The Wonderful World of Wraps

Continuing on the lunch theme, let's explore the wonderful world of wraps. Wraps are one of the easiest things to put together for lunch, the possibilities of fillings are only limited by your imagination. Breads used can be any tortilla, flat bread, lavash, and even lettuce. The key is to use a base that helps bind the sandwich together, and to leave a 1/2 inch of topping free wrap. Let's take a look at some variations of the wrap....

Rare roast beef, tomatoes, spinach and cream cheese
Turkey with chive cream cheese.
Hummus with roast lamb, red onion, and cucumbers
Salmon and cream cheese with cucumbers and red onion
Turkey with cranberry butter, stuffing, and cheese
Chicken with Cesar and romaine
Pesto, provolone, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes
Cream cheese, avocado, black olives, walnuts, tomato, lettuce, and sprouts
Pasta sauce, pepperoni, and cheese
Brie, spicy mustard, sprouts, and turkey
Pesto, prosciutto, and roasted red peppers
Buffalo chicken, blue cheese, and lettuce or celery chopped thin
Grilled chicken, pepper jack, and salsa

I could keep this list going, but I think that you get the idea, play around with flavors that you like, experiment with different breads, and find what works for you. These are great for kids as they are visually appealing when sliced into little pinwheels. I hope that you give the wrap a try and find your own favorite.

Kids Lunch Ideas

School has started and if you are like me, the hot lunches at school are just not going to cut it for your child. If you are faced with the dilemma of what healthy, fast, and kid friendly lunch to serve your child, here are some great ideas for you to try ...

Plain old PB&J, not anymore, mix it up by making a peanut butter, banana, and jelly sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread. Or try making a roll up with the same ingredients, or mix up that peanut butter completely by serving it with apples and granola on some whole wheat bread. For those of you who have daring children try peanut butter, bacon, and apple sandwiches.

Since there is not very much time to eat during lunch have your kids make their own trail mix. My son mixed cranberries, golden raisins, peanuts, and mini chocolate chips together and loves snaking on this while talking to his friends. Take your child with you to the store and have them pick out the ingredients, this will make them more likely to eat it, and it is a fun way to spend time with your child too.

Make your own lunchable, pack some deli meat, crackers, cheese, throw in some carrot sticks, with ranch dip, and let your kids make there own meal, with ingredients that you picked out and know the nutritional value of.

Instead of a plain old ham and cheese or turkey and cheese, turn them into roll ups with some fun extras added. For turkey and cheese use some cranberry butter, for the ham, add some bread and butter pickles.

Buy some reusable containers and give your kids fun snacks like red ants on a log, yogurt mixed with berries and bananas, apple sauce with cinnamon and sugar tortillas, or veggies and dip.

Have your child try something new: sushi, a Prosciutto with pesto sandwich or wrap, Chicken Cesar Pita, Asian chicken salad, or humus and veggies in a pita.

Get your child involved with the food that they will be eating for lunch. Discuss the options for their meals and let them decide what sound good to try. Making lunch together the night before is a great way to spend some family time, plus getting kids in the kitchen and teaching them new skills is never a bad thing.

Enjoy lunch and try something new...

Quick and Easy Pasta for Kids

There are some days when I am not in the
mood to eat at the same time as the kids
are. On those days I struggle to find something healthy and wholesome for the kids. Here is what I came up with one night, that received raving reviews.

Whole Wheat Pasta
1 apple peeled and diced
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1 package of Green Giant's New Immunity Blend

Cook pasta and veggies as directed. Mix cooked vegetable with drained pasta, add in apple and extra cranberries, serve.

Captain Crunch Fried Chicken

I love fried chicken this is probably due to the Sunday dinners that we would have while I was growing up in the Midwest, but something about good fried chicken just makes me happy. I have spent years playing around with different breading options and one that always seems to catch every one's attention is my Captain Crunch Fried Chicken. I use Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, but I am sure that the regular would work just fine. I thought that this would be a fun meal for my son to help make, and he seemed to enjoy helping out with this meal. So without further ado, here is the recipe for Captain Crunch Fried Chicken:

3 cups of Captain Crunch cereal

boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins

2 eggs, cracked and mixed

oil

Place cereal in a plastic bag that will be large enough to hold the mashed crunch, and the chicken pieces. Pour around 2 inches of oil into a cast iron skillet and heat on medium low. While oil is heating, use a rolling pin or kitchen mallet crunch the cereal into crumbs leaving some larger pieces. Dredge chicken in egg mix and left out letting as much extra drip off as possible. Place chicken into bag and shake until all pieces are well coated. Place chicken in heated oil and cook until crust is golden brown, and chicken is cooked through.The timing depends on the size of your chicken piece. Remove chicken from pan and place one a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Serve with mashed potatoes, corn, and a house style salad and enjoy a fun meal that the kids will love too.

It's Been Too Long

Dear Reader,
I am so sorry that it has been awhile since my last post. I injured myself, my husband headed out of town for work, my son started kindergarten, and you and my blog got neglected in the craziness. I have been cooking up a storm and having fun. I will be posting some great lunch ideas for kids and adults too. I also have some new recipes and an old favorite that I am teaching my son to make to share with you. I hope that you enjoy the upcoming posts, and I promise to not let it be so long in between posts.

Kiki