Homemade Pizza

One of the things I started making from scratch after we started eating healthier is PIZZA! Real Fit, Real Food Mom was posting homemade bread and homemade pizza dough recipes using her bread machine and then I realized hey, I have a bread machine that’s been sitting in my cupboard for 10 years…. So I adjusted her pizza dough recipe to make one large pizza and added the toppings that we like. I have been making this about every couple weeks ever since. Once in a while I might do mini pizzas instead, which is a recipe I found in the 100 Days of Real Food cookbook using pita bread found at Trader Joe’s. And I admit, there has been the occasion where we ordered pizza or picked up a Papa Murphy’s pizza. We do okay with the Papa Murphy’s pizza but always feel yucky after eating the ordered pizza. So why do we do it then? I know… It’s a battle we deal with. The want to eat out because it’s convenient, and then the regret. For more information on the ingredients of pizza from these big companies, check out Food Babe’s post on pizza. Now I suppose you could mix up the ingredients for the dough and then knead it yourself instead of using a bread machine, but I have not tried that. The bread machine is convenient to use, of course. I have also made bread, hamburger/hotdog buns, and cinnamon rolls with my bread machine. And there are many more recipes I want to try.

making homemade pizza

 

Here’s the bread machine I use (or a newer version of it since mine is so old):

 

Homemade Pizza
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ¾ cup hot water
  • 3 TB olive oil
  • 3 TB raw honey
  • ½ TB yeast
  • 1 can pizza sauce (I use half and freeze the other half)
  • 12 oz - 16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it)
  • Toppings of your choice. Some ideas: uncured pepperoni, sausage, olives, ham, pineapple, green pepper, spinach, red onion, mushrooms.
Directions
  1. Put all the dough ingredients in the bread machine (in order listed, through the yeast), and push the dough button. All machines are different but mine takes about 1½ hours.
  2. While you are waiting for the dough to be done, you can prepare the ingredients.
  3. After the dough is ready, preheat oven to 400 degrees, and sprinkle flour onto a large surface where you can roll the dough out. Put flour on the rolling pin too. The dough will be sticky, knead it several times before rolling it out. I found best results after kneading the dough a lot.
  4. Grease a large pizza pan, roll the dough out and carefully transfer onto the pizza pan. This part is tricky. I have had success and I have failed and had to start over. Practice makes perfect! ;)
  5. Prick the dough with a toothpick and add the pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Check after 10 min.
  7. Wait 5 min before cutting and serving.

 

My daughter (9 at the time) rolling out the pizza dough:

rolling pizza dough

 

This is typically what we use for toppings. Half ham & pineapple, half uncured pepperoni, olives, and bell peppers:

homemade pizza

 

A healthier version with spinach and zucchini added:

homemade pizza

 

And my kids like to take pizza for lunch sometimes (warm or cold):

pizza for lunch

 

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Smoked Sausage & Navy Bean Soup

Ham is expensive. Especially if you want an uncured healthier selection. So of course you could use ham in this recipe but I wanted to try something different that wasn’t so expensive. Or bacon is another good option. And I only use half the amount of sausage but you can use the whole amount. I like to save half for next time, or use it for breakfast! 🙂 Homemade chicken broth is always preferred, but not required of course. It does make it taste SO much better though. And of course you can do this in the crockpot too. (For a vegetarian option, leave out the meat and use a veggie broth instead.)

Two Ways to Soak Beans – Overnight and the Quick Soak Method:
For the Overnight Method, add the beans to a large bowl, cover with water and let sit overnight. You will want extra water on top because the beans will soak up the water during the night. Drain and rinse well. For the Quick Soak Method, add the beans to a pot and cover with water by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Then drain and rinse well.

smoked sausage & navy bean soup

 

Smoked Sausage & Navy Bean Soup
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups dry navy beans
  • smoked pork sausage (mine was 12 oz) - I only use half but you can use whole
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 cups chicken broth (homemade preferred)
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 2 tsp parsley
  • salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
  • ⅛ - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • Other Options: diced tomatoes, butternut squash, zucchini
Directions
  1. Soak the beans. There are 2 methods for this, either overnight or the Quick Soak Method (see above for further info). Drain the beans and rinse well.
  2. Cut up the sausage into circles or chunks (I cut them in half now).
  3. In a large stockpot cook the sausage, chopped onion, and garlic on medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken broth, the beans, and all the remaining ingredients, stir. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and cover.
  5. Cook for about 2 hours, or just until the beans are soft, stirring occasionally. (The beans should mash easily.)
Notes
You could also make this soup in your crockpot.

 

I have also made this soup using a different kind of bean (pinto) and ham instead of sausage. It was just as good!

ham & bean soup

 

ham & bean soup

 

And my daughter took some for lunch in her Soup Thermos!

ham & bean soup for lunch

 

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Fall Recipes

Since Fall arrived I’ve been thinking about soups and stews, casseroles…. comfort food! Okay, I was actually already thinking about all those foods. 😉 Here’s a collection of our Fall Recipes. Just either click on the title or the picture to get to the recipe. Of course most of these recipes are not just for Fall. You can pin them to Pinterest to use any time of the year.

Fall Recipes

 

Split Pea Soup

split pea soup

Whole Chicken in a Crockpot (& homemade broth!)

whole chicken and homemade soup recipe

Chicken Noodle Soup

chicken noodle soup

Grandma’s Baked Chicken & Rice (only 1 dish and so easy to make!)

baked chicken & rice

Chili & Sweet Cornbread

chili & cornbread

Pot Roast with Homemade Gravy

pot roast & homemade gravy

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

beef stew

Potato Soup

potato soup

Baked Potato Soup

baked potato soup

Apple Spiced Pork Tenderloin

apple spiced pork loin

Tater Tot Casserole

tater tot casserole

Baked Mac ‘N Cheese

baked mac 'n cheese

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

apple cinnamon pancakes

Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Sauce

Beef enchiladas with homemade sauce

Homemade Pumpkin Puree (& Roasting the Seeds)

homemade pumpkin puree

Pumpkin Recipes

pumpkin recipes

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

cheesy chicken enchiladas

Chicken Stir-Fry

I used to make stir-fry using one of those seasoning packets, which contain a lot of bad ingredients. Like MSG, preservatives, and other questionable ingredients. I never realized how easy it is to make a good stir-fry without using that seasoning packet. I just cook some rice on the side, use leftover chicken (or cook some if you don’t have leftovers – you can use pork or beef strips too), fry up whatever veggies you want (with some onion) and add soy sauce, garlic, ginger, & some pepper. Easy and so good. 🙂 For a vegetarian option, eliminate the chicken and add more veggies to make a veggie stir-fry. I actually forgot to put the chicken in one time and no one even noticed.

stir fry with homemade sauce

 

Chicken Stir-Fry
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (or you can do beef or pork)
  • 1 TB and 1 tsp coconut oil (1 tsp for cooking the chicken and 1 TB for the veggies), or use toasted sesame oil
  • a variety of stir-fry veggies (we usually do green beans, broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers because that is what we always have on hand but you can also add cauliflower, peas, zucchini, asparagus, whatever veggies you want)
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ¼ cup soy sauce (see what I use, pictured below, or you can use coconut aminos)
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • pepper
  • 1 cup rice, 2 cups water (or chicken stock)
  • sesame seeds (optional)
Directions
  1. Heat up a frying pan with 1 tsp of coconut oil. Add the chicken and cook until both sides are done and there's no pink in the middle.
  2. Cook the rice by bringing 2 cups of water to a boil, add the rice, bring to a boil. Then turn to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  3. Start chopping your veggies while that's cooking. When the chicken is done, set aside for now.
  4. Then in the same frying pan, add 1 TB of coconut oil (or the toasted sesame oil). Start adding the onion and veggies and cook on medium until all the veggies are tender.
  5. Add the garlic, ginger, & pepper (and sesame seeds if you want). Cut the chicken into strips or squares and add to the pan. Stir in the soy sauce and cook another 5 minutes to get everything mixed up.

 

I like to buy the toasted sesame oil at Trader Joe’s sometimes. It’s great for stir-fry!

stir fry and toasted sesame oil

 

My daughter likes to take leftover stir-fry in her lunch using a soup thermos to keep it warm:

stir fry school lunch

 

Here’s the soy sauce I use:

bragg soy sauce alternative

 

You can purchase it through Amazon:

 

Or there’s also coconut aminos soy sauce alternative:

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

I am frequently trying to figure out what to make with chicken. And it’s usually leftover chicken from my whole chicken in a crock pot. Well I was trying to decide between chicken enchiladas, chicken burritos, or chicken quesadillas. It came down to the quesadillas because of the ingredients we had, and my husband wasn’t thrilled. He said just plain chicken and cheese doesn’t sound very exciting. So I decided to spice it up! I used my homemade taco seasoning, mixed it up with the cooked chicken and added bell peppers and onion. We also dipped our quesadillas in sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. I made the kids’ quesadillas slightly different depending on their preferences (Tyler doesn’t like a lot of green peppers or onion, and Kailey doesn’t like a lot of meat). So I call these Chicken Fajita Quesadillas. You could also just have fajitas. 🙂 For a vegetarian option just eliminate the chicken. You could do black beans or refried beans instead.

 

chicken fajita quesadillas

 

 

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 1 - 2 cups of leftover shredded chicken)
  • 1 - 2 tsp coconut oil (to grease the pan)
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (or sliced cheese will work)
  • taco seasoning (see link for my homemade taco seasoning above)
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), sliced into strips
  • half an onion, sliced into strips
  • 4 - 6, 10" tortillas
  • butter for each side of the quesadilla
  • Optional: sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole for dipping
Directions
  1. Cook the chicken in the coconut oil until there's no pink. Cut into cubes or strips. (If using leftover chicken you can eliminate this step and just fry up the bell pepper and onion in some oil first, then add the chicken.)
  2. Add the seasoning and a little water to mix it up. Add the bell pepper strips and onion and mix everything up, frying for a few minutes.
  3. Heat up your skillet and start preparing the quesadillas. Butter one side, fold over with the butter side down, then start filling.
  4. Fill with the chicken/pepper/onion mixture, add cheese, folder over and cook each side for a few minutes until slightly golden brown.
  5. Cut in half or into triangles and serve. You can dip in sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.

 

 

The chicken, bell pepper, onion, and taco seasoning all mixed up:

fajita meat & veggies

 

Cooking the quesadillas:

quesadillas cooking

 

All done and cut into triangles. Served with salsa & sour cream. You can do guacamole too.

chicken fajita quesadillas

 

I used these tortillas to make my quesadilla and it was really good! They don’t work very good for rolling up into a wrap or a burrito, but great for quesadillas. 🙂 (I heard you should warm them up or leave out for a bit and they will roll up easier. I just haven’t tried it yet.) 

sprouted grain tortillas

Healthy Veggie Scramble

I never thought in a million years I would be eating a breakfast like this. I thought it would be gross. Well now I’m obsessed! Ever since I found the recipe in The Food Babe Way I have been making it and tweaking the recipe to my liking. It is very customizable. My adjustments from the original recipe are that I cut the recipe in half, I don’t add mushrooms (just because I don’t like them), I added garlic powder and onion, an egg, and I have been adding my cauliflower ‘rice’ instead of quinoa. The recipe for “Riced” Cauliflower is found in the Grain-Free Family Table cookbook. Sometimes I also add a little bacon or sausage but not usually. Only if I have some in the fridge that needs eaten up. My daughter likes it too. My husband and son do not. My husband even had it wrapped in a tortilla and added hot sauce. He would like it if I added meat, more eggs, and didn’t put the quinoa or cauliflower in, or tomatoes, or spinach… Okay, I would really have to change up the recipe for him to like it, lol.

healthy veggie scramble

 

Healthy Veggie Scramble
 
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 TB coconut oil
  • 1 - 2 cups spinach (or chopped kale - I don't chop the spinach but you can)
  • ½ - 1 cup cooked quinoa, rice, or cauliflower 'rice'
  • ½ - 1 cup of each veggie of your choice (broccoli, chopped tomato, chopped bell pepper, chopped zucchini, cauliflower)
  • salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp minced onion, or 1 or 2 TB chopped fresh (optional)
  • 1 - 2 eggs
  • Other options: mushrooms, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, bacon, sausage
Directions
  1. Heat the coconut oil in a sauté pan on medium heat.
  2. Add any veggies you want, the spinach, and if you are using cauliflower 'rice'. Saute for 5 - 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the quinoa/rice and seasonings.
  4. Push everything to the side of the pan, crack the egg(s) in the middle and scramble.
  5. Then mix everything in with the egg(s). Serve immediately.

 

After the coconut oil is heated up in the pan, add the veggies you want and the spinach (the spinach will shrink up after it cooks).

making veggie scramble

 

 After sautéing the veggies for 5 – 10 minutes, stir in the quinoa/rice & seasonings. Then push everything to the side, crack the egg(s) in the middle and scramble.

making veggie scramble

 

 Mix everything together and serve immediately. Serves 2, unless you’re really hungry. 😉 

making veggie scramble

 

 Here’s the cauliflower ‘rice’ I use. It’s basically just cauliflower that has gone through the food processor so it is in very small pieces.

cauliflower 'rice'

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I have been making my own spaghetti sauce for a while now. It’s so easy I can’t believe I haven’t been doing this all along, and I love adding in all the herbs & seasonings. I used to buy the jar of Prego or Ragu and dump it in. You would think that the contents of those jars was just tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, some onion and herbs & seasonings. But no. There’s also calcium chloride, sugar, canola oil or soybean oil, natural flavors (which could mean anything), and none of it is organic. If you can find an organic jar of spaghetti sauce with all good ingredients, than great! I prefer to make my own and it’s pretty easy too. I also add in chopped veggies, kale/spinach, olives, whatever we have on hand and want to add in. Serve with spaghetti noodles or another type of noodle that you like. Zucchini noodles would be good! We also like to have bread with butter, or a biscuit. I make blueberry muffins sometimes, or cornbread would be good too. Of course garlic bread would be the best. 🙂 For a vegetarian option just eliminate the hamburger.

homemade spaghetti sauce

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • ½ - 1 lb hamburger (grass-fed organic is best)
  • ¼ cup chopped onion (or 1 TB minced onion)
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (or just cut-up a tomato into small chunks)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • Salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
  • ½ tsp turmeric (optional)
  • 1 TB dried kale or spinach, or chopped fresh (optional)
  • small can sliced olives (optional)
  • Other options: chopped bell pepper, zucchini, corn, carrots
Directions
  1. Brown the hamburger, drain if necessary.
  2. Add the onion and any veggies, sauté for a few minutes.
  3. Then add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and all the seasonings (and olives if desired). Cook for 10 - 15 minutes to thicken.
Notes
Tip: If you don't have a can of tomato sauce, you can add a 6 oz can of tomato paste instead and some water (I just fill the 6 oz can with water a couple times and add it but it just depends on how saucy you like it).

 

I make slightly different versions of the sauce, depending on what veggies I have on hand.
And I rarely measure. different spaghetti sauces

 

Here’s my dinner the other night with organic spaghetti noodles, the homemade sauce,
and organic corn on top. So good!spaghetti with corn on top

 

At the end of summer I had an abundance of tomatoes so I cut some up and froze them. It worked out just fine and I added some to our spaghetti sauce. My husband said it tasted better than usual.
Fresh tomatoes from the garden as opposed to out of a can? Yep, I think so! 🙂 diced tomatoes ready to freeze

 

My daughter takes some leftover spaghetti in her Soup Thermos to keep warm for her school lunchleftover spaghetti in soup thermos

 

To make zucchini noodles, use a spiralizer (shown below):

 

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Easy Vegetable Soup

When my best friend was home recovering from a procedure, we came up with this soup to throw together using ingredients she had and I made it for her while she rested. Now I make it for myself for lunch quite often! It’s so easy and good. It lasts me 2 or 3 days, unless I’m sharing with my daughter, which I usually do. And she likes to take some to school in her Soup Thermos. 🙂 If you want to make a bigger pot of this soup for the whole family or to freeze some, just double the recipe. At the end of last summer I blanched and froze a patty pan squash, so I use some of that in my soup. While you can leave the skin on summer squash, I found myself trying to cut it off while eating my soup. I just liked it better without the skin. But the skin does hold a lot of nutrients. The great thing about this soup is there are many options. Just add in any veggies and herbs you like. Homemade chicken broth is best. For a vegetarian option, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Of course, homemade soup is the better option. There are a few organic soups I buy sometimes. I check the ingredients and to see if they are BPA-free cans. Canned soups are usually in cans that contain BPA (Bisphenol A), a very dangerous chemical that can seep into the food. There are concerns on how BPA can affect the brain. And the soup itself is typically full of preservatives, artificial flavors, etc. Even the organic soups aren’t perfect. It is best to make a big batch of soup and freeze in smaller portions.

bowl of vegetable soup

 

Easy Vegetable Soup
 
Author:
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup rice or quinoa
  • 1 medium/large potato, peeled & chopped
  • 1 large carrot, peeled & chopped
  • ½ cup zucchini, cut into slices or chunks
  • ½ cup butternut squash or another summer squash, cut into chunks
  • ¼ cup chopped onion or ½ tsp onion powder
  • rosemary - 1 tsp dried or 1 TB fresh
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • parsley - 1 tsp dried or 1 TB fresh, chopped
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
  • Other options: green beans, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chopped tomato, barley, peas, corn
Directions
  1. Bring chicken broth to a boil.
  2. Add the rice/quinoa and cover, cook on low.
  3. Start chopping the veggies/onion/potato and add them in, along with all the herbs & seasonings.
  4. Then turn up the heat to medium after you add everything, keep it covered and stir occasionally. You will basically cook until the rice/quinoa is done and the carrots are tender. It's about 25 minutes of cooking time, after bringing it to a boil.

 

Here’s the first batch I made of this soup. This one had rice in it. SO good!

vegetable soup cooking in a pot

 

 

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Potato Soup

I made baked potato soup before but it calls for a lot of milk so I wanted a potato soup that wasn’t so heavy. This one is really good and only uses 2 cups of milk and some chicken broth instead. Of course, homemade chicken broth is best but I buy the Pacific brand sometimes. You can make this soup without the milk if you want (just add more chicken broth). The milk just gives it that creamy potato soup look and taste. For a vegetarian option just leave out the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

potato soup

 

Potato Soup
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4-6 slices of bacon
  • ½ cup chopped onion (or 1 leek, chopped)
  • 2 large carrots, peeled & chopped (optional)
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled & chopped into small squares or triangles
  • Salt & pepper, sprinkle desired amount
  • ½ - 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 32 oz chicken broth (4 cups)
  • 1 TB dried parsley
  • 2 cups milk
  • Shredded cheese (optional)
  • Other options: corn, kale/spinach, zucchini, butternut squash
Directions
  1. Cook the bacon in a large pot (I cook right in the pot I'm cooking the soup in to save on dishes), remove and set aside in a papertowel.
  2. Drain the grease and add onion, celery & carrots to the pot. Sauté for a couple minutes. Add diced potatoes, salt & pepper, garlic powder. Stir and sauté for a few more minutes.
  3. Pour in the broth, add the parsley, and bring to a gentle boil. Crumble the bacon and add (if you want to add corn and/or kale you can put that in now too).
  4. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium, or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in the milk and bring to a gentle boil while stirring consistently. Reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes. Continue stirring frequently. You basically just want to cook until it's the right consistency. Add shredded cheese if desired. It does help thicken it.
Notes
If you don't cook the bacon in the same pot then you will need to add a little oil before putting the onion, carrots & celery into the pot.

 

Another picture of this delicious soup!

IMG_5517

 

homemade breadIt would be really good with some homemade bread! I make bread every week using my bread machine. I mostly make it for my kids but who can resist a slice of bread fresh out of the oven with some real butter on it?! That’s usually the only time I have a piece. Otherwise I try to avoid bread/crackers. You can find the recipe here, by Real Fit, Real Food Mom. After seeing this recipe, I started using my bread machine again after sitting in the cupboard for 10 years! Crazy, huh? And it still works great. I also make our pizza dough in it. One of these days I will have to post that recipe. 🙂

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!

Organic School Lunch Ideas – Part II

This is Part II of my organic lunch series. (I’m not sure how many parts there will be.) To see Part I go here, which includes sandwiches without mayo, soup, and leftover rice/noodles. Part II is mostly leftovers and pizza, but a few other things we came up with too. I usually give her ice water with her lunch, with a small slice of lemon sometimes.

school lunches part II

Pizza

Of course you can still have pizza in a homemade lunch. There are a few options. 1) Make-ahead pizzas that you have ready in the freezer, 2) leftover pizza from dinner, or 3) a make-your-own pizza (not pictured) that they put together themselves at lunch time. I think the make-ahead pizzas work great. We followed the recipe from the 100 Days of Real Food cookbook and it’s so nice to just pull out a pizza, put it in her lunch, and it’s thawed by lunchtime. And leftover pizza is definitely an easy option. I make pizza at home sometimes and use my bread machine to knead the dough. We did try the make-your-own pizza before. We just put in mini pita pockets, some pizza sauce in a little bowl with a lid (like her pink one shown below), some shredded cheese, and toppings she likes (pepperoni, pieces of ham, pineapple, olives, bell pepper, etc.). It seems like my daughter likes to have her pizza already made for her. 😉

Cheese Pizza (made ahead and pulled from the freezer) – served with veggies, frozen applesauce, walnuts & pumpkin seeds; 

Cheese & Pepperoni Pizza (made ahead and pulled from the freezer) – with salad, Drew’s ranch dressing, and frozen applesauce; or

Leftover Pizza (from dinner) – with apples, veggies, and some pirate booties (a special treat).

(Details: I usually buy Muir Glen organic pizza sauce, Applegate uncured pepperoni, and I usually make pizza for us to have at home for dinner using my bread machine to knead the dough. We usually have leftovers too. For the little pizzas, I used Trader Joe’s pita pockets for the crust.)

pizzapizza & saladleftover pizza

Apples or Crackers with Peanut Butter

We tried the apple & peanut butter sandwiches and they were kind-of a pain to make so we just did apple slices with pb to dip in after that. She also likes cracker sandwiches with pb & honey, or you could do pb & jelly or just pb.

Apple Peanut Butter Sandwiches – served with pretzels, carrots, tomatoes, & cheese;

Apples & PB Dip – with Annie’s bunny graham cookies, cucumber, tomatoes, & a Stonyfield frozen yogurt; or

PB & Honey Cracker Sandwiches – with strawberries, pineapple, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, & a Stonyfield frozen yogurt.

(Details: I buy the Trader Joe’s organic peanut butter with just one ingredient – organic peanuts. For the pretzels, I sometimes go with Trader Joe’s brand or the Newman’s Own brand. It just depends on where I’m shopping. I buy the Late July brand crackers. And just a note on the Stonyfield yogurt tube, we freeze them and she only has these once in a while. They do have carrageenan in them. Hoping that changes one day!)

apple and peanut butter sandwichapple pb dippeanut butter and honey crackers

Miscellaneous Ideas (quesadilla, trail mix, hummus, and a hotdog – on occasion)

My daughter likes to have a quesadilla once in a while, or hummus to dip pretzels/carrots and one time she brought in a hotdog because they have access to a microwave on Fridays. This is a rare occasion but nice to have a hotdog once in a while. 🙂  She does bring trail mix quite often. I make it myself by just putting together different kinds of nuts, seeds, raisins, popcorn or Annie’s bunny crackers, and sometimes I throw in a few chocolate chips.

Cheese Quesadilla  – served with salsa, homemade trail mix, carrots, tomatoes, and strawberries;

Trail Mix & Popcorn – with a pumpkin muffin w/butter, cantaloupe, cucumber, and tomatoes; 

Hummus Dip – with pretzels, a few chocolate chips, carrots, tomatoes, cheese, and frozen applesauce; or

A Hotdog – with ketchup and relish, a cheese stick, carrots & celery, and an apple.

(Details: I get my tortillas from our local food co-op, the pumpkin muffin recipe is found here (you could make a big batch and freeze some), I buy organic popcorn sometimes or make my own, I use Lilly’s red pepper hummus, the frozen applesauce is in a smoothie-pop-mold, the hotdog is the Applegate brand, and I buy Trader Joe’s hotdog buns sometimes, we also found a natural Franz brand, or I have also made my own but haven’t done that in a while. I can’t seem to get the shape right but will try again one of these days.)

lunches

 

Leftovers (spaghetti, mac ‘n cheese with ham or steak, and tortellini)

We do leftovers whenever we can. She especially likes leftover spaghetti which she will eat cold but now that we have a soup thermos she can bring it warm and it stays warm. The tortellini is in the soup thermos. And FYI, that tortellini lunch was a special lunch I put together for Halloween. Blood-themed, with carrot & olive fingers and pumpkin seeds, lol. We also have Annie’s mac ‘n cheese on occasion, so she will take leftovers of that mixed with some ham or steak and she would eat that cold too but now she can bring it warm in the soup thermos. 🙂

Leftover Spaghetti with Corn – served with a zucchini cookie, cucumber, tomatoes, grapes, and those are actually homemade canned peaches;

Leftover Mac ‘N Cheese w/ham or steak – with cucumber, green beans, tomatoes, an orange (with a Halloween face), and a granola bar or with cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, and frozen applesauce; or

Leftover Tortellini – with strawberries, carrot & olive fingers, and pumpkin seeds.

(Details: The zucchini cookie recipe can be found here. We actually canned peaches during the summer and this was the first time we ever canned anything. They turned out kind-of mushy but really good. We used a honey/lemon/water mixture. I buy Annie’s mac ‘n cheese on occasion. Most of these veggies were from out of our first organic garden. The harvest berry granola bar is the Cascadian Farm brand. The pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe can be found here. I made the tortellini with olives, smoked pork sausage, tomato sauce and different herbs & seasonings. And I let her take a little cherry juice in her lunch that day because we were going with a Halloween-themed bloody lunch just for fun. 😉 )

lunches2

 

Here are some of the lunch box items from above:

 

And here are some other lunch box items that would be neat to have!

 

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