Warm Lunch!

Winter is coming into it's own now in Western PA.  This means that we will be using Molly's thermos more often so that she can have something warm in her lunch.  This is the first of many warm lunches to come.

Our main entree is Trader Joe's Gnocchi al Gorgonzola.  This is a HUGE hit with all three of our kids.  It was part of tonight's dinner and Molly asked for the leftovers in her lunch.  It has tremendous flavor and it more filling than you might expect.

Our vegetable side is canned green beans.  These are the no salt added variety.

Our fruit side is strawberries, blueberries and star fruit.  There were lots of great fruits available at the store today.

Our dairy side is a colby jack cheese stick.  This will serve as Molly's protein in her lunch.  We also added some new Club Mini Crackers to go with the cheese.

Finally, our dessert is vanilla yogurt.  Molly will most likely put some of the berries in it so we left it nice and plain.

Fruit for Thought

Right now, Molly is on a big fruit kick.  We are trying all kinds of new fruits and some old ones too.  She is asking for fruit with every meal and instead of dessert.  Molly has always been open to trying different types of foods and the more strange, the better.  (That is, if Mom or Dad eat it first.)  So now we are on the look out for new and exotic fruits for her to try.  I'm thinking about persimmons and pomegranates.  Maybe kumquats?  Keep an eye out for whatever I can find around here.

Our main entrée is a sandwich made from Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and whipped cream cheese.  This boxed pumpkin bread mix is so flavorful.  We substituted apple sauce for the oil in the recipe to bring down the fat content.  When we baked it, the whole house smelled incredible.  We then sliced a few pieces and spread some whipped cream cheese on them.  

Our vegetable side is a cucumber that has been cut into sticks.  For some reason these particular cucumbers have a very strong cucumber flavor and it's really delicious.

Our fruit side is kiwi, raspberries and star fruit.  Molly requested this combination.  It's funny that even though we are in the beginnings of winter here in Western PA, there is an abundance of amazing fruit that is available to us.  This combination of fruits is the perfect mix of sweet and tart.

Our diary side is Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt.  A sweet and creamy side that boosts the protein and calcium in this meal.  Molly also requested this because she, along with the rest of our family, loves yogurt.

Finally, we put in two Hershey's Kisses as an added treat to get her through Wednesday.  This week seems to be dragging on a bit so why not add a goody to give a little push for the rest of the day.  

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.