little LADIES WHO LUNCH

Pretzel Roll - A German Treat to Ring in Autumn

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:59:55 -0400

Bartlet pear balls; lady apple; mini orange bell pepper, humanely-raised/nitrate free bacon by Applegate Farms; heirloom cherry tomatoes, half a pretzel roll (top featured here) and a slice of blood orange

Ah, pretzel bread! My family loves it, especially in autumn! If you’ve never tried it before or don’t know what it is, you can read about it here.

The pretzel bread featured in today’s bento is made with white wheat flour and is from our local bakery. Since it is not whole grain it gets filed under our “special treat” category.

Here is a recipe for Bavarian “bretzel” rolls (or more accurately, “Laugen Brötchen) if you’d like to try making them at home. Feel free to experiment with a whole grain version, and if you are successful please let me know so we can share the recipe!

Autumnal Beef Stew Bento

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:24:00 -0400

Autumnal grass-fed beef stew made with Black Chocolate Stout beer, with sweet potatoes, butternut squash, Vidalia onions and carrots over creamy mashed organic potatoes; German red cabbage; organic red seedless and green grapes

Hands down, this was the best beef stew we’ve ever made, maybe even had — in our lives. My mouth is watering just thinking about the flavors. The problem is that it was made in part from leftover brisket stock that we stashed in our freezer after this meal a few weeks ago, which makes sharing the recipe kind of complicated. We used the leftover stock and added a half a bottle of Black Chocolate Stout from the Brooklyn Brewery, browned the beef in onions and garlic, then added the vegetables and 2 bay leaves to the mix.

It smelled like heaven on earth in our home with the smell of the stew wafting from the slow cooker, and it was an especially welcomed dish on our first chilly day of the season.

The homemade German red cabbage was made by my cousin Darlene, and the recipe is here (note: she used 1/8 of a cup of sugar, not 1/4 cup). It is leftover from the Oktoberfest gathering we had on Sunday evening at our house.

What are some of your favorite recipes as the temperature starts to drop?

Grilled Chicken "Club" Kebabs

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:40:18 -0400

Humanely raised/antibiotic-free grilled chicken cubes with organic heirloom tomatoes (missing: the butter lettuce that I forgot to take out from the fridge) and crispy humanely raised/antibiotic & nitrate-free bacon from Applegate Farms; canary melon balls; pomegranate seeds; blood orange slices and organic sweet potato

Sometimes packing lunch the night before simply does not work. Our youngest Little Lady took one look at her bento lunch and wanted to eat it for dinner instead. After a brief tussle we worked it out, but man…. that was close. Phew!

I always try to pre-pack Monday’s lunch, because lets face it —Mondays can be tough enough as it is!

The colors of this bento certainly bring cheer though.

Flower Power

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:29:00 -0400

Almond butter (almond butter, sea salt — period) and organic apple slices; fresh strawberries, a white peach slice and spinach salad with red peppers, carrots and edible flowers.

Anyone who reads this blog or knows me personally has figured out by now that I am acutely bothered by the excess of junk food in the classroom (NOT by the occasional treat — I’m talking about the onslaught the occurs at classroom celebrations or even birthday parties. My mind-set is if sending big, honking cupcakes is the only way you’ll feel joyful as a parent at these celebrations, skip the accompanying juices boxes, consider omitting the food dye — things like that). I’ve talked about it endlessly, and have offered up many suggestions and possible solutions as it relates to the issue, from healthier treat options to non-food traditions and more. Check out this handy guide from Spoonfed: Raising Children to Think About the Food They Eat who did an amazing job of assembling a ton of relevant information on what can be done in one spot.

I’ve also mentioned here and there the GOOD to come out of our school when it comes to food and health, from the fact that we have a Wellness in the Schools (WITS) cafeteria and also benefit from their Wellness Labs, to my kids sampling healthy foods at school Harvest Day and later asking me to make them at home, to the Mighty Milers program, to how proud I am of our school garden.

Today’s lunch is another example of the good. Yesterday we went to the produce market as a family and had the kids pick out their fruits & veggies for the week. The girls were choosing things like baby spinach, multi-colored peppers, carrots, broccoli, white peaches, plums and all sorts of varieties of pears and apples, when suddenly I heard the sort of joyful “mommy!” usually reserved for things like spying the latest American Girl catalog in our mailbox.

What was the outburst over? A package of organic edible flowers (read more about edible flowers here). Yup, that’s right. My 7 year old was over the moon with this tiny package of beautiful, bright flowers, and explained that she hadn’t seen any edible flowers besides dandelions since Wild Man Steve came to their school to lead the kids on a foraging tour in 500 acre plus Prospect Park.

While the excess junk is still a thorn in my side, it is getting better very s-l-o-w-l-y. As I pieced together this post I realized just how fortunate my kids really are, and just how far we’ve come as a school on our path to Wellness and being more open minded about exploring and trying new things. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the little changes really do add up to something big.

Are you feeling better about your school this year, food-wise?

Daddy & Daughter Bentos

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:45:00 -0400

For daddy: Leftover brisket (antibiotic-free, humanely raised) covered in a tomato-based sauce with veggies; creamy mashed potatoes; organic strawberries; raw sweet yellow and red mini bell peppers

For the Little Ladies (who have no way to reheat their mashed potatoes and don’t dig them lukewarm): Whole grain mini roll with raisins; 2 types of extra sharp cheddar from our local cheese monger; a few heirloom cherry tomatoes; organic apple slices; organic strawberries; star fruit; raw sweet yellow and red mini bell peppers (or as my children call them: dinosaur jelly beans)

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Our family isn’t Jewish, but we live in a neighborhood with a lot of Jews. During holidays like Rosh Hasanah, the delicious smells of simmering food are impossible to ignore and are always inspiring. Have you ever smelled fresh Challah bread baking? I don’t know about you, but one sniff and my mouth is watering like mad. Heck, just the thought of extended families and friends coming together to feast is enough to get me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. I love holidays, even if they’re not my own.

One year around Christmastime my husband and I baked Chanukah doughnuts, and to this day they rank as the best doughnuts we’ve ever had. Known as “Sufganiot,” (or the greatest jelly doughnuts ever) they appear to be more popular in Israel than the States, but if you know any Jews stateside who bake them (or any Christians like us who insist on diving into Jewish culinary traditions), get your hands on some. You’ll be thankful you did.

Back to Rosh Hasanah. Since I wasn’t raised in a Jewish household, my Jewish cooking adventures are strictly recipe-reliant. For the brisket pictured above, we used a cross of 2 recipes from 2 Jewish cooks I admire (and like — they are both very good seeds), Ronnie Fein from Kitchen Vignettes (right here on Tumblr — you should follow her!) and Tori Avey from The Shiksa in the Kitchen.

Check out their recipes when you have a chance. Yom Kippur is coming up next Wednesday, and I know I will be bowled over by the food aromas once again. What shall we make? Noodle Kugel?

Reminder for Cold & Flu Season

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:55:00 -0400

Just four days after the new school year began my 7 year old surprised us with a fever and a sore throat. The search for our ever-disappearing thermometer commenced, and oops — we’re out of dye-free acetaminophen. A few hours later we walked out of her pediatrician’s office with a diagnosis (positive rapid strep test, 103 fever) and a prescription for Amoxicillin.

This little incident got my thinking. With 4 kids in the house (and 3 bathrooms), medical supplies are constantly getting shifted around to one floor or the other, or they migrate between various medicine cabinets. I immediately got organized and took stock of what we needed for the upcoming season, with the added bonus of establishing a central location for our arsenal.

I hope you find this post hopeful and don’t get caught off guard in your own house.

Life in the big city without a car begs for a creative solution to picking up an older child at school without leaving a feverish, strep-infested younger sibling at home alone. Yes, I opted to haul her in our trusty wagon, padded with pillow and blankets. We were quite the spectacle. I so miss having family nearby to help!

For convenience, I am reposting the “how to care for your child’s cold naturally” link featured in the above prep list photograph here. Please do take a look! There are great suggestions listed.

Also, our recipes for chicken soup and homemade dye-free “Pedialyte” pops is here.

Dear Readers...

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 22:11:37 -0400

Taking Control of the Day

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:26:00 -0400

Nitrate-free/humanely-raised deli slices (turkey breast, prosciutto) and extra sharp cheddar from our local cheese shop with a slice of whole grain bread; organic grapes; organic strawberries, plum slices, a petite seckel pear and white organic carrots

September 11th is always a hard day for me, as it is for many people. The vivid memories of the sights, sounds and smells all come flooding back.

Yesterday I made a conscious decision to stay off line most of the day and to reflect in my own way, rather than subject myself to the barrage of media images and Facebook commentary. I also scheduled a restorative yoga class, which ended up being a Godsend. Think snugly props, an instructor who worked by candlelight and who tucked us in with blankies while walking us through our breathing. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better she gave us all mini massages and released the scent of medical-grade lavender into the room for good measure. It was heavenly, and made us all but oblivious to the world outside of that room.

Completely reset, I left and immediately thought of dinner. The day demanded something comforting, and so I defrosted a hearty grass-fed beef stew from the freezer stash and served it over whole wheat egg noodles. We each had a square of extra dark chocolate for dessert.

All in all, the day went as well as it possibly could, with each of the 4 kids having a good day at school, and the girls enjoying the start of their performing arts season. Best of all, they came home to a relaxed mother.

That brings us to today. We woke up in the mood for lighter fare, at least for breakfast and lunch (for dinner we will be hosting our school gardening committee at our home). Today’s bento fits that mood.

In Memoriam

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:54:36 -0400

One Cold, One Warm Lunch

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:17:00 -0400

Usually, the girls pack the same or very similar lunches Today, however, they went in completely different directions:

Almond butter and a drizzle of local honey on organic oat bread; celery, carrot and cucumber slices with star fruit; slivers of fresh nectarine. The pomegranate seeds are for snack time (along with a few cashews, packed separately).

(Leftover from dinner, from our freezer stash) - Organic brown rice, turkey & bean chili (made with antibiotic-free, humanely raised meat) and sliced plum packed in the tiffin container my husband scored while on a business trip in India.

This is similar to what our tiffin looks like when it is stacked and locked for travel:

All said and done, 15 minutes was dedicated to lunch packing (veggies were pre-sliced). Not bad.

Back-to-School Bento

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:48:00 -0400

Nitrate-free / humanely raised ham from Applegate Farms on a fresh whole wheat croissant (from our local bakery); baby organic spinach with organic carrots and a baby red pepper (dressing on the side); a fruit salad of organic strawberries, grapes, apples, nectarines, watermelon and blueberries

I have been advised that this is the last time they’ll ever wear matching outfits.

And they’re off! My husband and I just delivered the Little Ladies to their first day of the 2012-2013 school year, 2nd and 4th grades.

Our sons start back tomorrow, so I’m not experiencing empty nest syndrome just yet. Next week it’ll hit me…hard. Especially with our oldest child’s 5am wake-up call. He is a senior in high school and is taking a college-level course during “zero period” (basically, before first period when the rest of school starts). He also has an hour and a half commute.

Fun times ahead!

Mini Corn Dogs: A Healthed-Up Version of the Junk Food Classic

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:30:00 -0400

The Little Ladies recommend these teeny, moist corn dogs as a special treat in lunchboxes (surrounded by fresh fruit and veggies), as a game night nibble (Go New York Giants!) or as a party hors d’oeuvre.

Often served as fast-food at local fairs, corn dogs are also commonly found in grocery store frozen food aisles. The aforementioned varieties are typically loaded with nitrates, GMOs, preservatives and other undesirable ingredients, and are more often than not they are deep fried. If you’re a fan of the flavor but looking to keep things cleaner, take heart!

Thank you to Iowa Girl Eats (check out her beautiful photos!) for this genius idea:

Ingredients (makes 48 mini muffin corn dogs)

1/4 cup melted, pastured butter + 1/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/2 cup Fair Trade natural cane sugar (or use local honey and lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees & reduce applesauce to 1/8th of a cup)
2 large pastured eggs
1 cup of organic buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure (aluminum-free) baking soda
1 cup organic whole grain, stone-ground corn flour
1 cup of unbleached, white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 grass-fed beef hotdogs (we use Applegate Farms)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 if using honey in place of sugar). Combine butter and sugar in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk again. Add buttermilk and again whisk.
In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, whole-grain stone-ground corn meal, flour and salt. Stir to combine. Whisk into wet ingredients in two batches.
Grease a mini muffin pan and spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Place one hot dog bite into the middle of each cup (making sure they are straight for visual appeal).
Bake 8-12 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown. Cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes before serving. Double the recipe and freeze some for later use!

Comfort Food & A Fire Safety Reminder

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:43:00 -0400

Protein-packed French toast with a cinnamon nut crunch, served with fresh fruit.

Make enough to freeze for an easy back-to-school breakfast.

Fire safety is something we’ve discussed several times over the years at the family dinner table. In fact, we make it a point to review our emergency plan on average of 2-3 times per year.

Last night at around 2am, my husband and I were roused from our sleep by the panicked voices of a crowd that had gathered on the sidewalk, as well as swirling red and blue lights bouncing off our bedroom walls. We looked outside the window and saw that the crowd was motioning for US to get out (my first thought is that it had to be another home), so my husband and I immediately went to grab all 4 kids, our dog and our 2 cats. It wasn’t a drill. It was the real thing.

In about 90 seconds we had the kids, the dog and 1 of the cats outside — but securing the 2nd cat proved to be a bit more challenging and cost my husband another couple of minutes. Fortunately, the fire was restricted to the roof of the home, and despite the fact that the flames were rampant and estimated to be 8 - 9 feet tall, FDNY was able to extinguish the fire before it spread. We were able to return home within a couple of hours with only water to wade through, a bad stench and soot/debris in our backyard. It was a small price to pay for what could have been.

The rest of the night was a blur of investigators, clean-up crews and other foreign noises. Daylight came way too soon, and when it did our family was ravenous. Enter: comfort food. Not just comfort food, mind you, but comfort food that still offers nutritional value.

Protein-Packed French Toast with Cinnamon Nut Crunch

This recipe is as simple as it gets:

Slice bread (we used whole wheat Challah from our local bakery)
Dip both sides of the bread in an egg wash made from scrambled, pastured eggs, allowing the egg wash to seep in (feel free to add a little real vanilla).
Next coat one side (or both) in the crunchy mixture made with ground pecans, ground almonds and cinnamon (note: we ground the nuts finely using a mortar and pestle)
cook both sides of French toast in a stove-top pan with a little pastured butter
serve with real maple syrup and fresh fruit

To freeze for future use:

Arrange slices of French toast in a glass container, separating each slice with parchment paper.

Readers, please take the time to review your own fire safety plan with your family. Be sure to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on a regular schedule and order any additional fire extinguishes needed. Also, keep pet carriers in an easily accessible area and make sure your pets always wear their id tags, even indoors.

Confused About Which Fish to Eat?

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 08:30:00 -0400

Fresh, local flounder fillets cut into neat rectangles, dipped in an egg wash (pastured eggs, please) and dredged in seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs and ground flax seed. Simply drizzle with olive oil and bake! I make these in bulk and freeze for school lunches. Use low-sugar ketchup as a dipping sauce and serve with whole organic carrots and organic cherry tomatoes.

No waste tip: after rectangles are formed, cook all remaining “irregular shaped” pieces of fish and refrigerate leftovers for a fish taco night! Note to self: pick up some limes…

I just read a great article this morning that takes the guesswork out of choosing fish and thought I’d share:

Incorporating fish into your diet is a great way to help boost health, protect your brain and heart and even help stave off certain kinds of cancers. To say the least, fish is a powerful ally to have on your dinner plate — but only if you’re eating the best, safest fish possible. Here are a few ways to hunt down seafood that will support your health as well as the ocean’s:

To continue reading Dr. Frank Lipman’s School Yourself: The Smart Way to Eat Fish, click HERE.

Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 08:53:00 -0400

As much as we love Gabby Douglas (and our love runs deep!), her beautiful face on a cereal box does not make us want to eat Corn Flakes.

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. How do you typically start off your morning?

Our favorite go-to quick and easy breakfast is typically plain organic yogurt, fresh fruit and locally made granola (organic rolled oats, toasted organic coconut, organic pepitas, organic sunflower seeds, fancy pecans, real maple syrup, extra-virgin olive oil, salt).

Pure whole foods are the gold medal winners when it comes to a healthy diet.

Shout out to Brooklyn’s Early Bird Granola.

Fresh from the Farm Stand

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:46:00 -0400

Omelet made from pastured eggs and local(ish) Tewksbury cheese; grilled Shishito and Fushimi peppers with sea salt (they tasted like candy!); a trio of colorful mini plums; Yukon potato home fries with fresh herbs, Serrano, red and yellow peppers and shallots; raw purple carrot; grilled zucchini and summer squash; purple string beans (which apparently turn green when sauteed); a small slice of whole wheat focacchia with tomato, herbs and feta cheese.***

We absolutely love our Sunday farmer’s market which recently cropped up (no pun intended) within a 7 minute walk of our home. Not only are we scoring fresh local produce at its peak-season finest, we’re collecting new recipes directly from the farmers, making new friends and trying all sorts of foods we previously didn’t know existed. Bonus: we are up and out with the dogs early enough to hit the yard sales on the way home just as they’re laying out their merchandise. I’ve found sound major scores lately, from a new dress to much-coveted kitchenware.

Please take a moment to read about the benefits of farmer’s markets here, especially if you’re a parent who is trying to expand your child’s repertoire of produce. If you’re still not convinced to seek out a market near you, know that most farmer’s markets offer delicious free samples. :0)

***Everything pictured on the plate is from from our local farmer’s market except the Serrano peppers in the home fries, which are from the garden.

American Grown

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:07:50 -0400

The folks from Good Morning America were kind enough to send each a kid who appeared on the show alongside Michelle Obama this autographed photo. The topic of the show was school gardening, and the First Lady was promoting her new book entitled American Grown. That’s my oldest daughter in the middle with the dark blonde hair and navy blue clip.

There are so many benefits to having a school garden. We wrote about some of them here. Check it out!

Simple Summer Eating

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 20:33:00 -0400

Mixed summer lettuce with heirloom tomatoes and radishes with an aged balsamic vinaigrette; grilled zucchini and summer squash (with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper) and a grilled cheese sandwich with a brush of grass-fed butter made in our sandwich press with 2 local (ish) artisanal cheeses from Valley Shepherd Creamery.

Ever have one of those jam-packed, yet fulfilling days that leave you very hungry but with minimal time to cook? Yeah, I thought you could relate. Well, today was one of those days.

Luckily we started out with a Sunday morning trip to the farmer’s market, which ended up being a life-saver come evening time. Tonight’s dinner was on the table in 20 minutes flat (my husband manned the grill while I plated the salad, whipped up the dressing and pressed the sandwiches), and everyone left the table happy and satisfied.

Dessert was small, but out of this world. We sliced a tiny sour cream crumb cake we purchased from the same farmer’s market and served it with sauteed peaches in cinnamon, brown sugar, a tiny pat of butter and a splash of prosecco, and 3 melon-baller (meaning very small) sized scoops of organic ice cream.

I love summer eating!

Happy Independence Day!

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 09:47:28 -0400

Here we have a tidy presentation of watermelon, honeydew melon (or use apple brushed with lemon juice to prevent browning), raspberries and blueberries on a wooden food pick.

Photo spotted on sparklingorstill.blogspot.com.

End-of-the-School-Year Classroom Breakfast

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 09:54:11 -0400

I have become known as “the classroom Fruit Fairy” over the years, so when the teachers announced an end-of-the-school-year breakfast potluck celebration, the requests for something “cool and fruity” started pouring in from the kids.

One child, Max, specifically requested melon “this time,” so we happily obliged.

Rather than using sharp wooden kebabs, we went with paper lollipop sticks. The fruit was shaped using a melon baller and cookie cutters, then the
“fruit lollies” were held upright by a square shaped piece of Styrofoam that we painted and stenciled.

Now you see it, now you don’t. Those lollies were gone in a blink of an eye.

Base that held 26 lollies upright, 10x10: