LUNCHBOX FOR TEENS 09/13/2012

I was told last night "I think you spend more time on their lunch than on breakfast and dinner combined".  Lunch is sometimes using your creativity and I just enjoy cooking and putting things together.  Now, don't get me wrong, there are days I just don't want to do it and on those days the poor little girls get either whatever they pack or sandwiches, cheeseits, and fruit.  Today is not one of those days.  I, of course, prepared these last night.  Mornings are used to wake up and drink coffee...no time to make lunches.  Today's lunch is pretty darn good.  I ate one last night and they are wonderful.
Here's what they are having today:
Baked Cheddar-Broccoli Rice Cups - recipe found on pinterest and here: http://fountainavenuekitchen.com/baked-cheddar-broccoli-rice-cups/
watermelon and cantaloup
chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookies - recipe found here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/08/chocolate-chip-banana-oatmeal-cookies.html - I halved the flour with whole wheat flour and the sugar with splenda.  I also used 2 bananas instead of just one...had LOTS of bananas on hand.

 

UPDATE:  This was just ok...one said there was not enough cheese and they both said it would be ALOT better warm.  Not for a cold lunchbox.

LUNCHBOX FOR TEENS 09/12/2012

I'm just a little tired this morning.  Sons of Anarchy started last night and didn't end until 10:30, so I didn't get to sleep until after 11pm.  That is way past my bedtime :).  So, today I am a little fuzzy and the coffee is not working.  The Rangers did win though, so that is making me smile instead of the fuzziness.  I spent a little more time on lunch last night than I really wanted to.  When I actually go in to work, that is 3 hours of commute on top of my 8 hours of work.  I'm usually gone from 7:30am to 6 or 6:30pm.  I should have just thrown some sandwiches together with some cheeseits and grapes, but no, I didn't want to disappoint the rotten girls :).  So, I did this instead:

english muffin pizzas - whole wheat english muffins, spaghetti sauce, motzerella cheese, pepperoni
banana pudding - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/not-yo-mamas-banana-pudding-recipe/index.html
pasta salad - added grape tomatoes and fresh bell pepper to boxed pasta salad mix
grapes

 

UPDATE:  one girl LOVED this.  The other one did not like the pizzas on English muffins but LOVED everything else except I was asked to not put grapes in with the banana pudding.  I will try these pizza bites on thin bagels.

RECIPE REVIEW - CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS

Thought I would try something out of the ordinary for our household.  I had some carrots and celery that we needed to use up, so this one came up.  I found the recipe on pinterest and here: http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-and-cornmeal-dumplings/ .  I added bell pepper that I got from the farmers market to it.  It did have a good flavor and my teen girls liked it, but my sweety and I decided it needed something.  It was a little bland and we are used to pretty big flavor.  The cornmeal dumplings really need a little something added to them.  They really had no flavor.  I think if some sugar and a little salt or chili peppers would make it more interesting.  Also, the chicken soup part needs some green tabasco or chilis or maybe some rotel to give it a little extra flavor.  I still had about 2 cups left over and decided the dogs would love it mixed with their dogfood today.  It won't go to waste, but not really worth the time to put up know it would not get reheated as leftovers or lunch.

LUNCHBOX FOR TEENS 09/11/2012

I just cannot get going this morning.  The coffee is NOT working.  I have to actually go in to work today and I am not looking forward to it.  The lunch I made for the girls today is kind of mismatched and a little boring but not only did I work yesterday, but also had to take my youngest for her yearly check up, grocery shop, finish putting up the bananas, put dinner together in the crockpot, and watch the Hunger Games with the family.  No wonder I'm tired.
Here is what the girls get today:

Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich with White whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter and sugar free grape jelly (was going to try to make the rollups but was sidetracked by the movie playing and forgot to flatten the bread.  Rolling it up was not working with the bread not flattened :)
Ritz bits
Dinner salad with honey mustard dressing
Low fat low sugar banana pudding (2 small boxes sugar free french vanilla pudding, 2 cups milk, 1 cup vanilla greek yogurt.  use mixer to mix until smooth.  in another bowl mix together 1 8oz low fat cream cheese and 1 can low fat sweetened condensed milk.  Mix until smooth then fold in sugar free Cool Whip.  Add to pudding mixture and mix until combined.  In a 9x13 pan layer vanilla wafers in bottom then top with a banana.  poor half the mixture on top and then top with another layer of vanilla wafers and bananas.  poor the rest of the pudding mixture and top with vanilla wafers...I used low fat vanilla wafers.)

 

UPDATE:  I was afraid they would not like the honey mustard dressing.  Eryn only likes ranch and Reygan only likes zesty italian, however, they both loved the dressing.  They liked the lunch but not really the spicy ritz bitz.

LUNCHBOX FOR TEENS 09/10/2012

What a weekend.  I have been working up bananas for 2 days.  40 pounds of bananas is more than I thought.  I made honey banana walnut bread.  Banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (great cookies.  Used splenda blend brown sugar and wheat flour for half of the flour.  The girls LOVE them.)  Banana pancakes this morning. And Nutella banana freezer pops.  Today I'm making peanut butter chocolate covered bananas to put in the freezer.  I froze more than 20 pounds of the bananas for the holidays. 

Today's lunch looks good to me and my daughters are excited. 
taco quesadillas (used left over taco meat that I had frozen, grilled onions and bell peppers, refried black beans, and cheese on whole wheat flour tortillas)
fresh guacamole (roasted tomato salsa, lime juice, garlic powder, and cumin mashed together with avacados)
fresh crockpot peach cobler (found the recipe on pinterest and here: http://mykindofcooking.blogspot.com/2011/07/slow-cooker-cherry-dump-dessert.html .  This recipe calls for cherry pie filling but I used about a quart + of peaches that I had frozen.  I also used sugar free cake mix and added about 2 tsp of cinnamon on top.  My sweety LOVED it and it is now gone after only 24 hours.  We usually cook this on the second night of camping in the Dutch over.)

 

UPDATE:  this is one of the girls favorites.  They loved everything.  Reygan did say the peach cobler was a little too sweet...holy cow...never heard her say anything was too sweet.

RECIPE REVIEW - EASY SLOW-COOKER JAMBALAYA

Today was a great day at Waxahachie Bible Church.  I love my new ladies class...been going to Church all my life but there are still alot of things to learn and I did that today.  We also had an amazing speaker for our 9/11 memorial service.  Brian Birdwell is a Texas State Senator who was in the Pentagon when the plan crashed into it.  Not only was he in the building, but within yards of the darn plane.  He was coming out of the restroom in the same hall the right wing went in to.  He was pretty much burned alive.  See his story on I Am Second: http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/brian-birdwell/ . 
To top it off, when I got home, lunch was ready.  All I had to do was throw in the rice.  We had slow-cooker Jambalaya...recipe found on Pinterest and here:  http://www.americanfamily.com/recipes/easy-slow-cooker-jambalaya/43136 .  The flavor was great.  I used fresh tomatoes and canned fresh tomatoes.  I also used red and yellow bell peppers I bought from the farmers market yesterday.  Everything came together wonderfully.  I, personally like a little more tomatoes, but my sweetheart said it was perfect the way it was.
Still working on the bananas.  The honey walnut banana bread was wonderful.  It is so moist. 
This is of the Jambalaya without the rice.

BANANAS AND VANILLA

Today we went to the Dallas Farmers market for some fresh herbs, tomatoes, and whole allspice.  We ended up coming home with 40 pounds of "ripe" bananas.  40 pounds for only $8.00.  My plan for Christmas this year was homemade baked goods and vanilla...so this takes care of half of that plan and then some.  I am freezing more than half of them but I have already started the bread making.  Honey Walnut banana bread in the oven right now.  I found the recipe on (of course) Pinterest and here: http://picturetherecipe.com/index.php/recipes/honey-walnut-banana-bread/ .  Next is Nutella ice cream (recipe found here: http://www.rumkihn.com/2011/11/nutella-ice-cream.html and Pinterest), then Low Calorie banana nut muffins and tomorrow banana pudding.  The bananas were no where near too ripe and are still good to eat right now.  I was so excited...still am but working them up is more tedious than I imagined. 
Here are my bananas:

Here is my banana bread:

I also made my vanilla.  I received the vanilla beans from Olive Nation and they are wonderful.  I ordered them from Amazon.com and received them 4 days later.  Also, they are only $27 for over 50 pods.  The farmers market had them 3 for $9...wow!  My vodka was only $5.49 for a 5th.  I only used half of the vanilla beans in 2 bottles of vodka...so, that makes it $24.50 for 2, 750ml of pure vanilla which is about 51 oz.  I just bought 2 oz for $4...I believe that's a huge savings of $75 and better vanilla.  I cannot wait until it is done...yum.  I also put some vanilla beans in my sugar.  The recipe for vanilla is 15 vanilla pods per 5th of vodka.  Slit the vanilla beans down the middle and place in vodka bottles.  Let sit in a cool, dark place for 1-6 months...the longer the better.