Back to School 2013

I cannot seem to wrap my head around the fact that summer is really over. Where did it go? Back in June, the summer seemed to stretch far out ahead of us - almost like it would never end. We had so many exciting plans - and yet summer always seems to go by so fast that we never get to half of them. But enough reminiscing about summer. It is time to move my thoughts onto the school year ahead.

Brother #1 and #2 - 4th grade and 1st grade. How did I get so old?!

The Princess is not in school yet, so I just have to focus on The Brothers. Both boys started at a new school this year. While not pleasant, some change is good and I am hoping this change will be beneficial. Brother #2 will be eating lunch at school this year. Since I am not a fan of school lunch, I have been wracking my brain to come up with new and fun lunch ideas that The Brothers will eat.

Brother #1 is uber picky and only wants what everyone else is getting (namely a sandwich, chips and a cookie). We don't really do chips, so I spent most of last year trying new things to fill his lunch container. Brother #2 is a bit more adventurous (and doesn't care about what others think of his lunch) so we will be trying out some different things with him.

Last year, we tried out Ziploc containers with divided compartments. They worked so great for us (and saved on plastic baggies) that we will be using them again this year. I have a thermos for hot foods (which Brother #1 would never use since you don't need a thermos if you are taking sandwiches every day). I am also planning on picking up some Ball Plastic Freezer jars - we may attempt to send smoothies for school lunch.

I have put together a list of different websites with some great school lunch ideas. No matter what type of allergy your child has or if you prefer vegan, gluten free or clean-eating lunches, there will be something in this list for you!

Keeley McGuire: Lunch Made Easy: 20 Non-Sandwhich School Lunch Ideas for Kids!

New Nostalgia: 14 Healthy School Lunch Recipes Your Kids Will Love

Healthy Kitchen Guide: Simply Healthy School Lunch Ideas

Super Healthy Kids: Sticky Stacky Sandwiches

Have a great school year!!

Jana

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Aren't they sweet?

There are many things that come with the beginning of the school year - one of them being school pictures. I seriously dislike school pictures. They (generally) aren't the best quality (especially if you forget it is picture day and your child wears a t-shirt and forgets to comb their hair) and in order to get them, you need to buy some ridiculous package with 1000 wallets that you couldn't possibly use. Obviously I am exaggerating (only slightly), but I really don't like them.

This year, I learned of a lady in my neighborhood who takes "school" pictures on her own. What a fabulous idea! They were very reasonably priced, they were done outside with natural lighting and I received a disc with the images (touched up as well). I get to order what I need (no wallets) and I am not stuck with extra prints. Needless to say... I will be doing this every year. Now if I could only find some way to use these pictures for The Brother's class pictures, I would be set!

So, here they are... Brother #1 (3rd grade), Brother #2 (Kindergarten), The Princess. Aren't they sweet?

And more... because they are so cute!

Jana

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No Cook Oatmeal

I had plans to post this a bit earlier this morning, but thanks to the lightning early this morning, we thought our computer had been fried. Luckily, it did not fry and everything is safe but it was off limits for a time this morning. But now, we are back on track and ready to post.

I am very excited that the school week is finally over! Some weeks just seem longer than others and, for me, this was one of those. Here's to a long weekend to relax.

Now, for the last recipe in this week long segment, I wanted to post a more "adult" recipe (meaning this is one my kids really don't like).  I learned this recipe from Desiree at Unconventional Kitchen. Check out her site for tons of great tasting, healthy recipes and lots of tips for eating better. She also has a lot of information about eating gluten free.

Back to the oatmeal... I LOVE, LOVE this recipe. I find that I crave it a lot and could eat it almost every day. I will be sad when fresh berries are no longer available because they are the best with this oatmeal. It is super easy to throw together and is lighter than cooked oatmeal. This oatmeal keeps me full all morning and gives me tons of energy. Sounds amazing, right? It is!

You can make this in any quantity and mix or match ingredients according to your taste and what you have on hand. I generally just throw things in (without measuring) until it looks (and tastes) right to me.

No Cook Oatmeal

Old-fashioned Oats (not instant)

Raw Honey

Coconut Oil

Cinnamon

Chopped nuts (I use a mix between walnuts, almonds and pecans - whatever I am in the mood for)

Almond Milk

Kefir (optional, but has a ton of good probiotics)

Fresh fruit (anything you have on hand, but berries are especially yummy!)

If your coconut oil is solid (meaning it is cold in your house), scoop some into a small bowl. Place the small bowl inside a larger bowl full of hot water for a few minutes until it becomes liquid.

Combine the oats, chopped nuts, raw honey, coconut oil and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix well to incorporate all of the coconut oil. If you leave it just sitting (without mixing), you will have hard chunks of coconut oil when you pour in the milk. Not very tasty - trust me.

Chop your favorite fresh fruit and throw it on top.

Pour almond milk (and kefir - if using) over the whole thing. You can let it soak for a few minutes if you have time or eat it right away.

Recipe adapted from Unconventional Kitchen

Jana

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Pecan Maple Breakfast "Cookies"

Another school week is coming to an end. This week for us has been super busy with school, soccer, PTA, scouts and everything else that goes into a school week. I think I will be glad when this week is over and we get a 3-day break over the weekend (yet weekends always seem to be busy too!)

This recipe ought to be a hit - who doesn't want cookies for breakfast? Especially yummy cookies that are healthy. These cookies are sweetened with applesauce and maple syrup. Add some fresh fruit to these cookies and you have a filling breakfast that is also fast and easy and can be eaten on the run (because those mornings happen sometimes). I think these would be fun to send in a school lunch as well. For and extra special day... you can add a handful of mini chocolate chips to your cookies. Yum!

Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour*

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup no-sugar added applesauce

4 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. butter, softened but not melted

1 Tbsp. ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp. water*

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet.

Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl using an electric mixer, beat the applesauce, maple syrup, butter, flax seed mixed with water and vanilla.

While beating the mixture on low speed, add the dry ingredients until well blended. Fold in nuts with a spatula.

Drop cookies (I use a cookie scoop) onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until they start  to brown.

* It is always best to use fresh-ground flours and flax seeds when baking. That being said, who has time to grind fresh flour every morning. When you do it in advance, it is best to store any fresh ground flours and flax seed in the freezer to maintain freshness, nutrition and prevent them from going rancid. When buying store bought whole wheat flour and pre-ground flax seed, keep in mind that you have no idea how long they have been sitting on the shelf and most likely have lost quite a bit of nutrients. But it works in a pinch until you can get yourself a wheat grinder. Flax seed can be quickly ground in a high-powered blender or in a small coffee grinder.

Recipe adapted from 100 Days of Real Food

Jana

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Breakfast Pockets

We are halfway through our week of back-to-school breakfasts - and I might have saved the best for last. Today's breakfast is a kid favorite. It is easily customizable for everyone's taste and can also be taken to school for lunch.

These are a little bit labor-intensive - start to finish they take me about an hour (when I don't have any interruptions) so they are best done over the weekend or the night before. Unless you like to get up early and bake. 

The dough that I currently use is only half whole-wheat. I am still on the search for the best 100% whole wheat dough that doesn't take all day to make. When I do find it, I will be sure to let you know. Warning: this dough is not sweet, more like a pizza crust. Feel free to experiment with your own favorite dough. I grind my own wheat (hard white wheat) and store it in the freezer. You can easily substitute store-bought wheat flour (just make sure it says 100% whole wheat) or if you are seriously lacking in time or dough making skill, you can use store-bought dough (Gasp!). I like Rhodes dough. Just thaw the rolls according to package directions and one doubled in size, you are ready to go.

So, lets get started:

Breakfast Pockets

1/2 cup scalded non-dairy milk (I used hemp milk)

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar (I used regular sugar - since it is such a small amount)

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Fillings such as nut butters, jam, Nutella, bananas, eggs, bacon, cheese, finely diced bell peppers, onions, etc...


Add the oil to the hot milk. It is ok if your coconut oil is solid (or very firm), it will melt when mixed with the hot milk. Add the sugar and salt to the milk mixture and cool to lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add yeast mixture to the warm milk mixture. Pour everything in the base of a stand mixer. Add flour. Knead well. You can knead this by hand if you really want to, but I let my mixer do it.

Once the dough ball is nice and firm and no longer sticking to the sides, remove from stand mixer and place in greased bowl. Let stand in warm place for 15 minutes. I heat my oven for a minute or 2 until it is just warm and than stick my bowl in. You can also place a pan of boiling (or very hot) water under the bowl of dough in the oven. The moist heat will also help it rise.

Section dough into pieces (how many you end up with will just depend on how big they are). I generally end up with around 14 dough balls.

Roll out dough balls on lightly floured surface.

Here comes the fun (and creative) part: the filling!! There are many different options. Here are some of our favorites. Eggs, small pinch of cheese, large pinch of finely diced bell peppers. We also like to add bacon once in awhile for an extra special treat.

Homemade almond butter and homemade low sugar raspberry apricot freezer jam - or any kind of combination.

Nutella and bananas (for The Princess)

Try not to focus on the terrible quality of this picture - I could not find another Nutella/banana example. 

I have no idea what happened here, but this may well be the worst picture I have ever taken.

Grab up the sides of the dough and pinch shut. Be careful not to overfill or the rolls have a tendency to pop open while baking.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes. They can be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week for freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave for 1 minute.

Recipe inspired by Budget Gourmet Mom

Jana

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Whole Grain Blender Waffles

Here we are on day #3. Today we are going to talk about waffles. Who doesn't love waffles? Especially when they are healthy and filling. This recipe is not my own, but it is our favorite waffle recipe, so I wanted to share it with you. I love that it uses whole grains and has the added bonus of flax seeds and cashews.

These are excellent topped with pure maple syrup, fresh or frozen (just thaw first) berries, fresh peaches or a sprinkle of powdered sugar (which my kids prefer).

This recipe requires a high-powered blender. If you do not have one, you could try soaking your cashews and dates for a couple hours to soften them. If you do go that route, I would soak the dates in the 2 cups of water and then add all of it to your blender as the dates will have a tendency to disintegrate in the water.

Ingredients all prepped in the blender

Whole Grain Blender Waffles

2 cups water

1/4 -1/3 cup chopped dates (or 1 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate)

1 cup instant oats

1/4 cup millet (or cornmeal)

1/4 cup whole flax seed

1/4 cup raw cashew nuts

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

Toppings:
Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc...)
Sliced fresh peaches
Pure Maple syrup (Grade B - or A if you can't afford B)

Preheat waffle iron and spray with non-stick spray. Blend all ingredients for 1 minute or until smooth in a high-powered blender. In my blendtec, I usually use the sauce/batter button and run it 2-3 times through the cycle.

Pour mixture into preheated and sprayed waffle iron and close lid. Bake until steam stops rising and the waffle is golden brown and crisp.  Serve immediately with desired toppings.

The waffles can be refrigerated and reheated in a toaster for up to 3 days.

Whole Grain Blender Waffles shown with powdered sugar - for the kids. 

Recipe from Whole Food Mommies

Jana

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Morning Muffins

My kids love muffins - in almost every variety. The problem... they generally always have egg in them and often aren't healthy at all. I have searched so many recipe books and blogs for healthy muffins that actually taste good and this is one of our favorites.

When it comes to breakfast, I have a couple of criteria I use to rate whether a breakfast is healthy (and therefore good enough for my kids. My criteria are as follows...

1. Healthy fats
2. Whole grains
3. Minimal (or no) processed sugar or sweetener
4. Yummy!
5. Easy

These muffins pass with flying colors. And it doesn't hurt that they have a little bit of chocolate in them as well (for The Princess - don't all girls love chocolate?).  Son #1 would eat these for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I would let him. I do grind my nuts (in my blender or food processor) before adding them instead of just chopping them.  The Princess's brothers are a bit weird when it comes to nuts so if they can't really detect them, it works better for everyone.

I generally make these over the weekend or the night before. They can be stored in a sealed container or plastic bag on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for around a week.

Don't panic when you see that it calls for *oat flour. You do not need to run to the store. Oat flour doesn't need to be bought - make your own my pureeing oatmeal in a blender until a fine, dry powder is formed. You can also make sour milk very easily. Simply add a tablespoon of vinegar to a one cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.

On a side note, I was out of sucanat so I made these with coconut sugar crystals and they worked just fine. In case you happen to have coconut sugar crystals hanging around...

Anyway, lets make some muffins! Here is the ingredient list:

Morning Muffins

1 cup sour milk (I used almond milk)

1/2 cup no-sugar added applesauce

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp. water (or 1 egg)

1/3 cup sucanat (or packed brown sugar)

1/2 cup oat flour*

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup instant oats

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (or regular size works well too)

1/3 cup chopped nuts - walnuts, pecans or almonds (optional, but highly recommended)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 12 muffins cups.

Combine sour milk, applesauce, coconut oil, vanilla extract, flax seed (or egg) and sucanat and blend well.

Stir together oat flour, wheat flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and blend well. Fold in oats, chocolate chips and nuts (if using).

Fill muffin tins. These do not rise very high, so a full muffin cup is ok.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Adapted from Short Order Mom

Jana

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Steel Cut Oats

It is that time of year again - back-to-school. Back to busy schedules, homework, packing lunches and chaos in the morning trying to find something healthy for breakfast. I think it is very important for my kids to have a very healthy and filling breakfast. I let them eat cereal (some cereals, anyway) on the weekends and I have noticed that they are hungry again within an hour. That annoys me. I have been working on teaching my boys (The Princess is a bit too young to understand still - she is just along for the ride), that eating certain kinds of food for breakfast will last longer. I'm not sure they understand, but we are still working on it.

My 2nd son in notorious for not eating a good breakfast and wanting a snack soon afterwards, but with him starting school this year that just won't cut it. I have been brainstorming and testing new recipes for the past few weeks to find ones that they like, but that will keep them full until lunch. Every day this week (and a bonus on Saturday), I will post one of our favorite breakfast recipes.

Oatmeal isn't original, but it is yummy and filling. We don't like the processed, instant kind full of sugar and preservatives. My kids (except brother #2 - he is still unsure) LOVE steel cut oats. They do take a bit more time in the morning, but it is worth it! I generally get up a little earlier then my kids and get the oats started. While my boys get up, get dressed and do whatever else little boys do in the morning (which often involves Legos), my oats are cooking. By the time my kids are upstairs, we are ready to eat. And, in the off chance that my kids get ready super fast, they have some time to read before breakfast (which helps with the after school homework battle if the reading is already finished).

Steel cut oats can also be cooked the night before and stored in the refrigerator (this goes for leftovers as well - for up to a week). When you are ready to eat them, simply scoop out the desired amount into a bowl, add a little milk, microwave until warm (about a minute or 2) and than add your desired toppings.

We like to keep things simple and add a little bit of almond milk and some pure maple syrup. I generally buy Grade A maple syrup because it is still healthy, but not as expensive as Grade B.  You can also add chopped nuts, raisins, craisins or fresh or frozen fruit. That is another thing we like about oatmeal - each bowl can be customized!

Here is what you will need:

1 cup steel cut oats

3 cups water

pinch salt

milk

Toppings

Bring the water to a boil and then stir in the steel-cut-oats along with a pinch of salt (this brings out the nutty flavor in the oats). Let the water and oats come back to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low.

Simmer the oats, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes depending on how cooked or chewy you want your oats. Give it a stir every few minutes to make sure the bottom isn't burning. Take it off the heat when it reaches your desired consistency (but keep in mind it will still "cook" for a bit. You can always add water - or milk - if it gets too dry).

Enjoy!

Jana

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