Wednesday Already!

This week is going by pretty quickly.  We've been keeping ourselves busy with errands, cleaning, paperwork and everyday life.  Molly's little sister is feeling much better, she's driving us crazy so she's definitely getting back to normal.  Molly's little brother is a drool monster with his teeth but he's in much better spirits.  Molly is just her happy old self and working hard on her school work and some other fun projects like a writing contest through our local PBS affiliate.  This is the second year that she has entered.  She and her Daddy work very hard on this project and have a lot of fun being creative together.  I am still a little tired from the crazy week I had last week but I've managed to be pretty productive.  I straightened out the lunch ticket situation.  It was my fault because I was using tickets from last year and they don't take them anymore.  Now, her account is up to date and she can buy lunch whenever she wants.  But, she's packing tomorrow.

Our main entrée is a quesadilla of sorts made with Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Flat Bread and Pimento Cheese Spread.  Molly saw that we had this in the fridge and begged for it!

Our vegetable side is edamame.  Some people have told us that they've tried it and didn't like it.  We suggested that they try it both cold and hot to see if it might be a temperature thing.  All we know is that our whole family enjoys edamame whether it be hot or cold.

Our fruit side is an apple.  Molly requested this after she saw us give a nice cold apple to her brother to help his teething along.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is none other than our trusty Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Yogurt.  Molly asked for a cookie but we said to wait until Friday for her treat.  She enjoys this yogurt so much that she didn't argue at all.

Fo Friday

Tomorrow is the last day this week for Molly because she has the day off on Friday so that the teachers can get report cards ready.  We are pretty excited to have a 3 day weekend.  We have big plans!  Friday will be a relaxing day at home, Saturday we are going to see The Laurie Berkner Band Live and Sunday Molly's baby cousin is being baptized.  A fun filled weekend indeed!  Then we're on to February.  This year is already flying by.

Our main entrée is our good old turkey with pepper jack cheese on whole grain bread.  We added the normal mustard and used different sized heart cookie cutters to cut it out.

Our vegetable side is edamame.  This super food will add protein and nutrients to help Molly get through the rest of the day.

Our dairy side is Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt.  A nice creamy and cool treat for our girl.

Finally, it's Fo Fun Friday (since there is no school on Friday) so Molly gets her special treat.  We added two Aldi Milk Chocolate Covered Gingerbread Hearts and a Hershey's Kiss to today's lunch because Molly has been such a good and helpful girl all week.

Winter Wednesday

Mother Nature is really cooking up some wacky weather here in Western Pennsylvania.  We woke up to ice covered sidewalks, streets and cars this morning.  This afternoon, it was very sunny and in the mid 40s.  Now, we are expecting the current rain to turn into snow and possibly more ice.  Luckily for us, there was a 2 hour delay for school this morning and hopefully there will be another one tomorrow if needed.

Unless there is a snow day, here is Molly's lunch.

Our main entrée is a good old pb&j.  We used the new Wonder Smart White bread, a whole grain white bread.  We added peanut butter and then our good old Trader Joe's Cranberry Apple Butter.  YUM!  The star turned out okay but the moon split.  Oh well, it will still taste great!

Our vegetable side is edamame.  Molly and her little brother really enjoy edamame warm or cold.  It's a great snack and full of nutrients.

Our fruit side is cantaloupe.  We found these at the local grocery store for $1.50 each.  To our great surprise, they taste really sweet and flavorful.  Not something that we are used to in January.

Finally, our dairy/dessert side is Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla yogurt.  We added a few mini chocolate chips for sweetness and texture.

Happy Halloweenie!

I have found some great ideas for Halloween on the internet.  I found some incredible costume ideas and other ideas of how to use the things that I already have to embellish the costumes.  I also found some very unique snack and food ideas.  A few weeks ago, I posted about the fun snacks that I created for the PTA meeting in A little Spooky.  I've used a few more of these ideas for Molly's lunch tomorrow.

Our main entrée is mummy dogs.  We wrapped slices of refrigerated crescent roll dough around a mini beef hot dog and a few pieces of shredded cheddar.  We also poked holes for eyes and we would dot mustard on them at home but it won't last for lunch so we'll have to leave it up to Molly's imagination.

Our vegetable side is edamame.  We can pretend that its mummy brains to go along with our theme.

Our fruit side is a piece of apple with a little bit of peanut butter and a couple of mini marshmallows.  It kind of reminds us of the Muppet, Dr. Teeth.

Finally, we have a skeleton for dessert.  We made regular Rice Krispie treats and put orange food coloring in it.  We spread the "batter" on a wax paper lined cookie sheet so that it would be a thinner treat.  After the Rice Krispie treats cooled, we used a gingerbread boy cookie cutter to cut the bodies out.  Then, we melted some white chocolate and created the bones.

ps - we REALLY like Halloween at our house.

Special Treat Lunch

This week seems to have dragged on a bit.  I think because we had a 4 day week last week, it makes this week seem so much longer.  I keep thinking that tomorrow should be Friday but it's only Thursday.  I think the kids feel the same way because Molly asked if she should put her library book in her bag for tomorrow but she doesn't have library until Friday.  Even though she doesn't have library she always has lunch, so on to the tasty vittles for tomorrow.

Our main entrée is banana bread with peanut butter sandwiches.  We made our healthy banana bread a few weeks ago and froze several of the small loaves.  We thawed one out and now we have the start to an awesome lunch.

The dairy side is cottage cheese.  It is a really good source of protein, calcium and vitamin D.  Molly really likes cottage cheese because she likes how creamy it is.

We've decided that edamame would be a yummy compliment to this lunch.  This veggie is a super food.  Its loaded with vitamins and omega-3s.

A fresh orchard apple will be the fruit of the day.  We've sliced it into pieces and kept the skin on since the skin holds a lot of nutritional value.

Finally, we've tossed in a small pack of Pez for dessert.  We've kind of left out dessert for the past few days so a little sweet treat is definitely in order.

Movie Day!

Tomorrow is Friday and Molly is SO excited to go to school.  Her teacher has a giant gum ball machine on her wall and if all of the students do well they get to put a gum ball in it.  When the machine is full, they get to have a movie day.  Well, tomorrow they get to watch a movie.  Each student can bring in a G rated movie and they all vote on the one that they want to watch.  Molly is bringing in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  I'm so excited for her.  This is one of those fun school things that she will probably remember for the rest of her life.  I'm hoping that her lunch will be another highlight of her day.

Our main entrée is a slice of left over Little Caesars pepperoni pizza.  There is just something about cold pizza for lunch.  We know that this may not be the most nutritious lunch but it is Fun Friday and Molly really deserves a special lunch.

The vegetable side is edamame.  The nutritional value of edamame is awesome.  It also provides a little extra protein that will keep Molly going through the rest of the day and on through ballet.

We've chosen applesauce for our fruit.  We really like Trader Joe's No Sugar Added Applesauce, it has a great flavor and a perfect texture.  Not too runny, not too chunky, just yummy.

It's Fun Friday!  Molly has had a great week and really deserves a special treat.  We've added a Twizzler to her lunch box for a nice dessert/treat.  Molly has loved these since she was very little.  When she would ask for them, she would always add an extra "a" in the middle.  Twizz-a-ler.  Actually, she may still do that.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Requested Repeat Lunch

Molly came home and raved about her lunch and requested that we repeat it.  I love when kids really enjoy something different.  Most kids wouldn't even try peanut butter on banana bread.  You'd get the, "eeewww, MOM are you kidding me?  I'm not eating that.", reaction if you even mentioned it.  But now it is so popular at our house that not just one, but two kids requested it for tomorrow.  The third may want it as well but he doesn't quite have the verbal skills needed to express that yet.

Our main entrée is again homemade banana bread spread with Whole Foods honey roasted peanut butter and made into sandwiches.  If you are looking for this yummy and healthy (two words that are rarely put in the same sentence) recipe, check our post about yesterday's lunch.

The strawberries were a big hit too, so we are going to oblige Molly's request for them to again grace her lunch box.  We can't blame her, they are really delicious and the smell is very comforting.

We switched up the vegetable a little bit.  Our vegetable du jour is edamame.  Yes, those cute little soy beans that almost look like lima beans but taste a little different.  We had all three kids eating them at dinner tonight.  #2, Molly's sister, usually doesn't like them but tonight she ate them like they were going out of style.

We also added a Frigo Cheesehead String Cheese for some added protein and a little salty flavor.  We all are big fans of cheese in our house and this is one of our favorites.  The kids and adults really enjoy this easy and convenient snack.

For dessert, we've decided on old fashioned vanilla wafers.  Yes, most of the time these little lovelies are found in banana pudding or as the base of a tiramisu when lady fingers aren't available, but they are a nice and sweet little treat all by themselves.  Plus, they aren't a heavy cookie that sits at the bottom of your stomach for the rest of the afternoon.

Daddy's Lunch

While talking to my husband tonight about what I was going to make for Molly's lunch he said, "can I get in on that?"  So, tonight we made some extras for Daddy to bring for his lunch tomorrow.

We are going for an Asian themed lunch because it is one of Molly's favorite kinds of food.  Our main entrée is a cold noodle salad, similar to those available in most Chinese restaurants, but with a little twist.  We made some whole wheat spaghetti and cooled it down.  Next, we mixed some warmed peanut butter with a little bit of olive oil, soy sauce and cilantro.  We added this to the noodles along with some left over turkey tenderloin, Ginger and Soy turkey tenderloin by Jennie-O, and thinly sliced sugar snap peas.

*cooks note: if using natural peanut butter you might need to add extra oil.  I would recommend using regular peanut butter for this particular dish.

Our vegetables, we have two to make up for the lack of vegetables today, are thinly sliced cucumbers with a splash of rice wine vinegar on them and edamame.  The cucumbers are an homage to the yummy cucumber salads that are available in Japanese restaurants.

Our fruit/dessert is a sweet pear, also known as a Seckel pear.  It has a more firm flesh and a very sweet taste, hence the nickname sweet pear.  I highly recommend them because they are small and very sweet which are usually two favorable things with most kids.  Not necessarily an Asian pear, but a pear nontheless.