Monday, 9/28
AM Snack: Bananas, water bottles
Lunch: English muffin pizzas with organic marinara, sauteed organic veggies and all-natural mozzarella, cantaloupe, organic milk
PM Snack: Pirates Booty & organic applesauce cups, water bottles
Tuesday, 9/29
AM Snack: Organic apples, water bottles
Lunch: Mexican lasagna, cucumber and tomato salad, organic milk
PM Snack: Homemade guacamole and organic tortilla chips, water bottles
Wednesday, 9/30
AM Snack: Organic pears, water bottles
Lunch: Individual homemade turkey meatloaves, fresh baked bread with organic butter, steamed organic mixed veggies, organic milk
PM Snack: Homemade organic yogurt parfaits, water bottles
Thursday, 10/1
AM Snack: Organic dry cereal, water bottles
Lunch: Roasted all-natural chicken and organic broccoli tossed with organic whole wheat pasta, organic milk
PM Snack: Cream cheese and crackers, water bottles
Friday, 10/2
AM Snack: Watermelon, water bottles
Lunch: Grilled provolone and tomato sandwiches on whole wheat bread, organic baby green peas, organic milk
PM Snack: Dried cherries and sunflower seeds, water bottles
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone who was able to attend the potluck dinner on Friday evening. We enjoyed visiting with everyone and eating some pretty tasty food! We look forward to hosting more family events such as these in the future.
-Leslie & Family, Janie & Family, Tina & Family
-Leslie & Family, Janie & Family, Tina & Family
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday and Wednesday at School, 9/22 and 9/23/09
Two rainy days are welcomed after a long hot summer, but they certainly have created a lot of mud--we like to think of it as an opportunity to put on our rubber boots! PreK enjoyed working with playdough this morning, and both the Twos and PreK class baked bread to take home. The Twos helped wipe the table after playdough and before lunch, and Gavin even went to get the broom and dust pan! The Toddler group loved having the windows open in their classroom, listening to the rain and feeling a cool breeze on their skin. They had a step stool available so they could see out the window a little better! They were able to play with bread dough as a sensory activity. PreK enjoyed yoga and indoor activities with Tabitha this afternoon. Needless to say, these days are made for sleeping. Everyone wonders how we get all the children to sleep, and how the little ones who still sleep in cribs at home do on our nap mats. Enjoy a few snapshots of nap time!
Stromboli
We grew up in an area where delicious subs, pepperoni rolls, pizza, and calzones were readily available and out of this world thanks to Italian-American families that immigrated to our neck of the woods for jobs in steel mills and coal mines. Another favorite to make at home is a stromboli--food for a crowd or a bunch of hungry kids! This was a hit today at school, and Janie convinced some skeptical kids to try it by calling it "inside out pizza". She's the queen of stromboli in our family. You can fill it with all sorts of things!
~Leslie
Ingredients:
1 roll Pillsbury pizza dough or one loaf frozen bread dough, thawed--we used a couple batches of our homemade bread dough today at school
8 oz pepperoni--we used nitrate/nitrite free
8 oz ham--we used nitrate/nitrite free
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic powder
coarse or kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil
Optional: sides of your favorite warmed marinara sauce
Roll dough out very thin on a floured surface with a rolling pin, in a rectangular shape. The thinner the dough, the more layers in the slice of stromboli once baked. Top with pepperoni, ham, and mozzarella, leaving a 1/2 edge all around the perimeter of the dough.
Fold in about 1 1/2 inches of dough on each side of the rectangle.
Begin rolling the stromboli on the long edge jelly roll fashion.
Press gently, all along the roll, into the counter to seal the dough.
Place on a foil-lined pan that has been lightly oiled, and brush with olive oil on all sides, the top, and the ends. Sprinkle top with garlic powder and salt.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until browned. Allow to rest on pan 5 minutes, then slice into 1 inch slices and enjoy. Delicious with a side of your favorite warmed marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.
~Leslie
Ingredients:
1 roll Pillsbury pizza dough or one loaf frozen bread dough, thawed--we used a couple batches of our homemade bread dough today at school
8 oz pepperoni--we used nitrate/nitrite free
8 oz ham--we used nitrate/nitrite free
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic powder
coarse or kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil
Optional: sides of your favorite warmed marinara sauce
Roll dough out very thin on a floured surface with a rolling pin, in a rectangular shape. The thinner the dough, the more layers in the slice of stromboli once baked. Top with pepperoni, ham, and mozzarella, leaving a 1/2 edge all around the perimeter of the dough.
Fold in about 1 1/2 inches of dough on each side of the rectangle.
Begin rolling the stromboli on the long edge jelly roll fashion.
Press gently, all along the roll, into the counter to seal the dough.
Place on a foil-lined pan that has been lightly oiled, and brush with olive oil on all sides, the top, and the ends. Sprinkle top with garlic powder and salt.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until browned. Allow to rest on pan 5 minutes, then slice into 1 inch slices and enjoy. Delicious with a side of your favorite warmed marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.Modifications: Endless! Try adding drained banana peppers or fresh/pickled jalapenos. Cappicola or browned Italian sausage would be nice. Mushrooms or any other favorite pizza topping would work--just saute any veggies first to reduce the amount of moisture during baking. How about Swiss cheese, ham, and spreading the inside with a little Dijon mustard--Cordon Bleu? Janie used to work in a little gourmet market that did deli roast beef, green peppers, onions, and Provolone or American cheese--Philly cheesesteak? Meatballs (halved if large) and mozzarella would work.
Busy Mom Tip: Add a salad and make two or three of these for a party.
Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Spinach-Tomato Sauce . . .
This sort of started with creamed spinach in mind, then evolved into something tomatoey and lemony, too. It was good, and everything could easily be done in 20-30 minutes, especially if you use some leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken!
~Leslie
Ingredients:
1 T butter
1 T extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz washed baby spinach
2 large tomatoes, diced
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup half and half
salt/pepper to taste
3-4 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb cooked pasta of choice--I used thin spaghetti
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add garlic and saute to flavor oil--do not brown the garlic.
When you smell the garlic, begin to add all of the spinach.
Cover the spinach and let it wilt for 1-2 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes (dicing is a good job for the kids!) and the lemon juice.
Stop to take picture of assistant, at his request.
Add half and half and Parmesan cheese, then stir. Allow sauce to reduce for a minute or so, until the sauce thickens. Make sure you get all of the cheese distributed by stirring. Taste, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, slice grilled chicken into strips.
Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss with tongs. Plate pasta, then top with grilled chicken.
Add garlic and saute to flavor oil--do not brown the garlic.
When you smell the garlic, begin to add all of the spinach.
Cover the spinach and let it wilt for 1-2 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes (dicing is a good job for the kids!) and the lemon juice.
Stop to take picture of assistant, at his request.
Add half and half and Parmesan cheese, then stir. Allow sauce to reduce for a minute or so, until the sauce thickens. Make sure you get all of the cheese distributed by stirring. Taste, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, slice grilled chicken into strips.
Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss with tongs. Plate pasta, then top with grilled chicken.
Modifications: I generally try to eat few carbohydrates, so I enjoyed the sauce over grilled chicken breasts, sans pasta. Parents may want to add red chili flakes to their portion, and households without children might try spicing it up with one or two pureed chipotles in adobo, or even saute some poblano or jalapeno with the garlic before adding the spinach.
Busy Mom Tip: Boil twice as much pasta and grill twice as much chicken. When the pasta is done, toss half with Stonewall Kitchen Sesamee Ginger Teriyaki Sauce (or another favorite Asian sauce) and half of the sliced chicken. Add some frozen green peas, and package for lunch later in the week.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Roasted Carrots
Children enjoy roasted vegetables a lot, most likely because they are sweet and tender. Roasted carrots are pretty popular here at school.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel 1-2 pounds of organic carrots (they are affordable!), and cut into 1/2-1 inch chunks. Throw on a sheet pan, and toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and either fresh garlic (2-3 cloves) or dried garlic.
Roast carrots for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. You might like to toss them with a pat of butter or a little maple syrup before serving. Great accompanying a beef roast or pork!
We use Thermos brand containers to keep items hot until lunch time. They need to be nuclear hot when they go in to stay hot until lunch. In this lunch above, we have an organic apple, and Amy's organic macaroni and cheese with diced Coleman beef hot dog (leftover from the grill the night before). Umm, everyday isn't a dazzling lunch, and this was their request!
Here's tuna salad, veggie sticks, whole grain crackers and organic grapes.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Today we enjoyed walking onto the play yard and seeing a ton of fallen acorns--some even "bonked" us on the head while we were playing. PreK raked leaves into a pile and jumped in them. We are talking about leaves and separation all week (separation as in leaves falling from a tree, children separating from family for the school day). Tomorrow is the first day of fall! Here is our day in pictures!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)