School Lunches

My toddler is in preschool now and I'm having a hard time thinking of new meat and peanut free (as required) lunches.  And, while I'm sure she'd love to eat what I remember as my earliest school lunch - cheese and ketchup on white bread - somehow I just don't think I can bring myself to send it.  So, I've been repeating the following lunches and I'm getting bored:

1) Almond butter and honey or jam on Ezekiel bread, cut into shapes, with baby carrots, raisins, and fruit;

2) "Little Bites" - hard boiled egg cut into wedges, baby carrots or cherry tomatoes with hummus, crackers, fruit, and a few animal cookies (this works well if you use silicone baking cups to separate things inside the lunch box);

3) Pita triangles with hummus, carrots, fruit;

4) Open faced sandwich with strawberry jam or mashed avocado and cheddar cheese, cut into shapes, with baby carrots and fruit.

I just placed an order for some fun stuff like the cutest way to make an egg on the planet from J Box, so I'm hoping to get inspired to get more creative.  

On that note, if you want some great ideas and/or to feel like a really lazy mom, you can check out the blog Just Bento, which is the source of these photos - Cate's lunches look like this only in my dreams...

Recently the wonderful administrator at Cate's school sent home a list of ideas, and I thought I'd re-post them here:

Sandwiches:

• Soy butter & jelly on wheat bread
• Tuna sandwich
• Cheese sandwich
• Crackers and soy butter
• Cream cheese and jelly (on bread or graham crackers)
• Mini bagels or pita sandwiches
• Scrambled eggs
• Soy deli slices (please label as soy)
• Cheese and crackers
• Quesadilla
• Grilled cheese
• Wraps (roll up any of the above in a soft tortilla)

Thermos Ideas:

• Macaroni and cheese
• Soup
• Veggie meatballs, patties, nuggets or corn dogs (please label as soy)
• Fish sticks
• Pasta with sauce or parmesan

Fun Side Dishes:

• String cheese
• Small cottage cheese cup (optional with fruit)
• Cheese cubes
• Cut up fruit (grapes to be cut in half)
• Yogurt
• Jello
• Raisins
• Fruit cup
• Cereal
• Veggie chips
• Mini muffin
• Baby carrots (with dip?)
• Hard boiled egg
• Corn bread
• Bread stick with dipping sauce
• Fruit leather
• Edamame (seeds only, no pods)

Fancier Recipes:

• Whole wheat tortilla with soy butter and raisins, rolled up and cut in two.
• “Italian Theme” – Pizza quesadilla, tomato cheddar soup, tortellini and green beans.
• “Mediterranean Theme” – hummus and spinach wrap, cherry tomatoes, string cheese and yogurt.
• “Mexican Theme” – baked corn chips, black beans, cheese wedges and tomatoes.
• “Asian Theme” – whole wheat noodles with soy butter, sugar snap peas, pear and a fortune cookie.
• Veggie sushi
• Hummus with pita chips and veggies or pretzels.
• Smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber on mini bagel.
• Fruit slices and yogurt for dipping.
• Hummus with shredded carrots and cucumber wrapped in a whole wheat pita.
• Mini quiches (made in muffin tins are just the right size for preschool lunches)
• Add to Mac & Cheese broccoli, sweet potato or carrots.
• Egg / tuna salad mixed with finely cut veggies 
• Have your child mix a snack mix for his/her lunch (ideas include: cereal, yogurt drops, dried fruit, mini pretzels and mini rice cakes) 

I would love to hear other ideas if anyone has them - post them in the comments!

Food Find: JuJuBees

These are lovely little fruits that I found at the farmer's market this weekend at the "monkey stand."    Anyone who frequents the Leucadia Farmers' Market with children know the monkey stand.  I honestly don't know the name of the farm, but they have this fabulous (and yes, super-creepy) monkey-dressed-as-human statue who holds a basket full of whatever they're sampling that week.  Next to the occasional wonderment of "princess face-painting," the "monkey man" is Cate's favorite part of the market.  I guess I'll take what I can get.

These "jujubees" weren't really a taste revolution.  They taste a bit like a mild apple and are nicely crisp - in fact I much prefer the classic corn-syrup and artificial-coloring jujubees - but these little guys are so beautiful I wish I could have preserved them to display in a large vase or something.  Gorgeous.  Also, it's nice to get the littles to try something new, and for my toddler, anything that is mini will be eaten, no questions asked.    

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This is a lovely, lovely cake from the Olives and Oranges cookbook.  It is simple, moist, and perfect to serve with tea or to have for a sweet breakfast.   Use your best extra virgin olive oil.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t fine sea salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 c sugar
• 3/4 c plain whole-milk yogurt
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (grated directly into mixing bowl after eggs and sugar)
• 3/4 c extra-virgin olive oil

1) Put oven rack in center position and heat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly oil a 9-inch spring-form pan.

2) Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

3) With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes, or until pale and thick. 

4) Add yogurt and zest; beat to combine.

5) With mixer on medium speed, add oil in a quick , steady stream.

6) Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture just until blended.  Whisk batter by hand to make sure that all ingredients are incorporated.

7) Pour batter into pan and bake, rotating pan once, until cake is golden, center springs back to the touch, and edges pull away from pan, 40-45 minutes.  

8) Let cool in pan for a minute or two on rack, then release from pan and let cool completely on rack before slicing.

Pumpkin Muffins

After roasting several sugar pumpkins to make baby food, I had extra pumpkin puree and thought I'd play around with Mark Bittman's basic muffin recipe.  It is a wonderful template for all kinds of additions (see below).  I just add pumpkin, spices, and a bit of extra leavening.  They are delicious, and a great way to get this superfood into your family.  

Pumpkin Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil, plus some for greasing the muffin tin
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground allspice
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk, plus more if needed
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree 

METHOD

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12-compartment muffin tin.

2) Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the egg, milk, butter or oil, and pumpkin puree. Make a well in the center-of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating, and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick but quite moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary.

3) Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full and handling the batter as little as possible. (If you prefer bigger muffins, fill the cups almost to the top. Pour ¼ cup water into those cups left empty.) Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of them comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before taking them out of the tin. Serve warm.

Basic Muffins

This basic muffin recipe is a great one to have in your repertoire:

• 3 tablespoons melted butter or canola or other neutral oil, plus some for greasing the muffin tin
• 2 cups (about 9 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk, plus more if needed

Follow above method.

Variations:

Banana-Nut Muffins: This is good with half bran or whole wheat flour. Add ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews to the dry ingredients. Substitute 1 cup mashed very ripe banana for ¾ cup of the milk. Use honey or maple syrup in place of sugar if possible.

Bran Muffins: Substitute 1 cup oat or wheat bran for 1 cup of the all-purpose flour (you can use whole wheat flour for the remainder if you like). Use 2 eggs and honey, molasses, or maple syrup for sweetener. Add ½ cup raisins to the prepared batter if you like.

Blueberry or Cranberry Muffins: Add, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients; increase sugar to ½ cup. Stir 1 cup fresh blueberries or cranberries into the batter at the last minute. You can also use frozen, blueberries or cranberries here; do not defrost them first. Blueberry muffins are good with ½ teaspoon lemon zest added to the batter along with the wet ingredients. Cranberry muffins are excellent with ½ cup chopped nuts and/or 1 tablespoon minced orange zest added to the prepared batter.

Spice Muffins: Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon each ground allspice and ground ginger, and 1 pinch ground cloves and mace or nutmeg to the dry ingredients; use 1 cup whole wheat flour in place of 1 cup all-purpose flour. Add ½ cup raisins or currants to the prepared batter if you like.

Sour Cream or Yogurt Muffins: These are very rich and tender. Reduce baking powder to 1 teaspoon, and add ½ teaspoon baking soda to dry ingredients. Substitute ½ cups sour cream or yogurt for the milk and cut the butter or oil back to 1 tablespoon.

Coffee Cake Muffins: Mix together ½ cup packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews; and 2 extra tablespoons melted butter. Stir half of this mixture into the original batter with the wet ingredients, and sprinkle the rest on top before baking.

Savory Muffins: Cut sugar back to 1 tablespoon. Add up to 1 cup of minced cooked bacon, minced ham, or shredded cheese—alone or in combination—to the batter just before baking.

Nine Easy Changes to Basic Muffins

These changes can be made alone or in combination.

1. Substitute whole wheat flour for half the all-purpose flour.

2. Add one-half cup chopped raisins, currants, dares, figs, prunes, or apricots to the batter.

3. Add one-half cup or more chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews to the batter.

4. Use two eggs, and separate them. Add the yolks as usual; bear the whites until stiff bur nor dry and fold in very gently at the last moment. This produces lighter muffins.

5. Add ground cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, ginger, and/or allspice to taste.

6. Add one-half to one teaspoon grated ciTrus zest.

7. Add up to one-half cup chocolate chips to the batter.

8. Add other fresh fruits, such as raspberries or grated apple or pear to the batter, as in Blueberry or Cranberry Muffins, above.

9. Sprinkle the tops of unbaked muffins with some sugar, or a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Double Vanilla Cupcakes

In my long, long, long-running quest to find a good plain cupcake/cake that tastes as good as but has an ingredient list shorter than this one, I came across this wonderful double-vanilla cupcake recipe on Simply Recipes.  The author of the recipe calls them seductive, and that's a great description.  Rated R for sophisticated flavor.  As such, they are a bit too much for a kids party, in my opinion, but they are perfect for an adult's birthday or as a fun end to a dinner party.  And if you're concerned about the cost using real vanilla beans, consider some of the things you can do with them after you're done with this recipe: 

• Throw them into a few cups of sugar to make a lovely condiment or a great gift! (I've seen people whir this in a food processor and then strain out the large bits, which is a great idea that I've been too lazy to try)

• Use them to flavor poaching liquid to poach fruit (1 c sugar, 2 c water, 1 used vanilla bean pod, and fruit - try prunes, apricots, or kumquats).

The photo here has terrible coloring, and the true color is much more pale and lovely.  If I were making these for a dinner party, I would thin out the frosting considerably and make more (smaller) cupcakes, ice them, and decorate with something lovely, like these sugared flowers or these icing flowers.

Double Vanilla Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg plus 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean (or one whole bean if you can spare it)

METHOD

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven preheats cut open and scrape out the seeds of a vanilla bean. Place the seeds, empty bean, and the milk into a small saucepan. Heat to just under a simmer for a few minutes being careful not to scald the milk. Remove from heat and allow the milk to steep and cool. (Be sure to remove the bean after it cools. Wash it and then place it out to dry so it can be used again.)

2) Beat the butter for about 3 minutes on medium speed, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for 30 seconds. Add the egg whites, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds each.

3) In one bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another whisk together the vanilla steeped milk, vanilla extract, and sour cream.

4) Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter sugar egg mixture in alternating additions (dry-wet-dry method), starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined being sure to not overbeat.

5) Divide the batter into cupcake papers in a muffin tin and bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Be sure to rotate the cupcakes after the first 15 minutes to ensure even baking. Be sure to keep a close eye as these can get overbaked quickly. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Frost when cooled.

Makes about one dozen.

Vanilla Bean Frosting

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)

METHOD

1) Beat the butter and slowly add in the powdered sugar. 


2) Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean (or vanilla extract if using) and beat in.