Field Trip!!!

The 1st Grade class is going on a field trip tomorrow.  Normally, Molly would be excited at this, but this particular field trip is to a bug farm.  She is not too enthused with bugs at this age.  Hopefully she will see some butterflies and dragonflies so that it isn't all "icky" to her.

Field trip means that a packed lunch becomes a sack lunch.  Our normal Laptop Lunch Box gets the day off.

Our main entrée is a cheese sandwich, just like today.  Colby Jack cheese with mustard on white bread.  Simple and delicious.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  Mostly because we know that they won't be smashed into vegetable puree.

Our fruit side is apple slices.  Again, this choice was for texture purposes.  6 year olds don't like fruit that is baby food consistency.

Our dessert is a 100 calorie pack of Oreo crisps.  We've also added a small chocolate chip granola bar in case Molly is still hungry.  She's been going through a growth spurt so any extra food has been welcomed by a hungry tummy.

Finally, we added a Capri Sun drink pouch.  This is a special treat for a special day.

2 Weeks of School Left!

We hope that everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend.  A big THANK YOU to all of the men and women who have served or are currently serving.  Your sacrifice and selfless giving means so much to all of us.

Back to school tomorrow with only a few weeks of school left.  Molly has made such great progress this year and makes us so proud.  She's become more independent and very aware of the choices that she makes.  She isn't afraid to ask for the things that she would like.  Take tomorrow's lunch for instance.  She requested every single thing in it.

Our main entrée is a cheese sandwich.  Yep, a good old cheese sandwich on white bread.  Molly requested Pepper Jack cheese but we didn't have any so she said that Colby Jack would be fine.  We added a little bit of mustard, per her request, and cut it out with heart shaped cookies cutters.

Our vegetable side is cucumber sticks.  Molly really likes the cucumbers cut into sticks.  Sometimes we have these at home with some hummus as a nice snack.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  We had a lot of these over the weekend.  Whether in fruit salad, strawberry rhubarb pie or just plain like this, they were so delicious.

Finally, we have a special request  treat.  Molly asked if she could have some salsa chips in her lunch and they are so yummy that we couldn't say no.

Play Day!

Molly's 1st grade class (and the other 1st grade classes) are putting on a play tomorrow and we get to go and watch it.  She is so excited but nervous.  She went over her two lines about a hundred times tonight.  So sweet.  But, before the play, she has to eat lunch!

Our main entrée is all white meat chicken nuggets.  We baked these in the toaster oven and let them cool before putting them in Molly's lunch box.  We have honey mustard on the side to dip in.

Our fruit/vegetable is an apple/carrot Crusher from Trader Joe's.  These are a puree with the consistency of baby food.  I think it's the "cool" packaging that gets the kids excited about it.

Our first treat is salsa flavored Sunchips.  They are very delicious and a favorite of Molly's.

Finally, our dessert and second treat is iced animal crackers.  We got these as a favor from a baby shower of a good friend.  They are a classic dessert and are always tasty.

Break a Leg, Molly!

Fan Favorite

Molly is always very happy when we go to Trader Joe's to get some yummy things.  She always asks for the same things and usually they end up in her lunch box.  Tomorrow's lunch is no exception.  A few favorites and something new.  All delicious!

Our main entrée is a pimento cheese sandwich.  Yes, Molly's favorite is back.  Thank you, Trader Joe's!  We spread Trader Joe's pimento cheese spread on a Middle Eastern Flatbread, folded, sliced and there you have it.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  We haven't had these for a while.  Also, something happened and our cucumbers and they weren't too good anymore.

Our fruit side is a good old fashioned apple.  We left the skin on and just cut these into slices.

Finally, our dessert is Trader Joe's mini oatmeal raisin cookies.  These have a great crunch and a super sweet taste.  These are new to us and we absolutely love them.

Breakfast at school

Molly begged to buy her lunch tomorrow since they are serving breakfast for lunch.  I reminded her that she didn't really enjoy it the last time that she had it but she insisted that she indeed does like it.  Guess we'll wait for the review tomorrow afternoon.
One less thing for Mom to do tonight since it is the night of finales on the tv.  We're keeping our fingers crossed for our Steeler Hines Ward during tonight's Dancing With the Stars show.  Go Hines!

Good Grub

We are all excited for the Memorial Day weekend to arrive and the fun picnics that go with it.  Our family is having a get together with our neighbors and we can't wait.  We were all together this past weekend and talking about the dishes that we would contribute to the picnic.  Our mouths were watering just thinking about all of the yummy things that we'd be having.  Then, our minds were full of excitement with the prospect of summer being around the corner and impromptu picnics together on random days.

This got me thinking about things to make for Molly's lunch.  We're back into the time when cold salads and cool desserts are on the docket for just about every meal.

Our main entrée is cheese tortellini pasta salad.  We made this tortellini for Molly's brother and sister for lunch today and reserved some for Molly's lunch tomorrow.  We added some of Molly's "favorite sauce", light Italian dressing and just let the simplicity take over.

Our vegetable side is a repeat from today.  Cucumber sticks.  Molly requested theses because she said that she could dip them in any remaining dressing left in the tortellini dish.

Our fruit side is also a repeat from today.  Molly got the last of the blackberries and some strawberries.  She washed these herself and arranged them in the container.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is our favorite Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt.  Molly requested this so that she can add some of the berries to it.  She also was the one who put it in the container.  She likes to help make her lunch. ☺

Back from some time off

We took last week off from Molly's Lunch Box and Molly bought her lunch all week.  What?  Well, on Monday, Mommy was too tired to make lunch because she was up at 4am on Sunday getting ready to run her leg of the Pittsburgh Marathon with the Moms on the Move relay team.  An absolute blast but very tiring.  On Tuesday, there was no school because of election day since they use the school as a voting place.  Then, the rest of the week, Daddy was in Las Vegas for business so Mommy was pretty busy keeping the house in order by herself.  Now, Daddy is back and Mommy is well rested so we're back at it.

Our main entrée is a real quesadilla.  We used two flour tortillas and filled them with shredded cheddar cheese.  We toasted this on the stove then cut it into triangles.  This is being served with a side of jalapeño salsa.  Yes, Molly likes spicy food.

Our vegetable side is cucumber sticks.  We haven't had these for a little while and Molly is asking for them so we are happy to oblige.

Our fruit side is strawberries and blackberries.  Molly picked out these blackberries at the store and hasn't had a chance to eat any yet so we're tossing the last few into her lunch so that she gets a taste.

Finally, our dessert is Smarties.  This is in homage to Molly's Uncle Greg who ran the full 26.2 miles of the Pittsburgh Marathon because he loves Smarties.  Way to go, Greg!

Ham and Cheese Biscuits

I'm trying to be creative and think of new things to put in Molly's lunch box for the last few weeks of the school year.  I usually keep a package of canned biscuits in the refrigerator just in case we need a side to go with dinner.  But lately, I've been using them for Molly's lunch (and everyone else's too) when digging up new ideas.  So, for tomorrow's lunch, another new idea.

Our main entrée is ham and cheese biscuits.  We sliced a biscuit in half, put in reduced fat American cheese and a little bit of light ham, pressed it together and baked it.  Daddy says that they taste great. We also added more Baby Goldfish Crackers, as per Molly's request.

Our vegetable side is mini dill pickles.  This too was a request.  We think that she would eat them with every meal but she does crave them more at lunch time.

Our fruit side is our incredible watermelon.  So sweet and juicy with such a refreshing flavor.  Thanks to Molly's Daddy for cutting the whole huge watermelon up for us so that we can enjoy it more easily.

Finally, we have our little dessert.  Not much room again today so we tossed in a couple of Butterfinger eggs as a little sweetness to end the meal.

Trying something new!

Today was the last day of preschool for Molly's little sister.  Bittersweet and an absolutely incredible day.  The preschool has a carnival at the end of the year for their 3 year old program and today was the day.  We played games, painted faces, got tattoos (only temporary Grammy, don't worry), bounced around, fished for ducks and ate some yummy treats with incredible friends.

The fact that we went to the carnival meant that we didn't get a chance to do our normal Tuesday run to Sam's Club during the day.  So, when I picked Molly up from school, to Sam's Club we went.  Luckily for us, they were sampling the new Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Sandwich Bread.  I've seen these and have been wanting to try them so our timing was perfect.  Molly really liked them so in the cart they went and in the lunch box they are!

Our main entrée is a Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Sandwich.  We put a piece of colby jack cheese in between the sandwich slices and toasted it in the toaster oven.  Molly said that it will be like a grilled cheese and a quesadilla combined.  We think that she's right on!  We also tossed in a few baby Goldfish crackers because when a fish is in a school, he has to have company. (ba dum bum...cha!  haha!)

Our vegetable side is fresh sugar snap peas.  They are back in season and just as delicious as ever!

Our fruit side is a super sweet watermelon.  We found this at Sam's and we really picked a good one.  Very juicy and sweet with an amazing fragrance, this watermelon is a sign of summer and the wonderful things that it brings.

Finally, there wasn't much room for any dessert so we tucked a small package of Skittles in with Molly's silverware.  She might just jump out of her skin because she has gotten real desserts for two days in a row.  But she has been such a good girl that she deserves it.  Go Molly!

We Have Pizza!!!

Most of you know that we usually have pizza on Mondays because that is the day that the school has pizza for lunch.  Well, we changed it up a little bit today and gave Molly chicken nuggets instead of pizza.  She really enjoyed it but asked immediately if she could have pizza for lunch tomorrow.  ☺  Lesson learned, ask and you shall receive.

Our main entrée is homemade pizza.  We used our favorite Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Flat Bread at our crust. We added some sauce, mozzarella and turkey pepperoni, then baked it in the toaster oven until it was looking really yummy.  We cooled it, cut it and voilà...pizza for lunch!

Our vegetable side is mini dill pickles again.  Not sure how much we'd like this combination but Molly insisted.  They both have garlic???  Maybe that's the connection?

Our fruit side is kiwi.  These are very tart kiwi but we think that Molly will like them, hopefully.

Finally, we're mixing it up a little bit and giving Molly a real dessert on a Tuesday.  She has been working so hard and doing very well with her school work.  She has been helping around the house and trying to be the best big sister ever.  (note: her little sister can be a little hard to deal with at times so no matter how hard Molly tries, there is always going to be some sort of issue.)  Molly's Daddy made a special chocolate pound cake for Mother's Day.  The recipe calls for 1 1/2 sticks of butter but we noticed a healthier version that used yogurt instead.  It is SUPER delicious the healthy way.  Thanks Tastefully Simple!

A Different Monday Lunch

We usually have pizza on Mondays but we've decided to mix it up a little bit for tomorrow's lunch.  Today for lunch, we made chicken nuggets and had several left over.  So, why not use the leftovers for lunch since Molly really likes these all white meat baked chicken nuggets?  This makes for a very easy lunch for Mom to make on Mother's Day.
Speaking of, I had a fantastic Mother's Day.  Molly's Daddy let me sleep in a little bit and then he made my breakfast.  The girls were beyond excited to give me their gifts that they made at school.  Both of them were so adorable and I will treasure them for years to come.  I got to spend a good amount of time outside since the weather was gorgeous.  I also got to cuddle with each of my kids today.  Life is SO good!  I hope that everyone had as special of a day as I did.

Our main entrée is chicken nuggets.  Molly doesn't mind eating these cold so we have a win win situation.  These are being served with a honey mustard dipping sauce.

Our vegetable side is pickles.  Molly and her siblings love these mini dill pickles as a side dish.  Plus, they are a nice compliment to the chicken nuggets and honey mustard.

Our fruit side is an empire apple that has been sliced.  Molly enjoyed these so much on Friday that she asked for them in tomorrow's lunch.

Finally, we have her favorite yogurt for our dairy/dessert.  Here's another twist, it's strawberry instead of vanilla.  This was not by request but we figured that a few little twists here and there make it fun.

Classic Lunch!

I was out for a run tonight, thanks to the gorgeous weather, and I was wondering what to make for Molly's lunch.  As I was running around my town, I was breathing in such great fresh air and reminiscing about fun picnics when I was a kid.  Even if we just threw a blanket on the lawn in the back yard and made a picnic there, it was always so much fun.  My Mom was always a fan of doing things outside so picnics were quite a regular occurrence.  She always made them fun too with little extra goodies or something different like a cool napkin.  My kids like to have picnics too, especially with my Mom.  What is their favorite picnic lunch?  Peanut butter and jelly of course.  They really like to help make it too.  We use little plastic spreaders and let them go to town and most of the time, they'll eat all of it.  So, I'm going to pay homage to a classic lunch, great memories and my incredible Mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

And Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms, Grandmas, Aunts, Sisters, Friends, Helpers and those special Dads who have to be a Mom as well as being a Dad!

Our main entrée is a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  No, Molly didn't help, but she would have if she would've been awake when I made it.  She just adores making her own things to eat.  We used a butterfly cookie cutter and a heart micro cookie cutter to cut these sandwiches out.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  This is such a simple and easy vegetable side that requires no prep work. Just open the bag, pull a handful out and put into the container.  A great way to get some veggies in without dirtying a knife and cutting board.

Our fruit side is Empire Apple slices.  Molly likes it when we leave the apple skin on.  She likens it to eating a whole apple.

Finally, our FUN Friday treat is exactly that...a treat, a Rice Krispie Treat!  Molly is the lucky recipient of a few leftovers.  Molly's Daddy had a few extra Rice Krispie Treats left over from his meeting last night and there were a few beach babe Teddy Grahams left over from Molly's sister's preschool treat.  A little bit of each makes for a super fun treat!

Pizza Again

It was a very busy day at our house today.  Mommy was a baking fool, the kids had lots of things going on and Daddy had his last meeting at church for the RCIA program with Uncle Greg.  (Congrats again, Greg!)  Mommy made Rice Krispie Treats for Daddy's meeting and cupcakes for Molly's little sister's preschool snack.  Molly's little brother had his 2 year check up today and he's a very healthy little boy.  Tomorrow is Molly's little sister's un-Birthday at school. Molly is big time into reading and now we know more about elephants and sharks that we ever did.  So, with all of the chaos, we decided to get some Little Caesar's Pizza for dinner.

ps - I'm also including a picture (see below) of the cupcakes for Beach Day at Molly's little sister's preschool tomorrow.  They were really fun!

Our main entrée is left over pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars.  Molly is going to be very excited to have pizza twice in one week.

Our vegetable side is sugar snap peas.  We found a very large bag of these at Sam's Club and they are so delicious.

Our fruit side is red grapes.  A re-play of some of the fruit from today's lunch.  They are very juicy and sweet.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Molly's favorite Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt.  But, we've added a spoonful of strawberry rhubarb compote.  We grow the rhubarb in our back yard and make this compote to go with anything from pancakes to yogurt.

As promised, here is a photo of the Beach Day cupcakes.  They are yellow cake with cream cheese frosting. The "sand" is crushed graham crackers.  The beach towels are Fruit By The Foot.  We did a little frosting accessorizing on some Teddy Grahams for some fun in the sun style.  Finally, we added a drink umbrella for extra SPF protection.

Something a Little Different

As I was sitting in a meeting tonight, I was pondering what to make for Molly's lunch.  I wanted to do something different since we all know that she'd eat a pimento cheese sandwich every day if possible.  I was thinking back to her Easter Lunch and what a hit the bunnies were.  So, I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up some refrigerated biscuits.  From there, the pepperoni pockets were born!

Our main entrée is pepperoni pockets.  We made these using refrigerated biscuit dough, added shredded cheddar and turkey pepperoni, sealed the top like a dumpling and baked.  A few of them unfolded but most of them stayed together.  This could be a go-to dinner for us in the future.

Our vegetable side is sliced multi-colored peppers.  They are small peppers so they look really neat when you cut them up.  Plus, the different colors add to the fun of it.

Our fruit side is strawberries and red grapes.  We found these grapes at Aldi during our grocery store run.  They have some great prices on very good produce.

Finally, our dairy/dessert side is our good old Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt...BUT, we added a few white chocolate chips, just for fun. ☺

Request

After a very intense work out at the gym, I came home to find a little note from Molly.

How could I say no to that?  My heart melted a little bit.

It's not a spectacular lunch, a reduced fat hot dog.  But it seems like the best meal being served this week.

PIZZA!

We had a very busy weekend with lots of fun adventures.  Molly did her first 1K run on Saturday morning and rocked it!  The run was for a wonderful foundation called The Superhero Foundation.  The Superhero Foundation helps children suffering from abuse and has done an amazing job helping countless kids who need a hero to help them.  We all dressed up like superheroes, with capes and everything.  It was such a fun event and we had an absolute blast!  Now, back to reality and school on Monday!

Our main entrée is our typical Monday lunch...pizza.  We used Trader Joe's flat bread for our crust, added sauce, a string cheese that had been pulled apart and turkey pepperoni.  Molly really likes these pizzas and they will probably be a staple on our summer menu, only cooked on the grill...yummy!

Our vegetable side is a plain romaine salad, as per Molly's request.  We have a light Italian salad dressing on the side, also per Molly's request.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  After all, it is the "Merry Berry Month of May!"

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt.  The perfect end to a great lunch!!!