Brown Bag Lunches

My daughter is starting kindergarten this fall, so I've been thinking a lot about how to fill her new lunchbox. Here is a list of ideas to date—please share your family's favorite packed lunches via email or the comments below.

For thermos:
Egg muffins
Cheese quesadillas
Buttered noodles or tortellini
Peanut butter noodles with veggies
Cheese & spinach pizza pinwheels
English muffin pizzas
French toast sticks
Slice of quiche
Falafel
Noodle soup
Fruit smoothies
Turkey meatballs with mozzarella/cherry tomatoes
Mac and cheese
Leftovers!

Bread, mini-waffles, mini-bagels with:
Peanut butter and jam
Peanut butter and honey
Peanut butter and bananas, apples, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
Peanut butter and granola
Peanut butter and fluff
*Variations: Nutella, almond butter
Cream cheese and jam
Cream cheese and dried fruit/nuts
Cream cheese and sliced fruit

Sandwich pinwheels, tortilla roll-ups, bread or mini pitas with:
Ham and cheese
Turkey and cheese
Apple and cheese
Veggies and cheese
Veggies and cream cheese
Veggies and hummus
Chicken salad with grapes
"Lunchables" with crackers, ham/turkey, cheese
Turkey pepperoni, cheese, diced peppers, black olives
Black beans, leftover chicken, cheese
Leftover chicken, marinara sauce and cheese
Leftover chicken, bbq sauce and cheese

Snacks and sides:
Veggies with dip (carrots, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, pepper strips)
Applesauce
Popcorn
String cheese
Edamame
Broccoli slaw with dried cranberries, slivered almonds and poppyseed dressing
Black beans, corn, salsa with tortilla chips
Yogurt squeezies, frozen
Cottage cheese
Pineapple cups
Cut up fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes)
Apple slices with lemon juice
Clementines
Raisins
Dried apricots
Walnuts, almonds
Yogurt pretzels
Goldfish
Granola bars
Cereal bars
Homemade muffins
Zucchini bread
Trail mix
TJs fruit flakes or fruit leather
Animal crackers
Rice krispie treats
Oatmeal cookies with raisins and nuts
Graham crackers with nutella and fluff

You can make and freeze batches of sandwiches ahead of time, which will also help keep them cold until lunch. Cookie cutters can make sandwiches fun. I have freezer packs, lightweight stainless steel containers and water bottles all ready to go, and I just got kid-size "sporks" too. I plan on including little notes and the occasional Hershey's kiss! And some days, we'll go with hot lunch.

*My friend Michelle gave me the great idea of printing out a list and having my daughter help choose and then make her school lunches. Maybe this will cut down on the lunchroom trades. (And, remember that this list is printable, should you happen to need inspiration come November...)

Pasta Carbonara with Peas

Great for those times when you have a little leftover bacon or cream in the house just waiting to be used up. This carbonara is lighter than most, but just as wonderful, and the peas add a nice bright note. (from Jamie Oliver)

1 lb farfalle pasta
1 egg
7 tablespoons heavy cream
kosher salt and black pepper
8-10 slices of bacon, roughly chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the farfalle. When you have about 3 minutes left on the pasta time, add the peas. Drain, making sure to reserve some of the cooking water, and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp, then blot on paper towels and set aside. Whisk egg and cream together in a bowl, then add salt/pepper to taste.

Stir the bacon into the pasta and peas right after the pasta is drained. Quickly add cream mixture and toss with the pasta, then add a little of the cooking water and the parmesan and toss again. Serve immediately.

*The original recipe called for a few sprigs of fresh mint, chopped. I didn't have any so I skipped it, but I'll try adding at the end next time.

August Pie

Summer is flying by as usual—we should all eat a little more pie before it's over. This one is so easy that you can pull it together while the oven preheats. It's also a good way to use up fruit before it goes bad. (from Family Circle)

one refrigerated piecrust
3 cups mixed fruit/berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches)
1 cup half-and-half
1 egg
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press the pie crust into a dish, and scatter the fruit over evenly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, egg, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt until well blended. Pour over the fruit.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the center seems fairly set (it will continue to cook a little bit while cooling). Cool on a wire rack before serving. Add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

*You can make mini-pies for the kids by using a muffin tin. Just tear pie dough in pieces and press into the tins to make little cups, then fill and bake. I'd start checking them at about 20 or 25 minutes.

Zucchini Pie

Did I already say that I love zucchini? Well, it is the season. Here's a savory pie with pizza-like ingredients. Call it "Zucchini Pizza Pie" for extra kid appeal...

one prepared pie crust
2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
kosher salt
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
scant 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
pinch of salt
14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Toss the sliced zucchini with a little salt and let it sit to drain in a colander for 20 minutes or so. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper and salt in a pan, and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat until garlic is golden. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Spread pie crust in dish, then add a series of layers, in this order: 1/2 of ricotta cheese, a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce, 1/2 of the zucchini, all the mozzarella cheese, the rest of the ricotta, the rest of the zucchini, the rest of the sauce.

Bake for 40 minutes, and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

*You could use summer squash here too. Skip the mozzarella if you want to cut down on calories.

Summer Orzo Salad

A go-with-everything pasta salad that's simple to make and always a hit. It's sort of like the taste of summer, captured in a bowl. (from my friend Nicole)

1 to 2 lbs orzo pasta
good olive oil
fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
grape tomatoes, halved
toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts
chopped basil
small fresh mozzarella balls, halved or quartered

Cook orzo until just al dente, then rinse with cool water. Toss with olive oil and a little lemon juice or vinegar to taste, then season well with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, nuts, basil and mozzarella cheese and stir until combined.

*Can also mix in black olives, or serve on the side to make picky eaters happy. Those little mozzarella pearls work especially well here, if you can find them (no chopping required).

Shallot Vinaigrette

We eat lots of salad in the summer, thanks to great lettuce from our farmer's market. Once in a while I even make my own salad dressing instead of relying on Newman's Own. This one is worth the effort, and it lasts all week long. (from Gourmet)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, shallot, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add oil slowly, whisking, until well combined. (Sometimes I skip this step and just shake all the ingredients together in a jar.) Keeps up to a week in the fridge; just bring it back to room temperature before using. 

*Our favorite salad: mixed lettuce, dried cranberries, chopped carrots, grape tomatoes and lots of walnuts or sweet & spicy pecans from Trader Joes.