lunch box – Page 3 – Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts

Baked goods, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

Posted on June 19, 2013 by lmc

When I was a young girl, I would be asked to load up our Red Flyer wagon with a few of my younger brothers and sisters and spend the afternoon with them at the park. You see, I was the oldest girl in a family of 8 children. My mom would wash clothes, make meals, and tidy up the house, while I took care of the younger children in the family. It wasn’t unusual for me to have 5 little ones with me as I kept them occupied at the neighborhood park for a good portion of the day.
On one of my trips down the block, Mrs. Nolan, an elderly woman that lived in the corner house, opened her door and asked if we would like one of her freshly baked peanut butter cookies. Mrs. Nolan was a friend of the family so accepting a cookie would be no problem. After a few cookies and a glass of cold milk, we were on our way again.
On our next trip to the park, one of the children jumped out of the wagon at Mrs Nolan’s house and asked if we could go to see, “the cookie lady”. From then on, Mrs. Nolan was known as “the cookie lady” and we stopped nearly every day to visit her. She even had her husband assemble a small picnic table for us to sit at in her beautiful backyard, while she brought out cookies and milk.
As I think about my happy, innocent childhood, I remember a lovely women that spent her later years making 6 young children very happy as she fed us and talked with us under the shade of the oak trees in her welcoming backyard on Center Street.

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, stir peanut butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Roll dough into 1 inch balls (or scoop out dough with a small ice cream scoop) and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Press a cross into the cookie tops using the tines of a fork. Lightly sprinkle with extra sugar.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Baked goods, breakfast, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Posted on June 12, 2013August 15, 2013 by lmc

Yesterday, while searching through the WordPress blogs, a recipe for healthy snack bars caught my eye. Late last night, after tidying up the kitchen, I couldn’t go to sleep without pulling out my stash of healthy ingredients to make these moist and flavorful treats. When my children woke (at the unearthly hour of 5am) to head out the door for swim practice, I had a few of these packaged and waiting for them.
I used an 11×7 baking pan for this recipe and they really couldn’t be any easier to make.
The original recipe can be found here.
Thanks, Anne, for a great recipe!
Below you will find my version of Anne’s recipe…

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
11/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cups chocolate chips (or dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients. in a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until combined. Pour batter into a 11×7″cooking-sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle a few raw oats on top.

Bake 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Baked goods, breakfast, Brunch, Food, lunch box

Bountiful Blueberry-Banana Loaf

Posted on June 12, 2013June 12, 2013 by lmc

I have been complaining for weeks about the price of blueberries. This week, I was thrilled to see that the price has dropped to $1.49 a pint. Wow, that’s a great price!
Naturally, I bought 6 pints with the hopes of going back to the store again today to stock up on several more. I was going to stick with basic blueberry muffins until I realized that I had a few overly-ripe bananas on the counter. This recipe for Bountiful Blueberry-Banana Loaf is moist and delicious. I’m glad I was able to snap a picture of the bread after slicing it because it didn’t last very long. The addition of wheat germ really adds flavor, texture, and a nutritious boost to the recipe.

Bountiful Blueberry-Banana Loaf

1 cup flour
½ cup whole oats
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup margarine or butter, melted
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1½ cup very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ loaf pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl mix the sugar, margarine or butter, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix in the bananas. Pour dry mixture into the wet mixture and combine. Do not over mix. Fold in blueberries and nuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from loaf pan and continue cooling on wire rack.

Baked goods, breakfast, Brunch, Food, Homemade Mixes, lunch box

Best Basic Muffin Mix

Posted on June 11, 2013June 11, 2013 by lmc

This morning, I whipped up several batches of muffins for my family. The girls love basic blueberry muffins, while the boys crave muffins with chocolate chips. In order to save time, I double my basic muffin mix recipe, split the batter in half, and mix in additional ingredients to personalize the muffins. So, for the girls, I used the basic muffin mix recipe and added almond extract and fresh blueberries. For the boys, I added chocolate chips and vanilla extract. What a time-saver! More importantly, everyone is happy! This is my “go-to” basic muffin recipe mix.

Best Basic Muffin Mix

2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare muffin pans by adding paper or silicone liners. In a large bowl, combine together dry ingredients; mix well. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, and oil; just until moistened. Do not over mix. Pour batter into individual muffin cups. (I use an ice cream scoop to distribute evenly.)

From here, you can fold in additional desired ingredients.

1 cup blueberries and 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup chocolate chips and 1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped apples and 1 tsp cinnamon

appetizers/snacks, Baked goods, Food, lunch box, side dishes

Garden Fresh Veggie Pizza

Posted on May 29, 2013 by lmc

This is surely one of my family’s favorite snacks. As we planted vegetables and herbs this weekend, it made me think of this colorful, nutrition-packed pizza. Most of you have probably seen a variation of this recipe in cookbooks or online… this is the way I have been making it for years. When everyone pitches in to mix the topping and chop the vegetables, this one is a snap to put together. I often cut a few leftover slices to fit into lunchbox containers for the girls. What a great way to get a variety of fresh vegetables on the plate!

Garden Fresh Veggie Pizza

2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup lite mayonnaise
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)
1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1 carrot, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jellyroll pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pat crescent roll sheet into a jellyroll pan, pinching seams to close any holes. Bake for 10 minutes, let cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, cream cheese, ranch dip mix. Spread this mixture on top of the cooled crust. Arrange all of the prepared fresh vegetables on top of the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Cut into squares and serve.

Baked goods, Desserts, Food, lunch box

Simply Made Pineapple Snack Cake

Posted on May 27, 2013May 27, 2013 by lmc

This is one of my favorite cakes to bake! It’s crazy delicious and super easy to throw together. The taste reminds me of a Kentucky Butter Cake recipe I used to make when my children were little. The first time I made this cake, I was delighted to learn that there is no butter, shortening, or oil in this recipe. During the school year, I omit the glaze, and pop it into lunch boxes for a tasty lunchtime treat…Yum!

Simply Made Pineapple Snack Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9″ baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and baking soda. Add eggs, vanilla, almond extract and crushed pineapple, with liquid. Mix well to combine.
Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
On warm cake, frost with my Powdered Sugar Glaze.

Baked goods, breakfast, Brunch, Food

Triple Berry Cobbler

Posted on May 17, 2013May 23, 2013 by lmc

When frozen berries are on sale, I buy several bags and throw them in my freezer for smoothies, pancakes, spreads, and cobblers. Yesterday, I found a bag of frozen fruit in my freezer and I decided it was time to make my favorite Triple Berry Cobbler for dessert. This recipe bakes up more like a snack cake than a cobbler because the berries are evenly distributed throughout the moist, flavorful batter. I wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and send them off in lunch boxes so my family can enjoy the cobbler during their lunch hour. A simply delicious treat!

Triple Berry Cobbler

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
2 cups frozen triple berry fruit mix , no sugar added, partially thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ round baking dish or cake pan. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Stir in butter, milk, vanilla and egg until smooth. Fold in triple berry fruit mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Baked goods, Food

Curley Power Bars

Posted on May 1, 2013May 23, 2013 by lmc

As I have mentioned in past posts, my children are swimmers and they are constantly eating! After buying my share of expensive power bars at the grocery store over the years, I decided to try to come up with a recipe that would replace the expensive bars found at the local market. This is the recipe that worked out best. These bars are quite delicious and surprisingly satisfying. If I had a nickle for every time I have shared this recipe with fellow swimmer parents, I’d be rich! 🙂

Curley Power Bars

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey or reduced sugar (1/3) corn syrup
1/3 cup margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)
1/2 cup raisins or dates(optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix first 5 ingredients until smooth and well blended.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Press into a greased 13×9″ baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. After taking the pan out of the oven, cover with aluminum foil until completely cooled. This helps to keep the bars chewy.
Note: I often sprinkle a little non-fat dry milk powder or protein powder into the peanut butter mixture to add nutrients and protein. Cut into bars when cool and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Pop one into a lunch box or a sports bag to give the kids a burst of nutritious energy.

Food, lunch box, No-Bake

Colorful Crispy Treats

Posted on January 18, 2013May 23, 2013 by lmc

These treats are a snap to whip up! I make them for swim meets where my children are always looking for a quick burst of sugary energy when swimming a quick race. I’ve also made them for children’s parties and get togethers….they are always the first treat to disappear! If these little gems last more than a day, wrap them individually in cellophane and store them in an airtight container for further enjoyment.

Colorful Crispy Treats

3Tbls. margarine
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
4 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups any colorful fruit flavored cereal

In large saucepan melt margarine over low heat. Add marshmallows, vanilla, and salt; stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
Add cereal. Stir until well coated.
Using buttered spatula or oiled hands evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2” pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares.