Small sabbatical

Hello, my readers. I just want to let you know that I'm taking a little break from blogging. Everything's fine. It's just that sometimes life can get the best of you, and so I need to take some time to reprioritize and to rethink the focus of this blog. I've got some thoughts in the works. Just need some time to process and mull it over for a bit. Thanks for your patience.

In the meantime, leave a comment with some ideas that you would like to see me blog about. x2Ipi&4efI

Quick Bento

Last night, while I was packing the kids' lunches, I was reviewing the components that I wanted to add to the lunches - protein, fruit, veggie, grain, dairy. Lately, I've been giving them pbj sandwiches plus a veggie and a fruit, simply for sake of ease. But I had hard-boiled eggs on hand, so I thought I'd substitute that for the PB part of the sandwich.

Then I got to thinking: what should I put this hard-boiled egg in? A little container? A baggie? Nope, wouldn't work too well. Oh right, I have bento boxes. I haven't used them in so long, that I forgot I had them. A bento box is perfect!

And so my big kiddos ended up with a bento box full of good food:
* A hard-boiled egg, shelled and cut into sections
* Edamame, with the end snipped off, for quicker eating
* Carrot sticks
* Apple chunks, dipped in lemon juice to prevent browning
* Cheese stick, chunked
* Little package of oyster crackers on the side

This morning, when they were getting their lunches out of the frig, they were ecstatic that I had packed bento lunches. Just further proof that lunches don't have to be fancy, just delicious. And fun packaging doesn't hurt either. :)

Kids Food Adventure App

Trying new foods ... that can be a battle in some households. While our kids are not normally picky eaters, we have some guidelines set up in order to have them try new foods. Namely, we all (adults too) take a "no thank you" helping, the size of which depends upon age. A toddler gets a tablespoon or two, whereas an elementary-school-child received a serving-spoonful of the new food. This "no thank you helping":

(1) enables the child to try a small portion of a new food

(2) teaches the child how to politely eat what it put in front of them - a valuable skill for adulthood :)

For instance, SuperBoy likes strawberries on his oatmeal. He likes freeze-dried strawberries or fresh strawberries. However, this morning, all I had were dried strawberries. He dubiously consented to try a small amount (a "no thank you helping") mixed into his oatmeal, with the agreement that if he didn't like them, then I would give him a different type of fruit for tomorrow's oatmeal. Guess what ... not only did SuperBoy love them, but LoveBug noticed and asked for dried strawberries in tomorrow's oatmeal as well! But if I had never enforced the "no thank you helping", neither child would have discovered their love for dried strawberries ...

So this app takes some of the fight out of "trying new foods" battle. Plus adds in an element of fun AND learning. And the best part  ... it's free!

#1: The homepage. From this page on the app, you can access
     * Months - about 7 new foods per month
     * Stickers - child earns these by trying and rating foods (more to come on that)
     * Users - each child (and even you) has their own user id
     * Scores - shows the overall ratings of each child

#2: Edit your user id. Make an id and for each child (and even you!).

#3: Here's an overview of a month. May has 7 different foods to try, all of which should be in season.

#4: Oats is one of May's foods. Under each food, there is a write-up of facts and nutrition. I usually read this blurb at mealtime, while we are eating the new food.

#5: Each child is able to rate their own thoughts about the food - yummy, yucky or so-so

#6: This is the overall ratings of what the child thought of the foods they have tried.

By trying new foods, kids get to earn "stickers" (achievements) to collect - 1st food, 10th food, etc. And then there are stickers for each category ...

"I love Cheese" features tastes of feta, gouda, ricotta, manchego and gruyere.

"Far East" - smoked fish, lychee, tofu and edamame.

"Fall" category - brown rice, cranberry, mushrooms, pear and pumpkin.

Down on the Farm - broccoli, cauliflower, oats, parsnips and spinach.

Fishing - shrimp, salmon and sea bass.

A taste of French cuisine - asparagus, almond, camembert, green beans and olives - Bon appetit!

Grains - brown rice, barley, whole wheat pasta and bulgur wheat.

Dutch cuisine - gouda, cabbage, kale, peas and plain yogurt.
Greens - kale, spinach, cabbage and romaine.

Citrus - pineapple, grapefruit, blood orange and honey.
Greek - honey, lamb, feta and olives.

Italian foods - whole wheat pasta, fresh mozzarella, arugula, parmigiana region and sweet basil.

Protein category features: almonds, salmon, quinoa and cannellini beans.

The winter category features lentils, walnuts, scallops, polenta and sweet potato.
Seeds and nuts - flax seeds, almonds, sesame seeds, walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Tropics - mango, pineapple, avocado, papaya and kiwi fruit.

Americana - salmon, oats, cherries, blueberries and sweet potato.
Summer - mint, melons, blueberries, strawberries and summer squash.

Spring season consists of goat cheese, couscous, spinach and asparagus.

Daredevil - eggplant, mussels, blue cheese, olives and prunes.

Desert foods include: fresh figs, dates, couscous, chick peas and plain yogurt.

A Rainbow of foods includes beets, blood oranges, bell peppers, blueberries and pomegranate.

My ONLY peeve with this app (and it's a small, petty 'peeve') - There's a sticker for the 1st food, 10th food and 50th food. As we've seen, there are plenty of stickers for completing different categories, but it feels like there is a long time between the 1st and 10th foods and completing a category. My kids were a bit disappointed that they were not accumulating stickers quickly. But that is my ONLY downside to this awesome app.

I'd encourage you to give it a try. Especially since it's free!

What's the worst that can happen? It doesn't work out for your family.

What's the best scenario? Your child could learn to like a new food or too!

Writer's block and life

Hey y'all. Writer's block, plus a lack of sleep, is hindering my posts from being written. I'm in the (slow) process of concocting one right now, but you'll have to wait until Friday. But I promise it'll be good!

Here's a sneak peek: a fun, interactive, nutrition-knowledge-building way to get your kids to try new foods ...

Review of TJ's April Fearless Flyer

So here's our thoughts on the lunch items from Trader Joe's April Fearless Flyer:

* Chile Lime Chicken Burger. Hmm, well ... it had potential, but I don't think it followed through on its promise for deliciousness. The chile flavor came through in several bites, but I desperately wanted more lime. (I LOVE lime!) If you were just looking for a decent chicken burger, this one works. However, if you were hoping for a chile-lime-flavored chicken burger, you might want to look elsewhere.

* Iberico cheese. Trader Joe's describes this cheese as "A flavorful blend of cow, sheep and goat milk" from Spain." It reminds me of a soft Parmesan-tasting cheese. It was good, but since it's $9.99/#, I don't know that I'd go out and buy it often. I think I'll save my moola for TJ's smoked gouda - one of my favorites.

* Organic Sugar Snap Peas. Yum, yum, yum. Delicious, slightly sweet, crunchy. Get some.

* Freeze Dried Strawberries. These dried fruits are listed online, but I didn't see a Fearless Flyer sign in the store. However, I'm glad I picked them up, since my kids raved about them. In fact, LoveBug and SuperBoy asked for these bits o' fruit in their morning oatmeal.

* Just Mango Slices. Chewy yumminess. Pure fruit. Only problem ... My son just lost 4 teeth within the past few weeks, so the lack of teeth proved a little problematic against the chewiness of the dried mangoes. But he powered through. :)

* Multigrain Crackers. Oh wow. The taste of these little round crackers reminds me of a Wheat Thin crossed with a stone-ground wheat cracker. They are good! Definitely on my list of items to buy again.

Did you try any TJ's item recently? Post below and let me know.

Trader Joe's April Fearless Flyer

Trader Joe's just released the April Fearless Flyer, and oh boy, does it have some yummy-looking items advertised!

I chose several different items from the Fearless Flyer. Not only did I make a packed bento lunch ...

I also created a plated version of this lunch, in order to give those of you who work from home an idea of a healthy lunch as well.

Here are the items that I picked:
* Multigrain Crackers
* Just Mango Slices
* Freeze Dried Strawberries
* Iberico cheese
* Organic Sugar Snap Peas
* Chile Lime Chicken Burgers

Check back on Thursday to see our reviews of these foods.

We lost our dog this week

Please forgive my absenteeism. We lost our beloved Boxer this week.

I'll try to return to consistent blog posts again next week.

Announcing the winner of the Kids' Chopsticks!

Last week, y'all could enter to win this pair of kids' chopsticks ...

And the winner is ... Melanie!

Thanks to all for entering. Well, my parents are visiting this week, so I'm taking the week off to enjoy as much time with them as possible. Hope to be back again next week!

Kids Chopsticks and a Give-Away

Do you ever have a hard time eating with chopsticks? I certainly do sometimes. But you know what? There's a simpler way ... well, for kids at least. They are called "training chopsticks", and seriously ... they should come in adult sizes as well. :)

Why do I show you these on a lunch blog? Well, the other day, I was chatting with a friend of a 3-yr-old and she was explaining that while the food battle was getting better, it was still a struggle sometimes. After that conversation, I thought back to having preschoolers, and I realized that sometimes having fun utensils, interesting shapes or colorful dinnerware can make all the difference in the "Not Trying VS. Eating" food battle.

Chopsticks are great for eating so many different foods - noodles, salad, finger foods. Almost everything except soup!

A pair of kids' chopsticks is a great stepping stone to your own collection of fun kids eating utensils. SO ... I'm giving this pair away!

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

On Thursday, I'll choose a winner. Happy commenting!

Ps. Perhaps you find these chopsticks so adorable that you need to own a few pairs ... they were purchased from my very favorite online bento store - Bento USA. (I've also referred to them as "AllThingsForSale.com")

Post Holiday Lunches

In our house, we are not big on the preparing the traditional American Easter dinner of ham and all the fixings. Why? Because it's a lot of work, and because my husband is not an avid lover of ham. He doesn't mind it, but ham isn't his first choice of meat. So this year, we enjoyed Pike Place Clam Chowder in bread bowls. I didn't have to cook, and there was hardly any clean-up! A delicious decision!

Only problem ... there weren't any left-overs, and we were running on low on lunch foods, since I hadn't been to the store in a few days. What's a mom to do? Especially a mom with a LUNCH BLOG? I put together lunches with what was in the refrigerator.

So LoveBug, who adores celery, received left-over homemade pizza and celery sticks with a side of Tapatio hot sauce. (My kids insist on having burn-your-tongue hot sauce; it must be something they inherited from both my husband and my dad.)

And SuperBoy, who does not prefer celery, enjoyed a ham-and-tortilla roll-up with last cucumber slices that were in the refrigerator veggie drawer.

To round out the nutrition of their lunches, I also put a string cheese stick and a clementine into each of their lunch boxes.

What do you find yourself packing for a post-holiday lunch? Leave a comment below.

Ps. Tomorrow, I'm doing a give-away. Check back, and enter to win!

Review of Chopped Salad

Earlier in the week, I had posted my "recipe" for making the chopped salad that I was craving. So here is my review of my mason jar chopped salad.

While it was beautifully layered and full of delicious-tasting healthy food, it fell a bit flat. I think that the balsamic dressing was not as flavorful as I had hoped. Perhaps next time, I'll find a recipe and make my own.

What I did love: SO many good-for-me veggies, plus a bunch of protein (chicken, mozz and salami). And the croutons (kept separate in a snack baggie until lunchtime) added the perfect crunch.

So, this particular creation did not satisfy my craving for a tasty chopped salad. BUT that just means that I have to tinker with my "recipe" and dressing. Once I get it just right, I'll repost a delectable one. Watch for it sometime.

Frozen Cereal - April Fool's!

Last year, on April Fool's Day, I made my kids a breakfast of an sunny-side-up egg. Which was really a dollop of vanilla yogurt with an apricot half on top. Click on the link above to see their reactions. Heehee!

This year, I froze their cereal. Last night, I poured bowls of Cheerios and milk, sticking them in the freezer overnight. This morning, right before breakfast, I poured a bit of milk on top to cover the frozen bowl of milk-and-Cheerios.

As you can see, they were quite confused as to WHY they couldn't eat their Cheerios! Though SuperBoy was pretty determined to hack his way through breakfast.

Once we had a giggle, I gave them a fresh bowl of Cheerios with regular, refrigerated milk.

The Blooming Marshmallow Tree

Last year was the first Spring that our family had spent in our new place, and little did we know that we had a rare-blooming Marshmallow Tree in our front yard! In fact, it is SO rare-blooming, that it only happens once a year - on the first day of April.

Well, the weather has been unseasonable warm, and everything is blooming and leaf-ing (yup, I made that up) much earlier this year. The kids were a little concerned that the tree wouldn't bloom.

Surprise! It did. With ice-cream cone marshmallows. What a treat!

Chopped Salad. Mason Jar-style

We've been trying different pizza joints around the area, and several of them have a "chopped salad", which I'm loving! So I decided to reimagine that salad in a mason jar.
Lunches for the whole week, prepped and packed all at once.

Here's the beautifully-layered finished product.

I prepped all of my ingredients ahead of time, which makes assembly SO much easier and faster! For my chopped salad, I diced, chunked and chopped celery, chicken, red bell pepper, cucumbers, salami, mozzarella and iceberg lettuce.

Here's the order of layers in my chopped salad:

#1 - about 2 Tbs. of balsamic vinaigrette dressing into the bottom of my quart mason jar.

#2 - A small portion of chopped celery.

#3 - Diced red bell pepper.

#4 - Repeat with chopped onion.

#5 - I drained canned garbanzo beans, and added a few tablespoonfuls.

#6 - Cucumber chunks.

#7 - Baby spinach leaves.

#8 - Chopped iceberg lettuce.

#9 - Chunked, cooked chicken.

#10 - Chopped salami.

#11 - Mozzarella cubes.

#12 - Top with croutons.

However, if you include croutons in your mason jar salad and store it even for a short while, the croutons will get mushy, which defeats the point of croutons. Which is why I pack them in a snack baggie on the side, so that I can top each day's salad with crispy, crunchy, satisfying croutons. Yum.

Check back later in the week, and I'll give you my review of this salad.