1 Baked Apple-Cheddar Quinoa Balls

BBWow, these are so delicious, and they are baby-approved! 

I came across this recipe by recommendation from one of the moms in my mommy group. Turns out it's from the Little Grazers blog: http://littlegrazers.com/apple-and-cheese-quinoa-balls/

I made our own today. I adjusted it slightly for American measurements. I also misread the cooked-quinoa amount and used the entire yield from 1 cup of UNcooked quinoa. But it worked out great. 

You'll need:

Yield from 1 cup of uncooked quinoa (so, cook 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions.)

2 medium Pink Lady apples, grated and squeezed of excess water (save the juice for a yummy drink!)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 beaten egg

olive oil or coconut oil

1/2 tsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 350F. 

Combine all ingredients and mix in a bowl. Portion out into balls.  I used a measured scoop. Brush with some melted coconut oil or olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown!

Devour! They taste like Cream of Wheat (which I absolutely love) with a hint of apple sweetness and cheddar.  So good!

2 Bento #271 - Forgotten Lunch Non-Bento

Do you want to know what to do when your child forgets their lunch, lovingly prepared by you, when you can't get home and go get it?

This morning, I wanted to know too!  The moment before the carpool attendant opened my daughter's door, I heard a forlorn, "Mommy, where's my lunchbox?"  With quick promises to bring her lunch and not to worry, I headed to the closest grocery store that was open at 7am.  Walmart.  You see, it's not really practical for me to go all the way home, since it's an hour round trip with morning traffic and carpool lines.  Plus, I'm pregnant and exhausted.  So, Walmart.

The other day I posted a homemade version of a "Lunchable".  Today I was SO tempted to grab an actual Lunchable and call it a day.  But...I couldn't do it.  Could not.  I stood in the aisle for about 10 minutes looking over what pre-made lunches exist today.  Plastic bread, meat loaded with nitrates, preservatives, HFCS. tons of sodium and everything else artificial.  Even the so-called "healthy" brand option "Active Pack" had added corn syrup and lots of preservatives.

I seriously considered grabbing a pre-made salad bowl, but they all had cubed meat in it which is basically the same as Lunchable meat.  I don't trust it.  That meant it was up to me to piece-meal it.  Literally.

So, here's what I ended up with.

Produce aisle: Snack Fresh fruit/veggie pack.  Includes sliced apples, cubes of cheddar cheese, carrots and a pack of crackers. - $1.98

Deli aisle: Double pack of hard boiled eggs. - $.98

Dairy aisle: Activia strawberry yogurt smoothie drink. - $.88

Total cost: $3.84

Interestingly enough, this is just a little less than hot school lunch costs at E's school.  We attend a public charter school, but we don't get the same government subsidies as other public schools, so all food is ordered in advance and costs $4 per DAY.  And unfortunately, it's not all that great for the price.

This is also the first time in probably two years I've purchased paper lunch bags!  We ran out a few weeks ago when I packed the last disposable field trip lunch, so I did actually need a new package.

So there you have it.  This was a much better collection of foods for lunch than grabbing one of those pre-made lunches.  Though convenient, they will do your body no favors!  And now that I know exactly what to buy and where to get these lunch components, I'll be in and out in 5 minutes, instead of reading labels for 45 minutes!

[non] Bento #271 - Apples, cheese, carrots, crackers, hard boiled eggs and strawberry yogurt smoothie.

3 Bento #270 - Croissant & Meatballs

This is a really quick and easy lunch.  I included half a buttery, flaky croissant and steamed a few Kirkland (Costco) brand Italian meatballs.

Ella LOVES these golden tomatoes!  They are very sweet.

We have a ton of apples on hand since we went apple picking in North Georgia last weekend!

Bento #270 - Italian meatballs, croissant, golden grape tomatoes, and apple slices.

8 Bento #259 - Goldfish Ravioli Lego Lunch

I have these cute Nuovo goldfish-shaped "mac n'cheezy" ravioli for lunch today with some Bolognese sauce for dipping.  I made a sea scape using fish picks, broccoli and snips of green onion.

I used an apple slicer for the first time in almost a year! *gasp*  You know, I've been too scared to use one since my incident last year. It's an organic Pink Lady, which is my favorite variety, soaked in fresh lemon juice water to help prevent browning (and it really works!)

With the Lego sauce container top on, I just love it!

Two Lego bento boxes!  I tell you what, this pink Lego box has traveled all over the world to finally get to me, from England to California to Canada to Maryland and finally to Georgia!

Bento #259 - Goldfish cheese ravioli, broccoli, organic apple slices and Bolognese sauce.

8 Bento #252 - Mom's Day Off Bento & Blog Hop

Today's bento lunch was packed by none other than Miss E and her daddy!  I didn't give them any guidance, they could just pack whatever they wanted. And here it is - a PB&J lunch and some yummy, unusual (for me, anyway) extras.

Bento #252 - Organic PB&J sandwich on wheat, Cheetos, organic carrots & dip and organic Gala apple.  Snack - Apple crusher and crackers.

And as I mentioned in the post title, it's a blog hop!  Click here to see what my bento-making mama friends are doing for Mom's Day Off, starting with Marie at Healthy Eating Starts at Home!

4 Bento #251 - Turkey & Sweet Corn

I'm so tickled that I've been nominated for a Top 25 Foodie Moms award on CircleofMoms.com!  I'd be flattered if you'd vote for Bentobloggy here:

We had our last school field trip yesterday, to the Atlanta Zoo!  There were so many parent volunteers that my group consisted of only one of Ella's little girlfriends, so we had a really nice and relaxing morning exploring together.  We started out in the opposite direction of everyone else, so we got most of the exhibits all to ourselves.  The panda bears were really active, which was so cool to see. It was also supposed to thunderstorm but we escaped it all, and the high temperatures with some cloud cover.

Today's lunch was one of only about five that I've ever made in the morning.  I usually make them right before I go to bed, because I'm barely functional at 6:30am.  She has a whole wheat White Mountain bread turkey and cheddar sandwich in the first box.

In the second she has some grape tomatoes, fresh sweet corn sprinkled with a little kosher sea salt and a cheddar Babybel.

Packed up with snack - Cat cookies and an organic gala apple.

Bento #251 - Turkey and cheddar on whole wheat, sweet corn, grape tomatoes and cheddar Babybel.  Snack - Organic gala apple and cat cookies.

5 Bento #241 - Green & Orange

I am just in LOVE with these new all-natural food dyes from ChocolateCraftKits.com.  I had to order some after I saw Karen at What's In John's Lunchbag blog posting.  I have historically stayed away (in general) from artificially dyed foods.  These powders change everything.  They are all made of vegetables, and they are shockingly vibrant.  A little goes a long way!

I made some spinach ravioli and added some of the green powder to the cooking water (I used my "dumpling method".)  Look how emerald green they turned out!!  I went with a green and orange theme since they came out so well.

I also cut out some flowers in half an apple, and rubbed some of the green powder on the whites.  It's a little uneven, but I think it would have taken better and more evenly if I had pre-mixed it in a little water.  Live and learn.

Ugh, the lighting is atrocious!  I have a bulb out above the island.

We also have a brand new Hello Kitty lunch bag, compliments of my mom!  E is in love with it.

Bento #241 - Pasta Prima spinach ravioli, carrot coins, herb parmesan mix and an apple.  Snack - Clementine and Goldfish crackers.

4 Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider

It's the most wonderful time of the year...when Starbucks has those delicious, limited-time-only seasonal drinks that I crave at all other times of the year.  One of them is their Caramel Apple Cider.  Aside:  Can someone please explain why this isn't on their drive-thru menu?  I can never remember what it's officially called and mumble about apple cider-something-or-other-that's-not-coffee.

I discovered an at-home clone recipe from blogger and fellow mom from E's class, Dixie Delights.  I have literally been stalking this recipe since A first posted it, and I finally got around to making my own after spending approximately $793 buying them at Starbucks.  My recipe ratios are just slightly different, only because I just have apple juice boxes which are 6.75 oz each.

- 2  juice boxes (6.75 oz) of apple juice (I always use no sugar-added like Apple & Eve)
- 4.5 - 5 pumps of Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce syrup (BTW, had you any idea they sell these at their coffee shops...for $8?!?!)
1.5 tsp of caramel.  I've been using a handy little tub of caramel sauce that came with pre-sliced apples ever since I became maimed by that apple slicer.  I'm not ashamed to admit I'm still afraid to use one right now.

But I digress.

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients and heat until just starting to bubble slightly.  Pour into your favorite large mug and roll your eyes in pure bliss.  It's that good.

0 Bento #219 - Vegetarian Cheese & Crackers

Enter the Bon Ami Giveaway!

Me and my gimpy thumbs are back in bento business!  My poor kid had to buy her lunches all last week (thankfully they really aren't bad, and she will usually grab a salad anyway.)  I decided that I didn't want to pay a $50 copay for 5 seconds so that a nurse could remove my stitches, so I did it myself yesterday MacGuyver-style with a pair of new sterilized cuticle nail clippers.  One-handed, even!  Looks pretty good, but I'm still black and blue over my entire thumb.  

My last few lunches have been vegetarian, not wholly by design.  This bento also happens to be vegetarian.  She's got an assortment of fresh veggies and dip, along with some cheese cubes and saltines.

Dessert is sliced apples (NOT done with an apple slicer...in fact I bought these in one of those pre-cut packages...can you blame me?) and grapes.

We have a special snack of a bunch of yogurt star cookies and an apple sauce.

Bento #219 - Celery sticks, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, broccoli, ranch dip, cheese, saltine crackers, sliced apples, and grapes.  Snack - Yogurt Stars and applesauce.

3 French Cooking Day

Another busy and fun cooking weekend!  I had my girlfriends over Friday for a French cooking day.  We became Julia Child acolytes and made her boeuf bourguignon, (which I just can't get enough practice at) gratin Jurassien (baked scalloped potatoes with Swiss cheese.  To.Die.For.  I may or may not have had 1/4 of it all by myself...) and tarte Tatin with organic apples and pears (which my brother-in-law made for us since he is the fabulous baker of the family.)  What an amazing dinner with the best of friends and family.

The Boeuf.

The Gratin.

The Tarte.

The Delicious.

I encourage you to give one or more of these a try - there is something here for everyone. The boeuf and the gratin are gluten-free (omit the flour in the boeuf or use a substitute), the gratin and tarte are vegetarian, and all of them are unbelievably delicious, and I guarantee you'll have a happy family around the dinner table.  Even better because almost all my ingredients are locally sourced, from the grass-fed beef and bacon I picked up from my local butcher shop, to the organic fruits, vegetables and herbs from my CSA.  Support local and whole foods!

Bon Appetit!

2 Bento #167 - Mini Meatballs & Puzzle Class Snack

We have a smallish bento today, since it's a special day at school - 'Grandfriends' day.  Not only did we bring a special class snack for the kids and visitors, but my parents, Ella's Mumu & Obbie are visiting from Maryland!  We are so excited that they were able to come for a nice visit.

Here is our class snack (plus two other trays not shown) - they are just simple cheese sandwiches cut out with the puzzle Lunch Punch Match & Munch cutter, and assembled  using their nifty puzzle diagram (which had my mom and I scratching our heads more than once!)  Their's looks a lot nicer than ours, that's for sure, but it was still pretty neat.

Bento #167 - Mini meatballs, steamed organic broccoli, mini pretzel sticks, salad cream, and an almond butter-stuffed Aussie apple.

Enter the AllThingsForSale bento giveaway here!

2 Bento #163 - Pups In Blankets & Bok Choy

Enter the AllThingsForSale bento giveaway here!

From little squares of puff pastry and mini hot dogs we have some pigs - or pups - in blankets, sprinkled with a little parmesan cheese and baked.  Some raw baby bok choy with ranch for dipping and an organic apple round it all out.  

Bento #163 - Pups in blankets with ketchup, raw baby bok choy with ranch dip, and an organic apple.

0 Bento #155 - Toast & Apple Cheese

Well, it's not really apple cheese, (though I'm sure someone, somewhere out there makes such a concoction) but apple shaped Havaarti cheese.  There are two slices, one is a "red delicious" and the other is a "golden delicious" with green leaves and brown stem.  The ham is also cut into the apple shape.  What's funny is that this bento is devoid of actual apples. ha!

Bento #155 - Melba toasts, Havaarti cheese, ham, carrots, cucumber, macadamia nuts and dried blueberries.

3 Apple Crisp

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we had a lot of sliced apples left over from the cupcake party, and we wanted to use them right away.  We were thinking maybe an apple pie, but no one wanted to spend the time or energy making a pie crust.  I started looking in my iPhone version of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything app, and came across this recipe for apple crisp.  We made it, and everyone raved about how good it was.  We made it with the optional shredded coconut and chopped pecans and served it hot over vanilla ice cream.  As you can see, we made short work of it!

You'll need:

6 cups sliced apples
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbls fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
2/3 cup brown sugar or to taste
5 tbls cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 shredded coconut (opt)
1/4 chopped nuts (opt)
dash salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter an 8" square or 9" round baking dish.  In a mixing bowl toss apples with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, lemon juice, and 1 tbls of the brown sugar, and layer evenly in the bottom of the buttered baking dish.

For the topping, combine the remaining ingredients (including remaining cinnamon and sugar) in a food processor and pulse a few times until everything is well incorporated, but not uniform.  (To mix the ingredients by hand, soften the butter slightly, toss together the dry ingredients, then work in the butter with fingers, pastry blender or fork.)

Crumble the topping over the apples and bake 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender and bubbling.  Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

By itself it's great, but with the vanilla ice cream it's absolute heaven.

1 Bento #125 - Chicken & Apple Kebab

I am in love with these Aidells Chicken & Apple sausages.  They are so good, and have a very unique, sweet and savory flavor (and Ella says they taste "weird but good" and asked for them in today's bento.)  I've skewered slices of grilled sausage with some cucumber flowers.

Bento #125 - Chicken & apple sausage, cucumber flowers, cubed apples, multi-grain crackers and guacamole dip.

0 Bento #109 - Spinach Ravioli & Apples

E called this "a spider in a spider's web."  It's spinach ravioli with herbed parm on top, baby carrots and some apple slices on top (which she insisted I put on top as part of the whole "spider" effect.)  Creepy!

Bento #109 - Spinach ravioli, baby carrots and apple slices.

7 Bento #98 - Carbonara Twirls

This isn't really carbonara, but a less pungent, more kid-friendly version.  And no eggs.  We had a batch of some recalled eggs that my husband was actually sick from last week, and thus I have no eggs right now.  I took some Black Forest ham I'd cut into ribbons and sauteed it in some garlic-infused oil and a little butter, and then added some cooked Dreamfields low-carb spaghetti noodles and tossed everything with a bit of black pepper and cheddar cheese (rather than pecorino.)   I thought it was really tasty. E thought it was cute but ate less than half, even though I twirled it all for her (funnily enough, she mentioned that her teachers liked her lunch.)  The apples stayed nice and crisp after a fresh lemon water soak.

Bento #98 - "Carbonara" twirls, sugar snap peas, and a sliced Pink Lady apple.