I saw this on a friend's Facebook page and thought it might be kind of fun to post on my blog.
About My Marriage
1. When was your "engagement" anniversary?
January 2000. I remember when he proposed and how when we selected the wedding date it gave me 18 days to plan the ceremony!
2. When is your "marriage" anniversary?
January 29, 2000
3. How long have you known your spouse?
We always argue about this, he says it has been 13 years (and unfortunately for me he has proof that it is 13, I always want to say 14 or 15 years)
4. How long did you date before you were engaged?
About 3 years
5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
At a friend's house. I had gone to her house to pick her up to go to a BBQ (which happened to be at my now Mother-in-law's house) and Mr. Man was at this friend's house helping her with her deck (he was in construction at the time). Mr. Man ended up going to the BBQ also, but we didn't all ride together. He had originally said he wasn't going, but when my friend and I pulled up to the BBQ his truck was there.
6. Do you have any children?
Yes.
7. How many?
We have 3 children - 2 boys and 1 girl. In addition to these 3 wonderful children we have an angel in heaven - in 2003 we delivered a still born baby boy also.
8. Do you have any house pets?
Currently we just have a few fish and frogs. Our dog ran away a few weeks ago and the beta fish died this past weekend, but we have a tank of about 6 or 8 fish and 2 frogs.
9. How many places have you lived?
We have only lived in one state, but in our 10 year marriage we have lived in 6 houses in 4 different cities!
10. Do you live in the country or city?
City
11. What is one of your favorite activities together?
Taking walks.
12. Do you have a favorite vacation spot?
We love the mountains.
13. How many siblings (including in-laws) do you have?
I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers, Mr. Man has 4 sisters.
14. Do you attend church?
Yes.
15. Is this the church you were married in?
Not sure how to answer this one - we occasionally attend the church we were married in. We were married in my father-in-law's church (where he preaches), but we don't attend there regularly.
16. Do you work or stay at home?
I work but have a nice schedule so I am able to be with the kids more than some working moms I know which I am very grateful for!
17. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Estes Park, Colorado
18.Who drives when you go out together?
Mr. Man does
19. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
After the BBQ I had seen him a few times with mutual friends but these weren't "dates" and so I guess we knew each other a month or so before dating.
20. Who asked who out?
He asked me out
21. How many years apart are you?
He is 13 years older than me
22.Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mr. Man's
23. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Probably dealing with finances. We see things so totally different and sometimes it is hard to come to an agreement on where we should spend money or what the financial priorities are.
24. Did you go to the same school?
No.
25. Are you from the same home town?
Yes.
26. Who is smarter?
Well, dah.... ME of course! I am kidding. He is a whiz when it comes to math and I am NOT! I am very good with spelling, grammar and writing. When it comes to helping the kids with homework, I take the literacy/writing part and he always is given the math and science stuff! I will often go to him for answers about things, because I think he is a very smart man!
27. Who is more sensitive?
Oh geez, this is a hard one. He has a very tender heart, but I am the dork who cries at McDonald's commercials so I don't know who is more sensitive - might be a toss up!
28.Where do you eat out most as a couple?
When it is just the two of us we will try someplace new or go somewhere we know the kids hate.
29. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Washington, DC
30.Who has the craziest exes?
Mr. Man with out a doubt!
31. Who has the worse temper?
We both have a temper!
32. Who does the cooking?
I do most of the cooking but he can cook some yummy pork tenderloin sandwiches and he also makes the BEST salsa I have ever had!
33. Who is more social?
He is by far. There have been plenty of MY office holiday parties that I am sitting at a table perfectly content to people-watch while he is off chatting with everyone!
34. Who is the neat-freak?
We both are.
35. Who is the more stubborn?
We both have a little stubborn streak but I would say his is definitely more than mine!
36. Who hogs the bed?
Definitely him! Sometimes I will wake him up to scoot over because he is not only laying diagonally, but he is also in the middle of the bed crowding me out.
37. Who wakes up earlier?
I do. I am a morning person and he is definitely NOT!
38. Where was your first date?
We went to park to walk around and then out to dinner.
39.Who has the bigger family?
He does. In our wedding photos when they took a picture of us with his side of the family the photographer had to pull so far back to get everyone in - and that side has grown a lot more in 10 years!
40. Do you get flowers often?
Actually I do!
41. How do you spend the holidays?
Together as a family and often meeting up with all or parts of his family.
42. Who is more jealous?
Probably me- as much as I hate to admit that.
43. How long did it take to get serious?
Looking back I think I had fallen in love with Mr. Man immediately but didn't recognize the feelings right away. I had never felt the way I felt when I was with him with anyone before. We took it slow for awhile though - we dated for 3 years before he proposed so that says something!
44. Who eats more?
I could out-eat him anyday, but I don't! I am trying to lose some weight so I let him eat ALL he wants!
45. Who does the laundry?
I do most of the laundry, but he helps out when I need him to.
46. Who is better on the computer?
We both know the way around a computer
47. What is something special he does for you that you really appreciate?
He is always supportive of whatever crazy idea I may have - no matter WHAT the crazy thing involves! He is always supportive.
48. Do you do something special for him in return?
He needs more sleep than me so when I know he is worn down I allow him to sleep in or take naps or whatever he needs.
49. How old were you when you got married?
I was 26 and he was 39.
50. What is one piece of advice you could give to other couples:
Don't let things bottle up inside. When something is bothering you, hurting you, frustrating you...whatever it is talk about it as soon as possible. Don't talk about something when you are angry though, wait until you have taken a few deep breaths then approach your spouse in a calm voice. When you let things build up then a little thing can cause you to explode and the problem is bigger than it needs to be.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday Recipe - Veggie Pizza
I think this comes from Pampered Chef but there are several versions of the recipe out there. I don't believe I follow the exact Pampered Chef recipe but this is the way I like it and have made it this way for a few years now. Even Mr. Man really likes this pizza (and he is more of a meat and potato kind of a guy!)
Veggie Pizza
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg. crescent rolls
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1-2 Tbls sour cream
1/2 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (envelope)
Veggies of your choice (I usually do chopped broccoli, shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, sliced zucchini, but you can really do any kind of veggie)
shredded Mozzarella
Roll crescent rolls out flat on pizza pan (square or round). Follow heating instructions on package. Don't let them brown too much. Set aside to cool. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and dressing mix in bowl. Spread cream cheese mixture on crescent rolls. Top with veggies and end with cheese. Cut into small sections and enjoy!
**If using a round pizza pan put the smallest part of the crescent roll triangle toward the center of the pan, overlap the triangles slightly.
Veggie Pizza
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg. crescent rolls
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1-2 Tbls sour cream
1/2 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (envelope)
Veggies of your choice (I usually do chopped broccoli, shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, sliced zucchini, but you can really do any kind of veggie)
shredded Mozzarella
Roll crescent rolls out flat on pizza pan (square or round). Follow heating instructions on package. Don't let them brown too much. Set aside to cool. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and dressing mix in bowl. Spread cream cheese mixture on crescent rolls. Top with veggies and end with cheese. Cut into small sections and enjoy!
**If using a round pizza pan put the smallest part of the crescent roll triangle toward the center of the pan, overlap the triangles slightly.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Can I get that in pink?
Lady Bug asked me if she could play soccer. I was surprised because I didn't even know she knew about the sport, or any sport for that matter! And for her to suggest it out of the blue just shocked me!
But, I said we could look into it. I got online. I knew one of our friends just signed up their daughter for a local league and I was looking around on that website. Lady Bug was looking too. She saw the boring black and red uniform and said "Can I get that in pink?"
That girl cracks me up sometimes!
But, I said we could look into it. I got online. I knew one of our friends just signed up their daughter for a local league and I was looking around on that website. Lady Bug was looking too. She saw the boring black and red uniform and said "Can I get that in pink?"
That girl cracks me up sometimes!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Our weekend in review
Friday night we went out to dinner and had a really great time! Saturday morning we got up and the kids went with a friend for the day (and she ended up keeping them overnight too). Mr. Man had to work and I headed out - little did I know that my errands would keep me gone for most of the day.
I went to a hair appointment. Left there and had grocery shopping and a little other shopping to do. Took my groceries home and put everything in its rightful place and back out the door I went. This time I went to the farmers market to get our veggies and fruits for the week. It was packed, and hot but I sure had a good time taking my time looking at all the goodies!
Got back home to take a quick shower and make a fruit salad to take to a BBQ that we were invited to with one of Mr. Man's co-workers. Hurriedly got that finished and off to the BBQ we went! Had a fabulous time at the BBQ but didn't get home until late (I think it was about 11:00pm - which is late for me!)
Sunday morning I woke up with the worst stomach ache. Ended up in the bathroom for most of the morning, either laying on the floor curled up in a ball or sitting on the toilet. By 11:00 I was feeling better. No more stomach ache and although my stomach wasn't ready for food I agreed to go meet a couple friends for lunch (Every year 2 of my friends and I get together for a birthday lunch, our birthdays are all fairly close so we do one lunch for us all). I ate carefully and light and seemed ok. Had an enjoyable time, laughing and all that good stuff... by the time I got home my stomach was in knots again. I took a warm bath and took a long nap. When I woke up it was about time for my kiddos to get home. I was once again feeling dandy and ready to go. I ate a light dinner with the family and did ok this time.
Mr. Man is on vacation this week and so he is at home cleaning carpets for me while I came on in to work. I was feeling great until I got here and suddenly my breakfast doesn't want to stay in my stomach. Not sure how long I will make it here at the office, I suppose only time will tell.
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Still can not find our camera and I am devastated. I had taken some photos of my sister's birthday present that I made for her and I wanted to post about that on here and also some of some necklaces I made I wanted to show off. I am so sad! **Fingers crossed it will still show up somewhere**
I went to a hair appointment. Left there and had grocery shopping and a little other shopping to do. Took my groceries home and put everything in its rightful place and back out the door I went. This time I went to the farmers market to get our veggies and fruits for the week. It was packed, and hot but I sure had a good time taking my time looking at all the goodies!
Got back home to take a quick shower and make a fruit salad to take to a BBQ that we were invited to with one of Mr. Man's co-workers. Hurriedly got that finished and off to the BBQ we went! Had a fabulous time at the BBQ but didn't get home until late (I think it was about 11:00pm - which is late for me!)
Sunday morning I woke up with the worst stomach ache. Ended up in the bathroom for most of the morning, either laying on the floor curled up in a ball or sitting on the toilet. By 11:00 I was feeling better. No more stomach ache and although my stomach wasn't ready for food I agreed to go meet a couple friends for lunch (Every year 2 of my friends and I get together for a birthday lunch, our birthdays are all fairly close so we do one lunch for us all). I ate carefully and light and seemed ok. Had an enjoyable time, laughing and all that good stuff... by the time I got home my stomach was in knots again. I took a warm bath and took a long nap. When I woke up it was about time for my kiddos to get home. I was once again feeling dandy and ready to go. I ate a light dinner with the family and did ok this time.
Mr. Man is on vacation this week and so he is at home cleaning carpets for me while I came on in to work. I was feeling great until I got here and suddenly my breakfast doesn't want to stay in my stomach. Not sure how long I will make it here at the office, I suppose only time will tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Still can not find our camera and I am devastated. I had taken some photos of my sister's birthday present that I made for her and I wanted to post about that on here and also some of some necklaces I made I wanted to show off. I am so sad! **Fingers crossed it will still show up somewhere**
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday Recipe - Butter Chicken
This is not a recipe for those looking for low fat... this is far from it. But it is oh.so.yummy!
Butter Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs, beaten
2 c crushed buttery round crackers crumbs
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate shallow bowls. Mix cracker crumbs with garlic salt and pepper. Dip chicken in the eggs then dredge in the crumb mixture to coat.
Arrange coated chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Place pieces of butter around chicken.
Bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Butter Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs, beaten
2 c crushed buttery round crackers crumbs
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate shallow bowls. Mix cracker crumbs with garlic salt and pepper. Dip chicken in the eggs then dredge in the crumb mixture to coat.
Arrange coated chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Place pieces of butter around chicken.
Bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Lunch Box Ideas
This August Lady Bug will start kindergarten. She will go all day (8:45 am until 3:15 pm) and will be eating lunch at the school. So as the first day of school gets closer and closer, I decided now would be a good time to put together this little lunch box idea list!
The boys often help me decide what goes in their lunches each day and some days they even pack their own. They sit down with me when I am doing the meal plan to help me decide what will be in their lunch boxes each day. I created a little check off list that has a columns for the main dish, side items, fruits and veggies for them to check off what they want for lunches each day. They don't particularly like school lunches so we only do school lunch in a pinch.
Here are some ideas we use often in our house. Our basic lunch box has one main meal or sandwich, one fruit, two additional side items (one of which is considered "dessert" but may be just a graham cracker or a cookie) and one veggie.
MAIN DISH:
*Bean & Cheese Burrito - Warm up tortilla just a little so that it doesn't split when you roll it. Add warm beans and sprinkle with some cheese. Roll up. Wrap tightly in foil. Place foil wrapped burrito in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so to make sure it is thoroughly warmed. I then wrap this in a paper towel and place it in the kids insulated lunch box.
*Pizza Rolls - Using store bought Pizza Rolls, I warm up 4-5 per roll (per kid) on a plate in the microwave. Wrap these tightly in foil and place in lunch box.
*Pizza Bagel Bites - Bake according to directions. Wrap tightly in foil and place in lunch box.
*Meat Roll-ups - Take a slice of deli meat and place a thin slice of cheese on top and then roll up. Place in the reusable sandwich keeper. I make 2-3 roll up per child. {I like to take a slice of turkey, then a slice of ham, then a slice of large pepperoni or salami and then the cheese}
*Spaghetti - I use a thermos and left over spaghetti noodles for this meal. I bring water to a boil (either on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave) then add the noodles for a few minutes to warm them up (since they are already cooked). You can either stir in sauce at this point OR my kids also like just butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese sometimes too. Place some in the thermos (remember to let some warm water sit inside the thermos while you are making the noodles, this will help keep the noodles warm until lunch time) and be sure to pack a fork too or your child might be a buttery mess later!
*Almost any left over will work if you use a thermos to keep it hot/cold. Remember to let some warm water sit inside the thermos while you are making the food, dump out the water just before adding in the warm food, this will help keep the food warm until lunch time.
*Soup - In the colder months we eat a lot of homemade soups and I send the left overs in a thermos for the kids. Remember to let some warm water sit inside the thermos while you are warming up the soup, this will help keep the soup warm until lunch time.
*Taco Salad - for a quick dinner I often make this simple taco salad. It packs up well for the kids to take left overs for lunch. I pack the chips in a baggie and they can crush them at school and add the toppings at school. I pack the lettuce and tomato in a separate container as well. But the limited amount of assembly works well for school. Warm up the beans/meat mixture and store in a thermos. {One mom told me she does a similar thing but sends a small individual sized bag of Nacho Doritos and the kids add in the other ingredients right into the bag to eat. I have not tried this yet, but sounds pretty good!}
SANDWICHES:
Lefty has told me he prefers a sandwich without the bread because the bread gets too soggy, so I have tried a couple tricks over time that seem to help this matter (he will now eat a sandwich with bread, but still prefers it without bread). Trick #1 - I put the "soggy" stuff on the inside. For instance, put a little peanut butter on each side of the bread then put jelly on, this way the jelly never touches the bread, or with deli meat sandwich, put the meat up against the bread the condiments on the meat so that the condiments never touch the bread. Trick #2 - Whole grain breads tend to stay sturdy longer. Trick #3 - Wrap the sandwich in wax paper instead of a sandwich baggie, I read this somewhere before and I have no idea why it works, but it does.
*Peanut Butter and Jelly
*Deli meat and cheese
*Bagel sandwiches - use a bagel and top with your child's favorite sandwich toppings
Wrap sandwiches: - use a tortilla (for these sandwiches my favorites are wheat tortillas or spinach tortillas). Be sure to warm up the tortilla just a bit so it doesn't split when you roll it up. There are plenty of ways to make these, but here are a couple ways I make them. **Note: I stay away from too many tomatoes or cucumbers in a wrap sandwich, only because they tend to make the wrap the mushy sometimes.
1. Meat Wrap with Avocado - Take an avocado and mash it. Spread this on the tortilla. Top with some lettuce leaves (I prefer Romaine, but any kind would work), sliced deli meat, cucumber slices and colby jack cheese sprinkled on top. Roll up. Cut in half (my kids only eat a half at a time because the tortillas are so large)
2. Meat Wrap with Dressing - Spread a small amount of ranch or italian dressing on the tortilla. Top with some lettuce leaves (I prefer Romaine, but any kind would work), sliced deli meat, cucumber slices and colby jack cheese sprinkled on top. Roll up. Cut in half (my kids only eat a half at a time because the tortillas are so large)
3. Turkey and Bacon Wrap - Cook 4 slices of bacon and drain off grease. Lay sliced turkey and a slice of your favorite cheese (I use colby jack or pepperjack) on a tortilla. Place bacon strips on top. Roll up tortilla and fold up bottom to secure. Heat up a tsp of olive oil in a pan. When oil is hot, lay turkey wrap, seam side down in the skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook another 1-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned. Wrap tightly in foil and place in insulated lunch box.
4. BLT Wrap - Mix together a little cream cheese and mayonnaise (about 1-2 oz of cream cheese and about 1 Tbls mayo). Spread this mixture on the tortilla. In another bowl, stir together 1-2 tomatoes (that have been seeded and chopped), 1 avocado, chopped (optional), lettuce, chopped (sometimes I use left over salad greens), 5-6 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon, and a little bit of ranch dressing. Mix this together well and place on the center of the tortilla. Roll up, cut in half and wrap tightly (for this I use plastic wrap) and place in the insulated lunch box.
5. Quick Veggie Wrap - Take a bag of mixed salad greens and mix together with your favorite dressing (my kids like ranch) place in the center of the tortilla. Roll up, cut in half and wrap tightly.
6. Cheesy Veggie Wrap - Another thing I like to do is spread a thin layer of Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese on a wrap tortilla or a wheat tortilla and then put some deli meat and cheese and even some sprouts and lettuce, then roll up, cut in half and wrap tightly.
7. Peanut Butter & Jelly Wrap - Take your tortilla and spread creamy peanut butter on it, then a layer of jelly. Roll up. You can serve it just like this or you can cut it into bite-sized pieces if desired.
Pita Bread Sandwiches: - you can use pita pocket bread for any type of sandwich. My favorite pita is wheat. Use your favorite sandwich toppings, or some listed above or some of these listed below:
1. Tuna Salad Pita - I make mine using canned (and drained of course) tuna, stir in a little bit of mayonnaise and some pickle relish. Quick, easy and not fancy at all.
2. Chicken Salad Pita - I use shredded left over chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. Mix together with some mayonnaise, a tsp or so of lemon juice, dash of pepper, handful of slivered almonds, 1 celery stalked diced. Place a little bit of lettuce inside pita pocket and sliced tomatoes if desired. Add in chicken salad. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
3. Taco Pitas - Using left over taco meat this is a great sandwich! I spread some sour cream (and sometimes a little guacamole too) on the inside of the pita. Fill with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, then the warmed taco meat. Sprinkle with cheese. Wrap tightly in foil.
4. Turkey and Hummus Pita - Spread hummus (we like the spicy red pepper hummus on this sandwich) on the inside of the pita pocket. Add in some cucumber, peeled and sliced, a tomato or two peeled and sliced, some deli sliced turkey and a little shredded lettuce. Top off with shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese (you can use swiss slices instead if you want).
SIDE ITEMS:
*Fruit - I always include a piece of fruit. Apples, orange, grapes, kiwi slices (be sure to place these in a small reusable container to keep them from becoming too mushy), banana. Bananas can get mushed up inside a lunch box sometimes so I don't do these very often. If you have some small reusable containers you can make a small fruit salad to put in the lunch box. Since my kids lunch time is only about 15-20 minutes of eating time I like to peel and/or cut the fruits to save them the time and hassle at lunch.
*Chips, crackers or pretzels - when serving a sandwich I always include a small bag of chips. I don't like to use the pre-packaged bags because they are always too many chips for my kids. I prefer to buy a large bag and divide up into our own small bags. My kids like animal crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, chips, goldfish crackers, ritz crackers (I serve these especially with meat roll ups), wheat thins... the list goes on.
*Granola bars - homemade or store bought are great in lunches.
*Fruit snacks - I have these on hand and throw them in for a little treat now and again.
*Trail mix (also known as Gorp) - homemade or store bought, this is a great perk-me-up item to put in lunches.
A favorite of ours is 1 cup of each of the following: Rice Chex, Corn Chex, mini pretzels, oyster crackers, cheese puff balls, M&M's. Mix all together and put into little baggies.
Since my kids love popcorn too, I will make some airpopped popcorn, add to it a little cinnamon/sugar, a few thin pretzel sticks, some M&M's and some Teddy Grahams. Mix it all together and put into little baggies.
This is another good recipe for Gorp with Cheerios, raisins, and a little chocolate in there too!
*Cookie or other dessert - I will throw in one cookie or one small dessert item in the kids lunches almost every day. A dessert item might be a cookie or it might be a graham cracker or it might be a piece of small candy. I want them to have a mostly healthy lunch, but don't mind throwing in the special item too. I am fortunate enough to have good eaters so it doesn't bother me to give a small treat.
*Dried fruit pieces
*Homemade fruit cups
* Popcorn
* Cheese Stick
* Make your own jello and pudding cups. They are sometimes hard to find these days, but if you can find the yogurt cups with replaceable lids, wash them out (after eating the yogurt of course!) and make jello or pudding to fill them. I only fill them about half way or so because my kids won't eat more than that. Replace the lid and set in the fridge until ready to serve. If you can't find the yogurt cups with lids, you can purchase the Glad containers with lids in the small size for this, they work just as well.
DRINK:
I usually pack a water bottle or a juice box. I know there are complaints about some of the juice boxes being too full of sugar and I am careful of which ones I buy, but I am so lucky that my kids love milk and water that I don't worry too much about a sugary drink here and there. We are also lucky in that the school has a rack of free milk. These milk cartons are from kids who bought hot lunch but didn't open their milk, instead of throwing the milk away they are encouraged to put it on this rack and then other kids can drink it so my kids will often come home with an unopened drink because they chose milk instead.
If you freeze the juice boxes or water bottles slightly they will act as an "ice pack" in the lunch box and be thawed out perfectly in time for lunch OR try these, I haven't made any but they look easy and cheap enough to make several to have on hand.
I am linking up to Works For Me Wednesday - click here for lots of tips and ideas!
The boys often help me decide what goes in their lunches each day and some days they even pack their own. They sit down with me when I am doing the meal plan to help me decide what will be in their lunch boxes each day. I created a little check off list that has a columns for the main dish, side items, fruits and veggies for them to check off what they want for lunches each day. They don't particularly like school lunches so we only do school lunch in a pinch.
Here are some ideas we use often in our house. Our basic lunch box has one main meal or sandwich, one fruit, two additional side items (one of which is considered "dessert" but may be just a graham cracker or a cookie) and one veggie.
MAIN DISH:
*Bean & Cheese Burrito - Warm up tortilla just a little so that it doesn't split when you roll it. Add warm beans and sprinkle with some cheese. Roll up. Wrap tightly in foil. Place foil wrapped burrito in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so to make sure it is thoroughly warmed. I then wrap this in a paper towel and place it in the kids insulated lunch box.
*Pizza Rolls - Using store bought Pizza Rolls, I warm up 4-5 per roll (per kid) on a plate in the microwave. Wrap these tightly in foil and place in lunch box.
*Pizza Bagel Bites - Bake according to directions. Wrap tightly in foil and place in lunch box.
*Meat Roll-ups - Take a slice of deli meat and place a thin slice of cheese on top and then roll up. Place in the reusable sandwich keeper. I make 2-3 roll up per child. {I like to take a slice of turkey, then a slice of ham, then a slice of large pepperoni or salami and then the cheese}
*Spaghetti - I use a thermos and left over spaghetti noodles for this meal. I bring water to a boil (either on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave) then add the noodles for a few minutes to warm them up (since they are already cooked). You can either stir in sauce at this point OR my kids also like just butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese sometimes too. Place some in the thermos (remember to let some warm water sit inside the thermos while you are making the noodles, this will help keep the noodles warm until lunch time) and be sure to pack a fork too or your child might be a buttery mess later!
*Almost any left over will work if you use a thermos to keep it hot/cold. Remember to let some warm water sit inside the thermos while you are making the food, dump out the water just before adding in the warm food, this will help keep the food warm until lunch time.
*Soup - In the colder months we eat a lot of homemade soups and I send the left overs in a thermos for the kids. Remember to let some warm water sit inside the thermos while you are warming up the soup, this will help keep the soup warm until lunch time.
*Taco Salad - for a quick dinner I often make this simple taco salad. It packs up well for the kids to take left overs for lunch. I pack the chips in a baggie and they can crush them at school and add the toppings at school. I pack the lettuce and tomato in a separate container as well. But the limited amount of assembly works well for school. Warm up the beans/meat mixture and store in a thermos. {One mom told me she does a similar thing but sends a small individual sized bag of Nacho Doritos and the kids add in the other ingredients right into the bag to eat. I have not tried this yet, but sounds pretty good!}
SANDWICHES:
Lefty has told me he prefers a sandwich without the bread because the bread gets too soggy, so I have tried a couple tricks over time that seem to help this matter (he will now eat a sandwich with bread, but still prefers it without bread). Trick #1 - I put the "soggy" stuff on the inside. For instance, put a little peanut butter on each side of the bread then put jelly on, this way the jelly never touches the bread, or with deli meat sandwich, put the meat up against the bread the condiments on the meat so that the condiments never touch the bread. Trick #2 - Whole grain breads tend to stay sturdy longer. Trick #3 - Wrap the sandwich in wax paper instead of a sandwich baggie, I read this somewhere before and I have no idea why it works, but it does.
*Peanut Butter and Jelly
*Deli meat and cheese
*Bagel sandwiches - use a bagel and top with your child's favorite sandwich toppings
Wrap sandwiches: - use a tortilla (for these sandwiches my favorites are wheat tortillas or spinach tortillas). Be sure to warm up the tortilla just a bit so it doesn't split when you roll it up. There are plenty of ways to make these, but here are a couple ways I make them. **Note: I stay away from too many tomatoes or cucumbers in a wrap sandwich, only because they tend to make the wrap the mushy sometimes.
1. Meat Wrap with Avocado - Take an avocado and mash it. Spread this on the tortilla. Top with some lettuce leaves (I prefer Romaine, but any kind would work), sliced deli meat, cucumber slices and colby jack cheese sprinkled on top. Roll up. Cut in half (my kids only eat a half at a time because the tortillas are so large)
2. Meat Wrap with Dressing - Spread a small amount of ranch or italian dressing on the tortilla. Top with some lettuce leaves (I prefer Romaine, but any kind would work), sliced deli meat, cucumber slices and colby jack cheese sprinkled on top. Roll up. Cut in half (my kids only eat a half at a time because the tortillas are so large)
3. Turkey and Bacon Wrap - Cook 4 slices of bacon and drain off grease. Lay sliced turkey and a slice of your favorite cheese (I use colby jack or pepperjack) on a tortilla. Place bacon strips on top. Roll up tortilla and fold up bottom to secure. Heat up a tsp of olive oil in a pan. When oil is hot, lay turkey wrap, seam side down in the skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook another 1-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned. Wrap tightly in foil and place in insulated lunch box.
4. BLT Wrap - Mix together a little cream cheese and mayonnaise (about 1-2 oz of cream cheese and about 1 Tbls mayo). Spread this mixture on the tortilla. In another bowl, stir together 1-2 tomatoes (that have been seeded and chopped), 1 avocado, chopped (optional), lettuce, chopped (sometimes I use left over salad greens), 5-6 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon, and a little bit of ranch dressing. Mix this together well and place on the center of the tortilla. Roll up, cut in half and wrap tightly (for this I use plastic wrap) and place in the insulated lunch box.
5. Quick Veggie Wrap - Take a bag of mixed salad greens and mix together with your favorite dressing (my kids like ranch) place in the center of the tortilla. Roll up, cut in half and wrap tightly.
6. Cheesy Veggie Wrap - Another thing I like to do is spread a thin layer of Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese on a wrap tortilla or a wheat tortilla and then put some deli meat and cheese and even some sprouts and lettuce, then roll up, cut in half and wrap tightly.
7. Peanut Butter & Jelly Wrap - Take your tortilla and spread creamy peanut butter on it, then a layer of jelly. Roll up. You can serve it just like this or you can cut it into bite-sized pieces if desired.
Pita Bread Sandwiches: - you can use pita pocket bread for any type of sandwich. My favorite pita is wheat. Use your favorite sandwich toppings, or some listed above or some of these listed below:
1. Tuna Salad Pita - I make mine using canned (and drained of course) tuna, stir in a little bit of mayonnaise and some pickle relish. Quick, easy and not fancy at all.
2. Chicken Salad Pita - I use shredded left over chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. Mix together with some mayonnaise, a tsp or so of lemon juice, dash of pepper, handful of slivered almonds, 1 celery stalked diced. Place a little bit of lettuce inside pita pocket and sliced tomatoes if desired. Add in chicken salad. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
3. Taco Pitas - Using left over taco meat this is a great sandwich! I spread some sour cream (and sometimes a little guacamole too) on the inside of the pita. Fill with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, then the warmed taco meat. Sprinkle with cheese. Wrap tightly in foil.
4. Turkey and Hummus Pita - Spread hummus (we like the spicy red pepper hummus on this sandwich) on the inside of the pita pocket. Add in some cucumber, peeled and sliced, a tomato or two peeled and sliced, some deli sliced turkey and a little shredded lettuce. Top off with shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese (you can use swiss slices instead if you want).
SIDE ITEMS:
*Fruit - I always include a piece of fruit. Apples, orange, grapes, kiwi slices (be sure to place these in a small reusable container to keep them from becoming too mushy), banana. Bananas can get mushed up inside a lunch box sometimes so I don't do these very often. If you have some small reusable containers you can make a small fruit salad to put in the lunch box. Since my kids lunch time is only about 15-20 minutes of eating time I like to peel and/or cut the fruits to save them the time and hassle at lunch.
*Chips, crackers or pretzels - when serving a sandwich I always include a small bag of chips. I don't like to use the pre-packaged bags because they are always too many chips for my kids. I prefer to buy a large bag and divide up into our own small bags. My kids like animal crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, chips, goldfish crackers, ritz crackers (I serve these especially with meat roll ups), wheat thins... the list goes on.
*Granola bars - homemade or store bought are great in lunches.
*Fruit snacks - I have these on hand and throw them in for a little treat now and again.
*Trail mix (also known as Gorp) - homemade or store bought, this is a great perk-me-up item to put in lunches.
A favorite of ours is 1 cup of each of the following: Rice Chex, Corn Chex, mini pretzels, oyster crackers, cheese puff balls, M&M's. Mix all together and put into little baggies.
Since my kids love popcorn too, I will make some airpopped popcorn, add to it a little cinnamon/sugar, a few thin pretzel sticks, some M&M's and some Teddy Grahams. Mix it all together and put into little baggies.
*Cookie or other dessert - I will throw in one cookie or one small dessert item in the kids lunches almost every day. A dessert item might be a cookie or it might be a graham cracker or it might be a piece of small candy. I want them to have a mostly healthy lunch, but don't mind throwing in the special item too. I am fortunate enough to have good eaters so it doesn't bother me to give a small treat.
*Dried fruit pieces
*Homemade fruit cups
* Popcorn
* Cheese Stick
* Make your own jello and pudding cups. They are sometimes hard to find these days, but if you can find the yogurt cups with replaceable lids, wash them out (after eating the yogurt of course!) and make jello or pudding to fill them. I only fill them about half way or so because my kids won't eat more than that. Replace the lid and set in the fridge until ready to serve. If you can't find the yogurt cups with lids, you can purchase the Glad containers with lids in the small size for this, they work just as well.
DRINK:
I usually pack a water bottle or a juice box. I know there are complaints about some of the juice boxes being too full of sugar and I am careful of which ones I buy, but I am so lucky that my kids love milk and water that I don't worry too much about a sugary drink here and there. We are also lucky in that the school has a rack of free milk. These milk cartons are from kids who bought hot lunch but didn't open their milk, instead of throwing the milk away they are encouraged to put it on this rack and then other kids can drink it so my kids will often come home with an unopened drink because they chose milk instead.
If you freeze the juice boxes or water bottles slightly they will act as an "ice pack" in the lunch box and be thawed out perfectly in time for lunch OR try these, I haven't made any but they look easy and cheap enough to make several to have on hand.
I am linking up to Works For Me Wednesday - click here for lots of tips and ideas!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Weekend in Review
Our weekend was fairly relaxing and I love those kind of weekends (this weekend coming up won't be as quiet with birthday parties to go to, hair appointments, errands to run, etc.)!
Friday night Mr. Man had to work late but took us all out to dinner when he got home! Nice reward for us! We also did some car shopping, I found two I really liked but they were a little out of our current price range.
Saturday morning we slept in a little bit and then Spirit and I took a jog (I walked some and jogged some) which felt good! After a simple breakfast Lady Bug and I ran to the grocery store. When we got home to unload the groceries the boys were all gone. Apparently, Mr. Man had taken the boys on a bike ride to scope out some garage sales. They have a small fort (built in a neighbors shed, with neighbors permission of course) and so they wanted some tables and a rug to sit on. They found some deals -- even found a free table-- so they came home to get the van and go back for the stuff.
Saturday evening we allowed the kids to have two neighbor boys sleep over. They watched movies and ate popcorn and candy. About midnight I had to go tell them to settle down and go to sleep. I didn't hear anything else, but it was clear they didn't sleep much. They also made a HUGE mess with popcorn. So Sunday morning I made the kids clean up and vacuum, there were lots of tears (due to the tiredness) and pouting over having to clean up.
Sunday afternoon we all laid down to rest. I told the kids they had to lay down for 15 minutes and if they fell asleep I wouldn't let them sleep too long but if they didn't fall asleep they would have an early bedtime. All 3 kids were asleep as soon as their head hit the pillow! Amazing! {and yet, they insisted they weren't tired! hmmmm!} Lefty slept THREE hours and I woke him up - repeatedly, he just kept falling back to sleep! Lady Bug slept about an hour and a half and Spirit slept about an hour.
Side note: we STILL can't find our camera?!
Friday night Mr. Man had to work late but took us all out to dinner when he got home! Nice reward for us! We also did some car shopping, I found two I really liked but they were a little out of our current price range.
Saturday morning we slept in a little bit and then Spirit and I took a jog (I walked some and jogged some) which felt good! After a simple breakfast Lady Bug and I ran to the grocery store. When we got home to unload the groceries the boys were all gone. Apparently, Mr. Man had taken the boys on a bike ride to scope out some garage sales. They have a small fort (built in a neighbors shed, with neighbors permission of course) and so they wanted some tables and a rug to sit on. They found some deals -- even found a free table-- so they came home to get the van and go back for the stuff.
Saturday evening we allowed the kids to have two neighbor boys sleep over. They watched movies and ate popcorn and candy. About midnight I had to go tell them to settle down and go to sleep. I didn't hear anything else, but it was clear they didn't sleep much. They also made a HUGE mess with popcorn. So Sunday morning I made the kids clean up and vacuum, there were lots of tears (due to the tiredness) and pouting over having to clean up.
Sunday afternoon we all laid down to rest. I told the kids they had to lay down for 15 minutes and if they fell asleep I wouldn't let them sleep too long but if they didn't fall asleep they would have an early bedtime. All 3 kids were asleep as soon as their head hit the pillow! Amazing! {and yet, they insisted they weren't tired! hmmmm!} Lefty slept THREE hours and I woke him up - repeatedly, he just kept falling back to sleep! Lady Bug slept about an hour and a half and Spirit slept about an hour.
Side note: we STILL can't find our camera?!
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