Several years ago, I shared my mom's recipe for "no fail" banana bread. I use this banana bread recipe frequently... and sometimes I use the same recipe for muffins. These banana chocolate chip muffins are simple to make, they always turn out great, and they are perfect for my boys' lunch boxes.
To make my mom's simple banana chocolate chip muffins:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and insert liners into a muffin tin. 2) Whisk the following dry ingredients together: 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 3 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2-1 cup chocolate chips 3) Beat the following ingredients together: 1 egg 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup melted butter (cooled) 1 1/2 cup mashed bananas 4) Mix wet and dry ingredients until combined, and pour batter evenly into the muffin tin (to make 12 muffins). 5) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
I make these muffins every couple of weeks, and I often freeze them for school lunches. If you give them a try, let me know what you think.
Making lunches is one of my most dreaded tasks, and I know I am not the only parent that feels this way. So, when I find something that makes packing lunches a little easier for me, I want to share the idea with as many people as I can. Today, I am showing you how to make healthier (and more environmentally friendly) "lunchables" that kids will love and parents can feel good about.
The key to these simple lunchables are these cute little Lock & Lock round containers. I love them because they are a perfect size, and kids find them easy to open and close.
Then, you just fill the containers with whatever you want. I like to use preservative free pepperoni or lunch meats, multi grain crackers or pretzels, cheese, and fresh fruit or raw veggies... but you can use your child's favourites (or whatever you have in your fridge/cupboard).
I think this is a fun option for lunches, and it would be easy to have your child help fill these containers with healthy options. What would you put in your homemade "lunchable"?
♥ Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
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Don't you just love the chocolate chip muffins they sell in coffee shops? Today I am sharing my favorite recipe for chocolate chip muffins. They taste like they came from a coffee shop, but you bake them at home for a fraction of the cost.
Note: This recipe is based on one I found at Little Sweet Baker. You can find her recipe here.
You'll need:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 2 cups chocolate chips (I like a high quality semi-sweet version) 1/2 cup melted (salted) butter (cooled) 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup milk (I used 1% milk because that is all I buy... but you could use whole milk for a richer taste) 1 tbsp real vanilla extract
Then:
1) Grease a muffin tin, and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 2) Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix in chocolate chips. Set aside. 3) In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugars together. Then whisk in the eggs, milk, and vanilla. 4) Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and stir just until combined. 5) Divide the batter into muffin tins. If you use an ice cream scoop, you can evenly divide the batter between the 12 muffin tins. 6) Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.
Let the muffins cool slightly before removing them from the muffin tin... but they are delicious if you eat them when they are still warm.
I also freeze them individually, and pop them in my boys lunch bags when I need them.
These muffins really are delicious. My boys love them with a glass of cold milk, but I opt for a nice hot cup of coffee. If you give these chocolate chip muffins a try, let me know how they turn out. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Making 15 school lunches each week makes me crazy, so I am always looking for ways to make my life a little easier. My oldest son isn't a big fan of sandwiches, but he loves homemade biscuits. Today I am sharing my lunch box biscuit recipe and a school lunch HACK that I find really helpful!
Here's the recipe I use...
Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour 4 tsp baking powder 3 tsp white sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup cold butter 1 large egg 2/3 cup 2% milk
Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. 3) Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. 4) Whisk the eggs and the milk together in a small bowl. 5) Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir (just until moistened). 6) Move biscuit dough to a well floured surface knead/fold about 15 times. Roll to 3/4-inch thick, and cut with a 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter. You'll end up with a dozen biscuits. (Note: I always roll the dough out on a piece of wax paper for easy clean up.) 7) Place on lightly greased baking sheet or Silpat, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Now, here's my secret shortcut...
I let the biscuits cool completely. Then, I cut them in half, butter them, individually wrap them, and stick them in a freezer bag. I leave them in the freezer, and I just take them out as I need them for lunches. Simple, right?
My oldest son likes to take a biscuit, rolled up (preservative free) ham or organic pepperoni (from the farmer's market), and some yogurt. I add some fruit, and we end up with a lunch that we are both happy with. Do you have any school lunch HACKS you'd like to share? I can use all the help I can get!
♥ Gina (aka East Coast Mommy) PS... You can find more of my family favourites here.
Recently, I saw a post for lunchbox smoothies at One Good Thing by Jillee, and I knew I needed to make a batch of lunchbox smoothies for my freezer. I LOVE the idea of making a big batch of smoothies at the beginning of the week, sticking them in the freezer, and popping them in the lunch bags each day.
To make your own Lunchbox Smoothies, start with a big batch of your favorite smoothies. Here's the recipe I use: 4 cups frozen strawberries 2 bananas 1 cup orange juice 1 cup vanilla yogurt 1 tbsp honey I blend everything together, and I end up with 5 cups for lunches, and a few extra glasses to drink right away.
Each year has 195 school days, and I have three boys -- that's 585 school lunches each year. Making easy and nutritious lunches that kids will actually eat can be challenging, so today I am sharing some school lunch hacks that will help make the process a little less painful!
1) Breakfast for lunch - My boys aren't big sandwich eaters, so breakfast for lunch is a popular option in our house. I often make a big batch of French toast (made with whole
wheat bread, eggs, milk and a touch of cinnamon) and freeze it. Then, I take a
slice out of the freezer each morning, heat it up in my toaster oven, cut it
up, and stick it in a thermos. Hard boiled eggs are fantastic too.
Cereal is another simple “breakfast for lunch” option. I
fill a thermos with a low-sugar cereal, and my boys add milk at lunchtime. With
the addition of some fruits and vegetables, it’s a pretty nutritionally
balanced meal.
And dollar store dressing cups make perfect holders for a bit of maple syrup!
2) Stock the pantry and the freezer - I love to bake in large batches, wrap the items individually,
and store them in the freezer. Then, each night, I just pull what I need from
the freezer, and pop them in the lunch bags. This method works great for
biscuits, muffins, and cookies.
A well-stocked pantry is also a must. I always buy lunch
staples (like granola bars, raisins, unsweetened applesauce, etc…) in bulk when
they are on sale. Then, I take them out of their original packaging and put
them in plastic containers from the dollar store. This little trick helps save
money, makes lunch items quicker to access, and frees up cupboard space.
3) Free lunchbox notes - I love to leave little notes in my boys' lunches because it lets them know that I am thinking about them while they are at school. To download the notes I designed (for free), right-click on one of the pictures below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular photo. (FYI: The apple notes are 8X10 and the bear notes are 4X6.)
4) Apple trick - My middle son is missing some of his baby teeth, so he can only eat an apple if I cut it up for him... and he doesn't like when an apple starts to turn brown. The solution: cut an apple, put it back together, and secure it with an elastic, and cover it with some plastic wrap (to keep the air out).
5) DIY ice packs - Frozen yogurt tubes are fun to eat, they keep lunches cool, and they thaw in time for lunch. A damp sponge in a Ziploc sandwich bag also makes an easy DIY ice pack that they can use to clean there hands after they eat.
6) Lunch box smoothies - Make a batch of smoothies, freeze them, and pop them in the lunches each morning. You can find details on the jars I use and the recipe for lunchbox smoothie HACKhere
7) Lunchbox biscuits - These biscuits are delicious, but the school lunch shortcut is even better. You can get the recipe and read all about my lunchbox biscuits HACK here.
I hope these school lunch HACKS help make "back to school" a little less painful in your home. Do you have a school lunch HACK you'd like to share? I can use all the help I can get!
These ginger molasses cookies are a favorite in this house. I especially love them during the school year because they freeze really well, and they are great to have on hand for the boys' lunches. They are the perfect ginger molasses cookie because they are soft and chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Here's how you make {My Favorite} Ginger Molasses Cookies*:
2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground all spice 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup white sugar (+ 1/2 cup for rolling) 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1 egg 1/3 cup fancy molasses 1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together: flour, ginger, cinnamon, all spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together: oil, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, molasses, and vanilla. Keep whisking until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add to flour mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Roll into 1 inch balls, coat each ball with sugar, and place 1 inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes (until crisp around the edges and cracked on top).
You can print out a copy of this recipe by: right-clicking on the recipe (below), saving it to your computer, and printing it like a regular 4X6 photo.
You can also make these cookies a little fancier by dipping them in melted white chocolate. Trust me... they are delicious!
What's your favorite type of cookie? If you try these soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies, let me know how they turn out.
I have been hearing from a lot of moms that are worried because their little ones aren't eating their lunches. I had similar concerns when my oldest son started school, and I think it is a pretty common problem. I am not an expert, but I thought I would share a few things that worked for my boys. So... here's my best advice for getting your kids to eat their lunches.
1) Make it easy - Buy containers that are easy to open, and practice opening them at home. If children need to wait for someone to help them open containers, they are likely to run out of time, and they won't finish their lunches. 2) Pack what they like - As much as you would like them to eat a perfect lunch, the truth is that they are not likely to eat things they don't like. Work with them to come up with healthy options that they want to eat. 3) Eat more at snack time - From my experience, kids want to eat their lunch as fast as they can so that they can get outside and play with their friends. In the past, my boys have tried to eat bigger portions of their lunch at snack time so that there was less to eat at lunch time. If this is an option for your little ones, you should give it a try because it worked for my boys. 4) Save dessert for last - The rule in our house is... "the treat in the lunch box doesn't get eaten until all the healthy food is gone". This is a big motivator for my boys. If they break the rule, there is no treat in the lunch box the next day. 5) Don't worry - If you little ones eat a healthy breakfast and a healthy supper, don't freak out if they don't eat every bit of food you pack in their lunch boxes. They'll eat if they are hungry, and the best you can do is pack them a healthy lunch and hope they eat it. I hope you find one or two of these tips helpful. Do you have a tip that works for you? I'd love to have you share it in the comments.
Now that we are back to school, I thought I would share one of my favorite lunch making tips. I buy lunch staples in bulk when they are on sale, take them out of their packages, and put them in plastic containers from the dollar store.
This tip helps save money, makes lunch items quicker to access, and frees up space in the cupboard.
I also have lots of fruit, yogurt, and cheese strings "ready to go" in my fridge, and individually wrapped homemade treats in my freezer.
Do you have a tip to help make packing lunches easier? It is one of my most dreaded tasks, and I can use all the help I can get. Thanks!
School is starting in a few weeks, so I thought it would be fun to design a sheet of lunch box notes for my boys. The messages are simple, but they are important, and I know by boys will love them.
Want to download your own sheet of these adorable lunch box notes... for free?
Click on the picture below, right click, save it to your computer, and print like a regular 8x10 photo.
Do you like sending notes in your child's lunchbox? I think these are simple and adorable. Enjoy them! :-) ♥ Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)
It is almost time to head back to school, so today I am sharing two fun ideas with you: a {simple} back-to-schoolbook-page banneranda {super-easy} lunch idea.
Let's start with the banner.
To make the banner:
1) Draw {or print out} five apple pictures. 2) Have the kids color the pictures. 3) Trim 5 pages out of an old book, and cut a triangle shape from the bottom of each page. 4) Cut out the apples and attach to the book pages using double sided tape. 5) Hole punch the top of each page. Then, string all the pages together using a piece of twine.
Cute, right? Now, are you ready for the easiest lunch idea ever? Last year, I shared my "go to" lunch idea, and I got a lot of great feedback. So, I thought I would share another {even easier} lunch idea this year.
My boys aren't big on sandwiches -- except for peanut butter {which they aren't allowed to take to their "nut free" school}. So, some days I give them a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and cereal for lunch. I put the cereal in a thermos, and they pour the milk in at lunch time. I add some sugar-free applesauce, fruit, cheese, and homemade graham crackers for a treat .
What are some of your favorite "go to" lunches? With a new school year starting, I can use all the help I can get!
In my house, school lunches are a nightmare. My son is super fussy, and the only kind of sandwich he likes is Peanut Butter (and his school is nut free). My "go to" lunch staple is French Toast. I figure we have a whole grain, a protein, and some dairy. Not too bad, right?
To make life a little easier, I make a big batch of french toast ahead of time, like this:
Step 1: Gather the supplies - whole grain bread, 1% milk, egg and cinnamon. I use approximately 1 egg and 1 tbsp milk per two slices of bread. I also add a pinch of cinnamon.
Step 2: Dip the bread in the egg mixture and cook over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Freeze the cooked French Toast in a freezer bag.
In the morning, I pop the frozen toast into the toaster oven to reheat it, cut it up, and put it in a thermos.
What is your "go to" lunch? I could really use some inspiring ideas to get me through the next school year.
