Lunches

Well, the impulse item I bought at the grocery store was totally worth it, in terms of flavor. Those Eggo cinnamon toaster pastries are delicious.  I had one this morning with my coffee and was pleasantly surprised.  They actually feel, smell, and taste like a real pastry.  They don't quite look like one, but I marvel at Eggo's product design team's ability to create something edible whose outside stays crispy and the inside has gooey cinnamony stuff oozing out after it comes out of the toaster.  Mmmm.  Mmmmm.  Mmmmm.  

As I was putting away the breakfast dishes, I took a look at the list of ingredients for the pastry. That was a bad idea.  I can't pronounce half of the ingredients on the list.  The list contains too many preservatives and processed stuff.  What did I expect right?  My grandma always said that coupons are only offered for over-processed foods that a company wants to introduce or is having a hard time selling.  You will never see coupons for fruits or vegetables.  I am bummed, but I will not buy those tasty things again. 

I have been getting in the habit of packing lunches the night before and it is working for us.  The kids can provide some input and fewer uneaten food items come home in the lunch box at the end of the day.  A friend of mine told me her family packs all their lunches for the week on Sunday.  They have three lunches per day - two girls go to school and my friend goes to work. She said Sunday afternoons they set up an assembly line in the kitchen.  They freeze the sandwiches without any veggies in them.  They also pack 15 baggies of vegetables, such as carrots or red peppers, and 15 baggies of fruit.  Then every morning, they pop a frozen sandwich, a bag of fruit, and a bag of veggies into their respective lunch boxes.  That sounds like a very efficient way of doing things!  I must try it.  

Today our dinner was nice and easy - turkey chili, tossed salad, raw veggies for the kids (they will not eat any cooked vegetables), grapes and orange wedges.  I also made pasta for the kids so they could eat it with butter.  My kids are not big fans of chili.  My girls usually are, but today they dug right into the pasta. 

Turkey Chili:  This is the easiest chili in the world!  Brown one pound of turkey.  The leaner the better.  Drain off any fat.  Add one 15 oz. can of pinto beans, one 15 oz. can of tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes, and one packet of McCormick's Chili seasoning.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Ta da!  Chili is done!  Chili is so versatile.  You can have it plain one day.  Make a taco salad with it the next day, and serve chili dogs the last day.  

Provecho!