New Lunch Box

for SmartGuy

My oldest spends his lunches at school and we've been using lunch bags but going through plastic bags, aluminum foil or wax paper seems bad.

I've been frequently checking this site. Vegan Lunch Box for lunch ideas or just to see what she has made recently.

I'm trying to change our children's eating habits, I'm guilty of giving into the sweet pleasures of food and by that I do a lot of baking. I'm also a bad example of eating habits. I grew up as part of the 'empty plate' club. A curse that I have not passed on to my kids thank goodness. I don't make them eat everything if they don't want to. I do make sure they have at least two bite of everything, so they at least have tried something.

My oldest, SmartGuy is pretty good for the most part in his eating habits but he's got a sweet and salty tooth, both from me and his dad. He absolutely loathes mashed potatoes and gags when he takes even the smallest bit.

My youngest, Hudini, is an eater like mom, he likes savoury food with lot's of flavor. Usually the comfort food variety and not so healthy for you. The only veggies he eats are carrots and cauliflower and the only fruit he likes is apples, oranges and bananas.

So now that I'm back on the road to healthy eating, we are going to be changing or tweaking our eating habits. Not so fast or convenient.

I ordered the lunch box above from Lunchboxes and ordered the Bento Box. I've seen this box in a few places and figured it would be a perfect way to pack lunches for my son, save money by not using consumables so much and finding new ways to pass on good eating habits to my son. So this is what I packed this morning for his lunch.

Just simple rice with soya sauce, cut up veggies (carrots, snap peas & broccoli), a few cubes of cheese, creamy cucumber dip, bananas and grapes and some honey tebby bear grahams and mini marshmallows. I will add that he rarely gets a treat like the last mention in his lunches.

So I'm hoping in the future I'll have some more healthy recipes to share. Once I'm past this postpartum stuff and back to my old self because frankly lately I haven't felt like cooking or baking.

Classic Apple Pie

I'm making this recipe right now except I'm using my own pastry. I'll let you know how it turns out and post a picture later. It's from recipezaar.com

Classic Apple Pie Recipe #2537
Use your favourite apple variety, just make a note to alter the amount of sugar based upon the sweetness of the apples used!
by Dancer^
6-8 servings
1½ hours 35 min prep
7 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemons, rind of, finely grated
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Pastry for double crust pie
2 cups flour
2/3 cup lard or butter or shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
cold water
Pastry for double crust pie-------------
Combine flour, lard and salt with a pastry blender or fork until balls are the size of a large pea.
Add cold water by the spoonful and blend until the bowl starts to clean itself as you work the dough.
Then it is ready for rolling.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Combine sliced apples with sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon rind.
Line pie plate with unbaked pie crust, trim pastry, crimp to edge of pie plate. Fill pie crust with apple mixture and dot with softened butter.
Brush crust edge with water and place pie crust top on top of pie, crimp to the bottom crust. Make some slits in the top crust for steam to escape. Bake for 10 minutes.
Turn oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes longer.

White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 tbs. brandy
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. white chocolate
1 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheets
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in teh egg and brandy. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 -10 minutes in prepared oven. For best results, take them out while still doughy. Let them cool on sheet for 1 minute before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: Vanilla can substituted for the brandy. Other chips can be used in this recipe. I made this one at Christmas and forgot to get a picture but they were sure yummy and soft. I also tried them last week with only chocolate chips and they were good. I think I found a new recipe I will use often. I came in a newsletter so I'm not sure who to give credit to because it doesn't say where it came from.