Best Lunch Box Ever!

The countdown has begun. We start back to school in a week and a half. Second grade is fast approaching and all the signs are pointing that way. A new backpack is awaiting for new adventures, school paperwork is complete for turning in to well-rested teachers, and bedtimes are creeping back to an earlier hour. We are getting ready for new beginnings and a brand new year.

It's not often I find my seven year old son on the sofa watching Sports Center while marking pages in a cookbook. Yesterday, he was enthralled with Katie Morford's new book Best Lunch Box Ever. He takes his lunch to school four days a week and a snack each day. Like most moms, I'm always trying to put together meals that are travel friendly and contain enough goodness to keep him going until the school bus spits him out in the afternoon. All while making them appealing to him in the lunchroom. Trust me - that's a lot easier said that done.

When I saw Camden reading (and enjoying) Katie's book, I was thrilled. I'm taking it as a sign that lunch boxes will be easier for both us. As a mother, I love that she included a chapter on making over leftovers to be appealing for little people the next day. Those are my favorite kinds of lunches. From basics of picking out the right packaging to keeping lunches cool or hot until noontime, Katie's included it all.

The recipes that Camden marked as his favorites are BLT Roll-Ups, Sweetie Pie Quesidillas, Crispy Applewiches, Sour Cherry Oatmeal Bars, and Everybody Loves Chocolate Pudding. Both of us are super-excited about the DIY Microwave Popcorn that has kernels popping in brown paper lunch bags instead of the less-desirable version we've all known for years.

May all mothers everywhere find this school year opens with lunch boxes that are less stressful and healthier for those we love the most. Thanks to Katie, that's entirely possible.

Sweetie Pie Quesadilla

I've been making chili with black beans and sweet potatoes for years. This takes those two winning flavors and pairs them with melted Monterey Jack cheese for a quesadilla that is far more satisfying than the norm. Cooking the quesadilla over medium instead of high heat allows the sweet potato to get tender by the time the outside is crispy and the cheese is melted. Leftover cooked vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, or peppers can be chopped up and substituted for the sweet potato.

Makes 2 servings

3/4 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese
Two 8-inch whole-wheat flour tortillas
1/2 cup grated peeled raw sweet potato
1/4 cup cooked black beans, drained
2 tablespoons mild green taco sauce
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over one tortilla. Scatter the sweet potato over the cheese, followed by the beans. Spoon the taco sauce over the beans and top with the remaining cheese and the remaining tortilla.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Put the quesadilla in the pan and cook until golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. With a spatula, flip the quesadilla and cook until the second side is golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board and let cool for a few minutes.

Cut into quarters. Wrap or pack into two containers.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES: can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. In the morning before school, reheat in a pan or pop into the toaster oven to restore crispiness, if you like.
*Recipe and photo from Best Lunch Box Ever.

Sour Cherry Oatmeal Bars

The sweet-tart taste of sour cherry jam over a crumbly, brown sugar–sweetened dough is pretty scrumptious. The recipe is a twist on a fruit crisp I’ve been making for years, only in this version the crust shows up on both top and bottom, and jam subs in for fresh fruit. I cut the bars into petite squares that are just big enough for a lunch-box treat (or an after-school snack along with a glass of cold milk). If you can’t get your hands on a jar of sour cherry jam, feel free to substitute apricot or raspberry instead.

Makes 20 bars

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sour cherry jam

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper so that it drapes a couple of inches over two sides.

In a large bowl, add the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt and stir with a fork. Add the butter and, using an electric mixer on low speed, mix until the ingredients form a uniformly crumbly mixture, about 45 seconds. Add the walnuts and continue mixing on low speed until they are evenly distributed, about 5 seconds.

With your hands, press two-thirds of the dough firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. (If the dough sticks to your hands, cover it with a piece of parchment paper as you work.)

With a spoon, spread the jam evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the remaining one-third of the dough evenly over the jam. You will see the jam peeking through.

Bake until the top is deep brown and the jam along the edges begins to darken, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cool in the baking pan for 30 minutes.

Run a knife along the two sides of the pan that don’t have an overhang of parchment paper. Grab the two ends of parchment paper and carefully lift out the sour cherry oatmeal square and transfer to a cutting board.

Cut into 20 bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the pantry or 2 weeks in the freezer.
*Recipe and photo from Best Lunch Box Ever.

Recipes and photos from Best Lunch Box Ever used with permission. Photos by Jennifer Martiné. Copyright 2013 Best Lunch Box Ever by Katie Sullivan Morford, Chronicle Books.

Copyright 2013 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved.
www.rebeccalangcooks.com

A Better Brown Bag

With the school year in full swing, I find myself making a lunchbox for my 5-year-old three days a week. He looks forward to the days that he stays at school for lunch and loves every minute of eating with his friends. I’m also a mom who likes to pack lunches when we are in the car for much of the day. My homemade food is always a better choice than anything I can find in a drive-through.

Whether the lunch is for little ones or for grownups to enjoy at a desk, the brown bag is now taking a turn for the better. Dress up that lunch away from home to be a meal that makes the morning worth the wait. With a little style, any brown bag lunch can be as delectable as lunch at your favorite restaurant.

Take some time to choose the perfect lunch box to encourage the family to be excited about the midday meal. Lunchboxes vary almost as much as sandwiches. There are cooler bags, metal boxes, cartoon printed containers, plastic cartons, and many more. Brown bags are compostable, so they are always a good choice. For a reusable option, I like insulated lunch bags and reusable (and dishwasher safe) sandwich bags. Check out reuseit.com for an almost endless array of options.

Don’t forget food safety when lunch is away from home. It’s simple - cold foods need to stay cold and hot foods should be hot. Use a thermos for liquids. For an extra cold thermos, rinse it with ice water before filling. For hot items, rinse it with hot water first. Ice packs are a must for a properly packed lunchbox. Clean-up after lunch is part of the challenge of lunches on the go. Load up a small pack of baby wipes in each box for quick hand wipes or desktop crumb cleaning.

Small Children
Because kids don’t like too much change with their food, making lunchboxes for little ones can be difficult. Try cutting vegetables and sandwiches with fun shaped cookie cutters. Put cheese on candy apple sticks (these don’t have the pointy ends like skewers). Add a sticker or fun notes to the lunchbox for a special treat.
Keep cool items cool by freezing little water bottles or juice boxes. By lunch, they will have thawed and kept lunch cold in the meantime. Try pasta salads with noodles in exciting shapes like letters and animals.


Peanut Butter and Jelly Stars

2 slices whole wheat bread
All-natural crunchy peanut butter
Favorite flavor of jelly

Spread peanut butter on one side of one slice of bread and jelly on remaining bread slice. Combine bread slices with peanut butter and jelly touching each other. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out sandwiches.


Teenagers
It’s all about the look for teenagers and their lunches. The lunchbox must be cool and the food can’t be worthy of gossip. Lunchtime favorite spreads like hummus and spinach artichoke dip are wonderful on pita chips or toasted bread. Muffins can be nutritious and filling for a long afternoon of classes. New tea blends are quite a luxury packed in a thermos.
Pack up snack mixes with nuts and dried fruit or granola. With a low-fat vanilla yogurt to make a quick parfait, lunch is healthy and mirrors a coffee house favorite. Wraps are also a popular way to get some nutrition in a busy teenager.

Black Bean Hummus

2 garlic cloves
1/2 - 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Tortilla Chips or Pita Chips

Pulse garlic and jalapeno in food processor until minced. Add beans, tahini, lime juice and process for one minute, stopping once to scrape down the sides.
Add olive oil in slow stream while food processor is running. Add salt and pepper.
Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

Makes 1 1/2 cups


Adults
Saving money is one of the best perks of making your lunch. Since you’re already saving, choose an above average sandwich, like goat cheese and roasted peppers, to treat yourself. Try eating lunch outside of the office for a change of scenery. Saving time and gas by not going out to lunch is yet another benefit.
Leftovers often make the best lunches. Save that leftover morning coffee and take it along for icing down for a noontime pick-me-up. Grilled veggies from the weekend can make a Monday lunch the best. Add a good piece of bread and lunch is a mini gourmet break from the work day.

Chevre and Cucumber Sandwiches

4 ounces garlic and herb goat cheese, room temperature
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 English cucumber
1/2 (16-ounce) loaf very thin whole wheat bread

Mix goat cheese and cream cheese together using rubber spatula.
Slice English cucumber into 1/8-inch slices.
Spread each of 14 slices bread with 2 teaspoons goat cheese mixture. Top 7 slices of bread with 4 slices cucumber. Top with remaining slices bread. Remove crust and slice each sandwich into 2 or 4 triangles.

Serves 6 to 8