My daughter, Charlotte, starts Grade 1 next week. She’s fine. I’m anxious. Why? I have to make her lunch every day. (Up until this point, she has enjoyed a hot, nutritious meal at her daycare.)
I have heard horror stories from other moms on how tedious this task will become in the months going forward. Then there’s the fear she won’t eat what I packed. My own mom drew the line in Grade 3 when I came home with an uneaten lunch for the third day running. From that point on she said I was on my own (tough-love food division) when it came to making lunch; I ate jam sandwiches, crackers and cheese and bologna-and-mustard sandwiches for the next few years.
This holiday weekend, in addition to enjoying the last hurrah of summer, Charlotte and I will be sitting down to make a list of her favourite meals. I’ve printed off these 15 fabulous lunch ideas. I hope by including her in the discussion we can come to some agreement of what goes in a lunch she’ll love.
I know one that is making the list is a Build-Your-Own Meatball Sub idea (pictured at left) from our food editor, LeeAnne.
Simply defrost 3 frozen meatballs in the microwave. Cover in 2 tbsp barbecue or tomato sauce and pack in a container. Pack alongside a bun and toppers such as grated cheese, mushrooms and pepper slices.
It looks so good, I think I’ll make one for my lunch next week too.
—Robin, CF’s senior editor
Bonus: Sign up to receive the Canadian Family e-newsletter before September 6th, and you’ll receive our school-lunch issue, packed with more than 40 easy, healthy lunch ideas.
For more yummy lunch ideas, check out CF’s Back-to-School Guide. And find our complete September 2010 issue available in digital edition here!
If you’re looking for something a little more fancy than wine but want to keep your options affordable and easy, whip up some wine spritzers for your next dinner party.
For the perfect wine spritzer, we suggest choosing an aromatic Chardonnay musqué, preferably with notes of peach and orange peels. Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery in Beamsville, Ontario has a tasty 2008 Inox Chardonnay available at the LCBO for $13.
To make your spritzers, pour the wine into a white wine glass with ice and top off with club soda. Serve immediately and enjoy your drink paired with some of CF’s favourite starters:
For an extra touch to your drink, throw in some fresh starfruit, blueberries or sliced strawberries and garnish with an orange slice to compliment the citrus notes in the Chardonnay.
There’s no surer sign that summer is in full swing than the sight of plump, juicy cherries at the farmers’ market. From mouth-puckering tart cherries, perfect for pies and jams, to crimson sugar-sweet fruit that can be puréed into smoothies or topped on ice cream, the possibilities are endless.
Yet, for anyone who loves this summer fruit, a pitter can be a wise investment. Nothing is most frustrating – or messy – than trying to remove those stubborn cherry pits. This one from OXO pits both cherries and olives of all sizes, plus the removable splatter shield prevents the juice from going everywhere. $15, OXO Good Grips.
Corn season is upon us and what better way to pay homage to it’s return than by feasting on some sweet Corn on the Cobcake from Family Fun Magazine. It looks like corn, but it certainly doesn’t taste like it, that’s because it’s actually cupcakes and jelly beans!
Had you fooled, didn’t we?
To whip up this summer-y treat you will need:
- White and yellow jelly beans
- White-frosted cupcakes
- White decorating sugar
- Yellow Starburst candies
It’s easier to create than you might think!
First, press rows of jelly bean kernels onto the frosted cupcakes (do this in sets of three). Then, line the cupcakes and sprinkle the tops with decorating sugar. Finish it off by garnishing the cobs with a candy butter pat. To accomplish this, simply microwave a Starburst for eight seconds and stretch it to resemble a butter shape.
Add an authentic touch by serving it with corn holders on corn plates.
Here at CF, we try to make sure that the recipes we develop hit on three criteria:
1 They’re delicious.
2 They’re easy.
3 They’re quick.
But when food editor LeeAnne Wright told us she could whip up a pork tenderloin in 20 minutes (with apples, as WELL as a simple salad), we said she was nuts. So we put her to the test: armed with a timer, we challenged her on set to show us how it’s done.
You can find this recipe (and more 20-minute meals) in our September issue, on newsstands now!
Recapture a simpler time, while introducing your kids to the classic root beer float on…wait for it…National Root Beer Float Day!
As legend has it, this yummy dessert drink was originally created by Frank Wisner of Cripple Creek, Colorado, when he (ingeniously) decided to float a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of his glass of root beer. He named his creation the “black cow” after catching a glimpse of the shimmering snow cap on nearby Cow Mountain. Of course, times change and we now refer to it as the “root beer float”
Whether you call it a “black cow”, or the more modern “root beer float”, celebrate this obscure holiday by serving up the best homemade root beer float–your kids won’t care what you call it!
And while the kiddies are indulging in their classic floats, mix up a fun adult version for yourself. Try out this recipe using Three Olives Root Beer Flavoured Vodka:
Three-O Root Beer Float
- 2 oz. Three Olives Root Beer Vodka
- 4 oz. root beer
- Float 1 scoop vanilla ice cream on top
Now, what’s next, a National Brownie Day (we hope so)?
Lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh lobster this summer? Here’s what you need to know to eat it (don’t forget your bib!).
Hard-shelled lobsters like the Canadian Atlantic Lobster (Homarus Americanus) have the most meat. (They’re identified by the claws on the first three pairs of legs with the first set bearing the largest.) But it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t pick that lobster clean. Ron Cormier, lobster fisherman and owner of New Brunswick’s Shediac Bay Cruises shows you how:
1. Twist off both claws. Separate the knuckles, scooping out the nuggets of meat with a lobster pick.
2. Grasp the little finger of the claw and snap it off. Crack each claw and pick meat out. Twist the tail off the body.
3. Remove flippers and squeeze like a tube of toothpaste, pushing the meat out. Take the tail shell in the palms of your hands, lacing your fingers behind it, and squeeze firmly. Remove the shell on one side to reveal the meat. Discard the black intestinal vein.
4. Unhinge the back from the body by pulling it apart. This section contains the green tomalley (the liver), which some consider a delicacy.
5. Open the body by twisting apart the little legs in the middle. Pick around the joints where the legs are—there are still four or five bites of good white meat there. Twist off the legs and chomp on them, squeezing the meat out with your teeth.
A few weeks ago I was discussing the merits of store-bought rotisserie chicken with a few other frazzled working moms. As we bandied about the multitude of ways to morph it into a dish that looked like it took hours to prepare, someone else came along and burst our little bubble.
Our smug looks quickly turned to shock and, well embarrassment, when he told us of a recent news story that found a deli-made quarter-chicken dinner with mixed veggies and potato wedges packed more calories and salt than a Big Mac with fries from McDonald’s.
Who knew?!
According to the story, the meal contains 905 calories, 46 grams of fat and 2,498 mg of sodium. (While the calories and fat are nothing to brag about, the sodium is actually 160 percent more than the recommended daily allotment.)
Of course I feel a bit silly now thinking that I was actually making a health choice for my family, even if it was a bit of a cheat. But what can I sub in for those fright nights when even boiling pasta seems like a monumental ordeal?
Cookies and ice cream are delicious on their own, but together they are an unstoppable palate pleaser. Serve up these crowd-favourite Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches featured on the Food Network for a tasty twist on cookies and milk.
You will need:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks
- vanilla ice cream
Then, follow these simple directions and enjoy them by the dozen—or two!
Image courtesy of woodleywonderworks via flickr (CC).
Generally we eat pretty healthfully at my house, but every once in a while my husband and I are drawn to our local pub by the siren call of hot wings and cold beer. It’s a guilty pleasure, indeed.
But a few weeks ago, while visiting friends at their cottage, we got wise to something even more fabulous than pub wings: Wings on the Barbie! We’d never tasted more delicious wings. They had just the right amount of crispiness and the sauce (applied at the very end to prevent charring) was deliciously caramelized. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call these a “healthy” option, they have to be a bit easier on the old ticker than the deep-fried bar variety…right?
The technique is super simple—just remember, low and slow—and it’s the perfect solution when you’re cooking for a crowd since you can fit loads on the grill and also cook them in waves.
Method:
1 Preheat BBQ on high, then scrape grill clean.
2 Turn the temperature down to low, then add the wings in a single layer. No need to oil them. Close lid and cook for 20 minutes, watching for flare-ups, and making sure to flip every 5 minutes.
3 Sprinkle with some seasoned salt (we like The Keg Chicken & Ribs Seasoning Salt) and cook for another 15 minutes, continuing to flip at 5-minute intervals.
4 Brush on your favourite BBQ sauce and cook for another 5 minutes, flipping every minute or two at this point to prevent charring.
Serve immediately.
