Sunday Salad

Sundays are another busy day in our household. This Sunday especially with getting a few things put together for Labor Day tomorrow. A nice simple pasta salad is a great to go with a BBQ. I find that pasta salad is great for kids because generally all kids love pasta and you can load it up with their favorite veggies

Bow-tie pasta
1 16 oz box bow-tie pasta (we use whole wheat) cooked according to package, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 package of pepperoni cut into 4ths
1 bottle Italian dressing (we like the 365 organic)
1 med red bell pepper chopped
About a cup full of shelled edamame
1 can sliced black olives (I call this optional because I am the only one in the house who wont eat them)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved.
1 cup chopped broccoli

in a large bowl add cooked, drained and rinsed pasta followed by dressing & Parmesan cheese and mix well, then add remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for about an hour and serve.

Silly Saturday (Blueberry-Banana Popsicles)

Anytime I use the blender Cady my 22mth old gets so happy because it almost always means mom is making a delicious treat. She always does this silly half sumo wrestler half go-go dancer dance as soon as the blender starts going. This morning she was dancing for My Blueberry-Banana Popsicles. They are sinfully delicious, super easy and make a great smoothie as well.

Blueberry-Banana Popsicles (makes 4 to 6 pops depending on your mold sizes)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 ripe very ripe banana
1/2 cup vanilla or plain yogurt (I use Greek yogurt but regular or homemade is fine)
1/2 cup milk (any kind will work I use 2% or almond milk)
1 TBSP Lemon juice
1 TBSP Honey

Very simply blend ingredients well (I like to leave a few little chunks of blueberries but you don't have to) and pour into molds place in freezer until solid. To take out of molds you may need to run under hot water for a few seconds. These are so yummy be careful to eat slowly to avoid brain freeze LOL!

** if you don't have molds you can use Dixie cups and Popsicle craft sticks and just rip the cups off**

Thursday Themes

I thought it might be nice to have a theme day. Where I will maybe share a group of recipes, list of helpful links, and topics. With school in session for most I thought it would be nice to talk about sandwich ideas. Sandwiches seem to be a popular lunch choice because they are easy on moms and what kid doesn't like sandwichs...for a little while anyway. Possibilities are endless when it comes to sandwiches. Here are a few Sandwich ideas for you.

breads

whole wheat sandwich bread

whole wheat pita bread

flat bread

wraps

tortillas

pancakes

waffles

English muffins

bagels
matzo crackers

Melba toast

Spreads & fillings

Hummus

Cream Cheese

Cheese/cream cheese spreads

Sun or Nut Butters

Jams & Jellies

Cheeses & sandwich meats

alfalfa Sprouts

lettuce

shredded carrots

cucumbers

pickles

leftover turkey & chicken

egg salad

tuna salad

ham salad

chicken salad

Another thing I have found a great love for is Sandwich cutters and large cookie cutters. It's much more exciting to open you lunchbox to a Sandwich shaped like a heart or a star. I keep the trimmings of the sandwiches for my own lunch at home so their is no waste. Pinwheel sandwiches are also fun for the kids. Experimenting a few days ago I made some pinwheel sandwiches with lemon almond chicken salad (recipe coming soon) and sprouts they where a huge hit. Its so simple to just slather a spread and veggie on a tortilla roll it up and cut into fourths.

Chicken Ravioli Bomb Bomb Bomb Casserole

I was inspired by watching "Good Eats" on food net work this evening Alton was making some very random casseroles. All I could think is BEEN THERE DONE THAT You can go a few ways here from elaborate homemade raviolis and sauces to store bought.. I admit I usually don't have that kind of time. So feel free to use the easy version if you like! this is a crowd pleaser! And According to my 8 year old who is the pickiest kid in my kitchen its "Bomb Bomb Bomb"

Ravioli Bomb Bomb Bomb Casserole
1 8oz package Frozen Cheese Ravioli (we like Rising Moon Organics)
2 cups steamed broccoli (you can use frozen if you like)
Alfredo Sauce *you can use jarred we use Simply Organic mix which you will need milk, butter & Parmesan cheese*
1 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Cook Ravioli according to package directions and drain. Combine Broccoli, Alfredo sauce & chicken in a large mixing bowl and toss in carefully Ravioli. Transfer mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes, Then top with mozzarella cheese and cook for additional 15 minutes or until cheese is nice and melty.

We serve this with a nice salad & Garlic bread

Taco Tuesday!

Taco's and pretty much anything Mexican gets lots of cool points for mom around here. Taco's are quite versatile and give kids lots of choices for their fillings. Cady (21 mts) is happy with just beef, sour cream and pico de gaio (no shell) Morgan (5 years old) pretty traditional soft taco, beef, cheese, lettuce, sour cream & taco sauce, Aria (8 yrs old) is all about hard shell with beef or chicken with cheese & sour cream. Erynn (11 yrs old) Beef, beans, cheese, lettuce & ranch. I always give lots of topping options and not always beef, ground turkey & chicken. Sometimes even Mexican rice & guacamole make it to the "Taco Table" as the kids call it. My one major gripe with tacos is the mess. Anything to avoid messes gets an A+ around here. So we came up with mini taco pizza's.

Mini Taco Pizza's (makes 12 mini pizzas)
1 Package whole wheat English muffins
1 pound ground beef (chicken or ground turkey are good as well)
1 package taco seasoning (we like simply organic)
Salsa (you can make your own or we like Newman's Own Salsa)
Shredded Cheddar cheese (we like extra sharp)
sliced black olives (I leave these off mine I am not an olive lover but all my kids adore them)
toppings of your choice such as guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, beans etc.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350, brown meat and follow directions on taco seasoning.
Split English muffins and spread about a table spoon of salsa over them, then cover with beef, then cheese & place olive slices on top. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese in well melted. Then add what ever toppings you like. By placing the cheese over the beef you cut down on pieces of greasy meat hitting your nice clean floors.

With out additional toppings added you can freeze these and you can pop them in the toaster oven for a nice afternoon snack. Or even defrost and warm up in the oven on a cookie sheet. My kids like these as is with out the extra toppings. I like to double or triple most of my recipes so that on nights when we need something quick I have a few go to favorites on hand.

Spicy Sunday (Jambalaya Rice Cakes)

When cooking for my crew I have a lot of different needs to meet. Their is always one kid in the bunch it seems that is really picky and doesn't like anything or like to try new things. We call her Aria lol. She does love Jambalaya so we make it often. However giving rice to a 21mth old is asking for a huge mess of rice everywhere. I had to think on this. How can I make this family favorite with less mess for mom to clean up after wards. And then it hit me and Jambalaya rice cakes where born. These are by no means mess free but it's much easier to clean up little chucks of rice cakes then individual grains of rice. This recipe is so loved though most of it goes from plate to belly which makes me a happy mama.

Jambalaya Rice Cakes.
You Can use zaternas however its loaded with sodium and other unhealthily additives. Or you can use your Favorite Jambalaya recipe

1 pound smoked sausage or kielbasi sliced and cubed (you want small pieces that are toddler friendly)
2 green peppers diced
1 onion diced
3-5 garlic cloves minced (depends on how much you like)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1TBSs chili powder
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
5 whole bay leaves
1 can tomato paste (small can 6 oz I think?)
1 cup uncooked brown rice (you can use if you like)
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth (more inf needed to thin out some)

in a large skillet over med heat cook sausage, onion, peppers, and garlic (do this until sausage is starting to crisp and onions are translucent)
stir in remaining ingredients except for broth, rice & tomato paste simmer with lid on for about 15-20 mins. then add tomato paste, rice & broth and simmer for 20 more minutes you may need to add more broth to thin out you don't want it to be 2 wet though..

Now for cakes
you will need to allow your rice to cool a bit (I stick it in the freezer lol)
for this part you will need 2 slightly beaten eggs & 1/2 cup bread crumbs, and oil to cook (we use whole wheat bread crumbs)

simply mix in the eggs and bread crumbs into the rice. heat some oil on med/high heat in the skillet use a 1/4 measuring cup to form rice cakes. this is the perfect size for the cakes and simply brown each side for 2-3 minutes. Jambalaya of course is fine on its own but this is a little twist on it that kids love because you can just pick them up and eat them.

this makes about 12-14 cakes and they do freeze well so I generally will double or triple this recipe.

enjoy!

**also you can reduce the amount of spices to 1/4 tsp if you have milder taste buds, my 21 month old loves these as is but not all toddlers have the same likes**