Lunchbox heaven

Monday through Friday I take a picture of what I make my Kindergartener for lunch. I started doing this for me, to see what works, what he likes and dislikes. Once I started sharing the lunches I got a lot of questions from other parents for help and ideas on what to pack their kids for lunch. Keep them on the healthy trail. Keep them eating.

 I'm not going to lie. It takes effort. But our kids are worth it right? Fortunately I do not have a picky eater. I have always just made him what I make for myself. I have never made separate meals for him. Luckily he will try anything. If he doesn't like it, I will not make him eat it. This has made sure meal time is never a fight. And his palate has grown. Forget about kids meals he shares my meal at restaurants no matter what it is. He actually ENJOYS having a big fat salad for dinner. He LOVES stinky delicious cheeses, trying new veggies and fruits that he's never seen from the grocery store. His favorite meal is Bratwurst, roasted Broccoli with brown rice. I am truly lucky I know.  He also loves to watch Chopped and Master Chef. Which makes my heart happy! My little foodie in the making. 

However, I am a true believer that if you start out feeding them healthy, they will enjoy healthy foods. If you start out giving them hot dogs and mac and cheese, while you eat your veggies and fish, well, that's what their taste buds will gravitate to. Not that we don't enjoy some Mac and cheese now an again. I mean come on! We live it up to and don't restrict anything. Well, food dye! We do restrict all food dye. But that's another post.

I also believe that variety is the spice of life. Which may have bit me in the butt a little? Now, if I only have 2 things on his plate for any meal he will ask me, "M-o-m.... Is this it? I want a side".  So, you know, the expectations are now already set in his head. Just like if he was only feed a certain type of food his whole life. But again, I know I'm so very lucky that he is not a picky eater.

Here are a few of our favorite lunches. The lunchbox is the bomb! Planet Box is Eco friendly, and lives up to the price tag! It's the best one out there by far in my opinion. (I really need to get a commission for referrals!)   :) 

I hope you enjoy and find some ideas that your kids will like. With a little effort and time, we all can keep our kids on the healthy trail at school.

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Oatmeal Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

Who doesn't LOVE cookies? 

Who doesn't love feeling guiltless when eating cookies? I needed to Mokshafy a recipe to keep me on track and to let my son eat cookies without all the sugar. We both have a major sweet tooth. It can put us in a sugary situation.

This recipe did just that. I won't feel bad sneaking one of these into his lunches for school, or eating one in the middle of the day. Healthy Cookies! For real!

INGREDIENTS
3 bananas, ripe
1⁄3cup Coconut oil
2.25 cups quick cooking oats
1⁄2cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tbs Honey
3 Heaping Tbs of peanut butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork until no longer lumpy. If bananas aren't very ripe, a hand mixer may be used. Stir in oil, oats, chocolate chips, peanut butter and vanilla.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet or use a silpat.
For each cookie, spoon about 2 tablespoons of cookie mixture (or I like to use an ice cream scooper) onto the cookie sheet. 

Bake for 16-20 minutes.
**IF batter seems a little dry, add dashes of milk to moisten.

You can omit the chocolate chips to make them even healthier and add cinnamon, raisins or chopped pecans! Omitting the peanut butter all together is also a delish version! I just happen to have a love affair with peanut butter.

Enjoy and stay healthy my friends!

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Red Onions

WHY OH WHY DO ONIONS MAKE ME CRY?

I have never been a raw onion lover. Maybe it’s because my eyes are so sensitive to everything that the slightest smell of a raw onion makes my eyes tear.

I deal with it though and get puffy eyes anyways because I use onions to cook with often. And I am enjoying raw red onions more and more these days. They are packed with good stuff! 

Full of vitamins C and B6, iron, folate, and potassium and most importantly amazing phytochemicals. They are a super food along with garlic! They are an anti-allergic, anti-histaminic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant, rolled into 1 potent smelly ball. 

YUMMAY! 

So, why do these amazing super veg make your eyes BURN and tear so bad as soon as you cut into them? Well, I learned that when you cut into an onion, you’re breaking open microscopic cells filled with enzymes that turn into volatile gasses when cut. This causes a chemical reaction similar to the chemicals used in tear gas. WOH right? When the fumes reach the eye glands, your eyes begin to create tears trying to dilute and flush the chemical from your eyes. AMAZING FOOD!

I don’t know about you but, but it takes my eyes at the least an hour or more to recover after cutting onions!  And really there is nothing I have found that help with the fumes onions produce 100%. But, these small tricks give a tiny bit of relief.

• By using a sharp knife, less of the enzymes are released into the air.
• Cut onions in cold water. 
• Cut the root last!! The root has a higher concentration of enzymes.
• Chill or freeze onions. This minimizes the amount of gas released.
• Light a match before you start chopping. The sulfur disables the compounds in onions that make your eyes water.
• Use a food processor.
• Wear kitchen goggles to protect your eyes. (LOL! Yeah right. If you do this, you must send me a picture! :) )

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Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Quinoa every where! It's all the rage! And it should be in my opinion! It's not only fantastic but so very versatile! You can use it hot, cold, fresh or stored in the fridge for use the next day, seasoned or plain, as a side or main dish. 

• Its chock full of protein, in fact it is one of the most protein rich foods we can eat!
• It contains twice as much fiber as other grains.
• It contains Iron to keep our red blood cells healthy.
• It contains lysine to help our tissue grow and repair
• It contains magnesium which promotes healthy blood sugar levels, detoxification, energy production and promotes healthy bones and teeth.
• It is gluten free.

Its good stuff!

I mean, come on! For one simple grain this is amazing. Okay maybe I'm going over board but I LOVE this stuff. I could eat it daily truly. There is so much you can do with it.

One of my absolute favorite recipes using Quinoa is this wonderful salad. My husband and I can't get enough of it. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Serves 1:
Cook Quinoa in organic chicken broth to enhance yumminess!

Ingredients;

• 1/2 cup cooked Quinoa cooled
• 1/4 cup raw spinach chopped
• 1/2 of chicken breast Diced
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes diced
• 1/4 cucumber diced
• 1 or 2 Tbs red onion
• 5-6 diced Kalamata olives
• 1.5 tbs of Newmans Own Light Italian Salad Dressing or Creamy Garlic Dressing
• A squirt of fresh lemon juice

Directions; In a bowl, combine all ingredients.

Adding some Feta Cheese crumbles makes this EVEN BETTER! 

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Guacamole

Hello addiction! 
This is BY FAR, the best Guacamole you will have on this side of the border! 

SO DELISH! 

It's worth the minimal work. Better than ANY store bought guac you can find. And there are some great ones out there. But this.... This is something special! 

Fresh, Spicy, Tart, Salty. YUMMY! 

Buy Organic Ingredients when possible. It's worth your health! No more excuses. And here it is!

Ingredients:

•  3 small ripe avocados diced 
•   juice of 1.5 limes
•  1 cup of cherry tomatoes diced in half and squeezed of excess liquid 
•   ¼ cup red onion diced 
•   handful of cilantro diced 
•   pink Himalayan salt to taste
•   Garlic Salt to taste
•   Pepper to taste 
•   1 garlic clove minced 
•   1 jalapeño or serrano pepper diced with seeds removed 

I like to use my food processor and chop the tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic and red onion. Be careful not to OVER chop it. You're not looking for mush. Keep it chunky. Once diced and mixed, add the avocado to food processor or add avocado and chopped ingredients from food processor into a bowl and mash with a fork, adding lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. 

THE BEST GUAC EVER!
AM I RIGHT?

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