School Lunch

Molly has not bought lunch in two weeks but saw the meatball hoagie on the menu and her mind was made up. We are glad to let her choose the things that she would like to eat, but we may be swaying her toward other things in the very near future.

I recently posted a few links on our Molly's Lunch Box Facebook page about the "pink slime" that was used in fast food hamburgers.  Unfortunately, this slime has been sold to schools for school lunches.  We may or may not be one of the schools that uses it but it sure does make me reconsider the lunches that my kids will be allowed to purchase at school.

Just a little food for thought.

To Buy or Not to Buy?

We allow Molly to choose one day a week if she would like to buy school lunch.  Today, Molly realized that she hadn't chosen to buy at all this week.  She looked at what is on the menu for tomorrow and wasn't interested and she can't wait for her Dr. Seuss themed lunch on Friday.  This means that we have a full packing lunch week.  We are so proud that Molly chose to pick the healthy homemade lunches.  I guess that she is really learning the importance of good, healthy food.

Our main entree is a cold cheese tortellini salad.  We picked up these tortellini at Trader Joe's last week. We added some light Italian dressing and kept it simple.

Our vegetable side is celery.  Molly requested these because she wants to dip them in the peanut butter that we put in the apple container.

Our fruit side is an apple.  We sliced it so that Molly can dip them in a small container of natural peanut butter.

Finally, dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  This will help Molly with her sweet tooth and to get her protein too.

Papa John's

I promise that this will not become the normal Monday lunch. Molly wanted to buy lunch last Monday and tonight, I am just too wiped out to put forth any effort to make her lunch. It was a super busy week last week and the weekend was just as busy. Mom needs a break tonight so Molly will be buying her lunch (Papa John's Pizza) tomorrow.

Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

Over the summer, our church has their annual festival with great games, delicious food and fun raffles.  This year, Molly was the lucky winner of what we are referring to as "The Meat Basket."  It was a huge raffle basked filled with Heinz products, including ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, Heinz 57 sauce and several others.  It also came with a gift certificate for Tom Friday's freezer special with over 40 pounds of different meats including hamburgers and hot dogs.

Well, today we had a "meat party" at Grammy and Papa's house to commemorate their new pool and Molly's big win.  We had lots of friends over and enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs, along with many other delicious sides, pulled pork and chicken.  I was in charge of the dessert so I stuck with the theme and made hamburger and hot dog cupcakes...but don't worry, there isn't any meat in them.

We made yellow cupcakes and put cream cheese canned frosting on top, plus a few black and gold sprinkles (or Jimmies, if you are from Pittsburgh) to help cheer on our Steelers.  Then the fun part....the hamburgers and hot dogs.

For the hamburgers, we used Nilla Wafers for the bun and a new Oreo Peanut Butter Fudge Creme for the hamburger. (these are delicious, by the way)  We softened a lemon Starburst and flattened it out for the cheese.  On top of the cheese, we used red piping gel for our "ketchup" and then some green frosting piped out with a leaf tip for lettuce.  We used frosting to stick our layers together then added the top Nilla Wafer bun and piped a few white "sesame seeds" on top with frosting.

For the hot dogs, we used caramel squares for the actual dog.  These are very pliable so we rolled them into little hot dogs with our hands.  We cut a circus peanut in half on the bottom and used these for our buns.  We added the hot dog to the bun and then piped some red piping gel on top for our "ketchup" topping.  

It was pretty simple and very well received.  The party was a hit and a good time was had by all.  So much so that everyone is tired and ready to head to bed early instead of making lunch tomorrow.  Therefore, Molly will be the lucky recipient of one of her favorite school lunches, Papa John's Pizza.  The first of several, but not many bought school lunches.

Weathered Wednesday

Well, the weather forecasters were WAY off.  We had a 2 hour delay because of some ice but we reached the mid-40's for our temperature by late morning.  I'm really glad that the forecast was wrong because it was a much safer day today as far as travel was concerned.  So, Molly ate the school lunch of chicken nuggets.  I was shocked though when she said that she only got the chicken nuggets, a bread stick and some chilled fruit.  They don't put the entire lunch on the plate anymore, the kids basically order what they want.  When did this happen? When I was in school, you were given everything and it all ran together.  I'm kind of happy in a sense that things don't have to run together anymore but I'm really disappointed that they let the kids order what they want.  No wonder she was starving when she got home.  What if you have a really picky kid and they only order the bread stick?  That doesn't seem like a good lunch or worth $1.75.  Thank goodness we don't buy lunch all that often.

Our main entrée is a turkey sandwich.  Molly requested this with pepper jack cheese and mustard on whole grain bread.  We added a few pea shoots for crunch and flavor.

Our vegetable side is a romaine lettuce salad with cucumber and carrots.  Our dressing is Trader Joe's balsamic dressing.

Our fruit side is blueberries and strawberries.  No, it's not the middle of the summer but thanks to Sam's Club, we can get these all year round.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Dannon Light and Fit strawberry yogurt.  Most kids would rather something sweeter and more dessert-like, but Molly is just as happy with yogurt as she would be with a chocolate chip cookie.

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.

1st Day of School!

As the first day of school was approaching, I did a lot of research on what to make for lunch for my 1st Grader. I wanted to make sure that it was something nutritious, delicious and filling enough that it would last her until she got home.

I found the vessel that would hold all of these incredible meals.  We purchased a laptop lunch box from Amazon.com.  We realized that although it was a bit pricey, we wouldn't be using plastic bags or plastic utensils and we'd actually be saving money in the long run.  Plus, it is the perfect size for portioning and keeps things from being crushed or leaking all over.

Next, I had to think of foods that would taste good after being refrigerated over night and stuck in a backpack with an ice pack for a few hours at school.  I made a list of main entrees, veggie sides, fruit sides, grain sides, dairy sides and special treats.  This has already proven helpful.  While making the first of many lunches this year, I relied on my trusty list to help me figure out what sides to add.

Now, I am just waiting for the big smile on my daughter's face when she gets home from the first day of school.  I can't wait to see her reaction to the lunch that was made with a lot of love and a decent amount of planning.

Happy 1st day of school everyone, especially you, Molly!

Here is Molly's 1st lunch!  Veggie sushi with cream cheese, edamame (which does taste good cold), watermelon balls and grapes on plastic (re-usable) lollipop sticks, and de-constructed s'mores which includes a few graham crackers, 2 Hershey's hugs and a few mini marshmallows.