LUNCHBOX STRATEGY

    It's almost back to school time around here and I am already thinking ahead and admittedly kind of stressing out at the thought of having to make a school lunch five days a week for the first time ever. That's a pretty big deal when you factor in having to wake two children, get them dressed, fed, and out the door and to the school by 8:45 am. If you're a parent, I am sure you can relate. Needless to say, I need a strategy if I'm going to survive that routine and keep my sanity in check. Keep in mind this is a preliminary outline that has yet only been tested on a part-time basis when my son was in kindergarten and needed lunch once a week, but I am sharing it with you anyway and will keep you updated regularly.

THE KEEPING IT REAL (and sane) SCHOOL LUNCH PLAN

1. MAKE TWICE THE AMOUNT OF DINNER EVERY NIGHT

     Leftovers are going to be my ultimate time saving option for the lunch box. I just have to stock up on twice the amount of ingredients to make what I will already be making for dinner. I will also be keeping school lunches in mind and try to make items that pack well and that the children really enjoy eating - like burritos, pasta, meatballs, fish sticks, chicken fingers, chicken wings, chili & cornbread

2. SNACK ATTACK AND FREEZE

     Make double of whatever baked goods or treats I happen to produce and freeze specifically for school lunches - like muffins, cookies, fruit roll ups, seed bars.

3. HAVE A LIST OF LUNCH IDEAS ON THE FRIDGE

     For those inevitable days when there are no dinner leftovers.  Here's my list of lunch ideas I can whip up the night before, or God-forbid, in the morning:

SANDWICHES or WRAPS- Sunflower and Apple butter (nut free of course or this would be almond butter)

- Avocado, Cheese and Sauerkraut

- Cream Cheese and Grated Carrot

- Chicken/Salmon/Tuna/Egg Salad- add ins can include dried cranberries, grated apple/carrot, celery, chopped lacto-fermented vegetables, chopped olives or capers

- Hummus and Vegetable

- Falafels with Grated Vegetables, Tahini Sauce and Sauerkraut

- Bagel and Cream Cheese with Grated Vegetables and Herbs

- Meat or Vegetable Quesadilla with Salsa or Guacamole

- Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese

- Cinnamon Raisin Bread and Cream Cheese

- Roast Beef, Mayo and Sauerkraut

SOUP and SOURDOUGH BISCUITS OR CRACKERS- from the freezer. I will be making triple batches of soup and sourdough crackers/biscuits this winter and freezing for quick dinners and last minute lunches.

DIPS- freeze batches of hummus and refried beans in small mason jars for lunches.

- Tortilla Chips, Black Bean Dip, Red Pepper, Olives & Cheese Slices

- Hummus, Veggie Sticks, Rice Crackers and Cheese

- Guacamole, Salsa, Sourdough Pita or Tortillas, Veggie Sticks, Cheese, Olives

- Salmon Dip, Veggie Sticks, Pickles, Crackers or Pita

SALADS

- Pasta Salad- Feta, Olives, Steamed Broccoli, Peppers, Cucumber

- Taco Salad- Ground Beef, Shredded Cheese, Olive, Avocado, Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Shredded Lettuce, Salsa

MISC

- Hard Boiled Eggs, Cheese, Steamed Broccoli

- Leftover Roast Dinner Meat, Red Peppers, Pickles

- Leftover Rice Stir Fried with Vegetables and Egg

- Natural Hot Dogs or Sausage, Mustard or Ketchup for Dipping, Cucumber Slices/Carrot Sticks & Cheese

- Pizza Pockets - homemade from freezer

- Tomato Melts on Sourdough- also Tuna/Salmon/Sardine Melts

- Leftover Frittata or Quiche

- Bacon

- Prosciutto wrapped Cheese

SNACKS

- Applesauce

- Popcorn with Dulse Flakes

- Ants on a Log (celery, seed butter, raisins)

- Nut Free Trail Mix

- Zucchini/Carrot/Squash Muffins

- Leftover Pancakes or Waffles

- Dried Fruit (figs, apricots, raisins)

- Apples, Pears, Bananas, Clementines, Pomegranate, Pineapple Chunks, Berries, Grapes or Fruit Salad

- Rice Pudding

- Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey

- Homemade Cookies/Bars/Muffins

- Dulse seaweed

- Fruit-Juice Sweetened Fig Bars

- Smoothies

- Granola or Cereal and Milk

- Veggie Sticks and Cherry Tomatoes

DRINKS

- Hot Tea thermos - including Chai and maybe on a snowy day Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate?

- Hot or Cold Apple Cider

- Water

4. ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT:

- Stainless Steel Food Containers

- Thermos

- Mini Ice Paks

- Stainless Steel Water Bottles

- Paper Bags

- Mini Glass Mason Jars

- Insulated Lunch Bags- big enough to hold all containers

That's all I've got for now. Time to get cooking and freezing!

What do you send in your kid's lunches?

OMEGA MELTS

Ok, so sardines are pretty much a superfood - one of the most concentrated sources of omega-3 fatty acids, full of vitamins B12 and D, as well as a very good source of phosphorus which is vital for bone health.  But lets be honest, how many of us eat them on a regular basis, and enjoy it?  That's what I thought.  Well, I am happy to announce that I have a sardine recipe that you will crave.  Once you try it, your going to ask yourself why you never thought of it before.

OMEGA MELTS

1 can of Atlantic sardines

1 can wild or organic salmon

homemade Omega Mayo, to taste (recipe follows)

2 organic green onions, chopped

1 organic carrot, grated 

1/4 cup lacto-fermented veggies, chopped (I used purple sauerkraut)

sea salt and pepper 

1 cup organic raw cheddar cheese, grated

5 slices organic sprouted or sourdough bread, lightly toasted

Method: Preheat oven to broil.  Drain some of the oil off the cans of fish.  Place the fish in a bowl, along with all the ingredients up to the cheese.  Mash and combine with a fork.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle a bit of cheese onto each slice of bread.  Spread some of the fish salad on each top of the cheese.  Then top with the rest of the cheese.  Broil until the cheese starts to brown.  Enjoy.

If you aren't eating bread these days, this Omega Mash can be served with carrot sticks, stuffed into an avocado or red pepper, or rolled up in nori.

Don't be alarmed by the bright yellow hue of this kick ass mayonnaise.  You see, that is what something made with real eggs is supposed to look like.  Not only do eggs from pastured, organic, free range hens taste better, they are chock full of more goodies like Vitamins E, A, Omega 3's and Beta Carotene than confined factory farm eggs.  I supercharge this mayo with even more Omega 3's by adding flax and hemp oils.  A wee bit of coconut oil makes a nice thick and creamy spread too.

Most homemade mayonnaise only lasts about 2-3 days in the fridge, but this baby is lacto-fermented and so extends it to 2-3 weeks.

OMEGA MAYO

3 egg yolks (organic, pastured etc)

1 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar or lemon 

(great way to use up herbal vinegars if you have them, I used Red Clover)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp local raw honey

1 tsp organic dijon mustard

1/8 cup organic hemp oil

1/8 cup organic flax oil

1/2 cup organic light olive oil

1/8 cup organic coconut oil

1/8 cup organic avocado oil

1 Tbsp organic whey liquid

Method:  Place egg yolks, apple cider vinegar, salt, honey, whey, and mustard into the base of your vitamix or food processor.  Blend on very low as you slowly drizzle in the oils.  When the mayo emulsifies, thickens and chokes the blender, it's done.  Pour into a jar and allow to sit on the counter overnight.  Refrigerate.

PASTA FRITTATA

If you end up having leftover pasta from last night's meal, you can always make a pasta frittata.

PASTA FRITTATA

2 organic eggs, whisked

1 cup leftover garlicky angel hair pasta with kale and mizuna (or any leftover boiled pasta)

1 Tbsp organic salted butter

sea salt and peppper

romano cheese

Method:  Heat a small cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Set your oven to broil and warm it up.  Melt the butter in the pan and the add the pasta, stirring to warm it through.  Whisk the eggs with some salt and pepper and then add to pan, tilting it to distribute evenly.  Grate some of the romano cheese on top.  Broil about 3-4 minutes in oven until the egg is set.  Serve.

The lunch I forgot to photograph

Last night I made pot roast with some of the organic beef we have stashed in our freezer.  It was very good except I didn't cook the veggies long enough.  So for lunch today I decided to make an open face sandwich with some of the leftovers.  It is similar to the panini I posted the other day but very different tasting too.  Anyway, I was so into eating it that I forgot to take a picture of it.....

POT ROAST MELT

2 slices organic bread, toasted lightly

a few slice of organic beef pot roast leftovers

1 Tbsp organic dijon mustard

1/2 cup organic homemade (ok or store bought) sauerkraut

some grated organic cheddar (I had some swiss in there too)

Method:  Preheat your toaster oven to broil.  Slather each piece of bread with the mustard, sprinkle a little cheese, then sauerkraut it, beef it, and end with lots of cheese.  Broil until the cheese melts and starts to brown a bit.  Yum.

Leftovers You Love

I have fond memories of my mom always making soup from leftover turkey the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. So in keeping with this tradition I picked all the turkey off the bones and made a great stock which served as the base for this Greek soup which can be made with turkey or chicken stock.

AVGOLEMONO (Greek Egg Lemon Soup)

6 cups turkey stock

1/2 cup organic short or long grain brown rice (or use white rice or orzo pasta)

2 organic eggs

1/4 cup organic lemon juice

sea salt and pepper

2 cups leftover turkey

Method:  Bring stock to a boil over high heat.  Add rice, lower heat and simmer partially covered for 20-30 minutes for brown rice (15-20 for white or orzo).  Reduce heat.  In a separate bowl, separate the egg whites from the yolks.  Using a hand blender, beat the egg whites until they are frothy.  Then mix in the yolks.  Add the lemon juice.  Slowly, pour a few ladlefuls of stock into the egg mix. Then pour this into the soup stock.  Add the turkey pieces and stir. Heat without boiling for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Be sure not to cover the pot with a lid or it may curdle.

Autumn Sunday Brunch

Most Sundays we tend to eat a hearty brunch.  It is the only morning of the week that Scott is home for breakfast so I like to prepare something special.  Since we live kind of far from the city and the great brunch restaurants like Jane's on the Commons, Saege and Fid, we like to eat food that makes us feel like we've gone out for breakfast.

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST - Two Ways

SAVOURY

2 organic eggs

1/8 cup organic whole milk

4 slices homemade organic whole w

heat bread

salt and pepper

organic salted butter

Optional Fillings- dijon mustard, sliced red onion, olives, chutney, pesto, hot peppers, green or red peppers, capers, smoked salmon, smoked turkey, ham, bacon, tomato, variety of cheeses, salsa, pepperoni, salami

For this brunch I made two kinds of savoury sandwiches:

 1) smoked turkey breast, organic swiss cheese, dijon, thinly sliced red onion

2) dijon, swiss cheese, red onion thinly sliced, cherry tomatoes

Method: Whisk the egg, milk, salt and pepper together in a medium size bowl.  Assemble the sandwiches, making sure that there is dijon on both pieces of bread and that you start and end with cheese when you are layering.  The dijon and melted cheese keep the sandwich from falling apart when you dip and fry.

     Preheat oven to 200*.  Heat a medium sized cast iron skillet over med-low heat.  When hot, melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter in the skillet.  Dip assembled sandwich in the egg mix and place one face down into butter and cook about 5 minutes over a moderate flame until the cheese starts to melt, the toast is nice and golden.  Flip over and cook another 5 minutes until melted thouroghly.  

SWEET

4 slices homemade organic whole wheat bread                      

1 organic pear, cored and thinly sliced

3 Tbsp organic chocolate hazelnut spread

2 organic eggs

1/8 cup organic whole milk

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp organic cinnamon

a few blueberries or other fruit for garnish

Whisk the egg, milk, 1 Tbsp of maple syrup and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.

Coat one side of each slice of bread with the chocolate spread.  Add a layer of the sliced pear. Sandwich the bread together and dip in the egg mix.  Melt the butter in the skillet and fry each side until golden brown and warmed through (about 8 minutes).  Drizzle with maple syrup and fresh blueberries.

The dinner I missed

Last night I was not at home.  I teach yoga every Thursday evening in Seaforth and so last night Scott was on his own for deciding what he wanted to eat.  I arrived home to the most amazing smelling concoction, and luckily some leftovers.  Left to his own devices Scott decided to make salmon melts.  It is like a tuna melt, only he used canned salmon. We were out of mayonaise so he decided to use some hummus.  I had also left some foccacia on the counter which I had picked up from Dobbit Bakehouse in Musquodoboit Harbour.  I think he mixed in some cherry tomatoes from the garden, sprinkled some dried oregano and cheddar cheese on it and baked it in the oven.  Magnificent!  I should let him cook more often!  No pictures though, I ate it before I had a chance...