No More Boring School Lunches
It gets very difficult to come up with something that kids will eat that is not the same old sandwich, chips, apple, and cookie day after day. If you make sandwiches with bread, make them with different breads like wheat, pita, bagel, English muffin, or rye bread to give your child some variety. Sandwiches do not have to be made with bread every day, roll up meat and cheese and wrap in a tortilla. You can also omit the bread and substitute crackers. For fun cut the lunchmeat or leftover meat to fit on the crackers. Put the mean and cheese in a baggie and let your child make its own sandwich.
Beans on Toast – Simple, Kid-Friendly Meal
I love to cook – most of the time – but my kids seem to want to eat every day so I’m constantly trying to put together new kid-friendly meals. I grew up eating beans on toast so I thought it was standard lunch fare. I was shocked when none of my friends had ever heard of it, but my mom is British and it took me a while to figure out that beans on toast is standard lunch fare – in England. My kids love it though and it’s simple to make, see you take beans and you put them . . . on toast. Not overly complicated but pretty tasty. The traditional British version uses Heinz baked beans, which are usually hard to find, but like so many things from my childhood, I got used to the adulterated American version and I prefer pork and beans for this.
Scientific Explorer Pizza Science Kit
Dinner time always requires a bit of creativity if kids are involved. I don’t have overly picky eaters but I do have kids who will flat out refuse to eat something if it is repeated more than twice a month. While I love the fact that they want variety in their lives, it certainly complicates my menu planning. We decided to try something new to help the kids be more involved in our dinner process and to help me simplify my life. Each child “owns” a night of the week that they can choose what we have for dinner. They love it. My two oldest sons are constantly on the lookout for fun things they want to try for their dinner night so they were thrilled to test out the Pizza Science Kit from Scientific Explorer. This fun kit provides nearly everything you need to make a pizza dinner (thin, pan, and regular crust) as well as fun activities that turn the process of cooking dinner into a food adventure.
It’s All in the Cheese
My 4 year old likes to say that you can never have too much cheese. I tend to agree with him. I was proud of myself tonight. I cooked a healthy, kid-friendly dinner that I found in one of the kids cookbooks that’s been sitting on my shelf for years. My 4 year old helped shell fresh peas. My 2 year old helped me measure and stir the dressing. I included all my kids’ current favorites – chicken, broccoli, fresh peas, and noodles. It was guaranteed to be a hit. Except that it wasn’t. Despite the fact that my 2 year old happily sampled every ingredient as I added it to the pot, not a single one of my kids would even touch my carefully prepared dinner once it was in their bowls.
Quick Cucumber Pickles
These pickles make a super fast side dish or condiment to all sorts of dishes, but go particularly well with Asian foods. I like to flavor these with a little fresh ginger and a couple of drops of toasted sesame oil, but they are just as good plain. Toss a handful across some noodles or fried rice or have a pile alongside your next sandwich. No matter what you choose to use these for, they’ll add a refreshingly tangy crunch to your meal.
Baked Kale Chips
his method of cooking kale is my new favorite. Kale chips made by baking the leaves with a little olive oil and salt results in an almost potato-chip like treat that is genuinely good for you. You can season them with whatever spices you like or keep them simple and plain. There is no easier way to eat green leafy vegetables, or at least no way more genuinely enjoyable (and that’s coming from a true salad lover). Make a batch of these today and you’ll probably make three more before the end of the weekend. Even my dog begs for these chips, and I’m pretty sure I could convince my dad to try one too. These more than make up for the minimal effort involved in making them.
Homemade Granola Bars
My kids love granola bars. Some are actually pretty healthy. The problem I have is the healthier ones seem to be more expensive. When I start feeling like that, it’s time for me to make some homemade. These were very easy to make and not very time consuming either. My kids loved them! Homemade Granola [...]
Chicken and Cream Cheese Pockets
I like to try new recipes but my family has a few favorites that we make on a regular basis because they are either easy or tasty. These chicken and cream cheese pockets are both. This simple recipe can be adapted to fit your family’s food preferences and changed to add variety to your menu plan.
Blueberry Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is an easy way to get another serving of dairy and fruit into your diet in the guise of a treat. Making your own allows you to control everything from the fat and sugar content to the flavorings used. Because of this, you can just about get away with calling it a healthy food and eating it for breakfast–a treat if ever there was one. In this version I use low-fat greek yogurt as a base and flavor it with blueberries, lemon and vanilla.
