Meal Planning

Does anyone out there meal plan? We're about to start, and I'm really looking forward to it. I have found myself in a rut where I don't start thinking about dinner until either I get hungry for it or until it's too late to do a grocery run (with two kids) and prepare.
So, do you have any good advice? I will definitely value it. I'm planning on sharing helpful hints and what has worked for us once it's all said and done. And here are my stipulations:
I'd like the meals to be healthy.
I want to use pantry things wisely so nothing goes to waste. (For example, if I have to buy a special type of oil for a recipe, I don't want to only use one tablespoon then store it in the pantry until it spoils since there was no other use for it.)
We're doing one vegetarian dinner and one fish dinner each week.
So there you have it. Please chime in (if you haven't already on Facebook!) with your ideas, inspiration, experience of what works and what doesn't, etc. And I'll keep you posted from this end.

Muffin Tin Meals

Anyone else have a finicky 2-year-old who LOVES cheese today but will despise it tomorrow? Me too. For some reason serving food in creative ways makes ALL the difference in my house. My daughter will try almost anything as long as it is artfully arranged. Lately I've been trying to hold myself accountable to offering a variety of foods at each meal (something I used to be good at doing but have fallen off the make with lately). Serving meals in muffin tins helps so much because there are six or twelve cups that need to be filled. Here are a few of the meals I've served lately.
This would be fun with themes too. For example, you could serve food of all one color or shape. My daughter loves fun-shaped foods. One of the things she requests the most often are "cumber fwies" (cucumber fries). I just cut veggies into matchsticks and call them fries, and it works! She's also pretty fond of moons (half circles), circles, squares, and calling things fun names. She calls broccoli "baby trees" and eats a ton.

Think outside of the box, too. You could fill one cup with peanut butter, hummus, nuts, raisins, yogurt, etc.

Hope this idea helps you get some food with nutritious value into your picky preschoolers!

Great idea!

I love this idea. How fun, easy, and sentimental. I think it would make a great gift from kids. Check out her entire blog, too. LOTS of great "unplugged" ideas.

What I'm up to

Loving this quilt for one of my favorite boys!

Shaving Cream

When I used to teach, shaving cream was a go-to activity for a rainy day. This will be a huge hit with your preschool/pre-K aged children. And it's cheap, easy, and quick to pull together. I always buy sensitive skin shaving cream (pictured above). Just squirt a dab onto your counter, give your child plastic silverware, scrub brushes, paint brushes, etc., and let them go to town. The best parts: the shaving cream will eventually dissolve, so you'll only need a damp cloth to clean up, shaving cream will clean anything off your counter - including permanent marker - so do this where you need some clean-up, shaving cream doesn't stain clothes! If you want to add another dimension, stir in some food coloring before you give it to your child. You can do the primary colors and let them mix for a color-mixing lesson, let them use it as finger paint, or coordinate it for birthday parties or holidays.

Have fun! We sure did!

Mother's Day 2010

A few years ago I started hosting a Mother's Day lunch to honor all of the special moms in my life - whoever's in town, really. I was really hoping I'd be up for doing it again this year. But the week before I got a sinus infection (oh, and I have a newborn and a 2-year-old!), so it was a bit last-minute. I was able to host, but everything was scaled back. I can't wait to gather ideas and recipes for a big celebration next year!

Since I'm always concocting new recipes, I like to sit down as soon as possible to write them out so I don't forget. And I think the new ones this year were a hit, so here you go!

Asparagus Quiche

1 pie crust (any recipe or store-bought crust will work)

5-6 slices of Swiss cheese (you could also use gruyere)

1/2 cup steamed asparagus tips

1/8 cup Black Forest ham, cut in cubes

2 Tbs chives (fresh or dried)

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

salt and pepper

Line the bottom and sides of a tart pan with the pie crust. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom to prevent the crust from rising. Cover with aluminum foil, fill with dried beans or pie weights, and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. The crust will not be done, but you want to get it started so the filling does not make it soggy.

Line the bottom of the tart with one layer of cheese. Sprinkle with asparagus, ham, and chives. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into the crust to within 1/8 inch of the top of the pan.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until set, and serve immediately.

Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake with Blueberry Sauce

1 loaf French bread cut into 1-inch cubes

1 8-oz package of cream cheese

1 1/2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen will work just fine)

12 eggs, beaten

1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups milk

1 Tbs vanilla

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups blueberries (again, fresh or frozen)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

2 Tbs cornstarch

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp vanilla

The night before, line a greased 9x13 deep baking dish with half of the bread cubes. Cube the cream cheese, and sprinkle evenly over the bread. Spread the blueberries, then top with the remaining bread cubes. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes, and press the cubes down to soak up the custard. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake another 25-30 minutes until top is slightly browned and the center is set.

For the sauce, combine sugar, water, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for 3 minutes, then add 1 1/2 cups blueberries. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally. When all of the blueberries have burst, remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla.

Serve the sauce over the casserole. Yum!

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Cleaning Pennies

The new big sister in this house is really having to get used to staying home a lot more than she's used to. I thought it might be fun to come up with at least one activity that she and I can do together each day to keep her busy, give us a chance to have some one-on-one time, and learn a little along the way. We've been cooking together, crafting, and reading lots of books. One particular project she loved. She's asked to do it again and again ever since.

Cleaning Pennies, Preschool-Style

Gather some white vinegar, salt, cotton swabs, paper towel, water, and a bunch of dirty pennies.
Have your child shake some salt into a bowl, and add vinegar. There are no exact measurements.
Drop all of the dirty pennies into the vinegar/salt mixture.Using the cotton swabs, scrub both sides of each penny, then drop them into the water to rinse.Dry the pennies on some paper towels.Then drop them back into your piggy bank!
Fun times!