Friday Lunchbox

In an effort to get lunches packed early I decided to forgo our bento containers (and doing the dishes as soon as we got home Thursday evening.) Thankfully I have a pretty large stash of snack size zipper bags to contain the girls' meals.

Each lunchbox has 3 flower-shaped cheese quesadillas, 1/2 cup of organic graham cracker bunnies, and 3 fresh strawberries. My 4 year old loves raisins, and has a small lidded container full in her lunch along with a Fruitifuls juice box. My second grader will have the same juice and some honey roasted peanuts instead of raisins.

These quesadillas are a regular item at home, but a first for the lunchbox, so we'll see how they go over. I used sliced american cheese instead of the usual cheddar or jack because I figured it wouldn't be greasy, and would hold up better in the lunchbox. The girls always have sour cream with these at home, but that's just not an option today without our containers.

I'm trying to keep a "less is more" mindset after the disaster lunch on Wednesday. Less options = more food in their bellies. It worked out pretty well on Thursday, and the girls had fairly empty boxes when they came home. I asked them if they got full, both said "yes.", and they even ate most of their veggies! Success!

On a different note, I was glad to get a letter yesterday saying they have approved our family for free breakfast and lunch. This is great since Isis eats a second breakfast after she gets to school a few days a week, and they both get milk or juice at school for lunch some days. It will be a big break for our grocery bill to not have to buy anymore juice boxes!

I'd love to hear from my readers! What do your kids eat for lunch on schooldays? 

The Baby Food Stain Train

In one way or another baby food ALWAYS causes stubborn stains.
My 5 month old started eating pureed fruits and vegetables about 3 weeks ago, and the battle to keep her adorable outfits stain-free has begun.
Our first line of defense - the bib
Assuming I can keep it tucked under her chubby chin, bibs manage to keep most of the (mainly orange) messes off her clothes. It lands right on that bib, that non-disposable, non-stain resistant bib...so the dilemma arises...how to do I get the stains out of the BIB?

 

I have two methods that, so far, are working like a charm. 

1. The Soak: I use an old Ice Cream bucket, but any medium - large container will work. First I fill the bucket with warm water and dissolve one scoop of oxygen cleaner powder in the water by stirring gently. Then I just toss in the bibs as they are dirtied. It takes us about 3 days to fill the bucket with dirty bibs, and the bucket sits on my dryer soaking for that amount of time without getting smelly or spilling. Then I dump the liquid in the sink and toss the soaked bibs in the washer with a load of her clothes (yes, I wash the babies clothes separately). 

 

The second method works well if you don't wash as often, and can be used on clothes as well with no wet mess to worry about. 

2. The Spray: I have found the best spray stain remover in the world! Shout Advanced Action Gel for set in stains can be sprayed on just about any stain and fabric, then left in the hamper for up to 10 days! You do have to rinse any surface gunk from the bibs or clothes first, but this stuff can even get out stains that have already been washed and dried!

I simply rinse the bib under cold water, spray, rub it together to work in the gel, then toss the bibs in a reusable plastic tote until laundry day. This method works well for diaper blow-out stains too!

Grocery Shopping and Price Match

I am definitely not what you would call a "couponer," but I also don't like to pay full price at the register, so I LOVE to price match!
Living in a small, pretty rural city limits my options for shopping to two local grocery stores or Walmart. In an effort to get the most for our money I usually shop at Walmart and price match to the ads for the Kroger and Albertson stores that are about 30 miles south of us. I make a big shopping trip once every two weeks, and try to stop in the local stores for the few items I have to get in between my big trips.
On occasion, we will drive south, cross the river into Texas, and take advantage of their tax-free grocery policy, and price match to make up for gas, and time spent hauling my entire family across state lines and around Super Walmart (pure torture!). We eat at IHOP, where kids eat free after 4pm, so I'm not forced to cook after enduring the grocery gauntlet that is Walmart.

This week, I am doing our shopping in town while my big girls are at school, so here are my price matches:

Green seedless grapes .89/ lb
Bartlett Pears 1.29/ lb
Yellow squash or zucchini 1.25/ lb
Tomatoes on the vine 1.25/ lb
Fresh corn on the cob 5/$1
Romaine lettuce 1.29/ ea.
Limes 10/$1
Birdseye frozen veggies 10-16 oz. .88/ ea.
Pork steaks $1.69/ lb
Wavy Lays BBQ Chips 2/$4

That's it. I may get a few more items if I find good deals in-store, and I'll definitely find some more meat deals. As you can tell, most of our grocery bill is fresh fruits and veggies, and we eat quite a bit of pork because it's really versatile and almost always on sale. It's also really easy to find all natural cuts.

I'm ridiculously excited about our next shopping trip because we are planning to go to Texas and check out the new Aldi store! I've never been to one, but have heard they have great produce, which will be a welcome change from sifting through rotten or under ripe selections at Walmart :P

I'd love to know what you do to save money on groceries! What do you think of these prices and how do they compare to what you're paying? Please share any tricks you use to get the most for your money!

I'm off to the store. Have a great day, everyone!

Thursday Lunchbox

I am obligated (by my own conscious, of course) to report that Wednesday's lunchbox was a bust :(
My girls brought home most of their pretzels, tomatoes, and pinwheels, and only ate fruit and marshmallow rice treats. I guess it could be worse, but I'm still not satisfied with the quality of their meals.

Thursday will be different! I've turned to the original, good old standby "Momma's lunchable."
Today the girls will get identical lunches, but in different containers. First, the crackers are buttery store brand Ritz in a snack zipper bag. Then I added sliced mozzarella and deli turkey breast cut into circles with a small cookie cutter.

Raw baby carrots and broccoli are accompanied by some ranch dressing for dipping. Finally, a SMALL marshmallow rice treat in a zipper bag will be the only sweet item for today's meal.

These tried and true staples of the lunchbox will surely end up in their bellies instead of the trash can...at least I hope so!

No time for pictures today, sorry!

BBQ Pork Wontons

As promised, this is my recipe for one of my husband's favorite dishes, BBQ Pork Wontons.

Ingredients:
4-5 large fresh brussel sprouts
3-4 baby carrots or half a regular carrot, peeled
1-2 oz leftover pork (roast, chops, or loin)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 Cup BBQ sauce
12 wonton wrappers

We love roasted FRESH brussel sprouts, so I always have some in the crisper. I'm not sure this recipe would work very well with the frozen kind. Cabbage would be a suitable substitution.
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. 

2. Cut the base stalk off each brussel sprout.

3. Place sprouts and carrots in a clean blender, and use chop setting for a few seconds. Scrape sides and pulse blender to chop everything uniformly.

It should look like this - 

4. Dump chopped veggies in a medium bowl. Be sure to scrape the jar really well.

5. Place chunked meat in blender, and chop for a few seconds in the same way as the veggies, then dump meat in the bowl. 

6. Pour worchestershire and BBQ sauce in, and stir until mixed well. 

7. Lightly oil the insides of a 12 count muffin tin, and place a wonton wrapper in each cup.

8. Spoon a heaping tbsp Of mixture into each wrapper.

9. Now here's the fun part! Wet the tip of your fingers and dab each of the 4 corners of the wonton wrapper. Quickly press the opposite corner together and hold for 2 seconds, repeat with other 2 corners to form the wonton. 

10. Once all wontons are sealed use a brush to lighly oil the top sides of each one.

11. Bake on middle rack 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

That's it! Eat alone or dip in BBQ sauce. These would be great as an appetizer or party food for game day. Enjoy!

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I love Pinterest with all its tips, recipes, and inspirations! I stay very active on the site so follow my boards to keep up with what's going through my brain, and have quick access to links for the ideas you love.

Wednesday Lunchbox

Today's lunchbox has a colorful fruit medley as the star. Apples, strawberries, and vanilla yogurt with red sugar sprinkles are packed in our favorite lunch containers. I love these containers because they are compact, but still have plenty of room for food, plus there is an airtight lidded compartment inside! The best part is that they were only $1 each, and have lasted over a year now!
Joplin has cantaloupe instead of grapes because she won't eat grapes. 

*Mom tip: coat apples with lemon juice or lemon-lime soda to keep them from turning brown.

The other container has cream cheese and bacon pinwheels, pretzel sticks, and a lidded bowl with chopped fresh tomatoes. Both girls will be choosing milk or juice from the cafeteria today.

For a special treat, I made a marshmallow rice treat wrapped in foil to look like a Hersheys kiss for each kid. Attached is a note that says "A big KISS from Mom!" I don't have a photo, but got the idea from Pinterest. Follow my "bento lunches" board for more unique lunchbox ideas.

Momma's packin'...lunch

Through trial and error I have figured out a few tricks for getting  healthy food into my kid's bellies while they're at school.
It may sound easy enough, but it's definitely NOT! My oldest, Joplin, started public school in kindergarten, and I vowed to make her eat what the cafeteria was serving at least 3 days a week, so she wouldn't be spoiled to a packed lunch. Well, halfway through the school year I realized that I had NO control over what she was actually eating, which turned out to be orange slices and saltines - not my idea of a decent lunch. She's just a picky kid, not accustomed to eating canned or processed foods. Totally my fault, but not really a problem in my eyes.
I started packing her lunch most days, and even before scouring Pinterest boards for inspiration, discovered that "bento-style" lunches were the best way to pack healthy options she would eat. She has dubbed these "Momma's Lunchables."
I try to make them fun, healthy, and yummy. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes not, but I'll share the good, bad, and ugly (and believe me, it gets really ugly!).

Today's lunch is pretty traditional lunchbox fare. Quick, easy, and one of the kids' favorites.

For Isis, I packed corn chips, applesauce with some cinnamon (stored in a heat sealed straw), American cheese in the shape of tulips, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread (cut with a circular scallop-edged cookie cutter). This is packed in a lunchbox kit I purchased at Wal-Mart for around $5, and dons Disney princesses on the lid. I love that it's all one piece, and snaps together like a school box so it's easy for them to open and close. It is not air tight though, so I still use plastic wrap to keep her sandwich fresh. 

She also has a metal travel cup full of water. This cup was about $8, but is one of the only leak-free products I've found. It is easy to open, only has 3 pieces, and fits perfectly in her lunchbox. As a treat she has three strawberry Twizzlers in a snack size zipper bag. I added a spoon for the applesauce in the compartment with her chips.

Joplin also has pb&j and cheese tulips, but she prefers BBQ chips. Her lunch kit is just like Isis's, but has Hello Kitty on the lid. Instead of applesauce Joplin has fresh peaches with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar in an air tight plastic container. Her treat is three squares from A Hersheys cookies and cream bar, and she will get milk or juice at school. 

Hopefully the girls come home with empty lunchboxes, but if they don't I'll make up for lost nutrition with a healthy afterschool snack of vanilla yogurt with strawberries...their favorite. 

Hubby and I are having BBQ pork baked won tons for lunch. I'll get that recipe posted eventually ;)

Introduction to the family and me

Hi! My name is Stefanie. I am a stay at home mom to 3 beautiful little girls ages 7, 4, and 5 months. They and their dad are my everything. I have been married to the love of my life for 5 years, and we've been together for 9. 4 years ago the company I worked for part time moved to a city 2 hours away, so I became a full time Mom!
I spend most of my time doing your average stay at home mom duties-caring for kids, cleaning, running errands, and cooking. I also love to craft, mostly crochet, but random projects are always catching my interest. When it's not too hot or cold outside I try to get a little exercise in, and really enjoy using my jogging stroller. 

These are my beautiful big girls, Joplin (left) and Isis, on their first day of school this year. They are both attending the same school this year (thankfully!) in second grade and pre k. 

Lyriel is my precious 5 month old princess. She was born in March, is small for her age, but is very healthy. I am exclusively breastfeeding her, though she has started eating baby food recently.  

So many of my posts will included stories about life with these kiddos, school, breastfeeding, and all the unexpected adventures that occur. 

Finally, here's a peek at me. This is honestly the only picture taken of me since my maternity shoot, and it was taken by my 4 year old while we were eating at IHOP. 

My main goal in writing this blog is to share our REAL life with my readers. Our family isn't living some unattainable dream life in a spotless home with home-cooked organic meals on the table three times a day. We live on a meager income, but I dont take frugality to the extreme, and force my family to dumpster dive for dinner or go without a few luxury items to save a penny. We are not 100% debt-free, though we don't live off credit cards either. We are living a middle of the road kind of life and proud of it.