Thanksgiving Left-Overs

Ah yes, Turkey Day is over, but your left-overs might not be over. Personally, my family ADORES left-overs. Usually, I roast a HUGE turkey (about 20-22#), so that we have plenty of left-overs for turkey sandwiches and turkey noodle soup. But this time, I gladly let my mom-in-love cook a few turkey breasts in a crockpot; it turned out great- I didn't know you could do that! But the downside is that we don't have many left-overs. But if you do, here's a tip ... pack them up for a to-go lunch!

This lunch depends on what left-overs you have in your frig. Here is what I had around:
* Broccoli - on Thanksgiving, I roasted it (400-degrees for 20 minutes), but for the lunch, I left it crunchy and raw.
* Turkey - of course! Sliced and ready for nibbling.
* Cranberry-Orange Sauce - by Tyler Florence. It's SO easy to make! Delicious hot or cold. Can you tell I LOVE this recipe? I made it 3x in the past 2 weeks.
* Cheesy Mashed Potato Puffs - a great way to make-over left-over mashed potatoes.
* Black olives - the perfect accessory for fingers. Have you ever tried it? It's much more fun that way.
* Slice of sourdough baguette

Pack a cute, little pick or fork, and tada ... Thanksgiving Left-Overs lunch is served!

I bought a Bynto Lunchbox

Dear readers -
So sorry that life caught up with me again, and therefore I haven't been able to post recently. My kids have no school for the entire Thanksgiving week, due to parent-teacher conferences and Thanksgiving, obviously. And while I truly enjoy being with my kiddos, any semeblance of schedule goes right out the window. This week, we have conquered 1 housecleaning (someone else's), 2 parent-teacher conferences, a doctor's appointment, a trip downtown to the library, and a visit to have hot chocolate with Daddy at his work, all the while dealing with sibling quarrels (yes, my kids do that too), teachable moments, and of course lots of snuggles and book-readings. It's been a full week, in the past 2 days.

But here I am ... back to giving you some yummy lunchtime ideas ...

I wanted to show you the treasures that I found at a local kids' consignment event. 2 Goodbye Bynto Lunchboxes and drink boxes! A pink one for LoveBug and a blue one for SuperBoy! $6.50 for each box and drink container. On Amazon, they retail from $15+. On the Goodbyn website, it seems that the prices begin at $9+, without shipping and handling.

I tested these cute Bynto boxes, and they seem to work well. You definitely have to snap the lid down tightly around each compartment; that's a must. Also, they didn't come with a bag ($20 on Amazon), and since they are shaped differently than other lunch boxes, I didn't have a way to send them to school with the kids. Good thing that they had no school this week! It was a perfect pre-packed, stay-at-home lunch or put-in-the-cooler, in-the-car lunch. Eventually, I'll get a lunch sleeve bag, and let you know how it goes. Baby steps. :)

Due to Thanksgiving, there will be no post from me for the rest of the week. But early next week, look for a post on how to repurpose Thanksgiving left-overs into a tasty lunch!

Turkey Noodle Soup To-Go

Our family loves Thanksgiving, with one of the best parts being turkey dinner left-overs. I have had a turkey in the deep freezer since last year, so we decided to brine & cook it up for an early Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, who says you can't have more than one Thanksgiving dinner in November, right?

After the meal, my hubby and I picked the turkey bones clean (gross), and then I make my grandma's turkey bone broth. (Basically, browning the bones in the oven, and then simmering on the stovetop, together with celery, onions and water for a few hours.) Then, to make Turkey Noodle Soup, I add egg noodles, left-over turkey, canned corn and chopped, hard-boiled egg. Serve with bread and a side veggie - perfect chilly weather meal!

I know that I've made a "hit" for dinner, when one kiddo requests it for lunch the next day, and then the other child chimes in, "Oh, me too!"

But how in the world am I supposed to pack soup for a school time lunch?
Thermos Funtainer Food Jar.

It supposedly keeps food hot for several hours. (SuperBoy did say that his lunch was still hot at lunchtime.) And I LOVE the seal on this thing; no leaks in the lunchbox.

They are not cheap, but Thermos is a trusted brand, and I would highly recommend this brand. You can find Thermos Funtainers on Amazon or in your local Target store.

Dinnertime left-overs for lunch the next day? That just opens the door to so many more lunchtime possibilities!

And the winner of the Panda Bento Box is ...

And the winner of the Panda Bento Box is ... Christy! Congrats!

May you enjoy packing creative lunches in this cute bento box for your sweet son.!

Watch for other give-aways coming up!

A Bento Box Give-Away

This morning, my daughter peeked into her lunchbag and asked "Is today a bento lunch?" Apparently, according to my kiddos, I haven't packed in 'a loooonng time", and they are going through bento withdrawal. I will be trying to pack one up for tomorrow's lunch. :)

In honor of their request for a bento lunch, I am doing my first give-away! It's a cute panda-themed, 520-ml bento box, with a snap-close lid. Perfect for a adult's healthy snack, or a lunch for a child (ages 5-8).

How do you enter? Leave a comment below, telling me
(1) Either which blog post has inspired you the most
(2) Or what type of lunch would you like to see featured on my blog

On Thursday at 5pm PST, I'll choose a winner, and post the results by Thursday evening or Friday morning. Happy commenting!

Review: Healthier Cobb Salad in a Mason Jar

So I promised my review on my Healthier Cobb Salad in a Mason Jar. Here it is ... Oh yum!

The extra veggies made the salad that much more crisp and crunchy. The chopped, hard-boiled egg and a sprinkle of bacon were the perfect amount of protein! The feta cheese, instead of Bleu cheese, was delightful.

And the best parts? I discovered that the Hidden Valley ranch that I was using...
(1) Was a light dressing, and you couldn't even taste the difference.
AND
(2) I didn't need all of the 2 Tablespoons of dressing that I put into the mason jar. Next time, I would probably stick with 1 Tablespoon, because I could always add more, if necessary.

Mason Jar Salad: A Healthier Cobb Salad

One of my favorite salads is a Cobb Salad, which traditionally consists of iceberg lettuce, onion and tomatoes as the veggie portion. It is then topped with tons of protein - chicken, hard-boiled egg, bacon, sometimes even ham and turkey. Plus then there's the fats - avocado (yum!), Bleu cheese and a creamy dressing. While this salad is not a bad thing on an occasional basis (all things in moderation), I couldn't justify eating this deliciousness for lunch ALL week. So, I healthified it a bit ...

First, the dressing - I picked Hidden Valley ranch dressing, which is - in my opinion - the best ranch dressing ever. Sometimes, you can't skimp on the good stuff.

Next, a hearty vegetable, though actually it's a fruit - cherry tomatoes.

Topped with broccoli florets. Not normally in a Cobb Salad, but I wanted to add more veggies.

Some sliced carrots. Again, not in a traditional Cobb salad, but a great addition to my healthified Cobb salad.

Iceberg lettuce salad mix - a traditional Cobb salad ingredient.

Baby spinach leaves - a healthified ingredient. Yummy!

Topped with chopped hard-boiled egg and chopped bacon. Normal Cobb salad ingredients, but in reasonable amounts.

Lastly, since I don't like Bleu cheese, I added crumbles of feta cheese to top off my delicious, healthified Cobb salad. On Thursday, I'll share my review about this yumminess.