'Tis the Season to be Pumpkin!

Pumpkin pie! Pumpkin latte! Pumpkin scones! Pumpkin cheesecake! Pumpkin Loaf! Pumpkin muffin! Pumpkin pancakes! Pumpkin everything!

If any of you know me well, you will know this is my my favorite time of the year and pumpkin is my favorite flavor of everything! I cannot get enough pumpkin in my diet if I tried - and it's healthy to boot! Ok - well, with the exception of the flavored syrup a certain coffee shop likes to fill my latte cup half way full with... but still. Pumpkin is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, low in calories,  a good source of fiber, very tasty and so fun to carve!

I like to use pumpkin year round and it usually ends up in pancakes or muffins. Muffins are mine and Munch's favorite thing to make and also one of our top snacks to munch on. They are also very good for lunches and often I will make around 24 of them, freeze them, and take them out as needed. This works very well on those mornings you find you don't have enough time to make a sandwich - sometimes a few good muffins will do the trick! Especially if you make them with whole wheat flour and a healthy fruit or vegetable - like pumpkin. These here are pumpkin cranberry muffins that we like to make and the recipe can be found here. I usually substitute half the all purpose flour for whole wheat and I like to add more spices.

Recently we have discovered the wonder of pumpkin pancakes - absolutely delicious! These are a "must try at least once" recipe - really, they are that good. Again, for this recipe I substitute half the all purpose flour with whole wheat and about double the spices (this recipe can be found here).

A few weeks ago, I tried the cold pancake left overs as part of Munch's lunch, and she loved it! So this is our new idea for the week - pancakes for lunch! She eats them cold with just a bit of powder sugar sprinkled on them and seems to love them that way. With the whole wheat and pumpkin, they fill her up well. Here her lunch container is seen with a handful of raspberries and a small container of powder sugar on the side. This is now one of her favorite lunches!




Happy Pumpkin Season! (that is over too soon - lucky Americans get it for longer!)

Avery's pretty posh kitty carved pumpkin - so cute!

Pack it up! Pack it in!

I was not sure if I should make a post or not about what containers to use for kid's lunches, but after some thought - I decided to go ahead with it. I realized how important presentation and organization is with food.... not only for adults, but for kids too.

There is so much choice for containers when it comes to packing a kids lunch. Different colors, sizes, designs, and materials - it's so hard to decide! Do you want to go plastic baggies and plastic wrap? Or do you want to use reusable containers and take the "garbage free" route?

Lately, Munch and I both have decided to take a more active role in being "green" with everything - and this means the garbage free lunch way. I went to my local environment friendly store and picked up a few containers. The first one is made of stainless steel and is sort of a bento box style (this is traditionally a container that holds everything all in one, snacks lunch and all). It has two layers, a lid, and clasps. This container is not leak proof but we have come up with a way to keep it from leaking - lining the bottom with a cloth or paper towel to absorb the extra fluid. In an effort to help with our "garbage free" initiative, my sister sewed us some absolutely adorable liners and napkins. This is a good example of a way to add special little touches to your kids lunch that make them more intriguing. Munch LOVES her Auntie's handmade things. You can see more of her handmade things here.

Here are some of the things Auntie made for Munch's lunch...

When I first came across the idea of the bento box, I thought that Munch wouldn't really go for it because I thought she would find it cumbersome to haul out her whole lunch for every single snack time as well as lunch. I assumed that when it was snack time she simply went to her backpack and pulled out her snack containers. But what I didn't realize is that all the kids grab their whole lunch box when it is snack time - so it didn't really matter. In fact, it worked to our benefit because now she finishes more of the food. If one snack is not enough, she will nibble on her lunch - and if the lunch isn't enough she will finish off her snack! It works great!

And to make it even more fun? I stuck some magnets on the stainless steel lid! I bought some magnetic words that are specifically for kids to make rhyming phrases or poems - Munch loves them and looks forward to discovering if her Mama can come up with something new and funny!
   
There are days though, that Munch needs a little more to eat so we bought a few more smaller containers to add in case she likes to have something extra. Munch likes to have things like yogurt and cottage cheese in these which works - because they are REALLY leak proof with their pp made lids. All of these containers are available in Guelph at the Footprints Eco Store - which is located downtown. Let me know how you pack it up!

Meet Munch - The tween eating machine!

I am mother to an active, fast growing, 10 year old daughter - this is she. She is just beginning to hit that "tween" stage and is currently in the middle of a growth spurt. I have never bought so many pairs of jeans and shoes for her as I have in the past year! And it feels like her appetite has nearly doubled in the past 6 months - no more sharing a restaurant dinner with her. I remember always being confused when I heard people complain about the ridiculous cost of raising kids when she was small. I thought, "A pack of diapers, some formula, and bites from my plate - That's not too bad!". Nobody told me it would all come at once... when you don't expect it... when you have gotten so used to their "smallness" that you have forgotten that they are on their way to becoming adults. One day you wake up to find your fridge empty, your pantry scarce - and you swear that you did groceries just 4 days ago!
     I am now the proud owner of an eating machine. For the purpose of this blog, we will call her Munch. This is for real the nickname she has had since her toddler years when I was just too busy to call her the full "munchkin" and it got shortened to this, and in my opinion is sweet and incredibly suitable - especially considering her current eating habits! Because her caloric needs have increased, so has her school lunch size and lately I have been thinking of new, colorful and healthy ideas to fulfill those needs. Hence the name of the blog, "Lunch For Munch". This blog is intended to be a place to share ideas, tips and the occasional recipe for kids lunches (and eating habits in general) and it is my hope that my readers will also share their knowledge so I too, can learn more. So, happy reading and welcome!