Cooking with Kids: Chef SuperBoy makes Flash's Banana Pancakes

Well, here I am again, posting late again. I try to post on Monday and Thursdays, but life didn't align with my blog-posting plans. That happens. This week, I'm gonna veer a bit off course of lunches, and talk about cooking with your kids.

I spoke at a nearby MOPS group (Mothers Of Preschoolers) about meal planning, plus about kids & food. (By the way, MOPS has been a lifesaver to me; we've moved several times while our kids were preschoolers, and I felt alone and isolated. MOPS gave me the opportunity to find myself again, in the midst of new and supportive friends. Get involved today - Find a MOPS group!)

Anyways, one aspect of "Kids & food" that I spoke about was in regards to cooking with the kiddos. In the past, my kids have randomly begged to cook with me. However, this hasn't worked out. Why?
* I either didn't have the necessary ingredients on hand
* Or I wasn't in the right frame of mind to have a helper
* Or our schedule didn't permit it right at that desired moment.
* Or BOTH kids wanted to help at the same time.

How was that working for me? Not so well.

So I decided to be proactive about cooking with my kids. Here's been my plan for the past few weeks. On Monday night, one child cooks dinner with me. The following Monday night, the other child cooks dinner with me. Since I only have 2 kids (right now), they each get a turn every other week.

This set-up has been working rather well for us, for several reasons.

* It provides the child one-on-one time with me.

* The child picks out several recipes ahead of time, and I choose one of those desired recipes to make.

* Because we are planning ahead, I actually have time to get the desired ingredients at the grocery store!

* This process also results in the child becoming more interested in food - the taste, texture, health benefits thereof.

* The child chef is SO proud to present the meal that he/she created.

Chef SuperBoy chose to make The Flash's Favorite Banana Pancakes with Red Cherry Sauce, from The Official DC Superhero Cookbook. (My review on this cookbook will come out in the near-ish future.) By the way, Dad was requested to make the pancakes alongside Chef SuperBoy, since Dad is the "Pancake King"; I was happy to step out of the way & take the pictures instead.

And here is Chef SuperBoy - so proud to announce HIS dinner to our family, and so happy to eat his yummy, messy creation.

Trying taking small steps to cooking with your kids. Even making pancakes or a fruit salad together. The results are phenomenal!

All Things Autumn ... a Kid Review of TJ's foods

Wow, it has been quite the week, as you can surmise by my one-day-delayed posts! Anyways, here are the reviews by my kiddos on the Trader Joe's foods featured in Tuesday's Autumn Lunch.

The Organic Applesauce Cups are kid-approved! I tried one myself, and they taste just like good ole applesauce. It's a winner.

Unfortunately, the Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli was not a success. LoveBug ate them but didn't enjoy them; SuperBoy tasted them and didn't eat any more. I tasted a few bites, and although I'm a pumpkin-lover, I didn't think they were all that great. The filling was supposed to be pumpkin and ricotta; however, all you tasted was pumpkin. And while the pasta part was beautifully colored, it lacked in flavor. A thumbs down overall.

Pumpkin Joe Joe's were a hit. Definitely pumpkin-y, a little too sweet for me, but kid-approved for sure.

Mixed reviews on Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes. LoveBug thought they were good; SuperBoy did not prefer them. Personally, I loved them. I loved the taste and texture, and I adore how easy it is to make them. A few orange pucks in the microwave for a few minutes, and presto ... a veggie is served!

Toscana Cheese with Cinnamon - I am seriously surprised at myself, that I actually packed this delightful cheese in the kids' lunches, instead of keeping it for myself! It's that good! And of course, my cheesemongers loved it. I mean, what's not to love - hard, nutty-tasting cheese with a touch of cinnamon. Oh yum!

Lastly, my kids have snacktime in their classroom each morning, so I pack a snack into their lunchboxes for that very purpose. These "This Pumpkin Walks into a Bar" bars are the perfect item. In fact, my kids loved them so much, that I never got to take a nibble. And I guess that's an okay thing.

Hope you enjoyed our reviews of some Trader Joe's Autumn food items. Perhaps, you should go try a new Autumn-themed food too, either at Trader Joe's or any grocery store! Happy Fall!

Trader Joe's Autumn Lunch

The original plan was to make a Trader Joe's PUMPKIN lunch, filled with all things pumpkin as advertised in the October Fearless Flyer. However, when SuperBoy and I finally got to Trader Joe's mid-month, half of the coveted pumpkin foods were already gone. Wow, people must love pumpkin!

Therefore, this lunch morphed into a lunch of delicious, autumn food items found in Trader Joe's October Fearless Flyer.

Today's Autumn Lunch consists of:
* Organic Applesauce Cups - a package of 4 cups comes in 3 different flavors - Regular, Cinnamon, or Wild Berries. $1.99 for 4 cups, which is pretty much the same price as other name-brand applesauce cups.

* Toscana Cheese with Cinnamon - It's back, albeit for a limited time! One of my absolute favorite cheeses. Here's how Trader Joe's describes it nutty flavor of aged Parmesan and the creamy texture of farmstead Cheddar, generously coated in cinnamon". Yum! $7.99/#, but it's usually around $5 for a wedge.

* Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes - Found in the freezer section, this little pucks of delightfulness turn into mashed sweet potatoes after a quick stay in the microwave. Delicious, easy and nutritious! $2.49/6 servings.

* Pumpkin Bars - These are like a Nutri-Grain or other fruit-filled cereal bar, except there is pumpkin on the inside! $1.99/6 bars, which is the same price (if not less!) than name-brand cereal bars. (I packed this bar as my kids' mid-morning snack.)

* Pumpkin Joe-Joe's - Oreo-type cookies and Autumn collide in these pumpkin-spiced cookies from Trader Joe's. $2.99 for a 10.5-oz box.

* Honey-Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli - these beautiful pockets of pumpkin and ricotta are sure to delight any pumpkin-lover!  $3.49/2 servings.

Kid reviews to be posted on Thursday.

Review of Kale Slaw Mason Jar Salad

On Monday, I showed you how I made Kale Slaw Salad in a Mason Jar. Today, I'll give you my review of the salad.

Two words: OH YUM! Yeah, it was THAT good.

Crunchy cabbage. Crisp greens. Delicious dressing. Taylor Farms definitely gets my vote for delicious salad that keeps well!

I am SO excited that this has been lunch all week! And with minimal prep at the beginning of the week. So yummy!

Kale Slaw Mason Jar Salad

Lately, I've been craving the Eat Smart Sweet Kale Salad Kit that you can find at Costco and some grocery stores. But we currently don't have a Costco membership, and a bag from the grocery store wouldn't provide very many lunches for me.

 So ... I made my own in a Mason Jar!

Here's what the ingredients that I used:

Craisins

Chopped almonds

Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing

Brussel sprouts

Dole Coleslaw mix

Trader Joe's chopped Kale

Taylor Farms Baby Spring Mix

First, I placed about 2 Tbs. of Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing into each glass jar. This dressing is delectable! It might be my new favorite!

Next, I added a few small handfuls of Dole coleslaw mix to each jar. The cabbage in the coleslaw is the hardiest of any vegetable in this mix, which is why I placed it on the bottom.

Next, I began shredding the Brussel sprouts with my mandoline. At first, I begin by running a Brussel sprout over the mandoline blade a few times. This makes it flat enough for the next step ...

... Where I use the food holder (real original name, huh?) to finish the slicing job. This prevents me from slicing my fingers on the sharp mandoline blade.

Doesn't that look pretty?

So then I added the shredded Brussel sprouts to each of my Mason jars.

A handful or two of Taylor Farms Baby Spring Mix ...

A few handfuls of Trader Joe's yummy kale ...

About a quarter-cup of craisins. So colorful.

And sprinkle of chopped almonds ....

And I have 5 Mason jars lunches of my own Kale Slaw - one for each weekday this week. On Thursday, I'll let you know how it turned out. Stay tuned!

The Reality in our House: Last Lunch before Payday

Just so you don't think that lunches in our household include sparkly unicorns and shimmering rainbows, and other such magical stuff ... here's a look at the reality in our house sometimes. A packed lunch the day before payday, when the grocery money has almost run out. That's when lunches get "creative"!

Let's take a look at what my creativity formed into a lunch, shall we?

Half a blueberry bagel with butter.

Half a stick of string cheese - only had 1 left to divide between 2 children.

Cucumber slices - from the garden.

Broccoli florets - from the veggie drawer in the refrigerator.

Homemade applesauce - defrosted from the freezer.

Like I said before ... not everything is glamorous in our household, nor in our lunches. But balanced meals (albeit strange ingredients thrown together) ... yes.

So don't feel like you need to have uber creative or have a background in nutrition, in order for you to craft a fun lunch. Just look around your kitchen, and get to it!

List of T Foods

On Monday, I posted my Letter T Bento. Below is a thorough list of T foods, so that you can create your own T Lunch!

Breads/Grains:
Toast
Tortellini
Tortilla
Tortilla chips

Dairy:
Tallegio cheese (stinky smell, mellow taste)
Tillamook cheese
Toscana cheese (semi-hard, slightly sharp flavor) - one of my FAVS!

Desserts:
Taffy
Tapioca pudding
Tart
Tiramsu
Toblerone
Toffee
Tootsie roll
Trifle
Truffles
Twix candy bar

Fruits:
Tamarind
Tangelo
Tangerine
Tomato
Thimbleberry (similar to a raspberry)

Meats/Protein:
Tilapia
Tofu
Trout
Tuna
Turkey

Vegetables:
Taro veggie chips
Tempura vegetables
Tomatillo
Turnip greens
Turnips
Truffles (mushrooms)

Combos:
Tabboleuh
Taco
Tamale
Tostada
Teriyaki