Cold Pizza

Oh Monday...why must you come and bring the weekend to an end?

One good thing about Monday is the weekend leftovers!

Our main entree is cold leftover pizza from the weekend.  The girls are huge fans of cold pizza.  

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  We have an Easy Lunchboxes Mini Dipper with a little bit of Ranch dressing in it for dipping.

Our fruit side is raspberries and blueberries.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is plain Greek yogurt with honey in a silicone tube.

Pita Pizza

The girls have always been cold pizza fans and asked for a pizza lunch.

This is one of my favorite things to make because it's so easy.

Tomorrow's lunch is in Easy Lunchboxes.

Our main entree is a pita pizza.  We spread a thin coat of tomato paste on a whole grain pita, topped with a sprinkle of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, shredded mozzarella and some turkey pepperoni.  Bake and let cool, slice and then right into the lunch box. 

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  There is a small container (Easy Lunchboxes Mini Dippers) of Ranch for them to dip their carrots in.

Our fruit side is fresh raspberries.

Finally, our dairy dessert is a new Gogurt Simple yogurt tube.

Leftover Pizza

A super fun and busy weekend resulted in a pizza night on Sunday.  We had plenty of leftovers and they are perfect for lunch.

Our main entree is leftover cheese pizza.

Our vegetable side is a green salad.  We put a side of blue cheese dressing in Molly's and ranch in Bean's lunch using our Easy Lunch Boxes Mini Dippers.

Our fruit side is apple slices.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Greek yogurt.

Quick and Easy Lunch

Mondays are busy at our house.  Today was no exception.  This means, pizza for dinner and in turn, pizza for lunch.  This was a very easy lunch to toss together.

Our main entree is leftover pizza.  We cut it into pizza "sticks" to make it more manageable.

Our vegetable side is cucumber slices and yellow pepper slices.

Our fruit side is a GoGoSqueeZ applesauce.  Apple Strawberry for Molly and Apple Banana for Bean.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Trader Joe's apricot and mango Greek yogurt.  The girls loved the yogurt today and asked that it be added to their lunch for tomorrow.

Cold Pizza Monday

After a long and tiresome week, we are going to rely on a standard Monday lunch, cold pizza.  Why not?  The kids at school are having pizza too and we have some leftover from the weekend.

Our main entree is leftover cold cheese pizza from this weekend.  We cut it into "pizza sticks" to make them easier for the girls to eat.

Our vegetable side is a green salad with a small dressing on the side.

Our fruit side is red grapes.

Our dairy/dessert is strawberry yogurt.

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Cold Pizza!

If you follow our blog, you know that Molly's school always serves pizza on the first day of the week.  What kid would want anything but pizza on pizza day?  We've found the easy way around that.  Cold pizza.  As we continue through the Lenten season and keep our Lenten promise (no fast food), we had homemade pizzas for dinner on Saturday night.  Molly and her siblings enjoyed a mini turkey pepperoni pizza with light cheese while Mommy and Daddy had fresh peppers, turkey pepperoni and light cheese on a whole wheat crust.  The whole family was very pleased.  We were also very lucky to have leftovers that Molly can have in her lunch.

Our main entree is leftover homemade pizza.  We bought the crust at the store, added Trader Joe's pizza sauce, some light cheese and mini turkey pepperoni.

Our vegetable side is a spinach salad.  We tossed in a few matchstick carrots and added a small container of light Italian dressing.

Our fruit side is a kiwi.  We skinned it, cut it in half and sliced it so that Molly can manage those slippery but yummy little bites.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  We are running low on our Chobani so we'll have to pick up more soon.  We might even create our own mixes with the plain Chobani that Mommy eats.  hmmmm....

*Molly's actual lunch box is a Laptop Lunch Box.

Lenten Lunch 1

The season of Lent started yesterday and as Catholics, we restrict certain things during this season.  Every Friday, we abstain from eating meat.  I am not someone who eats a lot of meat but for whatever reason, I crave a hamburger every Friday during Lent.  I guess it is something about not being able to have something that makes you crave it because when Saturday rolls around, I'm no longer craving the hamburger.  Funny how the brain works.

Hopefully Molly will not have the same cravings as her Mommy and be excited to have a Fun Friday lunch.

Our main entree is leftover cheese pizza.  This was part of our take out extravaganza earlier this week.  Dominos delivered and now Molly reaps the benefit of another leftover.

Our vegetable side is a green salad with light ranch dressing on the side.  We added a little extra dressing so that Molly could use it to dip her pizza crust in.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  These strawberries are from Plant City, Florida.  I, Mommy, lived in Florida for a few years and I have to say that the strawberry festival in Plant City is one of the most awesome things I've ever experienced.  From the smell to the sights and finally the taste of those sun ripened, sweet and juicy delicious beauties.  INCREDIBLE!!

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is courtesy of a few Valentine's Day goodies that Molly's classmates gave to her.  There is a small pack of Bottle Caps and a small Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

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!!!

Flatbread Pizza

Since there was no school today, because of the Easter holiday, our normal pizza Monday has been moved to Tuesday.  At first, we weren't supposed to have school tomorrow but it is a make up day for one of our snow days.  So, it's pizza Monday on Tuesday.

P.S. - We had a fantastic Easter and we hope that all of you did as well!

Our main entrée is cold pizza!  We made this pizza using Molly's favorite middle eastern flat bread from Trader Joe's as our crust.  We added sauce, cheese and turkey pepperoni and baked it in the toaster oven.  YUM!

Our vegetable side is cucumbers slices.  Molly requested these since she hadn't had them for a while.

Our fruit side is applesauce.  Molly and her siblings really enjoy applesauce.  We usually try to have fresh fruit but every once in a while applesauce will do the trick, and does it ever.

Our dessert is a 100 calorie pack of Oreo Crisps.  After getting their sugar high from Easter, (courtesy of all of the grandparents...thank you to Grammy, Papa, Nana and Grandpa! ☺) we are taming it down little by little.

Monday Tuesday

A long weekend is always welcome in our house.  We usually get a lot more done and still have the time to enjoy getting it done instead of rushing around.  Molly didn't have school today because it was an in-service day for the teachers.  So, we are doing our cold pizza Monday on Tuesday.

Our main entrée is cold pepperoni pizza.  We made the pizza on Sunday night and there were only a few pieces left over.  We are still sticking to our Lenten sacrifice of no fast food so we made this pizza using Trader Joe's pizza dough and sauce.  Then we added mozzarella cheese and mini pepperoni.

Our vegetable side is sliced cucumbers.  We decided to slice them in half just to mix it up since we usually just use whole slices.

Our fruit side is a clementine and strawberries.  Molly really enjoys this combination and it offers a great boost of vitamin C.  Hopefully this will keep her from catching all of the things going around since the weather can't make up it's mind.

Finally, we have our lunch staple of Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Yogurt.  Dessert and dairy all in one.

Crazy Week - Lunch 1

This is going to be a crazy week for us.  Molly's little sister's preschool is having a consignment sale on Saturday morning and since I'm on the preschool board, I'm going to be "working" the sale every night for the rest of the week and then the big day on Saturday.  This means that there is a lot of planning ahead and lots of help from Molly's AWESOME Daddy.  He really helped so much with this lunch.  Thanks Daddy!

Our main entrée is left over cold pizza.  We are still honoring our Lenten sacrifice of giving up fast food so we purchased this frozen pizza today and baked it in our oven.  More convenient than making it from scratch ourselves but a lot less convenient than bringing home a hot pizza from the pizza parlor.  There is a little container of ranch dressing in this container for dipping.

Our vegetable side is sliced cucumbers.  Molly's Daddy used our crinkle knife to cut these fun little discs.

Our fruit side is a blood orange.  These are Molly's Daddy's favorite but he was nice enough to share one with her.

Finally, we have a special treat because Molly's little sister is the snack person tomorrow at preschool and Molly reaps the benefit of leftovers.  The theme of tomorrow's preschool day is "the early bird catches the worm." So, what better then some good old fashioned dirt for a snack?  We made sugar free, low fat chocolate and vanilla pudding. (We did both flavors in case one of the kids does not like chocolate pudding)  Then we added some smashed Oreo cookies on top of the pudding.  Finally, a few gummy worms top it off for fun.

Getting Better

Molly isn't 100% back to her normal self but she is doing much much better than she was.  We feel that she is ready to head back to school tomorrow.  She's not too pleased with our decision because she doesn't want to go back to school.  She'd rather stay home and play with her sister, color in her coloring books and do her school work here, with one on one help.  We can't blame her but we know that she needs to get back at it, so we made a yummy lunch to help get her through the day.

Our main entrée is left over cold pepperoni pizza.  Yes, that classic Monday lunch is back.  (You're welcome BFF!)  Molly's Papa imported this most excellent pizza from Buffalo, NY along with some classic wings for our Sunday dinner.  THANK YOU, PAPA!!!  It is such an incredible treat to get authentic pizza and wings from Imperial.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  These came with the wings and we decided that they would be a great addition to Molly's lunch.

Our fruit side is fresh pineapple and fresh strawberries.  We found an incredibly juicy pineapple at Sam's Club and the whole family has been devouring it all weekend.  We also added some strawberries for extra sweetness.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt.  This sweet and creamy treat will definitely be a great ending 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.

Pizza Monday

I've mentioned before that Molly's school serves pizza on Mondays so I've decided to jump on that trend this Monday.  We have some left-over pizza from Daddy's Birthday Dinner tonight and I figured that Molly will fit right in with everyone else by having pizza too.  The biggest difference between Molly's lunch and the school cafeteria lunch is that Molly's is portioned for a child, it includes vegetables that are not dripping in fatty dressing, fruit that is not sitting in heavy syrup and a dessert that isn't as big as her head.  At school, they serve Papa John's pizza with government cheese added to it, salad that is soaked in dressing, fruit in sugar laden heavy syrup and a large hot pretzel. Then, they have cookies for sale that are bigger than a salad plate.
I understand that kids like rewards and fun foods but it's all about portion control.  I'm not the Mom that will only give her children ultra healthy food at all times.  Yes, I do try to give my kids a variety of healthy foods but I too like pizza and cookies now and then.

Our main entrée is cheese pizza from Little Caesars.  Today is Molly's Daddy's Birthday and as part of our celebrations, we picked up some pizza.  Cold leftover pizza is really delicious, as noted in our previous post called Cold Pizza.

Our vegetable side is cucumbers.  We sliced these kind of thick so that they give Molly a nice crunch.  Plus, they have a lot of water in them that will help combat the saltiness of the pizza.

Our fruit side is a Clementine.  One of those little Christmastime gems that are a huge favorite in our house.  Just the smell of them can perk you up!

Finally, our dessert is an anise pizzelle that Molly's Daddy made.  These are light and crispy with a delicate sweet flavor.  Definitely a cookie that most anyone will enjoy.

Cold Pizza

We had a great night at our house tonight.  We decided to order a pizza and some wings for a special mid-week surprise, since we usually reserve these treats for the weekend.  My Dad came for dinner while my Mom is at my brother's house awaiting the arrival of his daughter or son on Friday.  (Which we are Super excited about!)  We sat down, served our pizza and plugged in Toy Story 3.  About 20 minutes into it, Andy (the toys' owner) opens up a big black garbage bag to throw away some old toys.  At this, Molly's younger sister flips out and starts screaming and crying.  "I don't wanna throw away my toys...ever!  Mama, turn this movie off PLEASE!"  So, we ended up watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving instead.  It ended up being a fun night after all.  And we have leftovers for lunch!

Our main entrée is left over pepperoni pizza from Sir Pizza.  This pizza doesn't have the best sauce or the best crust but the pepperoni is incredible, plus "there is just something about the combined mediocrity that makes it spectacular."  So says Molly's Dad.  And it's even better cold!

Our veggie side is a baby spinach salad.  We've put some Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette in a small container so that Molly can add as much or as little as she would like.  

Our fruit side is a Honey Crisp apple cut into slices.  The crunch on these apples is incredible and the sweetness is awesome.

Our dessert is Pfeffernusse Cookies from Aldi.  These are a traditional German gingerbread cookie with a hard icing on top.  Very light and sweet and the perfect end to a great lunch.