School Lunch Inspiration {Re-post}

     Some of you may already have started back to school but school starts next week for us and I'm having mixed emotions. I love summer. The warmth (especially appreciate this now that we live in a snowy winter climate), fun, laid back routines, lazy mornings, lazy afternoons, swimming, exploring, flip flops, shorts, evening walks by the lake, late night sunsets, lots of time with friends and lots of time with my boys... While I'm excited for them to start back to school, I'm dragging my feet a bit during these last days of summer.
   
     I've had several people ask me about school lunches so I thought this was a perfect time to repost these ideas. I wrote this back when we had just moved cross-country and were homeschooling. Here's to another new season! Let's start strong with our lunch game mamas and dads and make it great! I'll be a little more intentional with my grocery run this weekend as I meal plan for lunches and Our Weekly Menu. Planning ahead feels like more work up front but it REALLY pays off. Click over to see my kid-friendly lunch ideas and please share your lunch secrets! I'm always looking for new ideas too! Happy start of school friends. ...click here for the recipe!

Salad Skewers with Homemade Ranch Dressing {Appetizers, Cooking with Kids, Gluten-Free}

These are so much fun! Pretty much any food you put on a stick instantly becomes fun and enticing for adults and kids alike. My boys loved helping me make these and they ate them all up! They're perfect as a make-ahead appetizer for your next get together, as a side for your family barbecue or just a fun new way to serve salad for dinner tonight. You can make them ahead and store covered in the fridge for a couple hours! Skewer up your favorite veggies and then dip them in the tangy and creamy Ranch dressing that will have everyone coming back for more. Click over to www.type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Gluten-Free No-bake Granola Bars {cooking with kids}

These are a great homemade alternative to packaged granola bars. It's nice to know all of the ingredients and get the kids involved in making them. They store really well and the kids loved them! I still occasionally buy store bought bars but these are so tasty I think we'll be having them more often.

Recipe: (makes 12-18 bars)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons Chia Seeds
2 teaspoons water
1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
2 cups oats
1 3/4 cups Koala Crisp Cereal
1/4 cup dried fruit, chopped

Directions:
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut oil, brown sugar, honey, peanut butter, salt and vanilla and stir occasionally until well combined and heated through, about 3-5 minutes.

2. In a small dish combine chia seeds with 2 teaspoons of water, let soak briefly
3. In a large mixing bowl combine soaked Chia seeds, coconut, oats, crisp cereal and dried fruit, let the kids measure and mix ingredients.

4. Have an adult pour the warm peanut butter and honey mixture over the top of the dry ingredients and stir gently to coat.  If mixture seems too wet, add another 1/4 cup of oats.
5. Spread mixture on a Silpat-lined, rimmed baking sheet or glass pan.  Using the back of a spatula, spread and flatten mixture trying to keep it uniform in thickness.  Place pan in the refrigerator to chill.

6. Once chilled through, slice with a butter knife into bars or squares.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

*this post includes affiliate links

...click here for the recipe!

Lunch Ideas and Inspiration

Everyone can use some inspiration for lunch ideas, right? For adults and kids. Having a fun and varied lunch is more enticing and eating a variety of healthy foods is a great way to meet our nutritional needs.

We are a homeschooling family but our oldest goes to a co-op one day per week and brings his lunch. Before we made our move across the country, a year ago, he was in public school and took his lunch most days. I started taking pictures of the lunches I made him as inspiration for myself week to week. He often helps or now makes his own lunch (with our guidance).

I totally get it that our three boys are BIG eaters (they often each as much or more than me) and they are not picky and will eat most anything. If these portions seem too much for your kiddo, just edit it down to meet your needs, you know your kids best. These ideas are great for adults as well! A more grown up Bento Box such as Easy Lunch Boxes is a wonderful way to keep portions in check.

In Sugarbooger Divided Lunch Box :

Almond butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat bread

apple slices

cheddar cheese cubes with Bento Pick for fun

Graham bunnies with dried cranberries and two candy corns in a Silicone Cupcake Liner

Green leaf lettuce with baby carrots

Lunch Cube Box:
Almond Butter and Raspberry Jam sandwich on whole wheat bread

Goldfish crackers

raisins

Sunflower seeds and a candy corn pumpkin in a Silicone Cupcake Liner

Fresh raspberries and cubed watermelon

Fresh spinach, baby carrots and small container of poppyseed dressing (I rinse and save any little containers we get from ordering take-out for this)

Trader Joe's Organic Strawberry yogurt

We love Easy Lunch boxes. They have the best sealing lids and three generous compartments. Easy Lunch Boxes makes the perfect EasyLunchboxes Insulated Lunch Box Cooler Bag that works great for one box and a drink or up to three Easy Lunch Boxes can fit at a time! Love that!

In Easy Lunch box :

Wheat crackers and two chocolate covered blueberries in a silicone cupcake liner

Fresh strawberries

hard boiled egg

Laughing Cow Light Spreadable cheese to spread on crackers

fresh watermelon cubes

Romaine lettuce with cubes of leftover chicken and croutons with side of Ranch dressing

In Easy Lunch box :

Wheat crackers

Roasted pistachios

Organic honey ham rolls

Organic White Cheddar cheese sticks

Fresh Mandarin Orange

Graham bunny crackers with two sour skittles in a silicone cupcake liner

Fresh strawberries

Leftover steamed broccoli from last night's dinner

In an Easy Lunch box :

Turkey Sandwich with lettuce, red onion, cheese and mustard on whole wheat bread

Trader Joe's Alphabet crackers, dried mango slices, two candy corns

Fresh grapes

Trader Joe's Organic Strawberry yogurt

In a Lunch Cube:

Almond butter and raspberry jam on an English Muffin

Mandarin orange

Cascadian Farms Organic mini granola bar

Hummus in a Silicone Cupcake Liner with English cucumber slices

Honey Chex and Goldfish crackers

Organic applesauce cup

Organic Honey ham rolls

...click here for the recipe!

Kale Chips

Have you tried Kale chips yet?  I keep reading about them and how delicious they are, so I finally decided to give it a try.  Turns out they are tasty!  They have a great light and crispy quality and it's so fun how they disintegrate on your tongue, they really do resemble a light potato chip.  The kids loved them, of course they also love roasted seaweed, but really these are sure to be a hit. This is a fun one, give it a try.  Enjoy!

Recipe:
Fresh kale leaves roughly chopped into bite size pieces, thick stems removed
olive oil

Directions:
1. Spread kale leaves in single layer on a baking sheet.   Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and gently massage the oil into the leaves until they are lightly coated.
2. Bake @ 350'F for 9-11 minutes until crisp to the touch.  Watch them and do not overcook or they will be bitter.  If they are under cooked they'll be a bit chewy, we're going for light and crispy.  Pull them out while they are still dark green, not brown.  We didn't put anything else on them and they were delicious but you could try a light dusting of salt or garlic powder.  Enjoy!

  ...click here for the recipe!

Jack-'O-Lantern Fruit Plate {Halloween Party}

This is more of an idea inspiration than a recipe. Just wanted to share the fun little fruit Jack-'O-Lantern my 4 year old and I made together this morning for his Preschool Harvest party. I peeled all the little Mandarin oranges (which are SO sweet and delicious this time of year) and together we arranged the fruit. All together it only took about 20 minutes (lots of peeling), which was good since we did it in a mad dash before school this morning.  I didn't want those oranges getting dried out.  It was a fun and tasty project and one that I hope all the preschoolers will enjoy as well.

Tip: We used an orange "Pumpkin-shaped" plastic platter, with slightly upturned edges, to help with this. Any circular or oval platter will work. We used just about 1 bag of Mandarin oranges, 1 celery stalk, about 8-10 strawberries, two handfuls of grapes and a 1/2 handful of blueberries.

Update: We've gone on to make this multiple times and every single time it's been a huge hit for both kids and adults alike. It's so fun and attractive to look at and everyone loves to see fresh fruit at an otherwise candy-overloaded party. It is important to wait until the last minute to peel the oranges and I like to keep them covered with plastic wrap until it's time to serve to keep them from drying out. ...click here for the recipe!

Pasta and cheese "cupcakes" {cooking with kids}

This is a fun and easy recipe for parents and kids to do together. Do alittle prep ahead and place all your toppings in small bowls then let the kids assemble them!  Get creative and use any toppings you like, we used broccoli, diced turkey and grape tomatoes.  My guys had a blast and we all enjoyed eating the little pasta "cupcakes" for lunch. Enjoy!

Recipe: (makes 12 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
1/4-1/2 pound small pasta, such as Campanelle, macaroni or mini penne, cooked until al dente about 1 min less than package directions
3-4 toppings of your choice
       such as:
       -ground turkey, cooked until browned and no longer pink
       -small cubes of cooked turkey, chicken or ham
       -grape tomatoes, quartered
       -green peas
       -broccoli florets, asparagus, carrots or zucchini: Steam veggies until crisp tender, then place in bowl of ice water to stop cooking, remove and dice into small pieces to fit in muffin cups
1/2 cup shredded cheese such as cheddar or jack
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 plain breadcrumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375'F. Spray 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Place all toppings in small bowls and let kids assemble. First fill each muffin cup about half full with the cooked pasta, then top with toppings of your choice.

2. Finish with a sprinkle of the cheeses. Place breadcrumbs in a shaker if you have one or use a spoon and dust the top of each cupcake with breadcrumbs for a tasty crispy topping.

 Watch them bake (optional)

3. Bake at 375'F for 15-20 until cheese is melted and slightly golden. Let cool for about 5 minutes to allow the cheese to firm up and bind the pasta then scoop out your cuppies and serve warm.

...click here for the recipe!