that I want but can't buy. But, I found out that he had been looking at them all along and wanted me to play with them and talk to some people before deciding on one. And as much as I hate to admit it, he was right. I was so so sure about which one I wanted, but completely changed my mind once I was able to shop and do some more research. Apparently, the food blog is a common use cause the camera I got has a "food" setting on it! In the end, he bought me a nicer camera than I was expecting and an awesome zoom lens for my "posting stuff". Now I have to figure out how to use it all! I guess my lesson for the weekend is that I shoulda just trusted that he would come through in the end. (Just don't tell him that!)

My Lunchroom Revolutionary

2009-12-03T13:06:00.009-06:00

The chic bought her lunch earlier this week and said it was gross and "not very healthy". So, as she was describing the horror that she had to endure in the hot lunch line, she also tells me that a few of her friends buy hot lunch a lot and she informed them that they are not eating healthy. One of the boys buys every day and it seems that she has made it her personal goal to improve his lunch habits. She told him that he needs to have his mom make his lunch because the hot lunch is bad for you. I'm sure his mom will call me at some point and ask what the heck my kid is saying to her son, but for now, I'm gonna enjoy the fact that she's a little lunchroom revolutionary!

Tomorrow is pizza day and normally she would want to buy lunch. BUT after the trauma of the unhealthy and gross lunch, she wants to bring her lunch from home. I made her a little pizza on a whole wheat bagel with Canadian bacon and mushrooms. This way she can enjoy pizza day AND bring her own lunch.

Banana, Cucumber carrot star cut-outs, Sugar free black cherry jello, Bagel pizza

The instant oatmeal worked out really well, btw. She came home with only a bit of it left and she said that it was really good. I'm sure we won't be taking instant oatmeal often but it's good to know that it's another option!

Yes, it's Instant!

2009-12-02T16:56:00.005-06:00

The chic planned this lunch for herself. She wanted to take oatmeal and "breakfast stuff". Soooooooo...the plan is that she is taking the lunch jar (come on, say it with me...lunch jar) with hot water and will mix the instant oatmeal with the water at lunchtime.

Oatmeal, Whole wheat waffle heart, Turkey sausage links, Strawberries, Honey yogurt with almonds.

I know, I know, it's "instant" oatmeal and I'm usually totally against any pre-made food that I can make myself. BUT I was afraid that if I made "real" oatmeal ahead of time, it would be gross by lunch. Anyone else packed cooked oatmeal before?

A "Frosty" Lunch

2009-11-30T17:10:00.006-06:00

Okay okay, so he doesn't have a corncob pipe or a button nose, but I think he's pretty cute.

Dry roasted peas, Carrot sticks, Balsamic vinegar and olive oil, Caprese salad (tomatoes and basil are under the mozzarella) snowman, Yogurt covered pretzels, Strawberries with marshmallow skewer

Back from Thanksgiving Break!

2009-11-29T14:35:00.009-06:00

Thanksgiving Break was certainly fun, but went way way too fast. Because of the holiday, everyone has been home from work and school and we've been eating out and at relatives all week. The only grocery shopping I've done has been for Thanksgiving so we have hardly any food in the house. I have to get to the store this week! Packing today's lunch felt like I was on an episode of Survivor:Lunchbox Edition or something.

I was also trying to make it in a hurry cause we were supposed to have some relatives visiting today and I wanted to get lunch packed early. I'm glad that I stowed away a few slices of spiral sliced ham from Thanksgiving. We discovered that the chic really liked it so I grabbed some thinking that she would like it in her lunchbox this week. The rest of the lunch is a modge podge of things in our pantry.

Heirloom cherry tomatoes, Celery stuffed with cream cheese, cranberries and dried peas, Red grapes, Spiral sliced ham, Whole wheat and Havarti cheese Christmas trees with carrots and peas.

And finally, thanks to Sheri, Astrid, and Arkonite_Babe for the Kreativ Blogger award!

According to the award, I have to list seven random things about me and pass it on to seven other bloggers. I will list my blog choices later this week, but for now, here are my seven things:

1. I'm claustrophobic.

2. I have a weird photographic memory for phone numbers.

3. I bake when I'm stressed.

4. I am a night owl.

5. I prefer winter vacations to the beach vacations.

6. I live next door to my parents.

7. I love board games.

A Healthier Cinnamon Babka

2009-11-26T10:56:00.005-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I decided to take a break from my Thanksgiving cooking to post my cinnamon babka recipe from last week. When the chic asked me to make cinnamon bread, I immediately went to an awesome cinnamon babka recipe that I've used for years. It's in The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook by Tom Lacalamita. I've had this cookbook for almost 12 years and I think it is the best bread machine cookbook ever printed! I'm not big on baking bread in the machine...I like to use it for dough. And it has tons of awesome recipes for dough cycle, hand shaped breads.

Anyway, I decided to try to make it a bit healthier by adding ground flax and using half whole wheat flour. Make no mistake, I did not cut the sugar or butter. The butter, eggs, sugar, etc...are what make babka so so good. So it's still not the healthiest bread option. Consider it a somewhat improved version. I also wanted to use the Pullman pan. It turned out really well and honestly, I don't think my additions made a difference in the texture or taste. The hubs didn't even know that I did anything different until I told him. I use my bread machine to make the dough, cause it's easy and super easy to clean up. Here's the recipe:

Healthier Cinnamon Babka

(Enough dough for one Pullman pan and one regular loaf pan)

3 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

3 T butter, softened

1 t vanilla

3 T sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 c ground flax

2 c stone ground whole wheat flour

3 c all purpose flour

3/4 t salt

1 T vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 T yeast

Filling:

4 T butter

1/2 c white sugar

2 T cinnamon

Topping:

2 T butter

4 T sugar

large pinch cinnamon

4 T flour

Add all ingredients to bread machine in the order suggested by manufacturer. Set to dough cycle.

While dough is processing, mix filling and topping in separate bowls and set aside. Generously butter a Pullman pan.

When dough cycle is done, punch down and let rest for five minutes. Turn onto floured surface and cut off about 1/3 of the dough an set this 1/3 aside for another use (it's a perfect amount for a regular loaf pan).

Roll remaining dough out to 1/4" thick rectangle. Sprinkle filling on the rectangle and roll up tightly. Stretch dough to twice the length of the pan and place in pan in an "S" shape tucking ends under loaf. Cover and let rise till double.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully make an indention down the middle of the loaf and brush with a beaten egg. Sprinkle with topping mixture. DO not use the lid for this loaf! Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

There are other variations of Babka. Cinnamon, cheese and chocolate are the most common varieties. Anyone remember the chocolate babka from Seinfeld?

Butternut Squash Soup

2009-11-18T13:06:00.006-06:00

Well, this is the last lunch for a week. We have a Thanksgiving Feast on Friday and then the chic is out of school for Thanksgiving break! I've got a lot of cooking to do between now and then so I'll probably post some non-lunch related stuff over the next week. BUT, we have one more, so here goes...Butternut squash soup.

Butternut Squash soup - Croutons,creme fraiche and pumpkin seeds to add the the soup - Fruit leather - Cheese curds - Homemade whole wheat flax cinnamon babka

The babka was a variation on my favorite cinnamon babka recipe. I really wanted to try making it in the Pullman pan AND I was trying to make it healthier but still yummy. It was. I literally had to wrap it in Press N Seal and walk away from the kitchen so I would stop eating it. The chic asked me to make her some cinnamon bread this morning so she should be thrilled to see this in her lunch! I will post the recipe later this weekend!

Gobble Gobble

2009-11-17T08:13:00.007-06:00

A "Turkey" Sandwich is the chic's lunch tomorrow...

Oatmeal Raisin cookie, Fruit Bites, Carrot Chips, Flaxseed Cranberry and Pecan Crackers, Wallaby Organic Berry Yogurt, "Turkey" Sandwich

I say "Turkey" sandwich cause it's actually peanut butter and raspberry jam. The eye is a dry roasted pea, the beak is a carrot and the gobbler is red pepper. The feathers are strips of red pepper, carrot, celery, cucumber, and cheese.
I discovered that the Hello Kitty bento fits perfectly in the Laptop Lunchbox with a yogurt and the Laptop Lunchbox water. I've been really impressed with the Laptop Lunchbox insulated bag. I put a slim ice pack in the mesh pocket and her lunch stays cold WAY past lunchtime. The water bottle was surprising also. It doesn't look very impressive. Kinda flimsy actually. The first time I pulled it out of the box, I rolled my eyes. Here I spent all this money on a lunchbox, and THAT was the bottle included? But the thing is awesome! It hasn't leaked one time all year! Not once!

Fruit Leather!

2009-11-15T20:20:00.012-06:00

I'm going to try to make Thanksgiving/Fall themed lunches this week unless the chic REALLY complains about the lack of flowers and frou frou. I'm really looking forward to moving past Thanksgiving, though, so I can make some Christmas lunches. THOSE will be fun!

Cheese curds, Cucumbers, Flaxseed Cranberry and Pecan Crackers, Homemade Fruit Leather over pecans and dried Cranberries, Turkey leaf sandwich.

I've been wanting to try making fruit leather for a long time. But, it seemed like such a time consuming process that I've kinda put it off and put it off. Well, I'm tired of trying to find all fruit fruit leather and I'm tired of paying so much for it. And really, I just love to make anything I can so that I know EXACTLY what is in it. So, after doing some Internet searching, I came up with a plan of attack and went to it. Here's how it went...

I used frozen strawberries this time. Two bags. Unsweetened. They aren't in season right now, or I would have bought fresh. So, I went with four cups of fruit and a half cup of water. I simmered these, covered, for 15 minutes.

(Everything gettin ready to simmer)

I mashed them with a potato masher and continued to cook, uncovered, until they got a bit thicker. This was only supposed to take 15 minutes or so, but I let it cook for a total of about 30 minutes. Next time I will only do 15 minutes, though. I think I let a bit too much water evaporate. You'll understand why in a minute.

(I don't know why my dad's camera keeps doing this, but this is the best one I have of it after I mashed it)

Then I stuck it in the blender and pureed the whole thing. It thickens up quite a bit when pureed. And as a warning...boiling hot strawberry puree WILL fly out of the top of the blender spout, burn your hand, and make a mess out of your kitchen when you hit the "on" button. Just sayin...I ended up putting a pot holder over the spout (after I treated my scalded hand, that is!)

(You shoulda seen the floor around the blender!)

(The Puree)

Everything I read says that you should line a baking sheet with "oven safe" plastic wrap. My plastic wrap is just store brand plastic wrap and it didn't say anywhere on the box that it was "oven safe". I stuck a piece in the microwave to test it and it didn't melt. That was good enough for me, so I used it. Four cups of fruit will make one baking sheet worth of fruit leather. I must warn you, however, that after being in the oven for a while, the edged do shrink up a bit, but the plastic under the fruit was just fine. After lining your baking sheet with plastic wrap, you pour the puree and level it out. This is important because otherwise it won't cook evenly (I know because MINE didn't cook evenly.)

(Ready for the oven)

Turn the oven to "warm" and wait...

and wait...(you can start seeing where it was thicker and not drying as fast)

and wait...

(This is right out of the oven. I tore off the bottom left corner. You know I'm an impatient cook! The bright spot is the sticky spot where it was too thick.)

I left mine in the oven for about 7 hours before pulling it out. It is supposed to be done when there are no sticky spots left, but since I didn't level mine well, I still had a thick spot that was sticky. I decided to pull it out, though, cause I didn't want the rest to get too dry.

Once out of the oven, the plastic wrap just peels off the back.

I tore it into strips and put it in a plastic baggie. At first I thought that it wasn't such a success. I cooked it too long in the initial thickening stage and when I took it out of the oven, parts of it were more crunchy than dried. And I had the sticky spot in the middle because I did a bad leveling job...okay NO leveling job, whatever. BUT I cut out the sticky spot and after being in the plastic baggie, the crunchy bit softened a bunch.

The last thing to do was test it out on the chics. And as luck would have it, we had one of our friend's kids over that day. So, I gave them all a piece and stood back to watch. It's hard to act like you don't care what they think of it. I was standing there trying to act aloof about it, all the while trying to read their facial expressions without outright staring at them. Anyway, a few minutes later, they came back for another piece, and then another. Pretty soon, they had eaten almost the entire baggie! It was a success!

Next time I make it, I will change a few things...I won't cook it for 30 minutes and stick to the 15 minutes in the thickening stage, I will put a pot holder on the blender BEFORE turning the switch on, I will level the puree, and I will make two pans! Oh, and I think I'm gonna try raspberry!

Hot Dog Ring

2009-11-12T17:19:00.012-06:00

I wanted to take a little break from all the flowers. That seems to be the chic's favorite, but I started to feel like they were all the same. It will be short lived though. She's already requesting flowers for next week! She's a pre-planner like her mom!

Hot dog ring, Zucchini slices, Pirate's Booty, Cottage cheese with blueberries

We broke open a new package of Coleman Hot Dogs tonight and made a hot dog ring. I cut through the hot dog most of the way and cut off the ends to make a flat edge. Then I wrapped it around and pinned it together with a toothpick. I placed it on a whole wheat bread round, filled it with shredded cheese, and drizzled it with mustard. When she heats it up tomorrow, the cheese should be all melty and gooey.

This weekend I'm attempting to make my first batch of fruit leather so stay tuned for that adventure!

Not Quite Goat Cheese Salad

2009-11-11T16:11:00.011-06:00

Tomorrow's lunch is a bit of leftovers...

Cranberry pecan salad with honey "goat cheese" dressing, Panko crusted chicken drumstick, Cherry yogurt pretzels, Powerball

I started off with all intentions of making a salad tonight with a honey goat cheese dressing. I even went today and bought more spring mix. But when I came home and started scooping ingredients in the Magic Bullet (which is a blender, btw), I found that my goat cheese smelled a bit off. I'm a little freaky about the whole spoiled food thing. If there's a date on it, by golly it's goin in the trash that day. So, although the goat cheese said it didn't expire until December, I chunked it. I had to come up with a solution quick since almost all the other dressing ingredients were in the Magic Bullet and I wasn't wasting 2 tablespoons of very expensive wild honey that I had already measured out. So, I decided to substitute sour cream since it is similarly tangy. I measured it out, turned the blender on, and crossed my fingers. Although it wasn't as thick and creamy as goat cheese would have made it, the sour cream was a great "in a pinch" substitute.

We came across a sale on organic free range chicken drumsticks last weekend. I usually don't buy drumsticks, but I couldn't tell you why. The chics really loved them. I rolled them in a bit of a mustard concoction and breaded them with panko bread crumbs. Then I baked them on a rack so the whole coating would get crispy. They turned out really well. The little chic even ate two of them.

And to continue yesterday's camera tirade...my cracker submission got rejected on Foodgawker (as usual) due to shadowing. I thought it was a great picture, but what do I know? But it DID get published on Tastespotting! My dad is letting me keep the camera till the weekend so there will be plenty more gratuitous photos I'm sure! Just look at the pecans...oooooh...close up...

The Day of Gratuitous Photos

2009-11-10T14:55:00.003-06:00

I have needed a "real" camera for so so long. It's probably been 15 years since I had a camera that wasn't a point and shooter. This blog has really made me realize how limiting the all automatic cameras are and made my hunger for a new camera even greater. The hubs doesn't want to spend the money. He NEVER wants to spend the money. I keep threatening that one day I'm just going to go buy one. Well, guess what?? Today wasn't that day! But I did borrow my dad's camera! I think that I took 100 pictures of food today in all sorts of configurations. What do these crackers look like in this light? What about in this light? What about with a sprinkle of crumbs? Seriously, I've been lurking on Foodgawker too long. Have you been on Foodgawker? It's unbelievable. I can suck up hours and hours looking at all those photos. They are gorgeous, mouthwatering, and definitely NOT taken with a point and shoot camera. I've submitted items to Foodgawker before but they always get rejected due to photo quality. For about a year, I have dutifully submitted items and waited by the Blackberry just certain that this photo would be the one. None have been the one. The same reason I love Foodgawker, is the same reason I hate it. They are sooooo freakin picky about their photos. So, I'm gonna start borrowing my dad's camera here and there and maybe one of my submissions will meet their standards. Doubtful, but just maybe.

There really is a lunch involved in all this camera hoopla. Her lunch for tomorrow is some leftover Pad Thai from one of our favorite Thai restaurants in the area. I went for lunch today and felt guilty the entire time. The chic loves Pad Thai, and I could just see her sitting in the cafeteria eating her crappy hot lunch because I was too busy last night to pack her a lunch. I felt the only right thing to do was to bring her some leftovers!

Chicken and Tofu Pad Thai, Chocolate chip cookie and Fruit Bites, Dry roasted peas, Flaxseed, Cranberry, and Pecan Crackers and cheese.

Here's a close-up of the Pad Thai just cause I COULD take a close-up that was in focus.

These crackers are addictive. They are a variation on the Flaxseed, Fig, and Walnut Crackers from Epicurious. I love their version with figs but I don't usually have dried figs in the house. I've found that you can make them with any dried fruit and nut combination (dates and walnuts are also yummy). My youngest calls them cookies and she's kinda right. They are a bit of a cookie/cracker hybrid. They've become kind of a joke with one of my friends. She finds the idea of making homemade crackers so incredibly outrageous (she doesn't cook) yet she will spend hours handcrafting invitations to her kid's birthday parties. The first time I made the crackers, she just happened to come over and when I told her I made them, she said, "Well, of course you did. Who doesn't make their own crackers?" So now when she does some crazy crafty thing that I could never think of doing, I say, "Well, of course you did. Who doesn't dye their own Easter grass?" We go back and forth. The funny thing is that she LOVES these crackers and will eat the entire batch before they're even cool. She could make them if she wanted to...the recipe is really simple. But then we wouldn't be able to harass each other and where's the fun in that?

Flaxseed, Cranberry, and Pecan Crackers

(adapted from Epicurious recipe)

1/3 cup whole flaxseed

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp butter, room temp

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped dried cranberries

1/2 cup milk

Mix first seven ingredients together until combined. Stir in pecans, cranberries, and milk. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and on a floured surface, roll out to 1/8" thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Kitchen Closed

2009-11-09T17:50:00.000-06:00

The kitchen is closed today so I can spend some extra time with my family! Plus I just want the day off!

Croque Monsieur

2009-11-08T11:26:00.007-06:00

Weekend lunches are particularly difficult meals for us. We are usually running around here and there and and we seem to end up at a restaurant for lunch. This drives me crazy. As much as I love to eat out, I find it frustrating that we have all of this perfectly good food at home but my family is too spoiled to eat "just a sandwich" for lunch. The only way I can convince my family to eat lunch at home on the weekends is to make something they love. This weekend, it was Croque Monsieur sandwiches. You never know whether the big chic will eat a whole sandwich or a half, so I always make extra. She ended up eating a half, so the remaining sandwich is her lunch for tomorrow.

Croque Monsieur sandwich, Wallaby Organic Yogurt, Roasted beets, Tomato slices, Radish, Vanilla Almond Granola, Cucumber slices

The beets are experimental. A year or so ago, I made beets and the chic hated them. It's the only food I've ever heard her declare to "hate". I love beets, though, and last night as I was getting ready to stick some in the oven, the chic walks in. She asks what they were. Knowing that if I told her they were beets she would never have tried them again, I lied and said that they were red potatoes. She tried one and she loved it! She kept grabbing them off of the baking sheet and ended up eating a handful before I could get them in the oven. I'm hoping that maybe she's changed her mind. So, the leftover beets are going in her lunch just to see what happens. She may bring them home untouched, but she might not!

Croque Monsieurs are soooo good! Basically they're just a ham and cheese with the addition of a cheese sauce. When La Madeline restaurants became popular years ago, it was the hubs favorite thing on the menu. I decided then that I'd better learn to make them. It's hard to vary on them much. We've made turkey versions also but the rest of it always remains the same. Here's how I make them:

Croque Monsieur Sandwiches
Makes 4

8 slices of whole wheat bread, lightly toasted

8 slices of Swiss or Gruyere cheese

8 slices of ham

Dijon mustard to taste

2 Tbsp butter

2Tbsp flour

1 1/2 c Milk

1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan

1/2 cup Shredded Swiss or Gruyere, divided

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour until smooth. Slowly add milk and continue stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup Swiss. Stir until cheese is melted.

Spread Dijon mustard on four slices of toast. Place mustard side up on a baking sheet and top with two slices of ham and a slice of cheese per sandwich. Spread thin layer of cheese sauce on the remaining toast slices. Place them cheese sauce side down on the sandwiches. Ladle remaining cheese sauce on the top of the sandwiches. It will be a pretty thick layer of sauce. I usually let it cool a bit to make it thicker so it doesn't run off the sandwiches. Sprinkle the remaining Swiss cheese on the top. Bake 400 degrees until brown and bubbly on top.

Fast Flowers for Friday

2009-11-05T13:22:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow is Friday? Wow! This week has gone by so fast! Probably cause we've been super busy this week and today is no exception. I went up to eat lunch with the chic so I brought her Laptop Lunchbox home with me. That way I'd be able to pack tomorrow's lunch a bit early. I only have a few minutes to throw tomorrow's lunch together and get this posted so here goes...

Cheez-Its, Anise and pistachio biscotti, Swiss rose, Apple and peanut butter cut-out sandwich, Raspberries, Carrot ribbons with mini pepper hearts, Wasa crackers, Turkey rose

Quinoa and Cupcakes

2009-11-04T11:59:00.007-06:00

The hubs has been dieing for some seared ahi tuna. I finally made it last night and paired it with stir fried quinoa. As I've mentioned before, anything that I used to make with rice, we now substitute with quinoa. Stir fried quinoa is identical to regular fried rice so it makes it a really simple substitute. The chic wanted the leftover quinoa in her lunch so I made her lunch around that.

Stir fried quinoa, Rainbow cupcake, Spinach and veggie spring rolls with teriyaki dip, Cottage cheese with pineapple spears.

I cleaned out the pantry and refrigerators today and it really put me in a baking mood. The little chic is going to have a rainbow cake for her birthday but I needed to do a test run, so these cupcakes were it! Normally I try to steer clear of the crazy excessive food dyes but birthdays are special and the chics get whatever birthday cake they want. I have tons of icing color from past birthday cakes but the only green I had was a "Spring Green". I think that it's the only color I would change - maybe more of a kelly green. A cake would definitely be easier than the cupcakes. It was pretty hard to get equal amounts of each color in each cupcake liner. With the cake you could just dump the entire color into the pan. I think the kids will love all the colors!

The More Girly Lunch

2009-11-03T09:07:00.012-06:00

By now, I've gotten used to the routine of making lunches. Maybe a little too used to it! Yesterday I started making the chic's lunch and got about halfway finished before it dawned on me that today was an early release day and she would not be taking a lunch. Oh well...that's what three year olds are for. The little chic ate what I didn't want to keep and I saved the rest.

If you read my blog regularly, you know that my big chic hasn't been too crazy about all the freaky scary Halloween stuff so tomorrow's lunch will be more girly.

Celery and carrots, Stroopwaffel cookie, Swiss and cheddar flowers, Pretzel sticks with honey mustard dip, Raspberry "beehives" with nori bees, Swiss and cheddar cheese flowers, Yellow cherry tomatoes with carrot hearts

The butterfly sandwich was turkey (she loves turkey), swiss, and sprouts. It was probably a good thing that I made the sandwich early because I used Susan Yuen's stencil idea with food color spray on the butterfly bread. She always has really creative ways to handle lunches. Her bentos are always beautiful and fun at the same time. Anyway, I had some purple color spray leftover from a birthday cake, so that's what I went with. The extra time let the color dry completely on the bread. I will have to play around with the color spray a little more. I think the purple was a bit dark for bread but it seems that there are lots of possibilities with other colors.

While I was taking pics of the lunch, the chic walked in and saw it. She clutched her heart and said, "Oh my gosh! It's so cute I could marry somebody." I think that means she liked it??

How We Handle Halloween Candy and a Star Lunch...

2009-11-01T14:19:00.008-06:00

Halloween - there's candy everywhere! Grocery stores, restaurants, even at the doctor's office! And although I'd like to think that I could keep my kids (and myself) away from all the candy, it's just not realistic. We live in a great neighborhood for trick-or-treating. It reminds me of Halloween when I was little and kids were everywhere, people sat out on their porches, and it was relatively safe. But, there are pros and cons to living in a Halloween friendly neighborhood. The pros - everyone passes out candy and the girls LOVE trick-or-treating. The cons - everyone passes out candy and the girls LOVE trick-or-treating. We do something, a little bit different, though, that allows the kids to trick-or-treat and makes me feel better about the candy - The Pumpkin Fairy.

Here's how our Pumpkin Fairy works...when we get home from trick-or-treating, we dump out all of the candy on the table. The chics are able to keep any toys, stickers, and Play-doh, but the candy they must sort through. They are allowed to choose a certain amount of candy depending on their age. This year we said twenty pieces but after all the negotiation and grandparent persuasion, it was more like thirty. Then, they put the remaining candy in a bag and leave it out on the table (I weighed it this year - it was over 5 lbs!). While they are sleeping, the Pumpkin Fairy comes and takes the candy and replaces it with a toy. We usually don't spend a ton on the toy. This year it was Tinkerbell and High School Musical make-up sets.

The girls love it and don't have a problem giving up their candy at all. We've done it from the very first Halloween so now they just expect it. We told them that the Halloween Fairy must be invited to visit your house and that not everyone asks her to come. This was really just a way to explain that their friends would probably have no idea what a Pumpkin Fairy was. Honestly, I have no idea where this idea came from. Maybe I read about it in a magazine or on a website somewhere...I really don't remember. But, it's worked really well for us and thought I'd share. If your family does something like this, I would LOVE to hear about it. I've never met anyone else that does a fairy for Halloween, but I know we can't be the only ones.

So after all the Halloween festivities, I decided to clean out the Halloween bento supplies and the chic walks in and asks if I would make her a "star" lunch for Monday. She wasn't crazy about all the Halloween stuff, so I think she's ready to go back to the "pretty" lunches. What can I say? She's a girly girl!

Almond butter and raspberry jam star sandwiches, Carrot star cutouts, Havarti and cheddar star, Banana with red pepper stars

A Lame Lunch and an Awesome Butternut Squash Lasagna

2009-10-29T20:25:00.006-05:00

Today's lunch was not very exciting or pretty. More functional than fancy. It was field trip day AGAIN and it got cancelled due to rain AGAIN. But, I got the cancellation e-mail on my Blackberry while I was driving to the school this morning, so it was obviously too late to change things up. So, field trip lunch part four...

Fruit Bites, Sugar Snap Peas, Carrot Chips, Baby Banana, Pirate Booty, Hot Dog Wrap

Although it was kinda lame, there were a few yummy things.

-First, carrot chips - YUM! They are crunchy and sweet and a little salty. They are obviously not as healthy as fresh carrots, but are great for a bit of variety.

-Then, I found out that a HOT hot dog will stay warm until lunch when wrapped in several pieces of aluminum foil. One of the dance teachers at the chic's dance studio suggested this when I was complaining about field trip lunches and it worked wonderfully! I just wrapped it in the tortilla and heated it in the microwave. Then I wrapped it in a couple sheets of aluminum foil and stuck it in the bag as far from the banana as possible. I'll remember that little trick for future field trips!

-I have to share an awesome recipe that I found a few days ago - Baking and Books' Butternut Squash Lasagne. Everyone in my family loves butternut squash so I try to keep it around in the fall. I love the combination of butternut squash and pasta. Butternut squash lasagna is always awesome BUT what made this one different, and in my opinion far superior, were sage and thyme. Sage is such a great fall flavor and it made the lasagna stand out from the others. Here it is fresh out of the oven:

and a slice (one day I'll have a good camera!):

This one will be in my permanent fall recipe collection. It was scrumptious!

-There's no lunch for tomorrow (student council pizza day) so this is my last post of the week. Everyone have a safe and happy Halloween with your little trick or treaters!

More Halloween Fun

2009-10-27T13:09:00.007-05:00

Well, after all my lunch whining, the field trip was cancelled today due to "flooding concerns". It's kinda funny, though cause although it's been raining A LOT lately, today there isn't a cloud in the sky. Would have been perfect weather for a field trip. They've rescheduled it for Thursday, so I guess I have to make the field trip lunch again. Ugh!

SOOOOO, another field trip lunch Thursday and Student Council Pizza day on Friday means that I had to go crazy with the Halloween theme for tomorrow's lunch. It may be my last Halloween lunch this year!

Jack-o-lantern mini peppers, Celery slices, Honeysweet yellow tomatoes with nori skull and Crossbones, Bat shaped cheese quesadillas, Pumpkin pie flavored yogurt, Apple eyeballs and blood orange slices.

-My friend Amanda got this skull and crossbones punch the other day for her son's lunches. While she was here, I had to go ahead and punch out some nori, for the chic's lunch this week. I thought they would work out pretty good on the tomatoes...I was wrong. I am praying that these stay on the tomato until her lunch tomorrow. Nori does NOT want to stick to the tomato. I don't know why either - it seems to stick on other things like that? Hmmmm??

-Stoneyfield Farms came out with a seasonal flavored yogurt for the fall - Pumpkin Pie! The chics really like it. Hopefully it will stay available through Thanksgiving!

-For the apple eyeballs, I used a small cookie scoop to make a ball from a peeled apple. Then I cut a baby carrot into slices and used a hole punch to make a hole in the center. I cut a chunk out of the apple at the top so the carrot slice could be recessed into the apple. Next, I cut a few dried cranberries in half and placed a half into the middle of each carrot slice.

-Lastly, blood oranges...I love making things with them cause they are so unexpected and really really do look like and orange that is bleeding. They used to be pretty hard to find but now they're available almost all year round. They taste pretty much like a regular orange but are so much more fun!

Field Trip Lunch

2009-10-26T17:38:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow is another field trip. This time they will be eating at their destination so lunch has gotta be disposable and not require refrigeration.

Peanut butter, honey, and sunflower seed monster sandwich, Celery sticks, Jack-o-Lantern tangerine, Pirate's booty, Granola bar, Baby carrots, Fruit bites

Sometimes the chic has a hard time peeling tangerines. I cut the tangerine like a jack-o-lantern and then used the orange peeler tool (that orange thing from Tupperware) to cut through the skin. This made it look more like a pumpkin AND she will have an easy time peeling it tomorrow.

I have to admit that I am hopelessly unmotivated by the plastic baggie lunch. It seems that the chic will have a lot of field trips this year so I would LOVE suggestions for more creative field trip lunches!!

Sand"witch"

2009-10-25T14:12:00.008-05:00

Well, I've waited and waited to do some Halloween lunches, and the week is finally here. I'm starting off slowly with a Sand"witch".

Watermelon cubes, Cottage cheese and blueberries, Hummus and carrots, Sand"witch", Martha's pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

Sand"witch" is sandwich topped with ham. She has a nori hat and eye, Cucumber hair, carrot mouth, and sugar snap pea mole on her chin.

The cupcake is going to school in this cool little cupcake holder that I found at Williams-Sonoma this summer. The little spikes grip the cupcake so that the frosting remains in tact. Love it!

I get asked all the time how I get the chic's lunches to stay in place. After all Kindergartners are not exactly gentle with their lunchboxes. The answer - Press N Seal. I LOVE this stuff! The Laptop Lunchbox's outer container does a great job keeping the food in it's container, but when I make something like the witch sandwich or the apple tree from last week, I have to do something extra to make sure everything stays where I placed it. Here's what I do:

Tear off a piece of Press N Seal and place it directly on the food. Press the food down slightly while running your finger around the outer edge of the food to kinda shrink wrap it in there. The container had to be clean and dry in order for the Press N Seal to stick. (pardon the Zebra nails - Halloween party)

Continue pressing the Press N Seal to the container until it's completely covered. Here's what it looks like when it's finished:

The method is the same when I do something like the Quinoa Garden. I just attach the Press N Seal to the sides of the container instead of the bottom while pressing in on the quinoa. Next time I do one of those, I'll take pics! I hope this makes sense and helps those of you wondering how to get the stuff to stay in place!