Lunch 9/20

Today...

White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter on the mini sandwich thin
Apple slices
Ants on a log (celery, smooth regular peanut butter with raisins and dried cranberries)
Yogurt
Chewy Granola Bar
Chocolate Teddy Grahams
Capri Sun

Lunch 9/19

I found a great new food item this weekend at Walmart!!!  Arnold now has Mini Whole Wheat Sandwich thins.  This is perfect for Miss V and it fits perfectly in a small container.

White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter on the Mini Sandwich thin
Gold Fish
Fruit Snack
Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bar
Yogurt
Carrots with Green Goddess Dressing
Apple Slices

Lunch 9/16 - Pizza Friday Snacks

Pizza Friday!  So today I only need to pack a drink and snacks.

Capri Sun
Fruit Snack
Chocolate Teddy Grahams
Gold Fish
Oatmeal Cookie Chewy Granola Bar
Yogurt

and....a little note on her napkin.

Lunch 9/15

Today's lunch included:

Peanutbutter and strawberry jelly on an Arnold Sandwich Thin
Simply Gogurt
Cheese Stick
Capri Sun
Fruit Snack
Cheese Crackers
Chewy Granola Bar
Pineapple bit fruit cup
Carrots and today she wanted a small cup of green goddess dressing to tip her carrots in

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

This is a repost with pictures.  This is a family favorite in our house.  I like to serve this with plain white rice on the side.  I made this for dinner and there are plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.  I love meals like that!

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I am in the process of making this for dinner tonight. I made a roast chicken for dinner last night and steaming up the carcass now for the chicken.  It is from my Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casserole magazine.  I do like to add a bit more flavor from a little poultry seasoning.

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or more to taste

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lunch 9/14

Here is today's lunch, again it was a taco salad.

Carrots
Yogurt
Fruit Snack
Chewy Granola bar
Applesauce
Capri Sun

I know I have posted before that yes it does look like a lot of food for a half hour lunch.  Victoria will eat what she wants at lunch time.  By 3:00pm when she gets out of school, she is starving and will eat what is left on the car ride home.  I also back her a very big water bottle that she keeps at her desk.

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
3 eggs
1 cup cooked and mashed pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Into a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, and oil.

Stir the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the nuts. Spread a 1/3 cup or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until done, usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the iron. Serve immediately.

Lunch 9/13

Today's lunch - Taco Salad!  The only thing that I didn't have in the fridge was sour cream.

Salad has romaine and spinach
Hamburger with taco seasoning
Chopped Plum Tomato
Small container of taco sauce
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Taco Salad with crunched up tortilla chips

Fruit Snack

Cheese Crackers

Chocolate Teddy Grahams

Chewy Granola Bar

Capri Sun

Mandarin Oranges

Simply Go-Gurt

Simple Roast Chicken

One of my favorite meals to make is a simple roast chicken.  I don't have a real recipe, I just kind of wing it.

What goes under the skin of the chicken.

Half a stick of unsalted butter softened
Poultry Seasoning
Thyme leaves
Onion Powder
Sage leaves

What goes on the skin.

Half stick of unsalted butter softened
Kosher Salt
Fresh black pepper

It doesn't look to pretty now.

Roast at 425 for about 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 for 30 to 45 minutes.

Woops, I ripped the leg off before I took the picture. 

Apricot Almond Bars

I made these earlier.  The recipe came from my Taste Of Home Fall Baking magazine.  They came out very good!!  I did have to make a substitution with the almonds.  I only had slivered in the freezer.

2 cups white baking chips, divided
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup apricot jam
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions
In a microwave, melt 1 cup chips; stir until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chips and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Spread half of the batter into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Spread with jam.

Stir remaining chips into remaining batter. Drop by tablespoonfuls over jam; carefully spread over top. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares; cut squares in half.

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.

Meatballs and Sauce

I have made this many many times.  It is a family favorite and also makes lots of leftovers.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I like plain then add my own herbs and spices.  I like dried basil, oregano, garlic powder and a dash of onion powder.)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the good stuff, not from a can)

In a bowl, mix the ground beef (or turkey), bread crumbs, what ever herbs and spices that you like, eggs, and cheese. Season with bit of kosher salt and fresh black pepper.

Put a jar of Newman's Own Marinara and a can of diced tomatoes in the bottom of your crock pot.
Then I use my medium cookie scoop to make the balls and put them on the sauce/diced tomato mixture.  Pour another jar of Newman's Own Marinara and a can of diced tomatoes.
Cover and cook on high for 5 1/2 hours.

These come out nice and moist and go perfect with your favorite pasta.  Also you can double the meatball recipe and use another jar of sauce and one more can (15 oz) of diced tomatoes.

Lunch 9/12

Today's lunch

Left over shells and homemade meatballs (in the thermos)
Carrots
Yoplait Yogurt Cup
Cranberry and Citrus Newtons Fruit Thin Cookies
Trail Mix packet
Fruit Snack
Lemonade Capri Sun

Orville Redenbacher's Stirring Popper

To say we love popcorn, would be an understatement.  But....we do not like microwave popcorn.  The list of ingredients scare me.  A couple years ago Miss V picked out a hot air popper for Father's Day.  It worked great until fell off the counter and part of it broke.

After that we used a dutch oven and made it on the stove top.  This spring we were using up some gift cards from Christmas and found the Orville Redenbacher's Stirring Popper at Kohls.

It works wonderful!!!  Hot fresh popcorn with easy clean up.  Normally we just have butter and salt but a few weeks ago I picked up some Kernal Seasonings.  I bought White Cheddar and Chili Lime.  They are both yummy and a nice change from plain popcorn.

How do you like your popcorn?

Lunch 9/9 - Pizza Friday Snacks

Today is the first day of Pizza Friday at Miss V's school.  You still need to pack a drink and snacks.  It was also our NFL Back to Football Friday.  Miss V ate her pizza and a special cookie at lunch.  On the way home she ate the rest of the snacks since she was starving!

Apple Slices
Simply Go-Gurt
Chewy Granola Bar
Mini Oreos
Gold Fish
Capri Sun

Lunch 9/8

Today's lunch

Bee's Knees & Strawberry Jelly on Wheat
Simply Go-Gurt
Trail Mix packet
Chewy Granola Bar
Apple Slices
Gold Fish
Welch's Fruit Snack
Capri Sun

Lunch 9/7

Lunch for Miss V

Salad that had
Spinach & Romaine
Cucumbers
Carrots
Tomatoes
Craisins
Roasted Sunflower Seeds

Chow mein noodles to put on her salad for a little bit of crunch and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Chewy Granola Bar
Apple Slices
Trail Mix
Chocolate Teddy Grahams
Simply Gogurt
Capri Sun

Tangy Turkey Tostada

So I picked this recipe from my Taste of Home Southwest magazine.  I subbed 1 pound of ground beef for the turkey.  I asked Marcel to pick up the tostada shells on the way home.  Well.....he called from the store and they didn't have any and wanted to know if he should buy the tostada bowls, there are 4 bowls in the package for $7.00!  What?????  Are you kidding me?????  Think quick....so I said no freaking way and just to pick up some tortilla chips and we will have taco salads.

1-1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (skipped)
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 drops hot pepper sauce
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend (used regular)
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
16 tostada shells
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large skillet, cook turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the green pepper, onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in the mushrooms; cook 1 minute longer.
Stir in the beans, salsa, chilies, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper sauce. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Add cheese and corn; heat through.

Yield: 8 servings.

This tasted really good as taco salads.  I am just bummed that the store didn't have the shells.  We live in an area that you can easily get "Mexican ingredients".

Lunch 9/6

Today's lunch
Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jelly Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread
Green Apple Slices
Simply Gogurt
Chewy Granola Bar
Trail Mix Packet
Smartfood Popcorn
Lemonade Capri Sun

Polynesian Hot Dogs

When I bought the June 2011 issue of Food Network magazine I was intrigued with the World Class Hot Dog pictures.

On a two page spread there were 10 different "international" hot dogs.  Anyway my eyes kept going back to the Polynesian which was a hot dog with Hoisin Sauce, Pineapple and Scallions.

I was debating earlier what to make for dinner and when I asked Miss V to choose between my ideas she picked the hot dogs.

So....off to Sweetbay we went.

This will be interesting.....

 Lightly grilled all beef hot dog.

Little Hoisin Sauce

Little bit of scallions

Little bit of pineapple

 All done and a couple different kinds of chips.  Can't have a hot dog without chips.

So both Marcel and I had it the full version of the Polynesian hot dog and Miss V just had the pineapple.  She tasted the Hoisin sauce and didn't really like it.

I thought it tasted very good!  I was pleasantly surprised.  I guess I should step out of my comfort zone more often.  Hmm...maybe next time I will try the Thai which included peanut sauce, carrot and cilantro.

Lunch 9/2

Miss V's lunch today.

Her version of ants on a log; cream cheese, celery and raisins.

Dark Chocolate Dreams & Fluff Sandwich
Cheese Stick
Welch's Fruit Snack
Oreo Yo Crunch Yogurt
Ants on a Log
Chewy Granola Bar
Homemade trail Mix
Orange Capri Sun