Camp Lunches

We've still got a few weeks of camp lunches to pack before the busy back to school season is upon us. The reality is, kids eat lunch every day – so whether I'm packing lunches for my three to cart to school, to camp or just to the park on a day when nothing is scheduled, I'm always on the lookout for lunch inspiration. I've been checking out this Insta account and of course this one and I'm looking forward to seeing loads of back to school posts on this one very soon. 

In the meantime, here are some of our recent camp lunches that have fueled my two older kids through days of nature camp, art camp and STEM camp and my youngest one through carefree days at the playground and the park. We update our school lunch gallery regularly (and have organized it into dairy, egg, nut butter, vegetarian and meat lunches to make browsing easier) so keep checking back for ideas there. 

fresh mozzarella sandwich kebabs, celery, apple and popcorn

waffle with mini maple syrup, raspberries, frozen peas, mango

chicken, pasta, cherry tomatoes, green beans, orange

eggs, green beans, roasted sweet potato chips, mango and raspberries, dark chocolate with pretzel

waffle with sunbutter and cinnamon, granola, egg, crackers, banana and raspberries

ham and cheese sandwich kebabs, carrot sticks, apple, dark chocolate with mint

cheese tortellini, green beans, pink grapefruit, raspberries and dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds

yogurt with honey and vanilla, blueberries, wax beans, egg, sugar plums, dark chocolate with pretzel

various eggs, crackers, plum, cucumber with herb salt, grapes, Annie's fruit gummies

cheese and crackers, nectarine, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, Annie's granola bar

waffle with mini maple syrup, Applegate chicken apple sausages, egg, apple, grapes

Easy Granola, 6 Ingredients

People and tastebuds are funny. My daughter can't stand peppers unless they are roasted, and happens to love roasted red pepper hummus. My son is anti-cheese *except* he loves macaroni and cheese *only* if it is made by my mother. He is kind of anti-dairy except for the fact that he could consume his body weight in yogurt every day. Food is like politics and religion in a way. We all draw our lines in the sand somewhere. I'm okay with that. 

My 5 year old son is usually a purist with his yogurt but lately he's been game to add some texture with granola. This super easy recipe is so easy, he could make himself if push came to shove. It's a staple in our home! We switch up the dried fruit to add variety and occasionally substitute maple syrup for the honey. 

Granola

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup chopped dried fruit of your choice

Method
Preheat the oven to 375. 
Combine the oats, coconut oil, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Spread out on parchment paper and drizzle with honey. Bake for 14 - 17 minutes. Once cool, add dried fruit and toss well. 

Kids and Salad

I've seen and heard of kids eating all kinds of salads. I see it with some of my friends' kids, and on Pinterest that kids eat all kinds of raw veggies and salads for both lunch and dinner. It hasn't been our experience here. While my kids do eat vegetables, they're usually cooked in some way (with the exception of carrots and celery). 

So last week when my older daughter (9 years old) had a sleepover with my niece, I was shocked to get a text that she had devoured the salad my sister made for dinner that night. "Must have that recipe," I texted back. And boom! Just like that, a new chapter has begun chez moi. I went out the next day and bought the ingredients: arugula, endive, parmesan and lemon and served it at a dinner party where it was gobbled up by four out of the five kids, and by all of the adults. The salad itself is nothing earth shattering. We're not recreating the wheel here. But it is enormously comforting to see that if you keep offering new foods, that one day kids will be comfortable enough to give it a go. 

My daughter even requested it for lunch today. A first! She says she loves the spicy arugula and the mild endive mixed together. And she's a huge parmesan cheese fan. Plus, most things taste amazing with olive oil and lemon. 

Do your kids eat salad? If so, what kind? 

Arugula Salad with Endive and Parmesan

8 oz baby arugula 
1 endive, sliced
4 oz Parmesan, sliced with a cheese plain
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil to taste

Toss all salad ingredients together. Drizzle olive oil and squeeze lemon juice on top. Combine everything and eat immediately. 

The Thing About Comfort Food

When you think of comfort food, what comes to mind? My mom always says it's her mom's fried chicken wings or a baked potato.  And sure, while fried chicken wings are comforting in their decadence and deliciousness, they are not the first thing that I yearn for. As for baked potatoes, I realize this sounds crazy to some, but they never appealed to me. It's easy to find goodness in a great array of foods that are labeled "comfort foods" (like chocolate chip cookies, big juicy burgers, chicken soup or cheesy pastas). But what is it about comfort foods that make them so comforting anyway? What exactly are we looking for in comfort food? 

I've spent a fair amount of time these past few weeks helping a loved one who just had major surgery. Last week, I made dinner for her kids while she was in the hospital and yesterday I brought groceries to cook in her kitchen for her family. Both times, I relied on my own definition of comfort food: simple roast chicken (dark meat only). For me, roast chicken is a return to home. To reliably delicious family dinners where I sat around a formica table for 18 years with my parents and sister and discussed the comings and goings of the day. Where we hashed out familiar family chatter and where I began to discover, embrace and enjoy the world and my place in it. I'm grateful for those evenings, and a large part of what I find comforting in the food is that return to the simple pleasures of the company of loved ones. 

The smell of my mom's roast chicken and the taste of juicy thigh meat with white rice soaked in chicken juices is, to me, the most comforting food ever. When I was little, we had vegetable minimums; my mom told us we had to eat 4 green beans or two pieces of broccoli. I never had a problem with that, and in fact, green beans alongside that chicken and rice absolutely completes the comfort meal for me. And we must have eaten rice three days a week with dinner. I absolutely love rice. 

So as I set out to make a difficult time even slightly easier for my loved ones, I returned to my concept of comfort food and made roast chicken. I made some additions and modifications to suit the tastebuds of others and included a spinach salad with eggs, onions and bacon with a warm bacon vinaigrette that I knew would be appreciated. 

What do you seek in comfort food? 

Roast Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potato Chips

8 drumsticks
2 large sweet potatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 375. Arrange the chicken on a baking tray lined with either aluminum foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle salt, garlic and thyme on both sides of the meat. Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Slice the sweet potatoes into rounds. Arrange on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Roast for approximately 35 minutes or until the juices of the chicken run clear and the sweet potato chips are slightly browned and crispy. 

Spinach Salad with Bacon, Eggs, Onions and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

10 ounces baby spinach
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
1 large red onion, sliced thinly
1 package of bacon
6 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Toss the spinach and mushrooms in a large bowl. Fry the bacon in a pan (I used a cast iron skillet). Remove the bacon and  reserve most of the bacon grease. Fry the onion in the same pan, in the bacon grease. Cut the bacon into small pieces and add to the salad. Remove the onion from the pan and when slightly cooled, add to the salad. While the skillet is still hot, add the mustard, sugar and red wine vinegar with the reserved bacon grease and stir vigorously so that the mustard clumps dissolve and a fragrant dressing magically materializes. Add the sliced egg to the salad and pour on the warm vinaigrette. Special thanks to The Pioneer Woman for the idea of this recipe! 

10K for LLS

I had a magnificent morning! 

I love to run. I love when music is blasting at an inappropriate volume in my ear as I propel myself forward. I love knowing that the sweat is well earned. I have some of my most productive, clearest thoughts while I'm running and for me, running is a solo adventure. It's precious time by myself. 

it's inspiring to be surrounded by so many motivated people!

Today, I ran the Oakley Mini 10K, the world's original women-only road race, to benefit the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, a cause near and dear to my heart. I joined over 7,800 other women, all of whom had dedicated their morning to completing 6.2 miles around New York's Central Park. It's an overwhelming feeling for me; though I'm dedicated and content to complete the run by myself, I'm inspired by the crowd. 

In fact, I felt a bit choked up with emotion during the first mile, as I saw women of all ages, stages and fitness levels, filled with determination. And here we all are, lucky enough to take in the beauty of Central Park on a fine Saturday morning. 

Thanks to the kindness and generosity of so many folks in my life, I raised over $18,000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Those funds will be used to fund research for new, life saving and life-improving drugs and for patient and family education and services. My team, Moms In Training, raised over $400,000 for today's event. This is a victory! 

The best part of the 10K? That was definitely when I saw my family at the finish line. Feeling so blessed today.