Chorizo quesadilla and scrambled eggs

Easy lunch ideas for kids: double boiler scrambled eggs; chorizo and cheddar quesadilla on whole-wheat tortillas; and kiwi. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Parker did great on his tests yesterday! And today his class gets to go on a field trip.

For breakfast today, I decided to try a scrambled egg technique I’d been meaning to try for ages — the double boiler method.

Basically, all you do is set up a double boiler (saucepan of gently simmering water with a dry stainless bowl resting over it), then whisk your eggs in the bowl until they are fully cooked.

The result is incredibly moist, tender scrambled eggs. For Parker, I whisked a few pats of butter, 4 eggs and some salt and pepper. It took a few minutes longer than the traditional method, but not by much.

“These are five-star scrambled eggs!” he declared.

For his lunch, I suggested I make a few more and use them in a wrap, like I did with leftover omelet the other day.

“No,” Parker responded with the matter-of-factness only an 8-year-old can muster. “That was an omelet. These are scrambled eggs. Just pack them warm in a thermos, please.”

Well, OK then.

So I made a second batch and packed them. Warm. In a thermos.

For the rest of his lunch, I made a quesadilla using leftover chorizo, grated cheddar and a couple whole-wheat tortillas. I kind of got distracted, so I needed to scrape some of the burn marks off the tortillas. Oops. We’ll see whether that bothers him.

Add some kiwi and we’re ready for a field trip. And the weekend.

The winner of yesterday’s lunch gear giveaway was… RuthAnn! Congrats! And everyone have an awesome weekend.

A day of many tests… and carpaccio… and a lunch gear giveaway!

Easy lunch ideas for kids: bison carpaccio with lemon; skillet cooked whole-wheat cheese tortellini; and orange wedges. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Parker has three — THREE!! — tests today. Oy. It made for a long evening of studying last night.

Luckily, he had a great attitude about it and did really well. Luckily, I had three glasses of wine to help keep my attitude great, too.

First there was spelling. Flange? Hodgepodge? Fringe? Really? These are third grade spelling words? Parker did great with them, and I’m sure there is some broader academic reason for them being used… But flange?

Then there was math vocabulary. When I was a kid, we had math tests. We had vocabulary tests. I don’t ever recall having math vocabulary tests. Still, he did fine sorting through numerators, denominators, improper fractions, etc. Thank goodness he had written down the definitions. I’d have needed to look them up otherwise.

Then he finished two essays — one on everything he has learned in third grade, the other about a famous wind storm on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington during the 1930s.

By this point, I’d run out of wine. Luckily, he didn’t need to study for his third test, some sort of state standardized reading test. He reads way above grade level anyway, so he’ll be fine there.

So this morning, I tried to keep all this in mind as I prepped his lunch. That boy’s brain will be working hard today. So I wanted to give him a sustaining lunch that would make him happy and power him through it all.

Plus, we’re doing a 5K race tonight for charity, just to top the day. No, we won’t run it. I only run when being chased by somebody. But the weather is nice, so it will be a lovely evening for a 5K walk.

So I started with Parker’s favorite — carpaccio with lemon. For a little carb power, I grabbed a package of whole-wheat cheese tortellini. Many people don’t realize you can cook these in a skillet instead of boiling them. It’s fast and it gives them a great texture. So I did that, then sprinkled them with a little extra cheese.

Add some orange wedges and hopefully that will be enough.

For today’s free lunch gear giveaway, I have a very cool lunch box from Lands End. I love the space design on it. And the wipe-clean interior is something I’ve needed lately. I’m not sure how Parker is capable of making such a mess of the inside of his lunch box, but I’ve needed to hose and scrub it out several times this week.

So as usual, just leave a comment to entrer and Parker will pick a winner in the morning. Good luck.

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It’s spring… so time for fresh spring rolls

Easy lunch box ideas: fresh steak spring rolls with spicy peanut dipping sauce; yogurt parfait with bananas, blueberries, granola, chocolate chips and a drizzle of honey. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Steak isn’t exactly the traditional filling for these Asian rolls, but it is the secret to getting my son to embrace them.

And since they are fast and easy to make — and a great way to use all sorts of leftovers — they make a perfect lunch item. Not sure how or why I’ve gone this long without making them for Parker’s lunch before. I used to make them for dinner all the time.

Here’s how it works. Head to the grocer’s international aisle and grab some rice paper wrappers (they look like really thin paper plates). They are cheap. They also come in packs of 20 or so, but don’t worry; they last forever.

While you’re there, grab some thin rice noodles. They look like clear or white angel hair pasta that has been balled up. That’s it. Those are the only special ingredients you need.

You can make the rolls the night before (when putting the leftovers away), but I find them fast and easy enough that I did them as part of my usual morning packing routine today.

Fill one large and one small bowl with hot water. Add about 1 cup of the noodles to the small bow. After 2 or 3 minutes, the noodles should be tender. Drain them and return them to the bowl. The noodles are ready to use.

Place 1 rice wrapper in the large bowl of water and leave it there for 10 seconds. Remove the wrapper and set it flat on the counter. It becomes more pliable within the next 20 seconds or so.

Now grab a bit (no more than about 1/4 cup) of the noodles and mound them in an oblong along the side of the wrapper closest to you. On top of the noodles, pile small amounts of whatever fillings you like. Today, I did thinly sliced leftover steak and strips of cucumber. Shredded carrots, greens, thinly sliced strips of bell pepper, shrimp, even chicken or turkey all are fine choices. Ditto for any variety of leftover salad. A fresh mint or basil leaf is a traditional addition, but I decided not to push my luck with Parker today.

Once your fillings are in place, fold the edge closest to you over the fillings. Then fold the sides up over them. Finally, roll the entire thing away from you, wrapping it up in a tight bundle. Done.

It can be tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it they really speed along. When packing them, just be sure to leave space between the rolls so they don’t stick together. Or you can do what I did and put strips of parchment paper between them. Because I know a certain 8-year-old won’t be careful when separating rolls that stick together…

For a dipping sauce, I went with a basic spicy peanut sauce. All I do is mix natural peanut butter, a splash of vinegar, a splash of soy sauce, a dollop of hot sauce and enough water to thin the whole thing to a dipping consistency.

For the record, I took the unusual (for us) step of offering Parker a choice of which veg got wrapped in with the steak in his rolls — red peppers, carrots or cucumber. He went with cucumber, which he considers the most benign of veggies.

For the rest of his lunch, I went with a basic parfait — the same one I made him for breakfast. Yogurt, banana slices, blueberries, granola, chocolate chips (just a few) and a drizzle of honey.

The recipe everyone will want.

Easy lunch box ideas: A casserole of roasted thinly sliced sweet potatoes, barbecue pulled pork and three-cheese mac and cheese. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

I decided to embrace my inner casserole. And you’re going to want the results of this.

I don’t generally do casseroles. Nothing against them. They just tend to take longer than I like. Plus, while I don’t have a problem with my food “touching,” I’m not a huge fan of a big pile of ingredients. I’d rather have the various components on their own.

But I decided to try my hand at casseroles. And if I was going to do it, I wanted it to be worth it. Which means, it needed to be the ultimate comfort food casserole.

So I started with a base of thinly sliced sweet potatoes gently seasoned with cumin and smoked paprika. Those get layered and roasted until tender and slightly crisp at the edges.

Then I pile on a whole mess of barbecue pulled pork. A nice thick layer.

Then I piled on a three-cheese mac and cheese. A nice thick layer.

Then I sprinkle on a nice thick layer of panko breadcrumbs adulterated with Parmesan cheese and butter.

Bake it all up and… Wow!

Parker loved it. Well, he wasn’t thrilled with the sweet potatoes (though he generally doesn’t object to them), but he still ate them. The rest of it, of course, he devoured.

And like all great dinners, it make ample leftovers. So that’s where today’s lunch began.

After that, I packed up some kiwis and blueberries. Then I stuffed a baby bell pepper with some purchased hummus doctored with a bit of finely chopped salami.

Easy lunch box ideas: Kiwis; blueberries; and baby bell peppers stuffed with hummus and chopped salami. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Of healthy vanilla pudding and barbecue pulled pork!

Easy lunch box ideas: barbecue pulled pork on a whole-wheat tortilla; low-fat vanilla pudding with mango puree; and blackberries. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Parker is like me. He generally doesn’t consider milk a beverage. But if he is going to drink it, he wants it to be whole milk.

And so I found myself with a half gallon of low-fat milk slowly on its way to becoming yogurt. I’d needed it for a recipe, but now didn’t want to toss out the rest. And I know from experience that using low-fat milk to really make yogurt is always disappointing.

Which got me looking for quick and easy ways to use up milk. I wanted something fast and easy, but also healthy. Something suitable for lunch duty would be nice, too.

I liked this idea for almost instant vanilla pudding at the Baking Bites site. But I wanted to see if I could cut the sugar. As in, use none at all. And the results were great.

All I did was whisk 2/3 cup of cold low-fat milk with 5 tablespoons cornstarch, the seeds from half a vanilla bean and a splash of vanilla extract. Then I brought 2 2/3 cups low-fat milk to a simmer and immediately poured it into the cornstarch mixture.

The pudding thickened instantly, and continued to do so as it cooled. But it needed to be sweetened. Rather than add sugar or honey, I decided to use liquid stevia, a natural (no chemical) no-calorie sweetener that I use in my coffee.

I’ve become a big fan of liquid stevia. I use it to make lemon ice slush for us on weekends. And — confession time — in Parker’s coffee. He likes iced coffee, so I let him have it with stevia.

Anyway, a few drops of stevia gave the pudding just hint of sweetness. It was perfect. For Parker’s lunch, I topped it with the remaining mango puree. I expect this will be a popular treat.

For dinner last night I made barbecue pulled pork. This is such a ridiculously easy recipe. I simmer pork tenderloins (cut into chunks) until tender, then drain, pull apart with forks, then toss with bottled barbecue sauce. Pop it on bread and you have barbecue pulled pork sandwiches.

When I pack pulled pork for Parker’s lunch, I always give him a choice — hot or cold. If hot, I heat it and pack it in a thermos with the bread on the side. He just assembles and eats at lunch. If he wants it cold, I make the sandwich for him. Today he went with cold, so I wrapped it in a whole-wheat tortilla.

Add blackberries and we have a lunch!

As for Friday’s free lunch gear giveaway… Congratulations to Reynaul! We’ll have another giveaway on Thursday!

What kid wouldn’t want ceviche and exploding sugar for lunch?

Lunch box ideas: yogurt parfait with blackberries, strawberries, graham crackers and mango puree; shrimp ceviche; Popping Sugar; and crepes stuffed with bananas and strawberry cream cheese. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Because when it comes to coolness in the cafeteria, it really is hard to beat the combination of raw shrimp and sugar that explodes in your mouth, right?

Or so I tell myself. I’m certain Parker will enlighten me with his usual frank manner when I pick him up this afternoon.

So let’s start with the ceviche. Not my usual choice for Parker’s lunch. But if nothing else, I am a slave to leftovers and tend to let that guide me. And last night I was testing a surf and turf recipe of grilled flank steak topped with salmon and shrimp ceviche.

For anyone not hip to ceviche, it’s a South American dish that typically involves raw seafood marinated in citrus juice (or another acidic liquid). The acid reacts with the protein in the seafood much as heat would, giving it a “cooked” texture and a delicious, fresh flavor.

I made my ceviche by tossing cubes of salmon and whole shrimp with lime juice, minced red chili pepper, garlic, diced cucumber and chopped fresh cilantro. It was delicious, especially paired with the steak.

Parker was a trooper at dinner. He tried but didn’t care for the salmon (apparently we are back off salmon… whatever…), but he gave a tentative thumbs up (albeit a little sideways) to the shrimp. Which was good enough for me to pack him some of those for lunch today (don’t worry, chilled and in a thermos).

For dessert last night, I made mango fools. It’s basically whipped cream mixed with gently stewed fruit. I simmered frozen mango chunks with a sprinkle of sugar until they were tender, then pureed them. I then stirred that into whipped cream. Delicious.

This morning, I had some of the mango puree left over, so I used that as a topping for a blackberry-strawberry-graham cracker-yogurt parfait. Parker had a similar parfait for breakfast (if I’m making one, I might as well make two) and declared it awesome.

A while back I’d bought a package of crepes, not really sure how I’d use them. So today I used two to wrap up slices of banana that I’d topped with a blend of low-fat cream cheese and strawberry jam. Yet another variation on strawberry cheesecake. I’m starting to think I might be craving something…

Now, as for that exploding sugar… Think Pop Rocks, but without the chemical colors and flavors. This stuff, made by Molecule-R, is really fun to play around with. I gave some to Parker the other day without telling him what it was.

As soon as the little pieces of sugar started popping in his mouth, crackling and fizzing audibly, his eyes got huge. I wish I’d thought to take a picture of the expression on his face. It was awesome.

“Can I bring some to school in my lunch? I want to freak out my friends!”

Well, how could I say no to that?

Now for this week’s lunch gear giveaway! I love this duo of bento-style containers. They even have space in the tops for you to clip a fork and knife. As usual, just leave a comment to enter. Since it’s Friday, I’ll give everyone all weekend to enter. Parker will pick a winner Monday morning.

Until then, everyone have an awesome weekend.

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Chocolate banana cream pie for lunch?

Easy lunch ideas: cheddar and prosciutto omelet wrap on a whole-wheat tortilla; kiwis; watermelon; chocolate banana cream pie yogurt parfait. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Well, kind of.

While I’m not much of a believer in faking things, I love trying to capture the essence of a treat and recreate it in healthier choices.

Strawberry cheesecake, for example. A bit of cream cheese and a dollop of strawberry jam between graham crackers perfectly captures the graham cracker crust, rich cake and sweet berry topping of a slice of strawberry cheesecake.

Likewise, a thermos full of warm, no-sugar applesauce topped with purchased granola isn’t far from warm apple crisp.

So today I decided to go for banana cream pie in the form of a yogurt parfait.

I started with a layer of crumbled graham crackers, then topped it with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and some banana slices. I repeated the layering a second time, then topped the whole thing with a drizzle of honey and a small scattering of chocolate chips.

And if coconut banana cream pie is more your style, you’d just need to add some shredded coconut to the mix.

An indulgent lunch item, but hardly an unhealthy one.

Rounding out today’s lunch are some watermelon and kiwis, as well as a wrap made from a whole-wheat tortilla and the leftovers of Parker’s breakfast — a cheddar and prosciutto omelet.

So since I got off to a late start today, so I’ll delay the usual lunch gear giveaway until tomorrow. I like to give everyone a full day to enter.

I ate my way through New York City, and now it’s back to lunch duty

Easy lunch box ideas: whole-wheat pasta with red sauce and Parmesan; bacon caramel popcorn; kiwi, blackberries, plum and watermelon. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

The morning after I get back from a trip to New York is always something of a culture shock.

When I travel, part of my job is to eat. And part of my job is to eat the foods of some of the country’s top chefs. So when I travel I tend to eat really, really well.

Highlights of this trip included popcorn truffles by Christina Tosi (of David Chang’s Momofuku fame), a duck ragu with shaved foie gras at Perla, and carnitas with pistachio guacamole at Empellon Cocina. All amazing stuff.

Which of course made today’s 7 a.m. coffee and Parker’s yogurt parfait seem kind of… a wonderful return to reality.

Much as I love the great food when I travel — and I love to bring the ideas home (don’t worry, I’ll be making and sharing that pistachio guac) — I wouldn’t trade my regular, dull life at home for it.

Today I’m kind of winded. Lots of late nights in New York (totally not my style at home) and an ultra-late flight home yesterday. And an ulta-early wakeup by the little guy who was excited to see me this morning. That last part was worth it, though I’m not sure I’ll be conscious when it comes time to pick him up from school.

So I kept lunch simple today. Leftover whole-wheat pasta with red sauce and Parmesan, a foursome of fruit and a special treat I grabbed him in New York — bacon caramel popcorn.

Now it’s time for a nap!

A low-impact lunch with graham crackers… And I’m heading home.

Easy lunch box ideas: graham cracker sandwiches of peanut butter and strawberry jam, and cream cheese and strawberry jam; yogurt and fruit salad. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

Day No. 2 of lunch duty on the road.

I was kind of fumbling for inspiration on this one. Partly because of the usual challenge of needing to pack it two days ahead.

But also because I ran out of time to get to the grocery store during the weekend. So when it came time to pack stuff that would stand the test of time, my options were a bit scarce.

So I leaned on an easy and surefire hit with my little guy — graham cracker sandwiches. There’s just something about graham crackers that reminds me of being a kid.

When I was Parker’s age, my mom used to give me graham crackers and a little honey to dip them in. Loved that.

For Parker, I use them in place of bread to make mini crunchy PB&Js. I also made him a couple of cream cheese and strawberry jam versions. Like eating an inside-out strawberry cheesecake.

To round out the lunch, I gave him a yogurt and a fruit salad of blackberries, sliced plums and kiwis.

Now just to finish business in New York and get home!

Meat sushi… And a business trip.

Easy lunch box ideas for kids: ham and turkey whole-wheat "sushi"; yogurt, blackberry and honey parfait with chocolate chips. http://www.LunchBoxBlues.com

OK… So I get a little indulgent when I head out on business trips.

Can’t help it.

But packing Parker’s lunches for when I’m away is one of the most challenging parts of lunch duty. I usually pack them on Sunday shortly before I leave.

The trick is to pack foods that will hold up to being packed 24 to 48 hours ahead of time. Because I didn’t just pack today’s lunch, but tomorrow’s, too.

So today I went with meat “sushi” — turkey and ham layered with cream cheese and wrapped up in a whole-wheat tortilla. Roll it and slice it and you have sushi bites.

I resisted the urge to add greens to the sushi. Was afraid they might not hold up quite so long.

So instead of greens I gave him an indulgent yogurt parfait. There’s some logic for you.

I layered plain Greek yogurt, blackberries and crumbled graham crackers. For a sweet touch, I drizzled on some honey. And for an I’ll-be-home-soon touch I sprinkled on some chocolate chips.

OK, not the healthiest lunch.

For more tips on how to turn just about anything into faux sushi, check out my post today on Rachael Ray’s site.

Meanwhile, I have a crazy day ahead with meetings, meals and covering the James Beard Awards this evening. More craziness tomorrow, then back home late tomorrow night.

Hope everyone has a great day!