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After School Snacks and Easy School Lunch and Dinner Ideas

August 26, 2010 By Rachel 16 Comments

Wow, that might be the longest title ever to show up on my blog ;-)   I couldn’t figure out a more succinct way to tell y’all that I had snacks, lunch and dinner ideas to share with y’all, though ;-)

Welcome to week 5 (I know, right!) of the HEB/ConAgra meal maker blogger challenge!

snacks collage

My kids come home from school starving (their words) so I’ve devised a few quick and easy, nutritious, delicious and fun ideas that work for snacks, lunches or dinners!

I don’t know about your kids but my kids are WAY into finger foods and colorful snacks, things easily and quickly eaten on the way to soccer practice, kickball, playgroup, slumber parties etc…

One of my favorite ways to get them to devour a healthy grilled cheese, grilled ham and cheese, toasted PB&J (you get the idea) is to serve it french fry style (i’ve even served them in paper cups, which they LOVE)

For today’s purposes:  we’re serving them sliced on a fun little partitioned serving tray:

grilled cheese

Cook your sandwich, and if it has cheese in it, allow it to set for a few minutes before slicing into strips “fries”.  I use my pizza cutter for quick and easy sandwich slicing.

This is perfect with baby carrots (ranch for dipping, if your kids are dippers! I got the ranch dip free with a COMBO LOCO deal that HEB had going: Buy a pack of hot dogs get: chips, dip, relish and Hormel Chili for FREE F-R-E-E!!!) and apple slices, or grapes or whatever your favorites!

This is one of my kids’ favorite quick school night dinners and my son, who eats cold grilled sandwiches, loves to take this for lunch!

After School Snack, Lunch, Dinner Idea #2

quesadilla strips and grapes

Quesadilla Strips

What is it about tortillas and cheese?  They’re a special brand of comfort food, or is that just here in the South?

Monkey only goes to school two days a week and yet he wants a “school” lunch 5 days a week, just like his big sister.  These Quesadilla strips are perfect for his lunches and absolutely awesome for fueling Princess up for soccer practice!  Plus, crazy easy and when served with frozen grapes.. SCORE!

  • 2 tortillas
  • favorite shredded cheese, I use a colby jack mix or a mexican blend (or really, whatever is on special or whatever I have on hand)
  • refried black beans
  1. spread a THIN layer of refried black beans (protein and fiber FTW!) on one tortilla, sprinkle shredded cheese over BOTH tortillas and then smoosh the two tortillas, filling sides in, together.  Place the quesadilla on a hot skillet/cast iron/griddle and cook until both sides are crispy and golden.
  2. Let rest for a few minutes and then using your favorite knife or pizza cutter, slice into strips and then cut in 1/2 (this makes it easier for small fingers)

I serve these in a small plastic cup alongside a cup of frozen grapes or cantaloupe and it makes for the most perfect on the go snack full of dairy, fiber, protein and vitamins! GO MOM!

After School Snack, Meal, Dinner Idea #3

thin pizza snacks

Whole Grain Mini Pizzas

Everyone in my house has a different taste when it comes to pizzas but we all agree on one thing: WE LOVE PIZZA.

There’s just something about individual pizzas, too, they’re so enticing and fun to eat.

I use whole grain little sandwich rounds, thins, whatever they’re called, they came free with a loaf of bread coupon at my HEB yesterday :-)

I set up a make your own pizza bar for dinner tonight because Nathan was out of town and cooking for two small people and me can be tricky.

  • 4 whole grain sandwich rounds/thins
  • Italian cheese blend
  • OPTIONAL: pepperoni, mushrooms, sauce, diced tomatoes (remember those Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes we got for free.. there you go), green peppers…. etc… etc… etc… you see where this is going.
  1. pre-heat oven to 370
  2. let each person make their own pizza, we prefer thin crust pizzas so these are PERFECT!
  3. Princess:  sandwich round, garlic butter, italian blend cheese. (done)
  4. Monkey: sandwich round: pepperoni, tomatoes, cheese, pepperoni
  5. Me: everything please
  6. Nathan: everything please
  7. Bake straight on the rack for crispier pizzas, these take about 7 minutes, depending on your oven
  8. Slice, serve. NOM

Princess actually prefers her pizza cold so we make these for dinner and then put hers in the fridge and she takes it for lunch the next day.

These are also FABULOUS for slumber parties and after school cram sessions!

Do you have any FABULOUSLY easy and delicious snack/lunch/dinner recipes? I’d love to hear them!!

I am an HEB ConAgra Meal Maker Blogger participating in the Meal Maker Blogger Challenge.  This challenge involves using and sharing online and in store coupons to create and share recipe ideas of school lunches and easy dinner fixes to help the busy family.  Each of us was allowed to interpret this as we may ;-) I will be compensated for my time and talents at the completion of this program and I received a $25 HEB gift card and some yummy ConAgra products as well.  I have ALSO been allotted 5 goodie bags matching the one that I received to give away to readers. THREE have been given away already.. stay tuned…. next week ;-) You could be next

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Everything Else, Extras, Giveaways, Reviews

Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Rods

August 22, 2010 By Rachel 20 Comments

;When my parents came to visit last weekend they brought me a new cookbook; cookbooks are one of my favorite things ever.  I have a bit of a collection, I should show y’all pictures of it sometime… I digress.

While I was skimming through the cookbook I came upon a Parmesan Pretzel Rod recipe and knew I had to try it.

Garlic, Parmesan, Cayenne, Oregano, Butter and Olive Oil combined with crispy salty pretzel rods… yes, please!

Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Rods

I would shake more of the excess coating before baking next time, they’re still amazingly good but, the coating is a bit heavy as seen in this picture ;-)

Recipe: Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Rods

Ingredients

  • 1 C grated Parmesan/Asiago Cheese Mix (yes, the stuff in the shaker)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried Mexican Oregano
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1/4 tsp for the sensitive palate)
  • 6 Tbsp butter, sliced for easier melting
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • roughly 25 to 30 pretzel rods

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine cheese, garlic, oregano and cayenne
  2. Put olive oil and butter in a small saucepan, heat until the butter is melted
  3. Coat 1/2 to 3/4 of the pretzel rod with the butter/oil mixture; roll the pretzel rods in the cheese mixture and gently tap to shake the excess cheese from the pretzel.
  4. Put the pretzel rods on an un-greased baking sheet, bake at 275 F for 10 minutes, turn each pretzel rod halfway and then bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Allow to cool and store in a closed container.

Quick Notes

* Wrap in tissue paper and tie with a festive ribbon for a beautiful and tasty back to school gift for your child’s teacher, principal, office staff…

Today is Princess’ first day of First Grade! :-) YAY! Thus the teacher’s gift inspired recipe ;-)

The image linkies were such a big hit last week that I’m using them again! Once you’ve linked up your recipe, please leave a comment and then go visit the other participants to see what tonguegasms they’ve been cooking up and sharing! Make sure that you link back here in your post so that others can find and share in the Mouthwatering Monday fun!

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Extras, Mouthwatering Monday Tagged With: garlic, parmesan, pretzels, snacks

Cool As a Cucumber

May 30, 2010 By Rachel 34 Comments

pickled cucumbers

There are certain foods that evoke strong memories for me.
Memories of summer, laughter, family and security.

These pickled cucumbers are one of those foods.

Crisp, vinegary, tart, slightly sweet yet tangy and absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. These cucumbers remind me of hot summers at my Granny’s house and the long days when summer seemed to stretch on forever and possibilities and imaginations were endless.

This recipe is so simple.  Just 3 ingredients.

It can be made so much more complex but my taste-buds, my memory requires only 3 simple ingredients.

This is one of my favorite summer treats.  Crisp, cool, crunchy and refreshing.

All this recipe needs are cucumbers, onions and vinegar

cucumbers

A Southern Fairytale

Recipe: Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients

  • 1 – 2 large cucumbers (or 3 medium)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • white vinegar

Instructions

  1. peel and cut the cucumbers into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
  2. slice the onion into 1/4 to 1/2 inch rings
  3. place the onions and cucumbers into a dish and pour enough white vinegar in to cover
  4. cover and leave in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. (these can last up to a week in the refrigerator, but they won’t be around long enough to test that theory)
  5. remove and serve the cucumber slices as a snack, a side dish or just something to grab on a hot day

Variations

* garlic

* red pepper

* cracked pepper

* all may be added to change or enhance the flavor

This was printed from: A Southern Fairytale
The site URL: http://asouthernfairytale.com
The Title: Cool As a Cucumber
The URL: http://asouthernfairytale.com/2010/05/30/how-to-make-pickled-cucumbers/
© Copyright 2010 - All Rights Reserved


cucumbers in vinegar

Do you have a favorite food that evokes memories of summertime and childhood?
What do you fix to cool off and refresh when the heat of summer is beating down on you?
I love reading (and drooling over) y’all’s recipes! Thanks so much for linking them up to Mouthwatering Mondays!

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Mouthwatering Monday, Side Dishes

Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

February 1, 2010 By Rachel 7 Comments

I teased y’all with this picture in the Mouthwatering Monday post.  Well, now that my internet is back and working properly again, I can share the recipe goodness with y’all.

Let’s talk about Velveeta and bacon and green chilies and spinach and tomatoes all melted together to form a mouthwateringly delicious dip that is perfect for football parties, birthday parties or just because.

Why should we talk about this? Well, because it’s awesome and everyone should be eating it and because it just happens to be the recipe that I made for my first Kitchenista Vlog ;-) and teased y’all about yesterday.

Since January is both Nathan’s birthday month and a BIG Football month here with Nathan’s favorite team of all time, The Colts, who have been tearin’ up the fields, kickin’ trash and takin’ names… we’ve been doing a lot more casual eating, with what we call “football food”. Lots of finger foods, appetizers and the like, so when my Velveeta recipes came in my e-mail it was a no brainer to choose a hearty dip chock full of bacon and spinach and zesty Ro*Tel tomatoes and green chilies!

This dip was super quick to make and the only alteration that I made to the original Velveeta recipe was to use the Mexican Velveeta because we love us a little it of heat!

Normally in my vlogs I’ll let you watch me cook and you’ll see more of me and my kitchen, this time however, we were in the middle of a little DIY re-working of our kitchen cabinets and EVERYTHING from inside my cabinets and drawers was on my counters; the drawers and doors were in the garage… and my kitchen was a disaster, which I think actually proves just how easy this dip is to make because I was able to make it in the midst of chaos.


Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

click the title to go to the Velveeta site for the original recipe

A Southern Fairytale

Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

  • 1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 lb (16 oz) Mexican Velveeta, cubed
  • 4 oz (1/2 and 8 oz pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cubed
  • 1 (10 oz) can Ro*Tel Tomatoes and Green Chilies, NOT drained
  • 8 slices, Bacon.  Cooked and Crumbled (I might have used 10)
  1. Cook the bacon (if you place bacon in a cold skillet and heat from there, your bacon won’t curl up as much), set aside and crumble.
  2. Cube the Velveeta and the cream cheese; open the can of Ro*Tel
  3. Put all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and cook for about 2 minutes in the microwave.  Stir, cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

This was printed from: A Southern Fairytale
The site URL: http://asouthernfairytale.com
The Title: Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip
The URL: http://asouthernfairytale.com/2010/02/01/cheesy-spinach-and-bacon-dip/
© Copyright 2010 - All Rights Reserved

Serve with your favorite chips and veggies

I hope that y’all make this dip and that y’all get a kick out of my Vlog.

Y’all make sure that you visit the Velveeta It! Kitchenistas FB fan page and see what my fellow Kitchenistas are cooking up!!

Now for that transparency/disclosure part of the program: I have partnered with VELVEETA to serve as one of five VELVEETA it! Kitchenistas. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes vlogging about my cooking experiences with VELVEETA and developing one original VELVEETA-based recipe. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my VELVEETA vlogs. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

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Filed Under: Appetizers Tagged With: bacon, cheese, dip, football food, kitchenista, party food, spinach, velveeta

Tastemakers 2K10 ~ It’s Time to Mash, or Be Mashed

January 12, 2010 By Rachel 25 Comments

The time is near, the culmination of the past three months of potato mashin’ and the battle of the spuds, it’s time to peel back the layers and see who’s the …. Okay, I’m fried.  I have no more tater puns.

Seriously,  It’s only 3 weeks until the Blissdom conference! Where on Friday night, we Tastemakers will be front and center at a Tastemaker party and my little southern heart is gonna go pitty pat pitty pat when I get up on stage with the 8 other Tastemakers and participate in a recipe/cook-off showdown followed by a potato themed cocktail party!  There will be a mashed potato-tini bar and potato vodka and MORE!

I’m so excited my heart can barely take it!!

Did I mention that at this lovely little conference… Harry Connick Jr is going to be serenading us and then having a meet and greet with us afterwords?  Oh yes, he is ;-) {swoon}  You STINK Justin Matisse!!!

If you’re going to be at Blissdom, please RSVP for the Tastemaker Party Here and let me know in the comments!

I can’t wait and if you’re going, make sure you let me know so that I can look for you and say HI!!

If you haven’t yet rated my Tastemaker Videos.. Please Do!  I’ll take all the help I can get! I’m up against some amazing people.

Video/Recipe 1:  Baked Potato Skins with Salmon and Creamy Dill Sauce (My favorite recipe)

Video/Recipe 2: Chilled Potato and Green Bean Salad

Video/Recipe 3:  Twice “Baked” Potatoes

*** oh, if you’re reading in a reader… you’re missing out on something over here today, trust me.

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Food, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Videos
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