Sandwich on a Stick

September 1, 2014 Amanda Plott

Sometimes... my little one gets tired of eating a sandwich in it's usual form, and who could blame her? So sometimes I just have to get creative with what I already have on hand and planned out for the week.

One helpful tip I have recently fallen in love with, is to use dry spaghetti noodles in place of skewers for little ones. I know, right...? Super clever and a lot safer! This helps to keep from anyone getting hurt in the midst of lunchtime. Plus, they're edible. Who doesn't take a bite or two of a dry noodle when available?...

Skinny Hawaiian Parfait

August 29, 2014 Amanda Plott

Well, with the end of summer drawing near... I feel like I needed just a little more fun and sun. My mother always throughs a luau party at the end of summer, and with my little one all about Hawaii right now - I got rather inspired.

I wanted a nice refreshing cool breakfast this week and somehow the two just melded together perfectly into a sweet little hawaiian style parfait. I basically took all of my favorites from the islands and tossed them into a parfait dish in layers...

Kota Kokinisti (Stewed Chicken)

August 27, 2014 Amanda Plott

This is one of the best chicken dishes I think I've ever had. Seriously. It's one of my new favorites and I'm pretty sure it'll go into 'regular rotation' now. For such a rich and hearty dish, you'd be surprised to know that it is gluten-free, clean and especially lean - coming in right at 300 calories.

Now, mine did require a bit of babysitting but that's because I cooked mine for way longer than the initial hour needed to cook the chicken through. In fact, I left mine to sit for a few hours, which only boosted the already amazing flavors...

Lily's Lunch Box (Week 5) - Tex-Mex

August 25, 2014 Amanda Plott

There's two things I can always count on getting my little one to eat. Beans and rice! In fact, she takes her beans and rice plain. No salt. No 'spice'... just a sprinkle of cheese and she's done. She has been that way with beans and rice for her entire life.

Though it's not my way of eating them, I'm more than happy to oblige her with this small request. Thankfully, corn and mandarine oranges are two more things that are on the top of her 'will always eat' list. What does that give you? A fun tex-mex lunch idea!...

Skinny Buffalo Meatballs (Crock Pot)

August 20, 2014 Amanda Plott

Uhm, yum. I don't really need to explain to you just how amazing these buffalo meatballs are. The pictures speak for themselves, yeah? What I will tell you is that these are a healthier, easier, and absolutely amazing way to get your 'buffalo' wing fix without all that guilt.

These would be perfect as an appetizer on game day or just as great served in a meatball sub or as fun little sliders! And no one has to know that they are full of sneaky vegetables and lean turkey meat. Trust me, they won't even realize they're there...

Homemade Whole Wheat 'Easy Mac'

August 18, 2014 Amanda Plott

My little love was under the weather a for a few days this week, so we didn't exactly have the need for a 'lunch box' today, but... this is what I served her at home for lunch. After all, what's more of a comfort food than macaroni and cheese?

Well, not much! I pretty much put everything into this lunch that would be considered her favorite things. And they all tend to be things that most kids enjoy eating. It was a little bit of a happy accident that it happened to be just what she needed on her sick days! Grapes. Mac-n-cheese. Hot dog. And peas and carrots...