Thursday, January 31, 2013

Lunch: 2.1.13

The Girl's snack is part of her school's fruit and veggie challenge.

She has half a mini pear with a dried plum tucked inside, a couple apple slices, a strawberry, and a couple pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot to get some veggies in there.

All tucked in to fit!
Her lunch is some roasted asparagus, apple slices, half a tiny pear cored and stuffed with Naturebox berry blend, carrots, a piece of cauliflower, a piece of broccoli, a string cheese, a couple peppermint covered pretzel stars, an a new Chobani Champions Jammin' Strawberry tube yogurt (generously provided to me by Chobani - but you can enter to win some Chobani Champions yogurt on their facebook page!), all packed in an Easylunchboxes Brights container.


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Lunch for The Boy: 2.1.13

February!  And Friday! 

The Boy's snack is some blueberry applesauce (not pictured: 15g).

Yogurt: 9g, strawberries: 5g, carrots & hummus: 3g, crackers: 20g, meatballs: 5g, pretzel: 2g
His lunch is carrots and hummus, strawberries, a new Chobani Champions Rockin' Blueberry Tube (generously provided to me by Chobani - but you can enter to win some Chobani Champions yogurt on their facebook page!), a couple meatballs, rainbow goldfish crackers, and a peppermint covered pretzel star (though I had to break it up to fit in the treat compartment) - all packed in his Yumbox.  I was able to fold the Champions tube in half to fit in the Yumbox.  :)


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Mommy & Daddy Lunches: 2.1.13

Happy Friday, and Happy February!


Daddy has a new Chobani Bite Raspberry and Dark Chocolate yogurt (I was generously provided with some new yogurt from Chobani.  If you want to try your luck at winning some of your own, check out their facebook page!), half an apple, strawberries, trail mix, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread, in his GoGreenLunchBox.


I have some trail mix, strawberries, some roasted asparagus, a couple baked smile potato puffs, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, packed in an Easylunchbox.


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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Lunch: 1.31.13

The Girl's snack for Thursday is a banana (not pictured).


Her lunch is some broccoli, a tiny forelle pear, rainbow goldfish crackers, ham slices, some hummus (for the broccoli), and a puff pastry apple rose, packed in an Easylunchbox Brights box.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.31.13

The Boy has a banana for snack (not pictured: 28g). 


His lunch is blueberry applesauce, cauliflower, rainbow goldfish crackers, salami, a cheese stick, and some dried fruit and a couple chocolate chips, all packed in his Yumbox.


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Mommy & Daddy Lunches: 1.31.13

Final day of January!


I have some leftover potato waffle, a cheese stick, some trail mix, and a clementine.  I might get some soup at work.  My lunch is packed in an Easylunchbox.


Daddy has some potato waffle, some turkey, leftover stuffing stuffed mini bell peppers, watermelon, and some strawberries, in his GoGreenLunchBox.


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Wacky Worldly Waffle Wednesday: Chile

Recently, some of my coworkers went to Chile.  They came back with many wonderful tales of delicious food.  Serendipitously, The Boy asked for Chilean Waffles this week, and my parents happened to have a cookbook full of Chilean recipes that I borrowed. 

I decided to make potato waffles again, because they were so great the last time, and the recipe I was working off of said that the dish is sometimes served with potatoes.

This was delicious - the sweetness of the corn really came out well.  Unfortunately, I overcooked the eggs slightly, so they didn't have a soft yolk like I wanted, but it was still lovely.  The Girl wants it again.

For the Potato Waffles, follow the directions and recipe from our French Canadian waffles, but leave out the Canadian bacon.


Chilean Inspired Potato Waffles with Baked Eggs in Creamy Corn Sauce with Basil

Potato Waffles (leave out the Canadian Bacon)

1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cans corn, drained (or ~4 c corn)
1 1/2 c whole milk (I used 1/2 c heavy cream and 1 c 1% milk)
1 Tbsp chopped basil
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste


In a saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion until soft but not brown.  Add the corn and milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed (this took about 20-30 minutes for me), stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Remove the corn from the heat and make divots for each egg.  Carefully slide the egg into the divot, top with salt and pepper and a small dollop of butter (optional) and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the white is set but the egg is runny.


Serve over potato waffles and enjoy.


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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Lunch: 1.30.13


The Girl's snack is apple slices, raisins, craisins, and other dried fruit, and some Naturebox Orange Crush granola.

Her lunch is more of the mushroom lasagne with spinach noodles (she loved this!), a puff pastry apple rose, a clementine, apple slices, and some dried plums, in her Easylunchbox Brights container.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.30.13

The Boy's snack is a banana (not pictured, 28g).

Meatballs: 5g, puff pastry apple rose: 5g, peas & feta: 3g, watermelon: 5g, yogurt: 12g, dried plums: 4g

His lunch is some meatballs, Greek yogurt with some honey, watermelon, peas with feta cheese (The Boy *loves* feta cheese!), a puff pastry apple rose, and a couple dried plums, packed in his Yumbox.


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Daddy's Lunch: 1.30.13

I have the last of my giant boloco burrito for Wednesday lunch, so I only packed for Daddy today.

He has some leftover creamy bbq chicken with peas, apple slices, peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat, raisins, and watermelon, in his GoGreenLunchBox.


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Recipe: Creamy BBQ Chicken with Peas

I wasn't feeling well this afternoon, and so The Hubby said that he would take care of dinner.  When he got home, he ended up having to run an errand, so I made dinner, but it is all his design... rightfully, this should be posted on his blog (Having Fun Learning to Cook), but he said since I made it, I should post it.

It was a winner, and very very easy.  I think we'll be making this again!

Creamy BBQ Chicken with Peas

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (~1" cubes)
4 oz neufchatel 1/3 fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c sweet honey bbq sauce
1/2 c frozen peas
1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the chicken on all sides in a large saute pan.  Mix the softened cream cheese and bbq sauce together and stir into the chicken.  Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the frozen peas and cook until the peas are cooked, about 2 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve with some nice bread, or over egg noodles.


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Lunch: 1.29.13

The Girl's fruit and veggie snack challenge continues!


I need to get more veggies in the house, but her snack is pretty fruity.  She has apple slices, raisins, dried mixed fruit, and some Naturebox cranberry almond bites.


Her lunch is leftover mushroom lasagne with spinach noodles, a puff pastry apple rose, a clementine, and half a kiwi, in an EasyLunchbox.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.29.13

The Boy has a banana for snack (not pictured, 28g).

Lasagne: 10g, watermelon: 5g, feta: 1g, salami: 1g, puff pastry apple: 5g, raisins: 5g
His lunch is packed in our new Yumbox, which he really likes.  He has leftover mushroom lasagne with spinach noodles in the vegetable compartment, watermelon in the fruit compartment, feta cheese in the dairy compartment, salami in the protein compartment, a puff pastry apple rose in the grain compartment, and some raisins in the little treat container.


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Daddy's Lunch: 1.29.13

My Boloco was so big yesterday, I split it in thirds and will be eating it until tomorrow for lunches.  Delicious, but huge.  There are reasons that I normally get the mini - but free burritos can be any size, so why would you get anything but the big one?


Daddy's lunch is leftover mushroom lasagne with homemade spinach noodles, apple slices, peanuts and raisins, and a couple fig newtons, packed in an Easylunchbox.


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Monday, January 28, 2013

Recipe: Mushroom Lasagne with Spinach Noodles

I had a bunch of mushrooms leftover that I didn't use when I expected to, so I decided to use them up in a meatless lasagne.


I made homemade spinach noodles, which worked out beautifully.

Mushroom Lasagne with Spinach Noodles

Spinach Noodles:
1 c cooked spinach (drained)
3 eggs
2 c flour (I used duram flour)
1 Tbsp oil (as needed)
1 lb mushrooms
1 1/2 c tomato sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 c part skim ricotta
1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp chopped basil

1/4 c fresh mozzarella (I had 5 slices pre-sliced)

Chop the spinach in a food processor.  Add the eggs and flour, and oil as needed to form a nice ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at least 15 minutes, while preparing the lasagne filling.


Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until finely chopped.  Mix with the sauce and Italian seasoning.

In a separate bowl, combine the cheeses, the egg, and the basil (do not add the fresh mozzarella yet).


Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray a 9"x13" deep pan with cooking spray.  Roll the pasta dough out thinly (I rolled to setting of 7 on my pasta machine) and put a layer of noodles in the pan.


Top with a layer of a third of the mushroom mixture. Spread a third of the cheese mixture on top of that.

Add another layer of noodles.  Repeat for three layers, ending with a layer of noodles.  Arrange the fresh mozzarella on top of the noodles, and cover the pan with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes with the foil on top of the pan, the remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.





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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Lunch: 1.28.13

The Girl's class continues to have a fruit & veggie challenge at snack (and lunch), and so to the challenge I rise!

Her snack is half a blood orange, half a kiwi, a tiny stovetop stuffing stuffed bell pepper, a couple pieces of apple, and raisins in the little container.


Her lunch is the other half of the blood orange, ham and Miracle whip on whole wheat,a couple more stovetop stuffing stuffed bell peppers topped with cheese, an puff pastry apple rose with a little cheddar, a couple pieces of dried banana, a couple pieces dried papaya, and a couple dried plums, packed in a new Easylunchbox Brights box.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.28.13

The Boy has a banana for snack (not pictured: 28g).

Feta: 1g, watermelon: 5g, stuffed pepper: 4g, apple rose: 5g, dumplings: 15g. dried fruit && chocolate: 4g
His lunch is in a new YumBox, which I will review soon.  The box is small, but I think it will fill him up.  The Yumbox has labeled sections for each food group.  He has a small stovetop stuffing stuffed bell pepper with cheese, watermelon, feta cheese, a couple mini Chinese dumplings, a puff pastry apple rose with a little cheddar, and a couple pieces of dried fruit with tiny chocolate chips (in the small treat compartment).

Looking forward to playing with the YumBox more!


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Daddy Lunch: 1.28.13

I have some food leftover from a free lunch I got for lunch on Monday (Boloco - Chicken Tikka Masala on a whole wheat tortilla, with brown rice, and I add caramelized onions and mango salsa.  If you live near a Boloco, I couldn't recommend this more.  It's my favorite combination from there.  And there are a lot of good ones)


For Daddy, I packed ham & salami on whole wheat with Miracle whip, with apple slices, stovetop stuffing stuffed mini bell peppers topped with cheese, and some peanuts & raisins, along with some Emergen-C for the still recuperating hubby, all packed in a GoGreenLunchBox.


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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Lunch: 1.25.13

The Girl told me that they are having a contest in school.  For each different fruit or veggie they have in their snack, they will get a point.  In lunches, there are only points for one fruit and one veggie.  So, she asked me if I could pack as many different kinds of fruits and veggies in snack as possible.

This sounds like a challenge.  I love challenges.

 
Thus, her Friday snack has half a kiwi, half a clementine, carrots, broccoli, and dried plums.


Her lunch has the other half of the kiwi, the other half of the clementine, a puff pastry apple with a little cheddar cheese, a few veggie puff snacks, a ham skewer, and some mozzarella cheese, all packed in an Easylunchboxes Bright box.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.25.13

Happy Friday!

The Boy has a banana for snack (not pictured, 28g).

Puff Pastry apple: 5g, melon: 5g, salami roses: 10g, cheese: 1g, veggie puffs: 6g, carrots, broccoli, and ranch: 4g
His lunch is a puff pastry apple rose with a little cheddar cheese, watermelon, a couple salami roses on bread rolled in the same manner as the apples, a piece of cheese, broccoli and baby carrots, ranch dressing, and a couple veggie puff snacks, all packed in an Easylunchbox.


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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Lunch: 1.24.13

The Girl's snack is a banana (not pictured).


Her lunch is some leftover cheesy cocktail weenies, a clementine, broccoli and carrots, half a kiwi, cheddar cheese, and veggie puffs, in an Easylunchbox Brights box.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.24.13

The Boy has a banana for snack (not pictured. 28g).
Cocktail weenies & sauce: 4g, apple slices: 4g, fruit salad: 15g, broccoli & carrots: 3g, feta: 1g, veggie puffs: 8g
His lunch is some leftover cheesy cocktail weenies, apple slices, broccoli and carrots, fruit salad, feta cheese, and veggie puffs, in an Easylunchbox Brights box.


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Mommy & Daddy Lunches: 1.24.13

More leftovers from my Post-Holiday Party in lunches today (getting near the end of the leftovers!)


Daddy has some cheesy cocktail weenies, baked breaded mushrooms, caprese stuffed cherry tomatoes, half an apple, trail mix, some veggie snack puffs from Costco, and some Emergen-C for my poor recuperating man, in his GoGreenLunchBox.


I have some cheesy cocktail weenies, caprese stuffed cherry tomatoes, breaded baked mushrooms, some veggie puffs, half a kiwi, and some trail mix, in my Easylunchbox


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Wacky Worldly Waffle Wednesday: Japan

The Boy pointed to Japan on the map we have next to the menu board, and declared that this week's waffles should be inspired by Japan.  Since I wasn't going to make sushi waffles, I decided on...


Matcha Waffles with Plum Ginger Whipped Cream

Yum!

So, they were pretty simple.  To the waffle batter, I added a tablespoon of Republic of Tea Matcha powder.  The batter was beautifully green, but the waffles browned in the waffle iron, so I broke off a piece of the waffle to show the pretty green interior. 


The flavor was subtle and lovely.  You could add some more Matcha powder if you wanted a more pronounced flavor.

For the whipped cream, I rehydrated some dried plums in water with a few slices of ginger.  Once they were entirely rehydrated (I left them for several hours, but they were probably done much sooner than that), I pureed them along with the ginger (draining off the water), and then folded them into some fresh whipped cream, adding a little sugar to taste.  I topped with a few slices of fresh plum (there was only one plum at the store!  I snatched it up).

Overall, a nice waffle.  The kids really enjoyed the Matcha, and that makes me happy.  I'll be using it some more in baking - I've been meaning to get it for a while and am happy to have a good stock now.

Next week, The Boy has declared that we should have Chilean waffles... wonder what I'll come up with for that!


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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Lunch: 1.23.13

The Girl has some leftover baked orange French Toast for snack (not pictured).


Her lunch is a puff pastry apple rose with a little cheddar cheese sprinkled on it, half a kiwi, a couple pretzel bites, a piece of spanikopita, along with broccoli and carrots with ranch.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.23.13

The Boy has some more Orange French Toast for snack (not pictured, 30g).

Melon: 4g, apple rose: 6g, pretzel bites: 10g, spanikopita rolls: 10g, broccoli & carrots with ranch: 3g
His lunch is a puff pastry apple rose with a little cheddar cheese sprinkled on it, some pepino melon (I found one at the store!  He was so excited!), a couple pretzel bites, a piece of spanikopita, along with broccoli and carrots with ranch.


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Mommy's Lunch: 1.23.13

Daddy didn't go to work on Tuesday, so he has his Tuesday lunch for Wednesday.

I have a puff pastry apple rose with a little cheddar (made a new batch!), half a kiwi, a couple leftover pretzel bites, cornbread stuffed jalapenos, and spanikopita rolls (also from my Post-Holiday party), a clementine.


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Monday, January 21, 2013

Lunch: 1.22.13

The Girl's snack for Tuesday is some leftover baked orange french toast (not pictured).


Her lunch is some mini tacos (from Costco), apple slices, a clementine, and some veggie snack puffs, in an Easylunchbox Brights box.


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Lunch for The Boy: 1.22.13

The Boy has some baked orange french toast leftovers for snack (not pictured: 30g).

Mini Tacos: 19g, apple slices: 3g, fruit salad: 6g, veggie puffs: 9g
His lunch is some mini tacos (from Costco), apple slices, fruit salad, and some veggie snack puffs (also from Costco), packed in an Easylunchbox Brights container.


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Mommy & Daddy Lunches: 1.22.13

Daddy was home sick on Monday, and I had Martin Luther King, Jr. Day off.  So, here are our lunches for Tuesday, the first day of the work week for both of us.

Daddy has half a stuffed pepper that I made for dinner on Monday night, some caprese stuffed cherry tomatoes, apple slices, veggie puff snacks, and some trail mix, along with an Emergen-C to put in his water to hopefully aid in his feeling a bit better, all packed in his GoGreenLunchBox.


I have half a leftover stuffed pepper, veggie puff snacks, a clementine, and some caprese stuffed cherry tomatoes, in my Easylunchbox with a Brights lid.


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