Week 43 - Fast Food

Printable Version of Meal Plan

This week was busy busy so I needed supper to be on the table fast to free up our evenings for other priorities.  The solution for me was food that I could prep, at least partly, the night before and both lunches and suppers that were familiar enough that I didn't have to be constantly referring to recipes - ie. I could prepare them in a zombie-like state in the late evenings (pardon the Halloween pun).

Recipe Index

 

Carrot Smoothie, Real Simple
Caesar Dressing, Recipe on my Salad Dressing and Dip Printout
Asian Salmon Cakes, Chatelaine
Kale Pomegranate Salad, Simple Provisions
Quinoa Patties, Eating Well Living Thin
Simple Turkey Chili, Allrecipes.com
Whole Wheat Tortillas, 100 Days of Real Food
Pumpkin Muffins, 100 Days of Real Food

 

Week in Review

Smoothie of the Week - Carrot, Pineapple, Orange.  So good!!

 

Sunday

Supper - Breaded Chicken w/ Roasted Vegetables. This is one of those meals that I don't have to refer to a recipe.  I mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese (roughly 2:1) in one bowl and whisk an egg and milk in another bowl.  I dip the chicken pieces in the egg then coat well with the breadcrumbs and bake at 425 until done.  At the same time I roasted some vegetables - for this I chop the veggies and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them out on a cooking stone.  The veggies typically take longer so I get them on first.

Prep Ahead Ideas

• Double the chicken to have leftovers for Monday supper.
• Make the Caesar dressing for Monday salad and store in fridge 
• Make double batch of quinoa for Monday and Wednesday lunches.  (I prepared 1 cup)

Monday

Lunch - Quinoa Vegetable Fried "Rice".  No recipe required again, this was just my regular fried rice with quinoa in place of the rice.  I sauteed a mix of chopped vegetables (use whatever you have on hand), added the quinoa and a little soya sauce.  I push that to that side of the pan once it's well mixed and add a couple of eggs that I roughly scramble.  Once the eggs are cooked I mix it all up.  Done. 

Supper - Speedy Chicken and Kale Caesar - The chicken and dressing were prepared the night before so this supper just had to be assembled.  I chopped the Kale and massaged it with a little olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice before adding the Caesar dressing.  We added Parmesan and croutons.  While I was making the salad I popped the chicken in the oven to reheat and crisp up - totally optional.  This was very popular with the kid in the house!

Prep Ahead Ideas

• Prepare the salmon cakes up to the step of forming the patties and store in the fridge overnight.  Note:  I used canned salmon.

Tuesday

Lunch - Kale Pomegranate Salad w/ Ryvita Rye Crackers.  I was totally excited to try this salad because I had "attempted" to make my own dried cranberries on the weekend.  I love the tartness of cranberries so I always find the dried versions too sweet.  I won't share my experiment because it was a flop - right flavor, wrong texture.  I'll keep trying.  The salad was good, I added chickpeas to make it a meal but I think I'd prefer it as a side dish rather then the main course.

Kale Pomegranate Salad

Supper - Asian Salmon Cakes w/ Avocado Mayo and Arugula Salad.  I really liked these but they were not as popular with the kiddo as the previous night's Kale Caesar Salad.  As mentioned I used canned salmon.  I also cut way back on the mayo and supplemented with some plain yogurt.  I thought the flavor was great and actually preferred it before I fried them up.  I think it would make a nice sandwich or wrap.  The arugula salad was our new go-to... Arugula, drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper and shaved Parmesan.  So easy yet so good!

Prep Ahead Ideas

• Premix the Pad Thai sauce (see recipe below) and store in the fridge overnight
• Chop any vegetables you plan to add to the Pad Thai and store in fridge overnight

 

Wednesday

Lunch - Quinoa Patties w/ Veggies and Dip.  The quinoa was made earlier in the week so this was a quick lunch to throw together.  Last time I reported they had a good texture but were a tad bland.  This time I actually found them to be perfectly flavorful... perhaps I missed an ingredient last time??

Quinoa Patties

Supper - Tofu Pad Thai.  This is a quick meal regardless of how much prep you do the night before.  I actually ran out of steam Tuesday night and opted to make this meal from scratch after work.  No biggie.  This is one of my sister's favorites from this blog. 


Tofu Pad Thai (Adapted from Crazy Plates cookbook)

Cook Vermicelli Noodles according to package.  Drain and rinse in cold water.

To make the sauce, combine the following and set aside:

• 1/4 cup Ketchup
• 2 Tbsp each soya sauce, lime juice, brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Heat 1 tsp of sesame oil in a skillet and add cubed firm tofu (press out as much as possible), 1 package of coleslaw mix, 1/2 small red onion (diced), 2 cloves of minced garlic.  Cook until tofu is browned.  Add sauce and bring to boil.  Stir in noodles.

Serve garnished with fresh cilantro, green onion, chopped peanuts and a wedge of lime.

Prep Ahead Ideas

• Complete step 1 of the Simple Turkey Chili recipe and then add everything to the slow cooker and store the crock in the fridge overnight.
• Make muffins for Thursday breakfast

Thursday (Halloween)

Breakfast - Pumpkin Muffins & Latte.  Since it was Halloween we started our day with Pumpkin muffins.  I made them the night before because there is no way I could get myself out of bed early enough to pull that off!  I also had to save time to make these cute "Boo"-nanas for Marin's daycare class.  Marin was super excited about these!  Thank-you Pinterest!

Boo-nana

Lunch - Leftover Pad Thai.  Gotta love leftovers!

Supper - Simple (Slow-Cooker) Turkey Chili.  I think this is going to be a Halloween tradition.  Nothing like nice bowl of comfort food before hitting the streets.  I topped the chili with cheese and sour cream.  Meant to take a picture since this is being added to Slow Cooker Favorites but I was too preoccupied to think about it.

Prep Ahead Ideas

• Make a batch of tortillas

Friday

Lunch - Ham & Cheese Wraps w/ Veggies & Dip.  Ham, Havarti, Mayo, Mustard and Arugula all wrapped up in a fresh whole wheat tortilla.  Delicious!  Seriously... go make a batch of tortillas.   You won't be sorry.  We used them as a base for tuna melts last weekend - also delicious!

Freshly made batch of tortillas

Supper - Quesadillas.  Marin and I are on our own for supper tonight and although it will be my second time having the tortillas in one day I can think of nothing wrong with that.  This time will be traditional Mexican style with cheese, refried beans (from the freezer) and all the fixin's....

Tortillas all loaded up!

Can you believe it's November?!!

Sandra

Week 35 - Back to School Series, Part 2: Healthy Lunchbox

Printable Version of Meal Plan

Whenever I talk to Mom's about back to school I commonly hear about two things - the crazy school supply list and the dreaded packing of lunches.  I've said it before and I'll probably say it again... I look forward to packing Marin school lunches.  I know, I know... file it away so you can say "I told you so" but the way I see it is that whether I'm packing it the night before or making it the day of, ya gotta eat!  And I pack a lunch for Dave and I every day so what's one more?

The Inspiration

Here's some great links I've come across while doing my "research" this week:

100 Days of Real Food, 10 Recipes to Freeze for School Lunches
100 Days of Real Food, 21 Ways to Plan Ahead for School Lunches
Top Lunch Tips from Weelicious
Weelicious School Lunches on Pinterest
Canadian Family, 15 School Lunches They'll Love
Kraft What's Cooking, Simple Lunch-Box Ideas

And very exciting news... the Weelicious Lunches Cookbook is out!  I love the original Weelicious Cookbook (highly recommend it and not just for wee ones!) and can't wait to get my hands on this one!

And don't forgot to follow 100 Days of Real Food for daily lunch inspiration.

Recipe Quick Links

Overnight Oats, Kath Eats
Tex Mex Rice Cakes, Weelicious
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken, Canadian Living
Fish Sticks, Attach of the Hungry Monster
Sushi Bowl, 101 Cookbooks
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese, Women's Health
Dinner Dippers, Canadian Living
Whole Grain Fruit Filled Bars, Weelicious (via Two Peas in Their Pod)
Hummus, Carrot and Avocado Wraps, Weelicious (via ewg.org)

Lunch Snack Ideas

For me the bigger challenge with lunches is the snacks.  I always pack our main lunch the night before, but I rarely prepare the snacks ahead of time.  Instead I just grab 2-3 things on my way out the door.  Some mornings end up being rushed and that just doesn't end up happening.  As a result we're either starving when we get home or grabbing unhealthy (and expensive) snacks during the day.  Individually wrapped granola bars, pretzels, etc... are fantastically convenient but I have to say since I've become more of an ingredient reader I'm finding them less appetizing.  I'm continually irked by how many (seemingly healthy) things have artificial color!!

Here's a few of our favorite snacks to have on hand.  Sometimes you just need some fresh ideas!

Cheddar Crackers - surprisingly simple and delicious!
 

Muffins - Blueberry, Banana, Pumpkin, Zucchini.... the possibilities are endless!!  Tip - I almost always replace the oil with apple sauce and can never tell the difference.

Homemade Pop Tarts - can be frozen and definitely a welcome lunchbox treat!

Granola Coins - nut free and super quick and easy to make!  A perfect granola bar replacement.

Apple Sandwich - use a seed butter to make this a nut-free treat

Fruit cut into fun shapes using cookie cutters.

Nature's Bakery Fig Bars - one of the things I do buy (at Costco) in single serve packs.

and a few more ideas...

Whole Grain Fruit Bars - This was a Weelicious Lunches sneak peak that I found and tried and they are pretty easy to make and very tasty.  I made the mistake of pressing down a little too much on my top layer and as a result squeezed out most of the jam... but even the jamless ones are good.

Apple Sauce - another thing I sometimes buy pre-packed.  Just beware of ingredients because some have added sugar and artificial color.  PC Brand Just Apples is... just apples!!  It's also really easy to make and great way to use up old-ish apples.

Popcorn Snack Mix - In place of popcorn you can use a puffed cereal such as Puffed Rice or Puffed Kamut (or as Marin calls it "Puffy Popcorn") and whatever add-ins you like such as chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, rainsins and pretzels.

Yogurt & Berries - I put frozen berries in a single serve container, top with plain yogurt and maple syrup or honey to sweeten.  The berries thaw by the time I eat it.  I was actually never a yogurt fan until I started eating it this way.

Fruit - We each take at least one piece of fruit a day.  I always core and slice my apples and pears (with a corer/slicer tool).  I wrap in Saran, either fit it all back together including the core or I remove the core and replace it with a spoonful of peanut butter.

Cheese & Crackers - Cheddar and Triscuits are our standard choices in this category.  I love cheese strings for the grab and go convenience.

Smoothie Pops - I've been making smoothies and freezing them in popsicle molds.  It's been a great after daycare treat to have on hand!

Check out my favorites tab for even more ideas!

Week in Review

Monday

We were actually just getting back from the cottage on Monday so we didn't make either meal on the menu.  But since this was a themed week I though I'd throw in a couple of ideas.  Another Weelicious Lunches sneak peak too!

Tuesday

Lunch - Tex Mex Rice Cakes.  If you've gotten this far you now know I'm a huge Weelicious fan.  I've made these many times... love them!  I actually used quinoa in place of the rice this week and I reheat them at lunch but they could most definately be eaten cold.  You could round out this lunch with some veggies and dip.  One of my favorite dips is Ranch... you can premix the spices and then just stir them in with some sour cream and mayo when you're ready or prepare the dip to store in the fridge for a few days.

Tex Mex Rice Cakes
 

Supper - Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken.  Remember when I was looking for the perfect Honey Garlic sauce for meatballs a few months ago?  Found it!  The recipe calls for drumsticks, I used boneless skinless breasts instead and I think meatballs would work great too. 

Wednesday

Lunch - Quesadillas.  The idea was to use up leftover chicken in the quesadillas... but there were no leftovers.  That's what happens when you find a tasty recipe!  So they became cheese quesadillas with some orange pepper and onions.  I used packaged tortillas that were in the freezer - from before I found out I was capable of making tortillas!!  I reheat these at work but would happily eat them cold as well.  I mixed sour cream and salsa for dipping.

Supper - Fish Sticks w/ Sweet Potato Fries.  I first made this recipe in Week 7 and it was a huge hit but I've been so busy trying new recipes I haven't had a chance to make it since.  Happy to report we still like it.  I pre-cut the sweet potato into sticks the night before, boiled them for a few minutes and then tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 450 until they were nice a crisp! 

Thursday

Lunch - Sushi Bowls.  I love sushi but admittedly it's a bit of work.  This sushi bowl recipe was much easier to put together.  I loosely followed the recipe because the orange I bought for the sauce was rotten in the middle.... grrr!  I made the Asian Sesame Dressing from my salad dressing cheat sheet instead and replaced the avocado with orange pepper and mango because that's what I had.  Dave email'd at lunch to say the rice tasted like sushi... I'm not sure if he liked it but at least he recognized it.  I'm going to call it a success.

Sushi Bowl
 

Supper - Dinner Dipper with Veggies and Crackers.  Another find from the September issue of Canadian Living!  Well it was a find for me because I liked all three dips.  Marin and Dave both ate but were less enthused.  Seriously... I have a kid who will eat fish and kale with no problems but turned her nose up at a pink dip that was sweet enough to almost be considered dessert!!  It makes no sense.

Dip Trio
 

Friday

Lunch - Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese.  This was ok... the sauce was less creamy and more clumpy than I had hoped but the taste was good.  You would never know there was squash hidden in there so a good way to sneak in some vitamins if you happen to be the sneaky type.

Supper  - Steak and Salad. Have to get some grilling in while we still can!


I realized at the end of this week that I might be in a lunch rut... Patties, Quesadillas... not exactly new to me.  Going to review my links above and see if I can switch things up in the next few weeks.

What are you packing for lunches and snacks??

Sandra

Week 33 - Freezer Makeover - Before

Printable Version of the Meal Plan

We were out of town last weekend for an overnight getaway with friends.  We had a blast at Upper Clements Park on Saturday and then took our time working our way back into the city on Sunday.  We didn't get home until suppertime and I was Tired (yes, with a capital T) so my plan was to get groceries Monday night.  However, at around 7pm I realized that I was donating blood Monday night... so I literally threw together a meal plan with the help of the awesome September issue of Canadian Living and reluctantly headed out the door to get some grub.

There was no real theme this week, my only goal was to fill our bellies with as little effort as possible.  But by mid-week I started to think about some of the back to school articles I've been reading.  I still have one year before Marin starts school but I've been working at a University pretty much since I left University so to me September is the real New Year... I always get excited for a fresh start!

In particular I was feeling inspired by a post from 100 Days of Real Food re freezable lunches.  I have a confession... I'm 33 weeks into my meal planning resolution but my cupboards, and especially my freezers, are a mess!  I'm not really one to freeze meals in advance or stash leftovers.  Instead I tend to cook my meals fresh and make enough for just the servings I require for that week.  But this whole idea of having a stockpile of things like soups, pizza dough and muffins in my freezer to make at least one easy lunch a week is really appealing!  I mean come on... freezing individual servings of soup in mason jars - brilliant!!  So in the spirit of back to school I'm cleaning out the freezers!  Think of it as my New 'School Year' Resolution. 

 

Freezer Makeover - Before

I can't believe I'm posting this because it's super embarrassing but here are the before pics...

Fridge Freezer - Before

Fridge Freezer Door - Before

Deep Freezer - Before

This project is apparently long overdue!!  I'll post after pictures next week... and now that I've put it out there I really have to follow through!  Eek!

Let's talk about the food...

Lasagna - This is note-worthy because it actually came from the freezer!  Before leaving town last weekend I realized I had 2 pieces of the 'Easiest Lasagna Ever!' frozen.  It was the best feeling in the world to know that I wouldn't have to make lunch on Sunday night.

Orange Chicken Salad - This was one of the life-saving recipes I found in Canadian Living last Sunday night.  Just what we needed after not eating the best for a couple of days.  I used the PC Organic Field Greens with Herbs Mix and added a little feta.  Marin was loving the feta and said excitedly "Mom, I have a great idea!  We can make the cheese crackers and add feta and mix it all together!!!  That's what I'm talking about!".  I think I have a little foodie on my hands.

Orange Chicken Salad

Tomato and Chickpea Salad - Another Canadian Living recipe.  I enjoyed and it was a very easy and packable lunch.

Grilled Steak and Salad - We marinated the steaks (see the Favorites/Salad Dressing & Spice Mix section) and grilled them.  To go with them I did up a foil pack with mushrooms, onions, zucchini and butter and made a super simple salad using the rest of the salad green & herb mix, tossing it with olive oil, lemon juice and honey.   A quick, easy meal that we could eat anytime!

Homemade Tortillas -  I'm (almost) speechless... I made whole wheat tortillas!!  I figured if corn tortillas were easy and worth the extra effort than flour tortillas were probably worth a try too.  I took the time to read the recipe and they actually sounded like a breeze to make.  I'll admit they take a bit of effort but they were far from difficult (thanks in big part to my KitchenAid Stand Mixer) and I think it's a recipe that will get quite easy once I make it a few more times.  And the results... totally worth the effort!!  For me the best part of eating at a good Mexican restaurant is the fresh, chewy tortillas... and now I can make them myself!!  We made a cheese quesadilla as a snack to test them when they were hot out of the pan and they were divine!  Then we had them as part of our lunch for the next 2 days (Quesadillas on Day 1 and Chef Salad Wraps on Day 2) and even on the second day they were perfect.  Plus... you can freeze them! Another item for my freezer! Hurrah!  This was the highlight of my week.

Fish Casserole - I had an idea in mind of what I wanted here.... I was thinking white fish, rice, creamy sauce and Frenches Fried Onions crumbled on top.  I couldn't find a recipe anywhere so I made one up.  I basically used a Scallop Potato recipe but with fish (I used cod) instead of potatoes.  Once the fish cooked I used a fork to break it up and added the rice and shredded mozzarella.  Once that was all bubbly I topped with the Frenches onions and put it back in the oven for a few minute.  The results - delicious!!  It was kind of like Cheesy Scallop Potatoes meets Green Bean Casserole.  Just what I was looking for.  Dave loved it too, Marin not so much.  You win some you lose some...

Fish Casserole

Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros (Recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff ) - Slow cooking in the summer is awesome - there is just nothing better than coming home on a hot day to a cooked meal.  I'm pretty excited to get home tonight to try this one out!


Now I'm off to clean my freezers!

Sandra

Week 32 - Easy Eats and Local Treats

Printable Version of Meal Plan

Last Saturday we took the ferry to Halifax for brunch at Stayner's Wharf (nice patio, great food!) and as we were passing through the Alderney Farmers Market we picked up much of the produce we used this week (including kale, zucchini, tomatoes and carrots).  On Sunday we fit in our annual trip to Between the Bushes, a blueberry u-pick in Canning, NS and on the way home popped into Tangled Garden for a jar of Ginger Lime Thyme Jelly.  It all resulted in some pretty good eats this week.  Have I mentioned how much I love summer in Nova Scotia?!

I'm sticking to the same format I used last week... thought is was more to the point and I feel I have a lot to say about the food this week so "to the point" is probably a good thing!



Let's talk about the food...

First - Snacks!  Tuesday evening was cool here so I took advantage and got baking.  I put my fresh blueberries to good use in these Blueberry Spelt Muffins (recipe from The Athlete's Plate).  This was my first time using spelt flour and I was really impressed with the outcome.  They came out perfectly moist and not too sweet. 

Blueberry Spelt Muffins

I also made a batch of Whole Wheat Cheddar Crackers (recipe from Weelicious).  Haven't made these in awhile and we were all a tad excited when they came out of the oven!

Whole Wheat Cheddar Crackers

Toast w/ Butter, Maple Syrup and Blueberries - I don't usually talk about breakfast (well except for hounding you to try Overnight Oats!) but this is one of my summer favorites so I had to mention it.  I'm a toast girl... prior to this year I probably had toast, with either peanut butter or jam and cheese, nine mornings out of ten.  But come summer when I have fresh blueberries and in-season juicy peaches I like to switch it up.  Toast, butter, blueberries or sliced peaches and optionally a drizzle of maple syrup.  mmm. mmm. mmm.

Cheese and TVP Quesadillas - Quesadillas are a go-to packable lunch that I've mentioned before but this time I opted to add a little TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) which is a bit different for me.  I rehydrated the TVP and then browned it with Mexican Spice Blend, using it as you would ground beef.  This is really the only way I've ever used TVP - as a ground beef substitute in quesadillas or nachos.  Just can't seem to get on board with it.  What am I missing?

Grilled Pesto Salmon Packets w/ Roasted Potatoes and Kale Chips - So I totally enjoyed this meal.  I had made the pesto the night before - first time ever, but now I know how ridiculously easy it is so it probably won't be the last!  In fact this whole meal was ridiculously easy and required almost no cleanup.  Bonus!  I coated the inside of each piece of foil with olive oil and then layered carrots, peppers, cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas.  On top of the veggies I placed a piece of salmon (boneless skinless) and topped that with a spoonful of pesto and a squeeze of lemon juice.  In a separate foil pack I had mini potatoes halved and coated with olive oil, salt and pepper.  While all that was grilling I made a batch of Kale Chips (recipe from 100 Days of Real Food).  It had been a long time since we had a batch of 'green chippies' and Marin devoured them.  Dave liked supper but wasn't as enthusiastic as I was... I don't know, maybe it was just that cleanup only required putting our plates in the dishwasher and throwing away the foil, but I thought this meal was pretty awesome.

Quinoa Feta Patties and Kale Salad - I was loving this lunch too!  I like to turn pretty much anything into a patty these days.  Remember I did whole week themed Patty Cake??!!  I'm at the point that I rarely follow a recipe - just use whatever grain, legume, ground meat or fish I have on hand... throw in a couple of eggs, spices, cheese, breadcrumbs and then shape them into patties and fry them up.  This week was Quinoa with Oregano and Feta and they were delicious.  If you want to follow a recipe I've linked one from Marin Mama Cooks and while you're there you can also grab the recipe for Kale Salad... which I'm pretty sure I'm now addicted to.

Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables - Another easy one.  Preheat the oven to 425.  Put the pork chops in one baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Chop a variety of veggies (I used sweet potato, carrots, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes) and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper in a second baking dish.  Bake until done... I find the veggies will take longer so get them started first.  But what took this meal from 'ok' to 'wow!' was my Tangled Garden Ginger Lime Thyme Jelly.  I spread a little on the chops for the last few minutes of cooking and then had another little spoonful for dipping.  I could actually skip the chops and the veggies and just have the jelly.

Ravioli with Cherry Tomatoes -  Again, easy peasy!  I picked up some fresh Spinach and Cheese Ravioli at Costco which takes no time to cook.  While the water was boiling I heated some olive oil in frying pan, added some minced garlic and cherry tomatoes and tossed them around until the tomatoes started to burst.  I added the cooked, drained pasta to the pan to coat it with the tomatoes and oil and that's it!  I wasn't sure if it would dry out or reheat well for lunch but it was fine!

Summer Squash Strata -- This was another meal that I was enthusiastic about but Dave and Marin not so much.  Dave liked it but felt it was more of a breakfast dish... fair enough.   I made some substitutions... 

• Grape Tomatoes instead of Beefsteak Tomatoes
• English Muffins instead of French Bread
• Dried Thyme instead of Fresh
• Old Cheddar instead of White Cheddar

Summer Squash Strata

Plum and Oregano Chicken Kababs, with Roasted Potatoes and Carrots - Dave was happy to fire up the grill again.  I actually used boneless skinless chicken breasts and had read a review that said the plums got overcooked and mushy on the skewers so I just placed the chicken and plums on the grill separately.  I did the potatoes and carrots in separate foil packs.  This chicken was super easy and nothing fancy but turned out really good.  We could have skipped the plums but overall this meal was a hit.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese - My niece Bailey is the "Gourmet Grilled Cheese Queen".... no Kraft Singles for that girl!  I think she'd approve of the Ginger Lime Thyme Jelly with Old Cheddar combination.  However, Dave had a hankering for nachos so we had nachos tonight and I'm saving the grilled cheese for Sunday night.  We're off for a weekend getaway with friends so an easy supper on Sunday will be perfect!

Happy Weekend Everyone!  Hope you're all getting out to enjoy some of your own local flavors!

Sandra

Week 15 - A Second Helping of Kid-Friendly Meals

Printable Version of Meal Plan and Grocery List

My Kid-Friendly week back in February was a hit – both at my house and on the blog.  I can see from my stats that this is the week that has the most hits and is found the most by Google searches.  Which isn’t surprising, feeding kids can be a challenge!  Most parents I know also loathe packing school lunches.  I’m still looking forward to that by the way… again you can file away that you must tell me “I told you so” the first time I complain about it.

Kid friendly food is all about making food fun and appealing… so really it's everyone friendly!   Again I had so many ideas I couldn’t fit them all in… I have to file away the ideas that didn’t make it for the next instalment.  This week is doubling as April Magazine Week.  The April issue of Today’s Parent had a one week meal plan that’s worth checking out!

One important consideration in school lunches is packaging.  At supper club this past weekend we had a chat about reusable containers that are easy enough for little hands to open.  Thought I’d pass on this idea – I’ve been making reusable snack bags.  They’re great for ‘dry’ snacks (crackers, trail mix, etc… ) but I’ve also used them for fruit and veggies.   I’m a beginner sewer with a basic sewing machine so trust me when I say that if I can make these – so can you!  Here’s a picture of some of mine (aren’t they fun!?) and a tutorial if you’re feeling “crafty”.  

 

Recipe Quick Links:

• Kale& Spinach Smoothie, Marin Mama Cooks

• CrispyLemon Roast Chicken, Today’s Parent

• VeggieNuggets, Weelicious

• KaleChips, 100 Days of Real Food

• Frittata, Today’s Parent

• HeartyTuscan Soup, Chatelaine
• Steak Frites, Canadian Living

Week in Review

Monday

Lunch – BTC Sandwich (Bacon Tomato and Cheddar).  We’re not big sandwich people but sandwiches are easily packable for school lunch so I decided to kick off with that.  I got a really nice 12 Grain Bread and topped it with mayo, crispy bacon, thin slices of tomato and Cheddar cheese.   It took everything in me not to eat this right away.  Unfortunately, as suspected the tomato made the bread soggy.  But I think this is still manageable, I would just wrap the tomato and bacon separately and assemble on site.  And if a microwave is available you could zap the bacon for a few seconds and this would actually be really good!

Supper – Leftover Lasagna.  I automatically think of adding lasagna to Kid-Friendly week because it was one my favorites growing up.  And you can easily get multiple meals out it so it’s also a working mom friendly meal!  Typically I’d make a Caesar to go with it but since we didn’t have anything to prepare when we got home I thought it would be fun to try out a new green smoothie recipe (Kale & Pineapple from Marin Mama Cooks).  Seriously – you gotta try it!  As you can see it was good to the last drop!

Lasagna

1)      Brown ground beef in large saucepan.  Add jar of pasta sauce and ½ jar full of water.  Simmer.

2)      Mix 500ml container of cottage cheese (I like Lasagna style) with ¼ cup of grated Parmesan and 1 egg.

3)      Shred cheese (mozza)

4)      Layer in rectangle pan – sauce, noodles (I use whole wheat and don’t precook them), sauce, ½ of the cottage cheese, sprinkle of mozza, noodles, sauce, remainder of cottage cheese, noodles, sauce, remainder of cheese.

5)      Back at 375, covered for 40 min.  Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes.

Note:  You can also layer the lasagna in a slow-cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours. 

Tuesday

Lunch – Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas.  Quesadillas are a great lunch option, quick to throw together, travel well, eaten reheated or cold and can be filled with just about anything.  I went spinach and mushroom today – a little feta would not have been wrong.  Mushrooms are most definitely kid friendly in our house but I can see where this particular combo might not be every kid’s first choice.  See Thursday for another option or use whatever your favorites are.  To make a quesadilla – prep your fillings (ie. shred the cheese, cook and dice the chicken, sauté the veggies, or rinse the beans).  Spray one side of a tortilla with oil, place in a frying pan sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortillas, top with fillings and then more cheese.  Fold over and cook each side until crispy and cheese melts.  Cut in triangles and enjoy!  We dipped this one in sour cream.

Supper --  Lemon Roast Chicken, Weelicious Veggie Nuggets & Kale Chips.   This meal was underwhelming and ironically the nuggets were probably the most "kid targeted" item this week, yet the one thing my kid did not want to eat.  The chicken was good, we typically have boneless, skinless breasts so skin-on chicken thighs were nice for a change and the gravy was good.  The kale chips were gobbled up but the nuggets were not a hit with anyone.  Mostly me, because I found them a pain to make on top of not really thinking they were anything special.  If you have a child who hates veggies but loves nuggets then perhaps this will do the trick.  The other problem with this meal was that all three items needed to be baked in the oven but at different temps and for different time so it was a bit of nightmare to coordinate – not very well planned!  OOPS!  I would make the chicken again but with different sides and perhaps on a weekend since it needed 45 minutes to cook so made for a late weeknight supper.

Wednesday

Lunch – Caprese Salad.  I love this lunch and I’m surprised this is the first time I’m making it this year.  So simple… diced chicken, cherry tomatoes, bocconcini and pesto.  I think kids would find the bocconcini fun and they have a very mild flavor.  This is also pretty weight watchers friendly – watch your serving sizes but you should be able to pack a satisfying bowl for about 8 points.   Easy to pack, travels well, eaten cold.  Perfect!  I also made a “trail mix” with cheerios, pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips which made a nice little afternoon treat.

Supper – Frittata and Turnip Fries.  The frittata was quick and easy to make and pretty tasty.  It got an “mmmm… yummy eggs” from the little one at the table.  The turnip fries were a little under done but if you are patient and leave them roast until they get crispy they are a tasty treat and a fun finger food for kids.  I just cut the turnip into fry shape (of buy them already pre-cut), boil for a few minutes and then toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 450 until they crisp up.  I find the time it takes varies… but plan for at least 30 minutes.

Thursday

Lunch – Chicken Quesadillas.  For this version I sautéed some red pepper with diced chicken breast (leftover from Wednesday’s lunch) and a sprinkle of Mexican spice mix.  I used a tex-mex pre-shredded cheese mix.  I love buying pre-shredded cheese when it’s on sale, saves a step and we eat it less on impulse.  If I buy a block of cheese with the intention of using it later in the week most likely it’ll be gone by the time I need it.

Supper – Hearty Tuscan Soup.  I debated this one because as I’ve mentioned before we’re not really “soup people”.  But it’s been unseasonable cold here and Marin has a bug she can’t seem to shake so a nice bowl of soup sounded pretty good.  This was excellent – so glad I tried it!  I actually used Tofu instead of the navy beans.  This would be really low Weight Watchers points if you skipped the croutons.  The croutons were my favorite part though…

Photo by Robert Caruso via Today's Parent



Friday

Lunch – Leftovers!  I packed the croutons separately so they would be nice and crunchy. 

Supper – Date night!  You’re on your own.  But if you’re looking for ideas we have Steak Frites on the menu for the weekend!  This is from Canadian Living.  It’s really just steak and homefries but what caught my eye was the aioli.

For some great school lunch ideas ‘Like’ 100 Days of Real Food and Weelicious on Facebook.  They both post daily what they packed for school lunches.