Kid Friendly, healthy lunch ideas that are nearly waste free.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Fresh and Local No. 2
I may have to make this a weekly Monday event. The Farmer's Market is so great this time of year, it is impossible to not come home laden with inspiration and fresh produce.
Sacramento County organic sweet peas with Organic Valley sour cream to dip; cherries; strawberries; pistachios; and homemade whole wheat graham crackers.
OK I *must* have the recipe for graham crackers! Oh the money and guilt I could save!!
PS. I totally in an in awe of you now. My preschooler had her first need for a packed lunch. Man I was unprepared and WOW did I waste a lot (amazing how many wrappers end up in a typical packed lunch)
My dd would have loved this lunch! She loves raw peas. I would have had to halve and pit the cherries for her, however. The homemade graham crackers look tasty too!
I'll have to buy some fresh peas and put them in her lunch soon. I'll post on my blog when I do.
Nik, Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this! Here's the recipe for homemade graham crackers:
4 cps. whole wheat pastry flour 1 cp. unsalted butter 1/2 cp. honey (heated to very pourable form in microwave) 1/4 cp. brown sugar 1 t. baking soda 1 t. cream of tartar 1 egg, beaten and at room temperature
Put whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda and cream or tartar in food processor bowl. Pulse to combine. Add butter to mixture - - cutting it into small cubes first - - and pulse until the consistency of damp bread crumbs. Add the beaten egg and the warmed honey and process until the dough begins to form a ball.
Shape the dough into two balls and flatten into disks. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll out (at least 30 mins.).
This part is kind of a pain: Using a rolling pin, roll out to desired thickness - -1/8th on an inch is good as they do puff up in the oven. You may want to sprinkle AP flour on the rolling surface and/or use plastic wrap between the rolling pin and the dough to prevent sticking. You can also roll it directly onto the cookie sheet (place a damp towel under the sheet to prevent it from sliding all over the counter). Cut large rolled out dough into a giant rectangle to fit cookie sheet. Use a pizza cutter (Or steady hand) to slice into rectangle shapes. You can separate the rectangles or leave it as one big sheet (using your lines as score marks). I leave the lines as score marks and separate the crackers halfway through cooking time - this way they keep their shape better and the edges do not overcook.
Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes (I bake on a parchment paper lined pan) Allow to cool COMPLETELY before storing. Stores well for several days in a sealed jar at room temp.
This is why I never include recipes. . .I'm much too wordy!!
I'm a Mom of three and a self proclaimed foodie and environmentalist with an ambitious quest to get my children to eat and enjoy something slightly more nutritious than the typical meal served in a school cafeteria or fast food restaurant.
Ideally, this lunch would generate no waste and would be prepared using foods that are grown or raised locally. Also, it would prepare and pack itself.
I was inspired to start this blog once I was done grieving for the old Vegan Lunchbox Blog. My most favorite blog of all time. I do not claim to have the ingenuity of Jennifer McCann (Vegan Lunchbox), nor do my children have such adventurous tastes, but I plod on, in my own quite-a-bit-better-than-a-lunchable-way.
5 comments:
OK I *must* have the recipe for graham crackers! Oh the money and guilt I could save!!
PS. I totally in an in awe of you now. My preschooler had her first need for a packed lunch. Man I was unprepared and WOW did I waste a lot (amazing how many wrappers end up in a typical packed lunch)
Thank you, but do not be too impressed, I was raised in New England where the obsession with waste and wastefulness is in the blood.
Stay tuned. . .I'll post the recipe in a reply comment when I have more than a couple of minutes to spare.
My dd would have loved this lunch! She loves raw peas. I would have had to halve and pit the cherries for her, however. The homemade graham crackers look tasty too!
I'll have to buy some fresh peas and put them in her lunch soon. I'll post on my blog when I do.
Nik,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this! Here's the recipe for homemade graham crackers:
4 cps. whole wheat pastry flour
1 cp. unsalted butter
1/2 cp. honey (heated to very pourable form in microwave)
1/4 cp. brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 egg, beaten and at room temperature
Put whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda and cream or tartar in food processor bowl. Pulse to combine. Add butter to mixture - - cutting it into small cubes first - - and pulse until the consistency of damp bread crumbs. Add the beaten egg and the warmed honey and process until the dough begins to form a ball.
Shape the dough into two balls and flatten into disks. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll out (at least 30 mins.).
This part is kind of a pain: Using a rolling pin, roll out to desired thickness - -1/8th on an inch is good as they do puff up in the oven. You may want to sprinkle AP flour on the rolling surface and/or use plastic wrap between the rolling pin and the dough to prevent sticking. You can also roll it directly onto the cookie sheet (place a damp towel under the sheet to prevent it from sliding all over the counter). Cut large rolled out dough into a giant rectangle to fit cookie sheet. Use a pizza cutter (Or steady hand) to slice into rectangle shapes. You can separate the rectangles or leave it as one big sheet (using your lines as score marks). I leave the lines as score marks and separate the crackers halfway through cooking time - this way they keep their shape better and the edges do not overcook.
Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes (I bake on a parchment paper lined pan) Allow to cool COMPLETELY before storing. Stores well for several days in a sealed jar at room temp.
This is why I never include recipes. . .I'm much too wordy!!
Colorful combination of fruits and vegetables. Kids will love this too. Thanks for the great idea!
Post a Comment