Tuesday?

The threat of "inclement weather" has all of Pittsburgh batting down the hatches.  The stores are probably out of milk, bread and eggs.  Is the whole city making french toast?  haha!  They are calling for inches of snow and up to 2 inches of ice.  ACK!  I'm not a fan of ice.  I'm hoping that this has all been blown out of proportion but just in case...Molly is buying lunch tomorrow.  I have a feeling that if the weather is even slightly as bad as they are predicting, there will be no school tomorrow and Molly will be having lunch at home anyway.

Monday Monday

We had a very full weekend.  Though there was a day off of school on Friday, that was the last time that we took a rest.  Saturday, we saw The Laurie Berkner Band Live at Heinz Hall!  It was AMAZING!  It was Birthday Party themed and we were sure to dress up and wear our favorite party hats.  We sang and danced for over an hour and didn't stop smiling until we were asleep in our beds that night.

Sunday, Molly's cousin was baptized and we were so honored to be part of such a special day.  Watching her be bathed in the spirit of Christ Our Lord was just incredible.  The service was wonderful and included a nice variety of delightful music.

A fantastic weekend all together.

Our main entrée is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread.  We had so much great music this weekend that we decided to use our music note (eighth note) cookie cutter to keep the theme going.  FYI: We had to stack our two sandwiches to fit into the container in case you were worried that Molly only got half of a sandwich.
*Blogger's note: We turned our photo so that it would be easier to recognize the music note.

Our vegetable side is cucumbers.  We sliced these very thinly and Molly really likes them like that.  They are still crisp but it creates a different type of texture.

Our fruit side is fresh strawberries.  We found these at Sam's Club.  We were a little worried that they might not be sweet enough but decided to buy them anyway because Sam's has a 200% guarantee on their produce.  Well, they aren't as sweet as they usually are in the middle of the summer but they are definitely delicious.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Dannon Light and Fit strawberry yogurt.  Molly requested this as usual.  A light, sweet and creamy end to her lunch.

Fo Friday

Tomorrow is the last day this week for Molly because she has the day off on Friday so that the teachers can get report cards ready.  We are pretty excited to have a 3 day weekend.  We have big plans!  Friday will be a relaxing day at home, Saturday we are going to see The Laurie Berkner Band Live and Sunday Molly's baby cousin is being baptized.  A fun filled weekend indeed!  Then we're on to February.  This year is already flying by.

Our main entrée is our good old turkey with pepper jack cheese on whole grain bread.  We added the normal mustard and used different sized heart cookie cutters to cut it out.

Our vegetable side is edamame.  This super food will add protein and nutrients to help Molly get through the rest of the day.

Our dairy side is Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt.  A nice creamy and cool treat for our girl.

Finally, it's Fo Fun Friday (since there is no school on Friday) so Molly gets her special treat.  We added two Aldi Milk Chocolate Covered Gingerbread Hearts and a Hershey's Kiss to today's lunch because Molly has been such a good and helpful girl all week.

Food Trend Lunch

Molly is definitely a creature of habit.  She jumps on these eating trends and will ask to eat the same thing for days on end.  She enjoyed her sandwich so much that she not only requested it for her lunch tomorrow but she also requested it for her dinner tonight.  She is also still on her yogurt kick.  We've had request lunches before but this is a trend request lunch.  Seems a bit redundant to me but it's easy to prepare the same things and Molly likes it, win win!

Our main entrée is a turkey and pepper jack cheese sandwich on whole grain bread.  We added a little bit of mustard and then we used some of our favorite cookie cutters to "lose the crust", as Molly likes to put it.

Our vegetable side is sliced cucumbers.  These will bring the crunch factor into this lunch.

Our fruit side is blueberries and kiwi...again.  We can't blame her though.  Blueberries and kiwi are a great combination.

Finally our dairy/dessert side (again) is Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt.  Molly would rather have this than most any other dessert.

Regular Lunch

Not really much to say tonight.  So, on to lunch!

Our main entrée is a turkey and pepper jack cheese sandwich on whole wheat.  We added a little mustard and then we cut the sandwiches with Molly's favorite butterfly cookie cutter and micro heart cookie cutter.

Our vegetable side is canned mixed vegetables.  We had these with our dinner tonight and Molly raved about how they tasted like stuffed peppers and requested that they go into her lunch.  Well, we're not sure about them tasting like stuffed peppers but if she likes them, then we're more than happy to give them to her.

Our fruit side is the same as the last lunch.  Kiwi and blueberries.  Molly requested these also...with a huge smile on her face.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is our standard Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt.  YUM!

No Pizza Monday

We had a rare thing happen this weekend.  No pizza!  Well, the kids had pizza on Saturday night but there were no left overs for Molly's Monday lunch.  This was a big dilemma since I usually count on that Monday staple.  So, I asked Molly what she wanted for lunch tomorrow and her request was a good old peanut butter and jelly.  Also, we had part of our extended family over today and made some chocolate chip cookies and those were definitely on the request list.  So, although she may not indulge in her regular Monday pizza, she does get a nice little treat instead.

Our main entrée is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat.  We chose classic Jif creamy peanut butter and Trader Joe's strawberry jam.  A great combination.

Our fruit side is a mix of blueberries and kiwi.  We found these blueberries at Sam's Club at a pretty decent price and they are nice and sweet.  Molly will be really excited to have two of her favorite fruits in her lunch.

Our dairy side is Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt.  This was another request of Molly's.  We are more than happy to give it to her too.  It is so good for her, yet she thinks of it as just another delicious treat.

Finally, we have our homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Molly, her sister and our special friend helped to make these awesome treats.  There is just something about homemade chocolate chip cookies, they taste better than just about anything else in this world. ☺

School Lunch?

It looks as though there is a very good possibility of a snow day tomorrow.  They have already called for a 2 hour delay, which is a rarity for our school district to call the night before, so we're pretty confident that Molly will be home for lunch.  For this reason, we are putting a lunch ticket in Molly's back pack instead of packing a lunch.  We could be wrong and Molly will get a Fun Friday treat of a school lunch that consists of pizza, salad, french fries, fruit and a Rice Krispie Treat.  Pizza AND fries?  Oh well! ☺

Have a great weekend everyone and stay warm!

A Little Bit of Everything

Today, we decided to just toss together a few of Molly's favorites.  Molly, her brother and her sister would eat pasta everyday.  Whether it be macaroni and cheese or just about any other type of pasta with a little bit of butter and Parmesan, they would eat the stuff all day long.  Molly really likes pasta salad so hopefully today's lunch will indulge her pasta cravings.

Our main entrée is pasta salad.  This pasta salad is made with choo choo wheels pasta, pepperoni, string cheese and light Italian dressing.

Our vegetable side is a baby spinach salad with light Italian dressing on the side.  Molly might be getting back into a salad kick. ☺

Our fruit side is an Empire apple that has been cut into slices.  Molly asked for caramel dip to go with it but we didn't have any.  Time for a trip to the store.

Finally our dessert is a mix of some of Molly's favorite things.  We have mini marshmallows, dried cherries and peanuts.

Winter Wednesday

Mother Nature is really cooking up some wacky weather here in Western Pennsylvania.  We woke up to ice covered sidewalks, streets and cars this morning.  This afternoon, it was very sunny and in the mid 40s.  Now, we are expecting the current rain to turn into snow and possibly more ice.  Luckily for us, there was a 2 hour delay for school this morning and hopefully there will be another one tomorrow if needed.

Unless there is a snow day, here is Molly's lunch.

Our main entrée is a good old pb&j.  We used the new Wonder Smart White bread, a whole grain white bread.  We added peanut butter and then our good old Trader Joe's Cranberry Apple Butter.  YUM!  The star turned out okay but the moon split.  Oh well, it will still taste great!

Our vegetable side is edamame.  Molly and her little brother really enjoy edamame warm or cold.  It's a great snack and full of nutrients.

Our fruit side is cantaloupe.  We found these at the local grocery store for $1.50 each.  To our great surprise, they taste really sweet and flavorful.  Not something that we are used to in January.

Finally, our dairy/dessert side is Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla yogurt.  We added a few mini chocolate chips for sweetness and texture.

Turkey Tuesday

Molly was adamant about what she wanted for lunch.  She asked what we had and when it wasn't what she wanted, she asked if I was going to the store tonight.  I agreed that I would go to the store and a little light in her eye gleamed.  I can completely understand why she was like this.  I was craving a salad all day.  Not a spinach salad (what we had on hand) but a nice romaine lettuce salad.  Most people crave chocolate and yes, we do too...a lot, but a salad?  Well, Molly's craving is a turkey sandwich with provolone cheese.  Guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.

Our main entrée is a turkey and provolone sandwich on whole wheat.  We also added some sprouts for crunch and a little bit of mustard to tie it all together.  We hope that this will satisfy Molly's craving. ☺

Our vegetable side is slices of cucumber.  Molly requested these as well.  She said that she really liked how refreshing they were today and wanted more tomorrow.

Our fruit side is the last of the strawberries from Molly's Grammy.  I noticed today that these strawberries are from Plant City, FL.  When I lived in Florida, I went to the Strawberry Festival in Plant City and it was amazing.  Hands down, the best strawberry shortcake I've ever had.

Finally, our dairy/dessert side is Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt.  Molly can't seem to get enough yogurt lately.

Typical Monday

This weekend was incredible.  Molly had such a blast cheering with her BFFs at the High School Basketball game on Friday night.  We all went out for an ice cream afterward and really enjoyed a great time with our amazing friends.  Saturday, we went to see Mary Poppins live at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh with Molly's Grammy and our friend Marie.  It was such a tremendous show.  The music, the dancing, the costumes and the special effects were just astonishing.

In the midst of all of the fun, there was little time to prepare dinner on Friday so we grabbed a pizza.  Luckily for Molly, there are still some leftovers.  So, she will have the typical Monday cold pizza lunch.

Our main entrée is leftover cold pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars.  Molly is like any other kid, she would eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner just about every day.

Our veggie side is cucumbers that have been cut with our crinkle knife.  They still taste the same but they are a little extra special.

Our fruit side sliced strawberries.  We still have a few of these little gems left from Molly's Grammy.

Finally, our dessert/dairy side is Yoplait Slim 50 strawberry yogurt.  Molly requested this as her dessert.  We think that it really helps to get her through the day.

Full Friday

This Friday is going to be a little hectic, actually this whole weekend is.  We have plans for just about every day. Tomorrow after school, Molly has ballet.  Then we will be headed to the High School for a basketball game that Molly and her BFF's (along with several other girls) will be able to cheer at as part of his past summer's Rah Rah Camp.  After that, we (the BFF's and their families) are going to go out for an ice cream or some sort of other snack.  Molly can't wait.  She actually went to bed early tonight so that she will be energized for tomorrow.  Saturday, we are going to see Mary Poppins on stage!  I'm REALLY excited about this one because Mary Poppins has always been a personal favorite.  After that, we will come home and cheer on our favorite Pittsburgh Steelers as they play in a playoff game.  HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!

Our main entrée is a good old pb&j.  Molly requested this classic lunch staple.  We spread peanut butter and strawberry jam on whole wheat bread and then used a large flower cookie cutter and a small star cookie cutter to cut it.

Our vegetable side is a baby spinach salad.  We added a few shredded carrots for sweetness and crunch.  This is accompanied by Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Our fruit side is a kiwi and some pomegranate seeds.  Both pretty and delicious.

Our dairy side is a string cheese stick.  This provides a little extra protein to round out our lunch.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is two Aldi Milk Chocolate Covered Gingerbread Hearts.  Molly will be so excited to have this special yummy treat, and she truly deserves it. ☺

SNOW DAY!

Well, I got my wish!  We got our snow day.  We had an absolute blast playing in the snow and proceeded to come in for a hot chicken noodle soup lunch.  Even Molly's baby brother got in on the act.  He fell face first into the snow and didn't want to leave it.  He was having way too much fun just eating the snow and rolling around in it.  (until he got too cold)

So, tomorrow's lunch will be the same as today's.  I took everything out of the refrigerator and checked it over.  Some of the chocolate chips in the yogurt sunk but everything else looked exactly the same.  Now, instead of posting a lunch picture, I'll post a snow picture!

Enjoy!

Hoping for a Snow Day!

Here in Western Pennsylvania, we get our fair share of snow and some of the icky weather that goes along with it.  Today, we (like most of the eastern part of the country) were the recipients of a decent amount of the fluffy white stuff.  How can something that is so beautiful and serene be the cause of so many issues?  I am fine with driving in the snow but when the ice comes, it goes from "I'm fine" to "keep me away from the road!"  Well, we got a pretty decent amount of snow. It stopped a little while ago but the wind is picking up and I am afraid of the ice that will more than likely develop.  So, here's hoping for a snow day tomorrow and that Molly will be sharing her lunch with her sister instead of sitting in the school cafeteria.

Our main entrée is a chicken salad.  Since everyone has been sick in our house, we picked up a special treat of Chick-fil-A for lunch.  Molly's little brother really likes it and he has been very sick and not eating much so we were hoping that he'd like it...and he did!  The left over chicken strips were cut into bite size pieces and added to a bed of baby spinach and lettuce.  We then added some shredded carrots for crunch.  This is all served with a side of light ranch dressing.

Our fruit side is strawberries.  Molly's Grammy bought these amazing strawberries for our family.  We have never had strawberries this sweet and bright in January.  They are truly a special treat.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt.  We added a few mini chocolate chips for extra flavor and texture.  What girl doesn't love a little chocolate now and then?

Nothing Green Lunch

As so many times before, Molly has requested breakfast for lunch.  And as so many times before, we are having an issue with fitting in a vegetable.  The cucumber worked fine last week but the more and more I thought about it, the more I would've omitted it.  I think that the veggies go great with a savory breakfast but we are doing a sweeter breakfast so the veggies just don't fit.  Guess we will be having  a few extra veggies with our dinner tomorrow night.  As long as she gets them somewhere.

Our main entrée is a whole grain waffle sandwich.  We flavored some whipped cream cheese with maple syrup, spread it on each side of the extra crispy waffle and layered thin slices of apple in the middle of our sandwich.

Our fruit side is a clementine and some pomegranate seeds.  This will help boost Molly's vitamin C level.

Our final side is a great combination of multi grain Cheerios, peanuts and dried cherries.  The main part of this mix is the peanuts to add protein to Molly's lunch.

Same as the School Lunch

One of my secret weapons is looking at the school lunch menu.  What kid wants to eat cold peanut butter and jelly when everyone else is sitting there with a nice hot piece of pizza?  If there is something that Molly likes to eat and it's on the school lunch menu, I try to incorporate it into her lunch if possible.  For example, Molly's school is serving Papa John's pizza tomorrow and luckily for us, Molly's Grammy invited us for pizza dinner tonight and had left overs. ☺  Left over pizza is a HUGE favorite of Molly's so we are in luck.  The big difference between the school lunch and Molly's lunch is that we can control the portion size, add healthier sides and we know that she will eat the things that we serve but we aren't so sure about the school lunch.

Our main entrée is left over pepperoni pizza.  This is from our favorite pizza place near us, Sir Pizza. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's not the best crust, sauce or cheese but the combination of whatever it is that they use is just spot on.  Plus, the pepperoni is the best!

Our vegetable side is a plain baby spinach salad, by request.  This is served with Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Our fruit side is kiwi and pomegranate.  This too is by request.  I purchased a big papaya from the store the other day and balled it up with a melon baller, but Molly wasn't interested in it.  Here's another tip, if they won't eat it, don't send it.  Try little bits at home and see if they change their mind, if not, it's not worth the headache.  Don't sweat the small stuff.

Finally, our dessert/dairy side is Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt.  We added some fresh raspberries for flavor, texture and color.

TGIF!

Our whole house has been fighting illnesses this week and we are really ready for the weekend to be here.  Why did this surplus of sickness wait until the kids were back at school and Daddy back at work?  Oh well, we are all on the mend and the weekend is very close.  It's time to have a chill out, no plans, just hang around and do nothing weekend.

But, before we can do nothing, we've gotta get through Friday, so on to lunch!

Our main entrée is a Nutella and Strawberry Jam sandwich.  This combination is sweet and delicious.  We used a heart shaped cookie cutter for the big sandwich and a heart shaped micro cookie cutter for the mini sandwiches.

Our vegetable side is sliced cucumbers.  We used our crinkle cutter knife to make it more fun.

Our fruit side is a clementine, kiwi and pomegranate seeds.  Molly really loves fruit so the more the better in her eyes.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is Snowball Soup!  We made this for Molly's little sister to bring in for her preschool snack.  They were reading a book called Snowball Soup so we decided to make our own for a special treat.  We combined Multi-Grain Cheerios with raisins and mini marshmallows as our snowballs.  It's a really nice combination and pretty healthy too.

Another Request!

Since Blogger wasn't working last night, I am going to blog about Molly's lunch a little late so it will be short. This whole lunch was by request.  It all stemmed from our mini ravioli dinner and blossomed from there.

Our main entrée is a pasta salad.  Trader Joe's sells these yummy little packages of deliciousness and calls them mini ravioli.  Our whole family really likes them, even the pickier eaters.  We made these dry pastas for dinner last night and used the left overs for Molly's lunch.  We added some light Italian dressing and small pieces of pepperoni for spice.

Our vegetable side is a baby spinach salad with cucumbers, shredded carrots and fennel.  We served some of the light Italian dressing on the side to compliment the pasta salad.

Our fruit side is a kiwi sliced into spears.  Just a little different than the normal round slices.

Finally our dairy/dessert side is Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries.

Breakfast Request

As I said in yesterday's post, I usually sit down with Molly and we discuss what she might want for lunch.  Today was no exception.  As we finished our dinner, Molly chimed in with, "Mom, I know what I want for lunch tomorrow."  I was thrilled.  I didn't have to think of anything to make.  Sometimes she'll say, "anything but peanut butter and jelly."  Sometimes she'll only say that she wants apples as her side.  But today, she told me everything that she wanted and a few extra things just in case we didn't have something.  Most days I kind of guide some of her decisions so that we can include all of the food groups and I had to remind her to include a vegetable today.  Other than that, this is all Molly.

Our main entrée is a waffle sandwich.  We toasted two whole grain waffles; a little more than usual so that they don't get soggy.  To that, we spread whipped cream cheese, that we flavored with maple syrup, on both of the waffles. We then added very thinly sliced apples and sandwiched it all together.

Our vegetable side is cucumber sticks.  Molly agrees that cucumbers don't have an overpowering flavor and that they will go well with our breakfast for lunch.  Plus, cucumbers are crunchy so they add a great texture to our lunch.

Finally, our dairy/dessert side is Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt.  Molly really likes this yogurt at just about any meal.  We added some fresh raspberries at Molly's request.  They are so flavorful and the crunchy seeds add a different texture to the creamy yogurt.

Standard Lunch

Since starting this blog, a lot of my friends will tell me what they put in their children's lunch boxes.  Usually a sandwich, some chips, a piece of fruit and a dessert.  We all pretty much grew up with this kind of a lunch.  Well, that is exactly what I have done for today's lunch.  I have gone with some standards and jazzed them up a little bit to make them a little healthier but still tasty.  Plus, I've listened to Molly's requests and tried to include exactly what she wants.  We usually sit down after dinner and talk about what she would like and unless I have something up my sleeve, I am happy to comply.

Here we go...

Our main entrée is a turkey sandwich on white bread.  BUT, it's not the regular old turkey on white sandwich.  The bread is whole grain white bread and the turkey is a thin sliced smoked turkey breast (all white meat). We added provolone cheese which is nice and creamy, iceberg lettuce for crunch and yellow mustard to tie it all together.

Our "veggie" side is BBQ potato chips.  These are baked chips that were purchased from Aldi.  The flavor is delicious without causing your fingers to be covered in grease.

Our fruit side is apple slices, raspberries and kiwi.  This was all by request because Molly couldn't decide between the three and asked for all of them.

Finally, our dessert is Pepperidge Farm Baked Graham Cracker Goldfish in Vanilla.  Molly really likes these. They are sweet and light.  They are a perfect ending to a standard lunch.

Book It!

When I was in Elementary school, we used to have a program where if you read a certain amount of books, you would get a certificate for a free Pizza Hut personal pan pizza.  Well, low and behold, Book It! is still around 25 years later.  Molly's teacher participates in the program so today, Molly was the recipient of her first personal pan pizza.  (We let the last 2 expire...oops, there goes my Mother of the Year award.)  I decided that I would take just Molly for lunch today.  She really didn't know what was happening but she knew that it was something special.  Then, I whispered to her that I was taking her to Pizza Hut for her Book It! pizza and I thought that she was going to jump out of her skin.  When we got there, she was beaming because it is not often that she gets a one on one meal with just Mom or Dad.  She was so proud when she handed our waitress the coupon.  What made it even more wonderful is that Gayle, our waitress, made a big deal about it.  She kept asking how "our reader" was doing and if "our reader" needed a refill on her drink.  Molly also received a folder for school with the Pittsburgh Penguins on it.  It was as if she had hit the jackpot.  I don't think that she stopped smiling at all during our lunch.  It just goes to show that if you try hard at something (you may remember that she had some issues with reading earlier in the school year) the rewards can be amazing.

Back to school and back to lunch.  We are incorporating a little of her Book It! pizza to remind her of the awesome job that she did.

Our main entrée is the rest of Molly's personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  There is just enough left that it will make the perfect main dish.  She ordered her pizza with black olives on it.  This kid sure has a unique palate when it comes to her favorite foods.


Our vegetable side is a salad made with iceberg lettuce and shredded carrots.  This is accompanied by light Ranch dressing.  


Our fruit side is apples slices and raspberries.  This was by request.  Molly has been chowing down on raspberries while home on Christmas break and she hasn't gotten sick of them yet.  


Finally, our dessert/dairy side is Dannon Light & Fit Blueberry yogurt.  Molly has had enough cookies and candy to last her for a while (haven't we all?) so after talking about it, she decided that yogurt would be a nice dessert.  Smart girl!


Happy 2011 Everyone!  From Molly's Family to Yours!