Breakfast can get really repetitive in our house, so we decided to mix things up this morning with a vegetarian friendly breakfast polenta. My kid wakes up very hungry so I tried to speed the process along with a little help of the microwave. *Gasp* It doesn’t taste microwaved. I promise.
Believe it or not using veggie sausage made this dish incredibly flavorful. My kid asked for some extra veggie sausage on the side. I obliged and we enjoyed a nice family breakfast veggie style. Now for the recipe…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 2nd, 2010 // Breakfast, Recipes, Veggie Friendly
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When I was 16 I spent a summer as mother’s helper on Drake’s Island in Maine. Drake’s Island is just over the bridge from Kennebunkport – famed summer home of George H. W. Bush. It is the definition of picturesque and at the time I probably didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have. (In case you’re not familiar with the term “mother’s helper” it is when a stay-at-home mom hires a young person to assist her in caring for the kids. In this case, I spent a summer helping my aunt’s friend.) The family I lived with had so many fascinating interests including being Friends of the Shakers. I loved when they went on excursions because they often brought back a triple berry coffee cake from a local farm. This cake was amazing and it took an awful lot of self control not to eat it all after the kids went to bed. I’ve dreamed of that cake a million times but never attempted it until now. My kid and I made it a tad bit healthier by using whole wheat pastry flour but it tasted just as amazing.
It turns out when I’m not trying to be polite I will devour an entire triple berry cake in one weekend. I had a little help from my little one and the big one as well. (Have I ever mentioned my husband is 6 foot 4?) I would say that we’ll be making this again soon, but I think I’d better not for fear that I will super-size myself! Now for the recipe…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Sep 1st, 2010 // Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes
9 Comments »
Ole! So… I had to fly across country AGAIN this week, but the night before I left my kid and I decided to whip up this Mexican style pizza before watching the Emmy’s. My veggie husband was quite pleased with this plan until my kid (who is only 4.5) complained about having to watch the Emmy’s. That’s what Tivo’s for, I declared! My husband thought otherwise. We worked out a compromise and enjoyed this double decker pizza which turned out to be double delicious.
After getting our tortillas nice and crispy, we started the bottom layer with a nice spread of vegetarian refried black beans.
Then we sprinkled organic corn kernels atop the beans.
And finished off the first layer with cheese and salsa. Here’s how we made the rest… after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 31st, 2010 // Appetizer, Dinner, Easy Cheats, Kid-tastic, Recipes
6 Comments »
That’s brownie on the outside and peanut butter frosting on the inside. Need I say more? I need not, but I will. The brownies are actually made with nonfat yogurt no oil / no egg! This makes them the perfect consistency for the whoopie pie and a wee bit better for the wee one in my life.
My kid was feeling camera shy when we made these. And even though he loved using the stand mixer, he didn’t want me taking a picture. I wonder if he’s starting to think of me as paparazzi? Regardless, despite his claim that he doesn’t like chocolate, he gobbled these brownies right up. Now for the recipe… after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 30th, 2010 // Dessert, Easy Cheats, Kid-tastic, Recipes
6 Comments »
If you are wondering what to make for lunch this school year, look no more. We’ve got you covered for two whole weeks. Here’s a round up of our ten lunch ideas packed in our favorite new lunch box containers. We gave these containers so much love that the folks at Easy Lunchboxes offered to give away a set of four containers and a lunch bag to carry them in. You get to choose the color! Check out the lunches in all their glory and then enter the giveaway.
Make Your Own Yogurt Parfait
Cream Cheese & Jelly Sushi Rolls
Build Your Own Pasta Primavara
Peanut Butter, Apple & Honey Quesadilla
Scroll down to enter the giveaway after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 29th, 2010 // Giveaway, Lunch, Recipes
221 Comments »
I didn’t purposely save the best for last, but it turns out that I did. I started my day at 6:00am in New York (3:00am body time), flew back to LA, came home, fed the baby and then headed off to the store to get lunch supplies. I found myself face to face with a kosher salami and it hit me (the thought, not the salami): salami + cheese + soft pretzel = kidtastic. So, I put that salami in my cart and the rest is history.
Salami Pretzel Skewers Lunch
2 thick slices kosher salami (cut into 4 triangles)
1 soft baked pretzel or pretzel bites (in the freezer section of your grocery store)
8 cubes of cheddar cheese
toothpicks
Heat the pretzel according to the oven instructions on the box. (Don’t microwave them!) We used a full pretzel and then cut it into chunks. If you can find the soft bake pretzel bites you can use them instead.
Set out all the ingredients on a plate.
Let your kid assemble the skewers by sliding on salami, followed by cheese, followed by the pretzel.
Resist the urge to eat that skewer. Pack it in your kids lunchbox with homemade pickles and some carrot sticks. Try not to be too jealous of his lunch. Now check out our stuffed bagel recipe… after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 26th, 2010 // Kid-tastic, Lunch, Recipes
7 Comments »
Remember that Crustless Quiche in a Cup Recipe? It has become a household favorite. We like it so much that today we decided to make breakfast for lunch. We made a batch of crustless quiche it in a muffin tin and packed it in one of our Easy Lunchbox containers along with these “homemade” croissants and strawberry jam. How very Parisian of us!
Crustless Quiche in a Cup Muffin Tin Recipe
Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 30 to 40 mins
Ingredients:
4 eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 cup lowfat milk
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
fresh pepper & sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water, dry and chop up into small pieces and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine eggs and whites and lightly whisk together. Add milk and continue to whisk together. Stir in broccoli and cheese and finish off with salt and pepper to taste. Grease muffin tin with cooking spray. Divide egg mixture evenly among cups and bake for 15 minutes or until beginning to brown. This should yield 12 quiches. You can easily freeze them and pack them in future lunches. Or cut the recipe in half and make less at a time.
‘Homemade’ Mini Croissant Recipe
Prep Time: Over Night Cooking Time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
1 box Trader Joes Mini Croissants (in the freezer section)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tablespoon of water
Remove mini croissants from freezer and place on greased cookie sheet. Let sit overnight. (We put them in the oven with it turned off.) In the morning remove croissants from oven. Croissants should double the size and should look doughy. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (You can make them at the same time you make the quiche.) Meanwhile, make egg wash by adding water to egg and beating lightly. Paint each croissant with egg wash using a pastry brush. Cook in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until croissants are golden brown. (If they are just light brown they are not done on the inside.)
I like the mini quiche cups because they are protein rich and a great way to get broccoli into my kids lunch box. My kid likes that they are hand held eggs. He wanted to eat all four right away. Now check out our Meatball Macaroni Soup Recipe…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 25th, 2010 // Kid-tastic, Lunch, Recipes
8 Comments »
My husband and my dog can both sniff out peanut butter from a mile away. When we start cooking with it, they arrive as if someone has sent out a smoke signal demanding their presence. This lunch recipe was no exception. My husband (the vegetarian) ate one of these in the morning and then asked for a quesadilla for dinner. I’m so glad this fun little lunch was a hit, but I’m not going to start packing his lunch – he can fend for himself! (Love you, hunny!) Here’s what you need…
Peanut Butter Quesadilla Lunch
1 to 2 tablespoons peanut butter
whole wheat tortilla
1 small apple (peeled + sliced thin)
honey
Spread peanut butter over one side of the tortilla. Get it all the way to the edges. Lay apple slices on one half of the tortilla.
Drizzle honey on top of the apple slices.
Fold the tortilla in half and cut into three triangles. We served this with celery sticks, dried cranberries and Whole Foods brand Oreos. Now check out our Build Your Own Pasta Primavera recipe…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 24th, 2010 // Kid-tastic, Lunch, Veggie Friendly
16 Comments »
I know this looks ridiculous, but hear me out: it’s tasty fun and healthy! My friend, Chris, gave me the idea of using popcorn as a part of the meal. I thought it was a pretty good suggestion since popcorn is a great, kid friendly snack. The secret to this lunch recipe is using the mac and cheese packet to make the popcorn super flavorful. Look how nicely it all fits into my new favorite lunch box container!
Popcorn Chicken Lunch Recipe
1 bag microwave popcorn (not buttered)
1 packet powdered cheese from a Mac & Cheese box (we use Annie’s Organic)
4 or 5 chicken nuggets (cooked, cooled and halved)
Pop the popcorn and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with powdered cheese and toss while still hot. Scoop out 1 1/2 to 2 cups popcorn and toss with chicken nugget halves. Transfer to a lunch container. Save the rest of the popcorn in an airtight container for a snack! We packed our Popcorn Chicken with apple slices and grape tomatoes. (A girl can dream that her son will eat tomatoes, can’t she?) Check out our Turkey Rollups…
after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 23rd, 2010 // Kid-tastic, Lunch, Recipes
10 Comments »
The other night I was out to dinner with ‘the girls’ from preschool. ‘The girls’ (aka other preschool moms) were talking about how they wind up packing the same lunch every day for their kiddos. This struck me as the perfect opportunity to get creative when it comes to making lunch. Here’s my commitment to you girls: Every day for the next 5 days we’ll post 2 new lunch ideas. That should give you ladies two weeks worth of things to pack!
I got these new lunch box containers from a company called Easy Lunchboxes. They come in a set of 4 and they are made of BPA free plastic. Easy Lunchboxes was started by a mom and these containers are brilliant. I’m no longer using baggies (that wind up in landfills) and I’m done searching for all different sized containers each morning. Everything fits right in. Plus, having a set of 4 makes things ultra convenient because I don’t have to wash it at the last minute when I’m trying to get out the door. This Build Your Own Parfait Lunch is so easy to put together that it shouldn’t even count as something we made.
But, I’m counting it anyway because we did make up a batch of Homemade Granola. You don’t have to use our granola, you can use store bought, I won’t tell!
Build Your Own Yogurt Parfait Lunch:
Granola
Fresh Berries
Plain or Vanilla Yogurt
Apple Sauce (if using plain yogurt)
Spoon
Instruct your kid to remove the yogurt and applesauce from the containers and pour them into a bowl you’ve provided. In our case, my kid uses the compartment right in the easy lunchbox container! Your kid can layer ingredients using yogurt, applesauce, granola and fruit and then eat. So fun and crazy delicious. Check out our Cream Cheese Sushi Lunch… after the jump
posted by Rebecca // Aug 22nd, 2010 // Kid-tastic, Lunch, Recipes, Tool Tips, Veggie Friendly
16 Comments »
