Citrus-Asian Slaw

Another slaw recipe from Weight Watchers that is delicious and uses up our CSA veggies nicely. Yes, this is the same picture of produce from my last slaw recipe, but I promise the resulting taste is different. Bonus: this recipe also uses jalapeños AND it specifically calls for radishes (which I added in extra to the last recipe). Add some sliced chicken or cooked shrimp on top for a crunchy salad lunch!

Citrus-Asian Slaw
~Weight Watchers

• 2 c. shredded carrots (white or orange)
• 2 c. shredded cabbage (red or green)
• 1 c. sliced fresh radishes (or less--use what you have!)
• 1 c. jicama, shredded or cut into matchsticks (cucumber makes a fantastic sub)
• 1/3 c. minced scallions or red onion (or even white!)
• 3 T. minced leaves--this is a lot, so leave out if you're not a mint fan
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced (or other hot peppers)
• 2 T. orange marmalade
• 4 t. rice wine vinegar
• 2 t. toasted sesame oil
• 2 T. sesame seeds, toasted

1. Combine carrots through jalapeños. 
2. Combine marmalade through seeds. Pour dressing over slaw mix.
3. Eat right away or store up to a few hours (cabbage will soften slightly as it sits--which might make this more appealing to tentative cabbage eaters).

~Serves 4-6 as a side dish; 2-3 as a main topped with chicken/shrimp

Zucchini Pizzas

This is a "pizza" that the Colvins introduced us to the first year we joined their CSA. It's a fun lunch for kids, and it's a great way to introduce zucchini. I'll admit that this year, my kids weren't as gung-ho about these, but in the past, they've gobbled them up with nary a second thought about the "crust." Perhaps they're onto me and my wily ways with vegetables. Hmm.... I'm sure you can make these with regular ol' zucchini, but we use the 8-ball (round) ones from the Colvins. There's a video of Val (the farmer's wife) making these that I need to track down. But for now, here is the way I make them and some pictures....  (these zucchini haven't been in our shareholder boxes yet, but I'm sure they will be soon! And, in the meantime, it helps having friends like Isaac :-))

Zucchini Pizzas

• 1/4-inch thick horizontal slices of 8-ball zucchinis
• pizza sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• mini pepperonis
• olive oil

1.  Lay zucchini slices on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and let sit while you get the rest of the ingredients ready and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
   
2. Pat zucchini slices dry with a paper towel, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a touch of salt, and bake at 450 degrees until they look a tiny bit shriveled/dry. (sorry--I didn't time this!)
   
3. Spread with pizza sauce, top with cheese and pepperonis, and pop back in the oven until the cheese melts.
   
4. Enjoy!

Pizza with Squash, Arugula, and Rosemary

OK, I'll admit right off that we didn't have any arugula for this delicious pizza (hint, hint, Colvins :-) ). And, secondly, this is not really a way to use up squash so much as it's a way to entice your kids to try it. You will need very little for the pizza. But this is delicious and different from the usual pizza fare.

Pizza with Squash, Arugula, and Rosemary
~inspired by one from Food & Wine

• 1 pizza crust, homemade or storebought
• 2 oz. thinly sliced summer squash (~1/3 cup?)
• handful arugula
• 2 t. fresh rosemary
• Parmesan cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• crushed red pepper flakes
• sea salt

1. Prebake the crust slightly if it's homemade.
2. Finely shred Parmesan cheese over the whole crust--you want a decent coating here.
3. Lay squash slices around on top of Parmesan.
4. Sprinkle rosemary generously around on top of squash.
5. Shred mozzarella over top of rosemary/squash.
6. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and a touch of salt.
7. Add arugula, if using, on top.
8. Bake at 450 degrees until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Enjoy!

Kentucky Hot Browns

We had a long-standing Derby Day party with our neighbors every year (until they moved away... sniff sniff). Originally, we got together to watch the Kentucky Derby as an excuse to try mint juleps. Yum! We discovered we liked them, and the annual event grew each year until we had Kentucky Hot Browns and Derby Pie along with our juleps. Forget Cinco de Mayo! Try this easy sandwich this weekend and tune into the Derby for two minutes of horse-riding excitement and fame. Wear a big hat just for fun.

Kentucky Hot Browns
~from Southern Living

• 4 pieces Texas toast or other thick white bread
• 3/4 pound sliced roasted turkey (can use good quality deli meat)
• 1/2 c. butter*
• 1/3 c. flour*
• 3 1/2 c. milk*
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese*
• 1/4 t. salt*
• 1/4 t. pepper*
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 plum tomatoes sliced or diced
• 8 bacon slices, cooked

*These ingredients are to make a basic white sauce with cheese (Mornay sauce). You can also use a recipe you already know/like or add cheese to my Microwave Bechamel Sauce. Directions for the Southern Living Mornay sauce here: Melt butter in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

1. Preheat broiler with rack 6 inches from heat. Toast bread 1-2 minutes on each side.
2. Arrange bread on broiler safe pan or in individual broiler-safe dishes. Top with turkey. Pour Mornay sauce over and sprinkle extra cheese on top. Broil 3-4 minutes or until bubbly and light brown.
3. Top with chopped tomatoes and bacon slices.
4. Eat immediately.

~Serves 4

PB&J: It's What's for Lunch... (Part 5)

 photo from cars & cake

We're at the end of our week looking at school lunches. Maybe you don't hate packing them like I do. Maybe you don't need the structure of a routine. Maybe you don't have the need for a subscription meal plan like emeals (my review) or Fresh20 for something as humdrum as lunch.

But perhaps you still need a bit of inspiration now and then. After all, even the most diehard peanut butter and jelly fans might appreciate a break now and then.

So, here is some online inspiration for you. Most of the sites listed below use containers similar to the ones my family uses (see the first link for a picture of what we use, too; they are MUCH cheaper than the "bento box" or "easy lunchbox" variety--look for them in your local grocery store); in addition, lots of these ideas can be made with leftovers and/or prepped while you're also doing dinner (i.e. cook some extra broccoli or whatever). I, for one, do not have time to prep darling little cute lunch boxes for my children all the time (hence the menu subscription plan), but these are fun to browse through for new ideas:

• 100 Days of Real Food: blog which took a vow to eat only "real food" for 100 days. She chronicles her daughter's lunch via photography. I'm intrigued by those apple-peanut-butter sandwiches. Mmmm. (We use these same ziploc containers, by the way, and love them!!)
• Lunch in a Box: Bento box recipes (and explanations of bento boxes--which are similar to the lunch containers we use). These are not just Asian recipes (although those predominate the bento world).
• Bento Box Ideas on Pinterest: a short board on Pinterest with some nice-looking ideas!
• Parenting Magazine weighs in on the bento craze
• Adventures in Bento Making (how could you resist one of these super cute little lunches??)
• What's for Lunch at Our House (more bento boxes)
• Easy Lunchboxes Photo Gallery: these lunch containers are also similar to ours; lots of photos to scroll through for ideas!
• Pinterest School Lunch Boards: LOTS of boards devoted to this agonizing duty--just in case you want to wile away several hours looking at pictures of cute, healthy school lunches instead of actually making some ☺

PB&J: It's What's For Lunch... (Part 4)

photo from Fresh20 website


So far this week, I've lamented having to prepare school lunches, described a possible school lunch routine, and then introduced subscription meal plans--yesterday, I covered our experience with emeals. Today... the Fresh20.

The Fresh20 Lunch Plan: I like the idea of this one the best, even though emeals is a better fit for us right now.

• The quick and dirty: a 6-week lunch menu all at once; each week features a well-laid out menu, shopping list, make ahead items, and assembly directions. The Fresh20 is based on the idea that you have 20 basic staples at home and buy 20 fresh ingredients/week at the store. Ingredients are seasonal, and you use them up throughout the week since you work with the same ingredients all week. Definitely a logical, cost-effective approach. Meals serve 2.
• What I like: Whole foods, seasonal eating, sensible portions, the simple grocery list, lots of produce. I also like how well laid out the directions are.
• What I don't like: It's a touch more time-consuming than the emeals one. Not much, but sometimes, a touch is too much. You could certainly buy things like pesto or polenta instead of make your own; not as strictly whole foods, but hey. Many of the meals are hot meals, though, and are a bit more exotic/not traditional school lunch ideas. This is okay if you have access to a microwave, but many school kids don't. If you have picky eaters, this may not be the plan for you (obviously, as mentioned, it includes things like polenta). Note: as with emeals, portions might not be enough for very active children (esp those in middle/high school).
• How it works for us: I used this plan exclusively one week and ran into trouble--nothing was terribly picnic friendly, which we needed one day. The plan has potential, and I'll probably keep these 6-weeks to use alternately with some of my emeals ones.

PB&J: It's What's For Lunch... (part 3)

I've confessed how much I hate making school lunches and commented on a solution (routine) that hasn't worked well for me this year. Today, I'll share with you my latest solution. It's embarrassing, though, that I'm this "over" packing lunches when my kids are only in kindergarten and first grade! Perhaps that's the very reason it's so depressing... Twelve more years of this (except that I'm already training them how to make their own lunches).

A quick recap of my family's lunchtime needs: three mornings/week, my children are in a university model school at which they eat a large snack/light lunch around 10 or 10:30 in the morning. We then eat a light lunch/large snack when we get home from school at around 1:00. The other two days, we're home and just eat one main lunch.

I'm now trying a lunch-menu subscription service that tells me what to make AND what to buy. Do I adapt these to my family's needs? Absolutely. Is it easier than thinking it up on my own? Definitely. I use these more for the light meals that we actually eat at home, but knowing that they're fairly balanced frees me up to pack something easy for the school portion. This also saves me from having to figure out lunch on the days we're doing the homeschool portion at... you guessed it... home. I already have a plan and don't have to stop to plan.

If you're like me, you might want to consider one of these services. Today, I'll give an overview of the emeals Lunch Plan which we've tried for a few weeks now. Tomorrow, I'll feature a lesser known lunch plan which we've also tried.

emeals Lunch Plan: The best fit for our family right now.

• The quick and dirty: A download link available weekly for the length of the subscription (we did 3 months--I can definitely repeat after that!). Menu plus grocery list. Meals serve 4.
• What I like: It's very kid-friendly while still remaining reasonably healthy. It's also very affordable (most ingredients can be bought or easily subbed at Aldi) and doable--my kids can help me make a number of these items. Portion sizes also seem mostly appropriate although we don't eat as much meat on our sandwiches....
• What I don't like: Not much. It's not quite as healthy as it could be, but overall it looks pretty good--lots of fruits/veggies (or easy to supplement). Every now and then, I feel like I need to add something, but this is rare. There is usually a fruit and a starchy side (like rice cakes) on the days that there are sandwiches; I don't normally serve a starchy side AND a sandwich on bread, so I send that starchy option with the packed lunch at school. Note: if you have older kids (middle school and up), especially if they're playing sports, you might have to add in more calories.
• How it works for us: I'd say I use 3-4 of the 5 meals, and that's worth it for me. PB-n-J has yet to appear, so that's my fall back for the days when my kids might not like the emeals option. It's been nice to have all the lunch ingredients covered from one trip to the store--no more running out of bread/peanut butter/what-have-you on Wed night or Thurs morning.
• The Take-Away: When we're done with emeals and/or I've moved on, there is one thing I will continue: making a dessert once a week that's packable.... It's varied from rice krispie treats to no-bake choco-oat cookies to peanut butter bread. Regardless, it's a fun activity with the kids, gives us a home made treat several days that week, and helps us resist the temptation to buy extra treats at the store.

PB&J: It's What's For Lunch (part 2)

Photo from skinny food for life


We're exploring ways to ease the lunchtime burden this week--what to fix, when to fix it, how to fix it, and how to break out of the peanut-butter-and-jelly-every-day rut.

I'll be the first to admit that I ate peanut butter and jelly every single day in fourth grade by request except for the rare occasions on which I requested something else (ever tried cream-cheese-and-canned-crushed (drained)-pineapple? Yum.).

But I digress. One possible way around this dilemma is to create a lunchtime routine or rotation. This is similar to the "If it's Monday, it's Spaghetti" approach I've used frequently for dinner. It hasn't worked as well for me at lunchtime (probably because I'm lazy). But if you'd like to give it a try, you'd arrange some sort of repeatable, weekly routine. For instance:

Monday: Peanut butter and jelly, fruit, cheese sticks
Tuesday: Bagels and cream cheese, veggies and dip, fruit
Wednesday: Cheese and crackers, fruit, trail mix
Thursday: Lunch meat sandwiches (meat-and-cheese), fruit, chips
Friday: Smorgasbord (whatever you have lying around): pretzels, crackers, cheese, nuts, fruit, raw veggies, etc.


I did something similar when all three of my kids were home (and so was I). We always had mac-n-cheese on Fridays, for instance. It was just a fun treat, and I didn't have to think about it. But this year, perhaps because I have to think up TWO small meals/heavy snacks for three days of the week, one of which must be portable and one of which must be readily available as soon as we walk in the door, I had a hard time with the routine. I think it bothers me more than my children to eat the same thing every single day.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's revelation of my latest lunch menu solution--which is actually working out pretty well so far.

PB&J: It's What's For Lunch... (part 1)

photo from slashfood




I don't know about you, but I HATE packing school lunches--especially ones a 5-year-old can consume away from home. Without a microwave. In 15 minutes. Preferably utensil free. And healthy. And affordable. And easy-to-make-the-night-before. It just gets old.

This year, all three of my kids are in school. Because they're in a university model school, they only go to school three (full) mornings a week. They eat their school "meal" at around 10 or 10:30, I pick them up around 12:30, and we're home by 1:00. What's worked for us is for me to pack them a heavy snack/light lunch type of meal for school and plan for us to eat a second light lunch/heavy snack when we get home. They just don't have time to eat a big meal at school, nor are they truly hungry enough by 10:30 in the morning.

But I still have to pack something, and I also like to have an idea of what our home snack/lunch will be so that it's ready to go or nearly so by the time I walk in the door with three hungry kids at 1:00 or shortly thereafter. (And Mommy's hungry then, too ☺).

Stay tuned this week for some explorations in lunch menus...

Cherry Tomato Focaccia Topping

YUM. YUM. YUM. That's all I have to say.

That and, when the Lord bestows abundant numbers of cherry tomatoes on you for free, you find numerous ways to consume them. ☺

You can use really any focaccia bread dough here--or even storebought pizza dough from a can if you'd like. I use Bittman's pizza crust/focaccia dough recipe here because I always use it and it's easy. We like this with a hearty entree salad, but it also makes a great first course, would go well with soup, would work well in a lineup of homemade pizzas, etc. It's good hot and at room temperature, and reheats tolerably well.

Cherry Tomato Focaccia Topping
~adapted from Simply in Season

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• olive oil
• 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
• handful fresh basil leaves, snipped (if you have it)
• salt and pepper
• 1 recipe focaccia dough

1. Prepare dough per directions through the patting out part (I use a jelly roll pan to bake this in).
2. About 30 minutes prior to the dough being ready (my dough has to rise 30 minutes on the pan itself, so I start this step when I get to that part of the dough), toss halved cherry tomatoes with about a teaspoon sugar and about a teaspoon salt. Let sit for 30 minutes or so. Then spin tomatoes in salad spinner off and on for about 30-45 seconds, or until most of the seeds and juice have spun out. (This is a handy trick I learned from America's Test Kitchen.)
3. Drizzle olive oil onto dough.
4. Sprinkle with minced garlic.
5. Place cherry tomato halves around dough, cut side up.
6. Sprinkle cheese over (this is a light sprinkling--this is not pizza).
7. Sprinkle basil leaves over top.
8. Add salt and pepper if desired (but remember the tomatoes have a wee bit of salt in them, the cheese adds salt, etc.).
9. Bake according to focaccia bread dough directions (mine bakes at about 375 degrees for about 1/2 an hour).
10. Enjoy!

Makes enough for one focaccia dough recipe

Veggie Sandwich

This sandwich is similar to our favorite Gardeners' Veggie Pita Pocket, but handy when you don't have any hummus/pita on hand.

• 2 slices hearty bread/person
• Mayo
• Favorite vinaigrette
• Cheese of choice, sliced or shredded
• Sliced/shredded veggies of choice (cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, sprouts, etc.)
• Lettuce leaf/serving
• Olives, optional

Toast bread. Toss veggies like sliced cucumbers and zucchini in small amount of vinaigrette. Spread one piece of bread with mayo. Layer on veggies, cheese, olives, lettuce leaf. Top with other piece of bread. Enjoy immediately! (Or pack ingredients separately: bread in one bag, veggies tossed with vinaigrette in one container, and cheese in another)

Big Wheel Loaf

I don't know how this recipe has escaped blog immortality before now--it's terrific and long been a family favorite on my mom's side. You can't make it too far ahead of time because it will get soggy, but you can assemble it a few hours before and bake it just before eating. Try it for your next lunchtime gathering or casual family dinner.

Slice into 6 equal layers and place bottom layer back in round tray:

• 1 round loaf Hawaiian bread 

Spread first layer with:

• 2 t. prepared horseradish

Top with:

• 1/4-pound thinly sliced roast beef

Spread second layer with:

• 2 T. mayonnaise

Top with:

• 4 slices Swiss cheese

Spread third layer with:

• 2 T. mustard

Top with:

• 1/4-pound thinly sliced ham

Spread fourth layer with:

• 1 medium tomato, sliced
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and drained

Spread fifth layer with:

• 4 slices American cheese
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

Combine remaining ingredients and spread on sixth layer (top of bread):

• 1/2 t. onion salt
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1 T. sesame seeds, toasted

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Cover with foil if top browns too much.


~Serves 6-8

Mini (Zucchini) Pizzas

The basic pizzas here are not rocket science, but thanks to the Colvin Family, we got another cool 8-ball zucchini. We were told to try mini pizzas with zucchini slices as the "crust" earlier this summer (see here for the video). Guess what: when the kids saw that we got an 8-ball zucchini this week, they requested "zucchini pizzas"!! Pretty neat! I'm sure you could do this with regular zucchini--the pizzas would just be oblong. I've also done with this English muffins. Kids love to decorate their own.   (I keep a resealable bag of the mini pepperonis, small tupperwares of spaghetti sauce, and preshredded cheese in the freezer--makes whipping these up on a whim super easy.)

1/4-inch slices zucchini or English muffins
spaghetti sauce that your family likes
shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, the usuals)
mini pepperonis (these really make the pizza for the kids--the minis are so fun)

If using zucchini slices, lay them on a cookie sheet, spread with olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 or 15 minutes or so--until they're mostly cooked/not raw.

Spread sauce on top.

Sprinkle with cheese (I'm pretty liberal with the cheese when I'm using zukes)

Top with pepperonis.

Pop back in oven until cheese melts!

MMMMMMMMM

Peanut Butter-Banana Roll-Ups

Yum! A new breakfast, lunch, or snack recipe that's adaptable, healthy, and delicious! What more do you need? Oh--bonus: it's VERY kid-friendly. I have adapted the recipe slightly.... This is also a good recipe for kids to help make.

~From Cooking Light

• 1/2 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky, reduced fat or full fat, natural or not)
• 1/3 c. vanilla or plain yogurt
• 1 T. orange juice (can be from concentrate)
• 2 ripe bananas, sliced
• 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas (white or whole wheat/whole grain)
  
• 2 T. wheat germ, original or honey-crunch
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• extra honey, esp if using plain yogurt, natural peanut butter, and/or plain wheat germ

1. Mix peanut butter and yogurt together. I found that creamy spread better, but we like the crunch of chunky.
2. Toss bananas with juice (gently!).
3. Mix wheat germ and cinnamon together.
   
4. Assemble: Spread about 3 tablespoons of peanut butter/yogurt mixture over each tortilla, leaving about 1/2-inch of space at edges. Spread 1/3 cup of bananas (or 1/4 of the amount you have sliced) on top, making sure they're in one layer. Sprinkle with wheat germ. If desired, drizzle with extra honey. (I don't think you'll need extra honey if you use regular peanut butter, vanilla yogurt, and honey-crunch wheat germ, but if you use the plain/unsweetened versions of those ingredients, you may want a little.)
5. Roll up, flattening slightly. Slice in half or thirds.

~Makes 4 roll-ups: 1 roll-up is an ample breakfast (was a little too much for one of my kids); half or thirds would make great snack options or a part of a meal

Cheese Fingers

What a terrific way to use up leftover hamburger buns! I don't know about you, but my preschoolers often prefer their hot dogs without the bun, leaving me with several left over; and most hot dog packages are NOT equal to the number of buns in the bag... why is that??? My grandmother used to make these, then my mom, and now me! (and I'm sure Carrie's done it for her kids)

Hot dog buns
American cheese slices (about 1 slice per bun half)
Pecan halves

Split open hot dog buns. Break cheese in half and lay across bun (overlapping in the middle). Lay on desired # of pecan halves (we like 3-4 per bun half). Toast in toaster oven until cheese melts.

Pretend Soup

This makes a delicious snack or lunch offering--especially in the winter when so many fresh fruits are not in season and expensive. The "soup" is cold, though, so save it for a warmer winter day! We used frozen berries with their juice in our soups in the picture; hence the swirly colors.

From Pretend Soup (see the cookbook itself for kid-friendly pictures/directions; this is an easy recipe for preschoolers to make for themselves)

• 2 c. orange juice
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1 T. honey
• 2 t. lemon juice
• 1 c. berries (any kind, fresh or frozen; thaw frozen ones first and include the juices)
• 1 banana, sliced

1. Place the orange juice in a bowl. Add yogurt, honey, and lemon juice.
2. Whisk "until it is all one color."
3. Place 5 banana slices and 2 tablespoons berries in each bowl (~4 bowls).
4. Ladle soup over berries and bananas and eat!

~about 4 servings

PB&J: It's What's For Lunch

I think the need for variety at lunchtime is more our own need than that of our children. I remember requesting pb&j or cream cheese-and-pineapple sandwiches every day in fourth grade. When I was packing my own lunch in high school, I went through a bagel with fat free cream cheese, apple, fat free yogurt phase....every day.

As the school year commences in earnest, what to pack for lunch suddenly becomes important again. Not only is it important, it can get expensive quickly and it most definitely grows tedious. Let me encourage you to revisit pb&j:

• it's cheap
• it can be quite healthy
• it can be varied a lot
• it's transportable
• it doesn't need refrigeration
• it doesn't need special utensils to eat
• it's readily available
• it's quick to make

Wanting some variety or added health for the classic Wonder bread with Jiff (or Skippy or Peter Pan) and Smucker's Grape Jelly? Mix and match one or more of the following:

Bread: Whole Wheat bread, Raisin bread, French bread, Sourdough bread, Multi-grain bread

Protein Spread: natural peanut butter (yum!), other nut butters, cream cheese (VERY good with jelly and peanut-free if that's a concern), Nutella

Sweet Spread: any flavor jelly or jam (although marmalade might not be the best), all-fruit spreads, honey, apple butter, well-drained/minced canned fruit (like pineapple) if you choose cream cheese as the protein spread, sliced bananas along with honey and a nut butter

Our family's favorite combos: cream cheese and jelly on wheat, nat'l peanut butter and berry jam on raisin bread, nat'l peanut butter and strawberry jam on French or sourdough bread

What are your favorite combos?

Free or Reduced Lunch (aka "Surprise Lunch")

I don't mean to make light of the program for school-age kids which provides a free or reduced lunch, but my kids and I frequently eat a home version of this. At least once a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times, our lunches are compilations of various leftovers and odds and ends. This makes our lunch virtually free because we are eating leftovers from another, "planned" meal and/or eating something I might have thrown away as "too small" or "not enough" to save. My mother called these "surprise lunches" when we were growing up; her creativity and enthusiasm concealed the fact that she might have been postponing a grocery trip one more day or siply didn't have enough lunch food. We kids were none the wiser. Surprise lunches were our favorite!

This works especially well for preschoolers who like to eat small bits of various things and don't have a preconceived idea of lunch being a sandwich, chips, and fruit. Nearly anything can constitute a surprise lunch. Here are some of our recent compilations (there is usually 1-2 of each item with the exception of super-small items like raisins). And, let me assure you, no one goes away hungry! There is usually something left at the end on everyone's plate.

Pecans, craisins, carrot sticks, chicken strips, pickles, and cookies (each person got a small clump of the ingredients on their plate)

Herb bread with butter/honey, leftover carrot and cucumber sticks, 1 apple split 4 ways, large pieces of yogurt-cheese pie with strawberry sauce (the "pie" is no more sweet than sweetened yogurt you might buy at the store, but the kids think it's extra special!)

Bread with butter and honey, cheese cubes, apple slices, cucumber sticks

What are some of your favorite preschool lunch combos?

Crunchy Chicken Salad Wraps

These are light on chicken, heavy on produce, and still tasty.

Recipe from Take-Out Tonight! (a Weight Watchers cookbook)

• 1 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1/4 c. diced English cucumber
• 1/4 c. minced celery
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 c. fat-free mayo (we use regular)
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 4 red-leaf lettuce leaves

1. Combine the chicken, cucumber, celery, scallions, parsley, mayo, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl.
   
2. Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Divide and layer the lettuce and chicken mixture on the tortillas. Roll up, fasten with toothpicks, and cut diagonally in half.

Serves 4

Greek Salad

This is a terrific lunch! It's light, filling, and very fresh tasting--perfect for the warmer weather we're moving into.

Recipe from South Beach Diet

• 8 leaves romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced (I don't usually peel mine)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 c. sliced red onion
• 1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. salt

Combine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, and cheese in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil, juice, oregano, and salt in a small bowl. Pour over lettuce mixture and toss until coated.

This is also good with olives and/or chick peas added!

Serves 1 generously