Great Shopping = Great Lunch

Molly's little brother and I dropped the girls off at school this morning and headed to Sam's Club.  We picked up a bunch of fruits and vegetables as well as a few staples.  Everything is so fresh and delicious! The weather here was so wonderful that it felt like we were leaving the farmer's market in the spring instead of the store in the winter.

Our main entree is a salami and cheese sandwich.  We haven't had this for a while and the kids have been asking for it so in our cart it went.  We have Castle Wood salami and provolone cheese on our whole grain white bread cut into a heart.  (I can't believe tomorrow is February 1st already!)

Our vegetable side is sugar snap peas.  We saw a big bag of these and they are so tender and delicious.  They are a great alternative to potato chips because they are very crunchy and filling.

Our fruit side is a kiwi.  We just sliced this one up and fanned it out so that Molly can enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a new favorite, Chobani Champions vanilla chocolate chunk Greek yogurt.  The kids are saying that it's just like chocolate chip ice cream.  We say, BRAVO to Chobani for making a delicious and nutritious alternative to ice cream.

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. ☺

New and Interesting Foods

Yesterday, I lamented about how we didn't have very much in the fresh fruit or vegetable category in our house.  Well, we remedied that today.  Sam's Club has an incredible selection of fresh produce and we took full advantage of it.  I find it important to introduce new or different things to my kids.  Even if they don't like it at first or have not liked it in the past, we always try it again.  We have a two bite rule at our house.  If after two bites, they still don't like it, then they don't have to eat anymore of it.  This works pretty well for us, usually.  We'll see how the star fruit goes over in tomorrow's lunch.

Our main entrée is Castle Wood Honey Ham and Kraft 2% Cheddar Cheese.  We rolled up the ham and sliced it in half for a fun new twist.  Molly's Daddy was nice enough to chunk up the cheese and he did an excellent job!

Our veggie side is a baby spinach salad.  This will be a nice contrast the the salty and creamy flavors of the main entrée.

Our fruit side is a combination of kiwi, raspberries and star fruit.  The kiwi is sweet and tart at the same time.  The raspberries are incredibly flavorful.  And the star fruit, if you never tasted it, could be described as a cross between a green grape and a lime.  This combination is absolutely delicious!

Finally, the dessert is Mini Honey Teddy Grahams.  Molly really likes these.  They aren't too sweet and have a nice crunch.