Roundup: 14 From 2014!

Happy New Year (2 weeks ago)!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends, and I also hope that reflecting on the past year brings many cherished memories to hold dear. For us, this is especially true. This year brought a new home, a new adventure with the beginning of Kindergarten, and most importantly, a new member to our family.. a beautiful baby girl. It will be hard to top this year. But, with so much happening this year, other parts of my life took a major back seat. My neglected blog is one of those things. Time to respark the love affair.. not necessarily with cooking and packing lunches, because believe it or not, I've been doing all that.. but the actual sharing of what I've been up to. In an effort to bring you up to speed, rather than do a recap of the 14 most popular posts of 2014, I'm doing some favorites, but also some clean up and posting of things from the past year that never got to make their debut. I'm doing it on the 14th to really get the point across. No, it has nothing to do with the fact that it took me two weeks to pull together this post... why would you think that?! Anyways, enjoy, and I look forward to sharing more with you this year, and getting out there to see what everyone else has been up to, as well. Here's to a wonderful 2015! I can't wait to see what it has in store!

JANUARY - Our year started off just as crazy as it ended. On January 2nd, we sold our house of 16 years. This month also marked Zoe's 5th birthday! Major, major stuff! So, this picture is from a previously posted lunch from her birthday. See the full post and details here.

Chobani Greek yogurt frozen into shapes using silicone molds. Yum! (Photo below from the birthday cake, complete with fondant dinosaurs, of course!)

FEBRUARY - Valentine's Day! Yup, seems like a good excuse for a 'hearty' lunch, doesn't it? This is one from last year made in a muffin tin. Read the full post here.

Orange vanilla Greek yogurt, raisins, chocolate chip cookie, cucumber, leftover rice pilaf and baked chicken, and shredded cheddar jack cheese, topped off with some fun heart picks.

MARCH -Simplicity. There were lots of lunches like that this month as we were working on getting in a new home. Just quick, yummy, fun, and done.

Cucumber w/ a bear pick, Trader Joe's Cheddar Rockets, Swiss cheese, olive/caper mix, grapes, and smoked turkey, all in our Nibble Tray.

APRIL - Technically still 'homeless' and living with my mom made it very difficult to nest before baby arrived, so I had to spend that energy making things for her instead. Two projects were born... 2 nice mid-weight blankets that I use every single day. Seriously, love these things! And, burp cloths. While, I thought I'd never use this pain in the arse to make lovely things, when we transitioned to bottles, they too became and are a daily necessity. Plus, come on now.. they are so cute!

To make these blankets, I used this tutorial from Greener Grass. I used flannel and minky dot and they were super easy. I absolutely love this fabric, too. I could so see a room decorated with these colors and whimsical forest patterns.

For the burp cloths, I used my own mash-up of the tutorial found here at Diary of a Quilter and the one here at The Happy Scraps. The biggest thing I can say is that you have to prewash, dry, and iron all the fabric, including the cloth diapers. This is absolutely not a step to skip. I used flannel pieces and made a general measurement and used the cereal box tip for ironing. You'll see what I mean if you look at the tutorials. They were tedious, but turned out so cute. Seriously.. I want another baby just to use more burp cloths! Will I make you some? Um.. hell no. I would never make them again without some serious incentives.

I even managed to bust out a few bibs with scraps. These were super simple too, and I found a great free template here at Craftaholics Anonymous, but I will admit that I made my mommy sew all the snaps on.

MAY - We moved into our new house AND our baby girl was born! Yup.. it was pretty much nuts!

For hubby - Baby turkey, cheddar, and green apple bagels (both traditional baby colors included since we didn't know what gender we were having), baby Triscuits with Babybel cheese, baby peppers, cucumber, and carrots with guacamole, little Chobani bite yogurt, and Vita Coco to drink, all packed in our GoGreen lunchbox.

For the kiddo - baby bagel with cream cheese, strawberries (baby elephant picks too), cinnamon almonds, baby jelly beans, baby triscuits with Babybel cheese, baby carrots, cucumber, and pepper, all in our favorite EasyLunchboxes.

JUNE - In the summer, I'm all about salads, and taco salad is a favorite. Ours is meat free and always uses Russsian dressing. Yum!

Taco salad (chips packed separate), black beans, dressing in our mini dipper, and sesame sticks, all packed in our Easylunchboxes.

JULY -Snack boxes are in full swing around here in the summer, and we got in some great practice and ideas for when school would start, too. Almost always packed and stashed for easy access when in need of a quick snack, an on the go treat, or a last second pick me up when lounging by the pool, these things are more popular than 'actual' lunches. Here are a few examples.

Cucumber, grapes, and caramel Pirate's Booty in our Lock&Lock box.

 Mini croissant with Trader Joe cookie butter and slivered almonds.

Trader Joe's peanut butter pretzels, apple slices, and candy corn (yes we have it year round, thanks to our realtor, mixed with peanuts .. omg so good and tastes just like a Payday candy bar)

AUGUST -With an abundance of zucchini and an obsession with butterscotch, this bread was destined to be born last summer. It is amazing. That is all. Get the recipe here.

SEPTEMBER - And, let the Kindergarten adventure begin!

'Apple' cucumbers in cup, checkerboard apple, peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich w/ leaf, apple Pirate's Booty.

OCTOBER - Happy Halloween!

Turkey pepperoni in cup, orange bell pepper, Goldfish crackers in Mini Dipper, Muenster cheese, and a chocolate in polkadot container, all in a Lunchbots Trio.

NOVEMBER - Can anyone say leftover turkey with a twist?

Grapes, Greek pasta salad, smoked turkey on ciabatta with spinach, Swiss, Dijon, and cream cheese, all in our Easylunchboxes.

DECEMBER - Merry Christmas!

Smoked turkey with tree picks, cucumber 'trees', holiday Wheat Thins, and Swiss cheese 'trees', all packed in our Sassy box.

 A little 'cheesy' snack for the Kindergarten class! How cute are they? And that's that, then. Here's to 2015!

Recipe Review - Butterscotch Chip Zucchini Bread

Six days and counting until Kindergarten starts...

One of the things that the kiddo and I love to do on a free afternoon is cook together, and with summer days dwindling and the zucchini piling up on the counter, it was time for a bread baking day. What else do we like to do? Experiment! I had a great zucchini bread recipe with orange zest and chocolate, but we decided to have some fun. I'm so glad we did because this is my new favorite recipe. We baked off 8 loaves... shared a few, froze a couple, and ate a lot. I love that you can get away with eating zucchini bread as breakfast, a snack, and even dessert. It was delicious, so I'm sharing our new favorite with you.. maybe it will be your new favorite too!

Butterscotch Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients - 3 c flour, 2 c sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 3 eggs, 1/2 c unsweetened applesauce (I ran out and used peach applesauce which was equally delicious), 1/2 c vegetable oil, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 c shredded zucchini, 1 c butterscotch chips*

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (first 6). In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir the dry mixture into the wet just until moistened. Gently blend in the shredded zucchini and butterscotch chips.

Divide the mixture into 2 well greased 8 or 9" loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean near the center. Let the loaves cool in the pan 10-15 minutes before removing. Cool completely before covering and storing. If eating, it is delicious warm with a pat of butter, though, so go for it! Enjoy.

*Of course, you can use chocolate or cinnamon chips instead of butterscotch chips if you prefer. You don't have to, but you may want to reduce the cinnamon to 3/4 - 1 tsp if using another type of chip.

Snack Time

So, I was fiddling around on Pinterest again. At this rate, I'll get through my 'must try' list sometime before my ninety's. Ugh. Anyways, after a semi-failed attempt at some crazy veggie chili with cocoa and cinnamon in it, I found some hope in a delicious, simple corn bread, so be sure to take a peek. It can never compare to homemade, but I think it is my new favorite when it comes to using a premix. And since today, we had lunch at a proper restaurant, I'm sharing our snack for the day.

Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, brown rice crackers, havarti cheese, and smoked turkey.

Jiffy Corn Bread
Ingredients - 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix, 1 box Jiffy yellow cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together until just combined. Pour into a greased square baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cut and enjoy!




In this lunch...

Amish Bread and A Bear Bento

Today, I was baking up some Amish Friendship Bread, and though the recipe has been around the block more times than I care to imagine, I have never tried many of the variations. This year, I decided to play around a bit, with success, so as the next 10 day batch rolls around, I'll be baking off LOTS of new variations just in time for some holiday gifts. Oh, and some of my bento blogging buddies did a Ho Ho Holiday Hop today, so be sure and jump in on it and check out all the wonderful holiday ideas they had to offer!

Celery, cherry tomatoes, Amish friendship bread, mini marshmallows, Swiss and colby jack cheese scraps, Trader Joe's veggie straws, barbeque sauce, and Schwans chicken tenders.

While the kiddo likes the traditional cinnamony Amish bread, I am in love with the Cherry Pistachio one! Yum!

To make the Cherry Pistachio version of this bread, follow all the traditional instructions, but substitute pistachio instant pudding for the vanilla, and add in 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries and 2 Tbsp of their liquid. 
If you don't have the full recipe, here it is for your viewing pleasure!
Mix together 1 cup starter, 1 cup oil, 1/2 cup milk, 2 Tbsp cherry liquid, 3 eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla. In a seperate bowl, mix 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 large or 2 small boxes instant pistachio pudding mix. Add the dry to the wet and stir to combine. Stir in 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries. Bake in 2 greased and sugared loaf pans at 325 degrees for 60-65 minutes. Yum!!

Fall Leaf Fun

I used today as a fun opportunity to link lunch with some learning activities, as well as a delicious, simple snack for all of us. First, the snack! Really, you can make these yummy, crispy pitas in any shape you'd like for any holiday or occasion, but leaves were the theme today, so leaves it was! Not only were these so good last night, but they were devoured in today's lunchbox as well.

Crispy Parmesan Herb Pitas
All you need for these is a package of Greek pitas (the flat ones, not the pocket ones), ~1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, seasonings of choice (I use dried Italian herbs), and fresh or grated Parmesan (or other hard cheese). Cut your pitas into the shapes you'd like. Brush with olive oil. Lay on foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with herbs and cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned. Let the pitas cool, if you can stand the wait, as they crisp up during that time. Serve with marinara or hummus. We prefer hummus! Enjoy!

Pita crisp, Swiss cheese leaves, red grapes, Mozzarella cheddar cubes, hummus, carrots, cherry tomatoes, dill pickle, and white meat turkey hot dog.

We added some fun leaf projects today, as well. We did crayon leaf rubbings, which for some reason didn't make it into the picture, but I remember doing all sorts of nature or texture rubbings as a kid and loving them. I think I was the one having the most fun with them still! I also set up a outline for a tree to be painted, and I thickened the paint a bit so we could use the paint as glue and put some fabric leaves right on the tree. We did a leaf color/counting project, dot stamper, and also tried out a 1-10 style puzzle, which was a big hit. We will definitely be creating some of these more often.

In this lunch...