Picnic Lunch

While looking for inspiration for Molly's lunch, I channeled our weekend.  We had so many picnic-like meals, it was easy to figure out a great lunch.  *side note - has anyone else realized how many different "salads" there are at a picnic?  pasta salad, fruit salad, veggie salad, jello salad, etc.  I wonder if picnic is another word for salad somewhere?  haha!

Our main entree is a cheese tortellini salad.  We cooked up some Trader Joe's cheese tortellini for lunch today for Molly's siblings.  The rest were put in a container, light Italian dressing was added and there you have it. One of Molly's favorites.

Our vegetable side is mini cucumber slices.  We picked up another bag of these mini cucumbers at Sam's Club today.  They are crunchy and great by themselves or dipped into hummus or a yogurt dip.

Our fruit side is strawberries and blueberries.  We saw a lot of fun recipes for strawberries and blueberries incorporated into desserts for memorial day.  The idea of a vanilla yogurt parfait with strawberries and blueberries sounded really good.  This and the next container could be that, just deconstructed.

Our dairy/dessert is vanilla yogurt.  Molly is all about the vanilla yogurt right now.  Parfait or no parfait, it's a great end to a healthy lunch.

Leftover Lunch

We are utilizing little leftovers for Molly's lunch.  We made the tortellini yesterday for her brother and sister's lunch.  The carrots were the very last in the container in the fridge and the strawberries were the final ones in their container.  Our refrigerator looks so much cleaner, which makes Mommy very happy.

Our main entree is a tortellini salad.  We added mini turkey pepperoni and light Italian dressing to Trader Joe's fresh cheese tortellini.

Our vegetable side is carrot sticks.  We keep carrots and celery sticks in a container filled with water in the refrigerator.  It keeps them so fresh and crispy.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  Molly's Daddy was nice enough to cut these into perfect little pieces for our girl.

Finally, our dairy side is a string cheese.  There wasn't a lot of room for a dessert so we decided that a little extra protein would work just fine.  We'll make sure that she gets something sweet at dinner. ☺

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.

Planning Ahead

Back to normal is within our reach and hopefully we will all stay well for a long time.  Normal means that we are back to our routine and the activities that go along with that.  Tonight was CCD and tomorrow is dance so these are our busy days.  I'm trying to plan ahead and rely on re-heating several things that we've already prepared.  I cooked the tortellini that is in Molly's lunch so that we would have an easy re-heat for her siblings' lunch but it's a nice cool pasta salad in hers.  Time savers are a necessity in our house.

Our main entree is Trader Joe's Cheese Tortellini made into a pasta salad by adding light Italian dressing to the cooled pasta.  Molly likes this salad because it is a great combination of carbs and protein so it fills her up nicely.

Our vegetable side is carrot sticks.  Molly requested that they be cut like this because she has a wiggly tooth and it's easier to bite these on the side.

Our fruit side is mixed fresh berries.  Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries are so delicious by themselves or mixed into a favorite treat.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions Orange Vanilla Greek Yogurt.  Molly said that the Chocolate Chunk was super yummy and can't wait to have the orange vanilla flavor.

Fun Friday

Why is it when the kids are sick, the week seems to drag on?  Molly was sick on Monday and it seems to have made this week take forever.  I was afraid that Friday wouldn't come.  I'm hoping that next week will seem short because, well, it is.  We have Monday and Tuesday off for parent/teacher conferences.  Until then, we have a Fun Friday Lunch!

Our main entree is tortellini pasta salad.  We cooked some Trader Joe's fresh cheese tortellini, cooled it down and added black olives, hard salami pieces, orange peppers and light Italian dressing.  This is one of Molly's absolute favorites.  It's also a great way to add some extra veggies to her lunch.

Our vegetable side is golden tomatoes.  Molly likes these because they are less acidic than red tomatoes.  They are also lighter in flavor and have a nice sweetness.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  We've been going through strawberries at rapid speeds here in our house.  We're okay with that because the kids are asking for them instead of Halloween Candy.

Our dairy side is a Castle Wood Colby Jack cheese stick.  This is one of the best ways to add bulk to Molly's lunch and she really enjoys them.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is a little bit of that Halloween candy that we were just talking about.  A small bag of M&Ms and a small Nestles Crunch.  We think that Molly will be very pleased with our selection for her.

Different Lunch

We're switching things up a little bit.  Molly's dessert is a bit non-traditional and in the container that usually houses our main entree.  Our vegetable might be considered our main entree and one of our sides is usually a main entree.  Gotta keep her on her toes!

Our main entree/side is cheese tortellini pasta salad.  We had about a dozen of these left over from our dinner and decided to use them for a side.  We put some light Italian dressing on it and added a little plastic spider for fun.

Our vegetable side is cut veggies and hummus.  We sliced up some red peppers, some carrots and added sugar snap peas.  We put about 2 tablespoons of red pepper hummus in a small container for Molly to dip her veggies in.

Our fruit side is a kiwi.  We slices this after peeling it and placed one slice on top because it reminds us of monster eyes.

Our dairy side is a cheese stick.  Since we don't have any yogurt and only hummus as our protein, we figured that this would be a nice addition.

Our dessert...well, the closest thing to a dessert is a peanut butter and nutella roll.  We used a hamburger roll and spread peanut butter on one side and nutella on the other.  We then cut it into pieces and added a little Halloween pumpkin pick.

1st Day of School Lunch!

Tomorrow marks the 1st day of second grade for our girl, Molly.  She is excited and nervous all at the same time.  I remember not being able to sleep the night before the first day of school.  The adrenaline was enough to make me sick.  Molly can't wait to see her friends and meet her teacher even if there is some resistance on her part since she's such a homebody.  We are very excited to hear all of the stories that the day will bring.

We had a fantastic and busy summer but we are ready to get back at it.  We are ready for our scheduled days and the fun that weekends hold.  We are looking forward to an incredible year with lots of new adventures.

Our main entree is tortellini pasta salad.  Molly chose this for her first lunch because she wanted something that reminded her of the fun summer meals that we had.  The salad includes Trader Joe's Cheese Tortellini, turkey pepperoni, light pepper jack cheese, sliced olives and light Italian salad dressing.  This should keep her nice and full for the rest of the school day.

Our vegetable side may seem a little different.  They are called ground cherries.  They are actually tomatoes and a member of the tomatillo family, which is why they have a "wrapper" around them.  You just peel the wrapper off and pop the sweet little cherries out.  Ground cherries are very sweet and have an almost pineapple-like flavor.  We found these at a local farmers' market and we can't get enough of them.

Our fruit side is a sliced Granny Smith apple and blueberries.  Molly chose these and actually helped clean them and put them in her lunch box.  They are both tart in flavor and will offset the sweetness of the ground cherries.  It's kind of like opposite day. ☺

Finally, Molly chose Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt for her dessert.  She said that she wanted to put a few blueberries in it and maybe even dip her apples in it.  After Molly left to get her backpack and outfit ready, we added a single Hershey's Kiss.  A simple reminder of the love that waits for her when she gets home. ♥

Have a blast in the 2nd Grade, Molly!  It's going to be an awesome year!

We purchased Molly's actual lunch box from www.laptoplunches.com

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. ☺

Merry Monday

We are in the thick of it people!  Christmas is less than a week away and the excitement is hardly containable.  We have wrapped a plethora of presents, baked dozens of dozens of cookies and decorated to our heart's content.

We have a tradition at our house when it comes to presents that we started with Molly's 1st Christmas.  Santa brings only three gifts for each child plus a few stocking stuffers.  Why, you might ask?  Because that is the amount of presents Baby Jesus got for Christmas.  This tradition has proven to be a tremendous help to us.  First, our house doesn't have a thousand plastic toys sitting and collecting dust a week after Christmas.  Second, friends and family members that wish to purchase a gift for our children can do so and we have ideas for them because Santa hasn't used all of them.  Third, it really saves a lot of money.  Fourth, the children seem to appreciate their gifts even more because there aren't too many of them.  Fifth and the most important thing, it teaches the story of Christ's birth and how people from all over the land followed a star to come to see this amazing babe and bring him gifts.

We have only three full days of school this week before the kids have their Christmas vacation.  We will be doing our best to make this week's lunches as fun as possible for Molly.

Our main entrée is a cold tortellini pasta salad.  These are Trader Joe's Fresh Cheese Tortellini.  We've added light Italian dressing to coat.  (Notice the red and green flecks of color that keep with our Christmas theme.)

Our vegetable side is canned green beans with no salt added.  These are an all time favorite of Molly's.  She's just like her Mother. ☺

Our fruit side is pomegranate arils or seeds.  These are sweet and mildly bitter with a juicy pop to them.  The health benefits of this "super fruit" are too numerous to list.
*We removed the seeds from the pomegranate by slicing a cone around the top at about 1/2 inch down.  We then scored the pom with 1/4 inch deep slices going from top to bottom in four sections.  We then submerged the pomegranate in a bowl of water and started to tear it apart.  (This keeps your hands and kitchen counter from turning pink.) The seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl while the pulp floats to the top.  We removed the pulp then strained the contents of the bowl, and were left with the seeds...YUM!

Finally, our dessert is Chewy Egg Nog Cookies from Trader Joe's that according to Trader Joe himself, "exude egg nogginess from the moment you open the box."  They are INCREDIBLE!  Plus, they are a nice way to finish up a festive lunch.