10 New Ideas for Back to School Lunches

The back to school lunch menu....fresh ideas are always welcome, right?!  My kids aren't huge fans of sandwiches, so coming up with something healthy and full of protein to give them enough energy to get them through the afternoon is top on my list of things to search for.  Here's what I've come up with after searching online.......


#1 from Food Network.... Lemon Roasted Chicken Salad Wrap.  Full of flavor with chicken, Greek yogurt, cranberries, walnuts, Dijon, water chestnuts, tarragon and red onion.

#2, also from Food Network.... Cold Peanut Soba Noodles with Chicken with soba (buckwheat) noodles, edamame, green onion, cucumber, soy sauce, ginger, and rotisserie chicken, just to name a few of the ingredients.

#3 from Eating Well..... Strawberry Cream Cheese Sandwich.... quick and easy with just a few ingredients, honey included.

#4:  I have one child that's a "dipper", so when I saw this Zesty Bean Dip and Chips from Eating Well I thought it would a huge hit with lots of protein and it only takes 5 minutes to put together!

#5:  Pizza is another favorite in my house.  How pleasing does this look?!....  Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch by Eating Well.

#6:  BLT Pasta?!...YES please...by Real Simple

#7:  What kid doesn't enjoy Classic Chicken Soup ?  Thank you for the reminder...Real Simple.

#8:  Place this comfort food in a Thermos and I think my kids would be happy.... Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew by Real Simple.

#9:  Spiced Mini Burgers with Couscous Salad by Real Simple.  Burgers are always a hit in my house.

#10:  Pasta Salad with Salami and Mozzarella also by Real Simple.  Tossed with some chopped spinach and grape tomatoes....mouth watering.

What's YOUR child's fave lunch box specialty??  I'm always looking for new ideas.

All photos by Food Network, Eating Well and Real Simple.

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Inside Out Lasagna

This title is fitting for the current trip I'm on to Sparks, NV for the annual CA Farm Bureau annual meeting.  If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you then know some of the complications I've encountered while here.  Another complication has just popped up {although I'm not surprised}....I'm not able to upload my Sparks photos to a blog post, for who knows WHAT reason.  So I'll fill you in on the Sparks trip when I arrive home and for now, to go with what feels like my inside out, upside down trip, here's some Inside Out Lasagna...

Inside Out Lasagna

Photo by Eating Well

Here we take basic lasagna ingredients—ricotta cheese, pasta and tomatoes—and skip the layering and long baking time to make a super-quick and satisfying meal for the whole family. To cut down on prep time, look for presliced mushrooms. For meat lovers, brown some crumbled sausage along with the onions and garlic. Serve with: Steamed broccoli and whole-grain baguette.

4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each
Active Time: 25 minutes


Ingredients

8 ounces whole-wheat rotini or fusilli
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves cloves garlic, sliced
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
8 cups baby spinach (make sure this is dry}
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese


Preparation

1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

2.Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes.

3.Add tomatoes, spinach and crushed red pepper (if using). Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring once halfway through, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes.

4.Toss the sauce with the pasta and divide among 4 bowls. Dollop each serving with 3 tablespoons of ricotta.

NutritionPer serving: 364 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 14 mg cholesterol; 0 g added sugars; 16 g protein; 7 g fiber; 588 mg sodium; 786 mg potassium.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment, I love to hear from you!. Have a fantastic day!

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Tailgating ~ Southwestern Corn & Black Bean Salad

I'm a huge football fan....the 49ers are our hometown favorite and I'm actually taking my kids, along with my niece to the game on Sunday.  We'll be tailgating with one of Bryce and Paige's teachers, her family members are Pros at tailgating....they've had their season tickets since 1949, they know what they're doing, I'm sure of it.

To contribute to the tailgating party, I scanned some of my favorite online sites for some ideas on what to bring along with us.

Here is one of the contenders.......let me know what you think....

Photo by Eating Well


Southwestern Corn & Black Bean Salad

Make It a Meal: Scoop up this salad with warm corn tortillas.

4 servings, 2 cups each
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes


Ingredients

3 large ears of corn, husked
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
2 cups shredded red cabbage, (see Tip)
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup minced red onion


Preparation

1.Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add corn, cover and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife.

2.Meanwhile, place pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

3.Whisk lime juice, oil, cilantro, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the corn, pine nuts, beans, cabbage, tomato and onion; toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Tip: Convenient pre-shredded cabbage can be purchased, in bags, in the produce section of most supermarkets.

NutritionPer serving: 410 calories; 16 g fat (2 g sat, 8 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 57 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 16 g protein; 13 g fiber; 477 mg sodium; 537 mg potassium.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!

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Sick of Leftovers Yet?

It's been two days since the big Turkey Day.  Do you still have leftovers?  Are you getting a bit bored with turkey dinner, turkey sandwiches or turkey salads?  Apparently, you should only keep leftover turkey in the fridge for four days before discarding it or freezing it, so today is crunch time.  I searched one of my favorite online recipe sites, Eating Well, for a fresh idea that I could adapt to my own taste and came up with Turkey Tostadas.

Crispy Turkey Tostadas

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, Mexican seasoned with jalapeños
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cups shredded cooked turkey, {or chicken}
8 corn tortillas
Canola or olive oil cooking spray
1 avocado, pitted
1/4 cup prepared salsa
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded low calorie, Monterey Jack cheese
Kosher salt, just a pinch or two


Preparation

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375°F.  If you prefer to have soft tacos, just heat your corn tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds instead.

Bring tomatoes and their juice to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Add turkey {or chicken} and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, coat tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. Divide the tortillas between 2 large baking sheets. Bake, turning once, until crisped and lightly brown, about 10 minutes.

Mash avocado in a bowl. Stir in salsa, sour cream and cilantro and salt to taste, until combined.
To assemble tostadas, spread each crisped tortilla with some of the avocado mixture. Top with the turkey {or chicken} mixture, lettuce and cheese.

Health Tip:  all leftover turkey should be heated to 160 degrees to be safe!

Serve with black beans and some rice and enjoy!

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway!  Winner will get a Taste Box of gourmet goodies!

Happy Saturday!


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Fall Sky & Fall Pear & Red Onion Gratin

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, fall is my favorite season.  There are many reasons I can think of to enjoy it, one of them being, the evening sky we are presented with when the wispy clouds find there way into our skies above.

No words necessary.  Just the beauty to view.

Another favorite of fall for me, is all of the harvest foods waiting to be prepared and enjoyed.  I was scanning the internet for some fresh, new Thanksgiving Day recipes to try out for this year and I came across this delicious looking Pear and Onion Gratin and wanted to share it with you.  It involves fall pears and sweet red onions.  Need I say more?

I can see this dish accompanying a pork roast tenderloin for a nice harvest meal.

Photo by Eating Well

Fall Inspired Pear and Red Onion Gratin

8 servings

Ingredients
1 large red onion
3 ripe Bosc pears
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (see Note)
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation
1. Fill a large bowl three-quarters full with water; add a handful of ice cubes. Cut onion into 16 wedges, place in a strainer and lower into the water. Let stand for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F.

3. Halve and core each pear; cut each half into 6 slices. Drain the onion wedges well and place them in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish along with the pear slices, 1 tablespoon oil, thyme, salt and a grinding of pepper; toss to combine. Cover with foil.

4. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

5. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil; stir to combine. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the gratin, return to the oven and roast until the breadcrumbs are well browned, 20 to 30 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipes you might enjoy:

Maple Chili Glazed Pork Medallions
Grilled Thai Tenderloin Cutlets

Happy Thursday!

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Freestalls & Taco Thursday

What are freestall barns you ask? They're our dairy cow's own, personal sand beds.  Just as we I like to lay on a sandy beach, cows like to lay in the sand, under shade, in the comfort of their barn. Our freestall barns have a roof overhead and are open all around for great ventilation and fresh air.    Our cows are able to walk around and choose their own bed at their own free will (hence the name 'freestall').  During the day, the 'girls' are outside where they are fed throughout the summer.....at the outdoor manger. 

The barns are cleaned daily and more sand is brought in every 4 weeks or so.  The girls poop in the isle of the barn (usually not the sand) and the barn is scraped out with a tractor.  Cows are very leisure animals.  They like to rest up to 14 hours a day with up to 3-8 of those hours sleeping.

I wanted to snap a photo of our freestall barn while the cows were outside, to show you all.

But I turn around and what did I find?  Most of them wanted back into the barn....they LOVE their barn!  So I opened the gates and they all came walking in.

If it's hot outside, we leave the barn gates open all day long and the cows can come and go as they please.

This is where one of their outdoor feeding mangers is.  There were still a few stragglers that preferred to be outside.  This is the area that the dry cows (cows that are not milking) hang out as well. 

I'm not sure why most of them wanted in today, it certainly wasn't hot out, only 73 degrees and pretty breezy- as it always is.

We wear ponytails or hats quite often to keep hair from flying about, but not today..

 It's TACO Thursday!

I found this Taco Salad recipe on Eating Well and it looked SO good, I wanted to share with you.

                      photo by Eating Well

Ingredients

1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
2 large plum tomatoes, diced
1 14-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese


Preparation

1.Combine salsa and sour cream in a large bowl.

2.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add turkey and cook, stirring often and crumbling with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, cumin and chili powder; cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in cilantro and 1/4 cup of the salsa mixture.

3.Add lettuce to the remaining salsa mixture in the bowl; toss to coat. To serve, divide the lettuce among 4 plates, top with the turkey mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Nutrition

Per serving: 361 calories; 16 g fat (6 g sat, 1 g mono); 86 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 10 g fiber; 583 mg sodium; 718 mg potassium.



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An Afternoon at the Birthing Barn & Banana Layer Cake

The kids and I were at the birthing barn while Dominic was feeding the calves the other day.  It's fun to visit the barn, the kids love feeding the calves their alfalfa and letting the calves suck their fingers.  I never know what kind of photos I might be able to get.  Here I snapped a photo of a baby calf and her mamma, that I wanted to share with you.  The calf is having a little snack from her mom.

Speaking of milk......

Check out this Eating Well recipe for Banana Cream Layer Cake.  Doesn't it look delicious?  It's hard to believe this cake has only 300 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat per slice!  The cake is made with buttermilk and the fluffy cream is made low fat by combining nonfat milk with whipping cream.

Photo from Eating Well

Cake Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas, (about 3), plus 2 whole bananas, divided
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Ingredient Note)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bavarian Cream
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream


Preparation

1.To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with wax paper or parchment paper.

2.Whisk eggs, 1 cup sugar and oil in a large bowl. Stir in mashed bananas, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add to the banana mixture and fold in just until blended. Divide the batter between the pans.

3.Bake the cake until the tops spring back when touched lightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

4.To prepare Bavarian cream: Place milk in a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over the milk and let stand for 1 minute to soften. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the gelatin. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and transfer to a medium bowl. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of raw egg whites, 40 to 45 minutes.

5.Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Whisk one-third of the whipped cream into the milk mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate until set and thickened to the consistency of whipped cream again, about 1 hour.

6.To assemble cake: Shortly before serving, place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and spread half the Bavarian cream over it. Peel and slice the remaining bananas; arrange half the slices evenly over the cream. Top with the second cake layer. Spread the remaining cream over the cake and arrange the remaining banana slices decoratively over the top.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3. Wrap the cooled layers in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Available in large supermarkets and in natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.

Nutrition

Per serving: 300 calories; 11 g fat (3 g sat, 5 g mono); 47 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 3 g fiber; 229 mg sodium; 204 mg potassium.

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I Have a Craving!

Spin class at Rolling Hills Club kicked my behind this morning.  Maybe that is what's triggered my unstoppable craving for chocolate!  Or maybe, the mere fact that I worked out today justifies a sweet treat somewhere in my crazy mind.  Whatever the reason......I want chocolate and I want it NOW!

I wanted to find something to both satisfy my craving and stay somewhat healthy.  It's all about moderation, right?  So I went to my 'go to' site for healthy recipes, Eating Well, for the answer.  This looks like it's going to hit the spot.......What do you think?

Grilled Dark Chocolate Sandwich

Photo by EatingWell

 

Both simpler and more decadent than a chocolate croissant, a grilled chocolate sandwich is a marriage of bread and chocolate in which the two components are evenly matched.  What can be better than bread and chocolate?....two of my favorite things......okay, a glass of Zin would go nicely in the mix as well.

Ingredients
1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices thin whole-wheat or white sandwich bread
3 tablespoons bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate like I enjoy)
2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts, (optional)


Preparation
1.  Heat evaporated milk just until boiling. Add chocolate, let stand for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly.

2.  Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Divide the chocolate mixture on the unbuttered side of 4 slices, leaving a little border. Press chocolate chips and nuts, if using, into the chocolate. Cover with the remaining slices of bread, buttered-side up, and press lightly.

3.  Cook the sandwiches in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over, press with a spatula, and cook until nicely browned and the chocolate is barely melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve warm.

Nutrition
Per serving: 151 calories; 7 g fat (4 g sat, 1 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 131 mg sodium; 28 mg potassium.


What do you do to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings?  Give in, try to stay healthy, or abstain all together?

Happy Friday!  Cheers! Pin It