This is where the 'freezing a plastic water bottle' debate comes up. I am not a fan of constantly freezing plastic bottles as the freezing and defrosting may break down the plastic which leeches into the water, which is then ingested, blah blah... Doesn't matter whether it is a Mt Franklin type bottle or a BPA free bottles, plastic - cheap every day type plastics - are not designed to be frequently refilled and reused or exposed to extreme temperature.
Stainless steel is a better option, in my opinion, for sustainability and longevity, BUT it has the disadvantage of not being able to be frozen. With the wide necked bottles like the ECOtanka you can add ice cubes. Lots and lots of ice-cubes!
Back to the lunch topic...
We are lucky at our school, all the children get a lunch provided each day in a dining hall. It is usually something hot, it is vegetarian and each serve has a serve of veges in it, even mac and cheese... The things the cook can do to sneak veges in is amazing! The children also have a plate of fruit, bread and spread condiments for sandwiches, a container of grated cheese, a jug of water and a container of sultana's. One of the most popular sandwich combo's with the kids is honey and sultana!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Keeping it all COOL and SAFE to EAT!
How can Belles Familles keep your little ones lunch safe to eat after being in the school bag for 5 hours (based on 7am lunch making and 12 noon lunch eating)
One of my favourite products for children of ANY age, starting solids, kindy right through to high school and even going to work are the Fridge 2 Go lunch bags. These have a frozen brick in them that really does keep the food cold for 8 hours! I had my doubts and was encouraged to try one a few years ago. Thankfully I was amazed, I love them and added them to the product range!
Most kids need lots of filling and healthy food snacks to keep learning focused. Good choices for morning tea will get them through till lunch time. Yogurt, cheese and crackers or a sandwich are a good choice and you can be assured that the Fridge-2-Go will keep the snacks cool enough to be enjoyed.
One of my favourite products for children of ANY age, starting solids, kindy right through to high school and even going to work are the Fridge 2 Go lunch bags. These have a frozen brick in them that really does keep the food cold for 8 hours! I had my doubts and was encouraged to try one a few years ago. Thankfully I was amazed, I love them and added them to the product range!
Most kids need lots of filling and healthy food snacks to keep learning focused. Good choices for morning tea will get them through till lunch time. Yogurt, cheese and crackers or a sandwich are a good choice and you can be assured that the Fridge-2-Go will keep the snacks cool enough to be enjoyed.
The lunch food containers
You need to ask yourself, can your child open their lunch box on their own???! If the answer is no then they have the wrong lunch box. Now is the time to test those fancy schmacy food containers and see if your child can open the box on their own. If they can't then it is not the right lunch box to use this year. If you are a cling film user, same deal, your child needs to know how to unwrap the wrapped goodies! A teacher will help children with food, especially kindy kids but ultimately independence is the thing kids crave the most, why not help them acheive that in the playground in front of their peers?
Don't just give them the box the morning of the first day or school and say 'Becky, can you open this box for Mummy?'... panic will ensue if you do this! The holiday break is ideal for picnics (if we ever get summery weather) and park visits, bike rides and catching up with friends. It is also ideal for doing a dummy run or 10 of a school lunches. Pack what you would send for lunch in the fashion (container or cling wrap) they are intended to go to school with and get your child to open them now. We did this last year and it was an interesting exercise!
The same deal with drink bottles, your child needs to be able to twist the top or pop the sports top and access their drink.
Here are some lunch tips...
Don't just give them the box the morning of the first day or school and say 'Becky, can you open this box for Mummy?'... panic will ensue if you do this! The holiday break is ideal for picnics (if we ever get summery weather) and park visits, bike rides and catching up with friends. It is also ideal for doing a dummy run or 10 of a school lunches. Pack what you would send for lunch in the fashion (container or cling wrap) they are intended to go to school with and get your child to open them now. We did this last year and it was an interesting exercise!
The same deal with drink bottles, your child needs to be able to twist the top or pop the sports top and access their drink.
Here are some lunch tips...
- If you are sending packets of things up (chippies, biscuits, rice wheels etc...) start a tear on one side and show your child where you have torn the packet.
- Same deal with muesli, fruit or popcorn bars - make a small tear on one side, not right at the edge so it will tear off, about a third of the way across the top works best we have worked out.
- Make sandwiches with frozen bread in the morning and the bread will be fresh as a daisy at lunch time.
- Yogurt tubes can also be frozen and make a refreshing cool treat.
- Wobbly teeth and the first year of school sort of also go hand in hand... if you have wobbly teeth in your house hold cut up fruit or softer fruits are a better idea than an apple.
- Add lots and lots of ice cubes to stainless steel drink bottles in the really hot months.
Starting School or Kindy
This started out as one really long post but I have broken it down a bit and spread it over a few blog entries.
The start of the year and the school term means a lot of you will be packing lunches each day, making sure school shoes are polished, drink bottles are full of water, uniforms are clean enough to get through the day and frantically ironing a shirt or dress if they aren't (or is that just me??!) and applying sunscreen before you walk out the door in the mornings. And a lot of my lovely customers will be doing this for the first time!
There is no better way to make you feel old or wonder where the years have gone than seeing your 'baby' in their school uniform and a way too big school bag on their back. I know it made me tear up last year!
Not only do you have to...
Lunch boxes and summer time, to me, don't mix. How do you
But there are a few other really important things about morning tea and lunch that are far more important than a lunch box coming home empty... you child has to be able to open, the containers that the food you have sent to school with them!
Settling in to do some work, all the kids were so good on this day. Gosh, she looks so little!
Me and my girl.
First day was a half day and we took AMelia to one of her favourite parks for a treat for a late lunch.
Pony tails were ripped out the second she got out of the classroom, the next days challenge was to keep them in till we had left school grounds!
  |
| Amelia ready for her first day at school 28 Jan 2010 and the welcome our teacher had on the blackboard. |
There is no better way to make you feel old or wonder where the years have gone than seeing your 'baby' in their school uniform and a way too big school bag on their back. I know it made me tear up last year!
Not only do you have to...
- make sure they have enough food for the day,
- it has to meet the schools food policy if it has one (you might want to check with the school office the week before school returns),
- not have nuts,
- be nutritious and be something you are reasonably confident will be eaten!
Lunch boxes and summer time, to me, don't mix. How do you
- keep yoghurt cool?
- Ham from going off?
- Cheese from going manky?
But there are a few other really important things about morning tea and lunch that are far more important than a lunch box coming home empty... you child has to be able to open, the containers that the food you have sent to school with them!
First day was a half day and we took AMelia to one of her favourite parks for a treat for a late lunch.
Pony tails were ripped out the second she got out of the classroom, the next days challenge was to keep them in till we had left school grounds!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Hello 2012!
Wow, the end of 2011 disappeared in a puff of busy-ness! I had every intention of... well let's just say I wish there had been more hours in my day and days in my week. This year I will be a whole lot better organised! I think I may have said that last year...
So, this is what I WILL do this year that perhaps I may have left till the last minute or done very much later than I have done in previous years.
I WILL make the teachers gifts mid year this year, not the night before the last day of school!
I WILL have my Christmas cards written and addressed by the end of November!
I WILL have a gift list with a budget that I WILL stick to (including for Miss Amelia!!)
I WILL make my Christmas cake October long weekend!
How about you? Are there things you usually do but didn't get time to or rushed through at the last minute?
Next Post... Starting School...
So, this is what I WILL do this year that perhaps I may have left till the last minute or done very much later than I have done in previous years.
I WILL make the teachers gifts mid year this year, not the night before the last day of school!
I WILL have my Christmas cards written and addressed by the end of November!
I WILL have a gift list with a budget that I WILL stick to (including for Miss Amelia!!)
I WILL make my Christmas cake October long weekend!
How about you? Are there things you usually do but didn't get time to or rushed through at the last minute?
Next Post... Starting School...
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Menu Planning - end of week one
So, how did the week go for you? We had some monumental changes of plans at the last minute for a few reasons (a random 35 degree day was the biggie, no I wasn't going to have the oven on 200 for 40 minutes thank you very much!!) and a big fail for me forgetting to add GF pasta to the shopping list... we also did the grocery shop at Aldi to try it. Yes it was heaps cheaper but I am yet to find something I 'have to go back and get more of this'. Perhaps my taste is for richer flavours but I have found their products a little bland. I will keep going but they don't have anything GF so I have to support one of the big 2 nasties anyway.
The Pie was a hit, not sure if you saw it on Facebook but here is a pic of it. It is from taste I think or maybe bhg and called family meat pie. The little pie is for me with GF pastry. Hubby likes it because it has beer in it (you can't taste it as beer, just adds a certain richness to the meat) and Amelia loved it. Having recently discovered pastry she has had a whole new world opened up to her! Fruit, meat or chicken, she's a happy camper. It has been a Godsend when we have had a 'pub' lunch as often the kids menu is deep fried something or other, a pie or vou-le-vent, whilst not the healthiest of choices, beats the deep fried nasties any day.
This was our new recipe to try this week, we have had it a lot before kids but it is fiddly and you have to let the sauce cool completely so I have to allow a morning to cook it and then let it cool or make the day before. I think you'd be able to freeze the meat sauce, or the pie for that matter... I can't see why not. We had it with mashed potato and steamed veges. The saltyness of the pie went well with the veges and added a lift to the potatoes without having to make a gravy as well.
Because the meat sauce was quite a lot and I had half a GF sheet of very expensive puff pastry left over I made 2 'sausage rolls' as well which were handy for my lunch the next day.
If you would like me to share this recipe with you I would be happy to! Just send me an email.
Now to get my head around next week. With the introduction of a short term well paid job for 2 days a week I am going to have to be even more on top of dinners than ever. I'd love to hear how your week was and whether or not you think you spent less than usual or if you shop fortnightly...
The Pie was a hit, not sure if you saw it on Facebook but here is a pic of it. It is from taste I think or maybe bhg and called family meat pie. The little pie is for me with GF pastry. Hubby likes it because it has beer in it (you can't taste it as beer, just adds a certain richness to the meat) and Amelia loved it. Having recently discovered pastry she has had a whole new world opened up to her! Fruit, meat or chicken, she's a happy camper. It has been a Godsend when we have had a 'pub' lunch as often the kids menu is deep fried something or other, a pie or vou-le-vent, whilst not the healthiest of choices, beats the deep fried nasties any day.
This was our new recipe to try this week, we have had it a lot before kids but it is fiddly and you have to let the sauce cool completely so I have to allow a morning to cook it and then let it cool or make the day before. I think you'd be able to freeze the meat sauce, or the pie for that matter... I can't see why not. We had it with mashed potato and steamed veges. The saltyness of the pie went well with the veges and added a lift to the potatoes without having to make a gravy as well.
If you would like me to share this recipe with you I would be happy to! Just send me an email.
Now to get my head around next week. With the introduction of a short term well paid job for 2 days a week I am going to have to be even more on top of dinners than ever. I'd love to hear how your week was and whether or not you think you spent less than usual or if you shop fortnightly...
Saturday, October 22, 2011
My Week of meals
This is my week. I am a gluten and wheat free girl and have used GF for things I have replaced in my pantry. With things like pasta I cook a pot for myself and Stef and Amelia have regular pasta. Pizza bases, Amelia prefers and eats more when I use the GF bases for her pizza. I have written staple next to things I always have in my pantry/freezer. These have helped me out of many a tricky situation with visitors just popping in!
Friday - Homemade pizza
Shifts - none - RDO
Activity - Mum had a night out leaving Daddy and daughter to have an evening together after swimming.
Needed - tomato paste, mushrooms, ham, salami
Pantry/Fridge items - small tin pinapple pieces (staple), bacon, cheese, Lebenese bread (staple), GF bases (staple), salad veges
Saturday - Mushroom and bacon pasta w creamy sauce and meringue nests, strawberries and cream for dessert
Shifts - none - w/e off
Activity - boring BAS and other accounting stuff
Needed - nothing!
Pantry/Fridge items - reg & GF pasta (both staple), onion, garlic (staple), bacon (staple), mushrooms, strawberries, cream, meringue nests (staple)
(this meal was a fluke, the merigue nests were left over from Xmas 2010 but within date, the cream was left over (unopened) from a dinner party last weekend and the strawberries wouldn't have survived more than passed Sunday!). I feel pretty pleased with myself I was able to use up so many items!
Sunday - Family meat pie
Shifts - none - w/e off
Activity -morning playdate, afternoon sewing!
Needed - GF pastry, potatoes
Pantry/Fridge Items - mince, onions, carrots, broccoli, beer (yep a bottle of beer!)
Monday - Tuna Pasta Salad
Shifts - Day ,home at 7.15pm
Activity - Girl guides 5-7pm
Needed - green beans, tomatoes,
Pantry/Fridge items - Reg & GF Pasta (staple), tinned tuna (staple), eggs (staple), mayo (staple), olives (staple), capers (staple)
Tuesday - Chicken Stir-fry
Shifts - day off
Activity - school
Needed - chicken and lots of veges!
Pantry/Fridge items - Jasmine rice (staple), GF soy sauce (staple), garlic (staple)
Wednesday - mystery pick! On the school dinner menu is Mexican Enchilida bake so we might do something that resembles nachos as there will be sauce left overs I imagine.
Shifts - Stef - Day shift, home at 7.15pm, me kitchen shift 10-2pm
Activity - school and me working
Needed - corn chips
Pantry/Fridge items - fresh salad veges
Thursday - Roast beef, roast /steamed veges *Amelia and I will eat early to allow her dinner to go down before she goes to bed and the veges not to spoil while we go to the bus stop!
Shifts - Day, home at 7.15pm
Activity - Music till 3.30pm
Needed - joint of beef & veges!
Pantry/Fridge items - gravy (staple - we actually keep Gravox in business...)
Friday - sausage and mash!
Shifts - Day, home at 7.15pm
Activity - Swimming 4 - 5.30pm
Needed - sausages, potatoes, veges to steam
Pantry/Fridge items - frozen peas (staple)
So there you go, a week of us. This is an easy week or at least in theory it should be. The needed items are basically my shopping list.
With 4 day shifts there is little to no scope for help with the cooking but I will (make up for it over the weekend) do some of the prep before shcool pick up where I can or get Amelia to help which she loves, peeling carrots and cucumbers are her speciality. We also meet Daddy off the bus and as the evenings are lighter we can. Daddy gets home about 7pm which is a dreadful time of the night... We want to eat as a family but she should be in the bath! Aarghh! It's all good though. She seems to be coping with the later nights but still awake early in the mornings as we don't have the sound buffering in our new house we had in the old one and the combination of shower noise + male = early mornings :-(
We're finding it a hard juggle and having lots of early nights on the weekends!!
I will do my best to post the recipes for the pie and the tuna salad this week. These are my variations on printed recipes so I am not breaking any laws!
Friday - Homemade pizza
Shifts - none - RDO
Activity - Mum had a night out leaving Daddy and daughter to have an evening together after swimming.
Needed - tomato paste, mushrooms, ham, salami
Pantry/Fridge items - small tin pinapple pieces (staple), bacon, cheese, Lebenese bread (staple), GF bases (staple), salad veges
Saturday - Mushroom and bacon pasta w creamy sauce and meringue nests, strawberries and cream for dessert
Shifts - none - w/e off
Activity - boring BAS and other accounting stuff
Needed - nothing!
Pantry/Fridge items - reg & GF pasta (both staple), onion, garlic (staple), bacon (staple), mushrooms, strawberries, cream, meringue nests (staple)
(this meal was a fluke, the merigue nests were left over from Xmas 2010 but within date, the cream was left over (unopened) from a dinner party last weekend and the strawberries wouldn't have survived more than passed Sunday!). I feel pretty pleased with myself I was able to use up so many items!
Sunday - Family meat pie
Shifts - none - w/e off
Activity -morning playdate, afternoon sewing!
Needed - GF pastry, potatoes
Pantry/Fridge Items - mince, onions, carrots, broccoli, beer (yep a bottle of beer!)
Monday - Tuna Pasta Salad
Shifts - Day ,home at 7.15pm
Activity - Girl guides 5-7pm
Needed - green beans, tomatoes,
Pantry/Fridge items - Reg & GF Pasta (staple), tinned tuna (staple), eggs (staple), mayo (staple), olives (staple), capers (staple)
Tuesday - Chicken Stir-fry
Shifts - day off
Activity - school
Needed - chicken and lots of veges!
Pantry/Fridge items - Jasmine rice (staple), GF soy sauce (staple), garlic (staple)
Wednesday - mystery pick! On the school dinner menu is Mexican Enchilida bake so we might do something that resembles nachos as there will be sauce left overs I imagine.
Shifts - Stef - Day shift, home at 7.15pm, me kitchen shift 10-2pm
Activity - school and me working
Needed - corn chips
Pantry/Fridge items - fresh salad veges
Thursday - Roast beef, roast /steamed veges *Amelia and I will eat early to allow her dinner to go down before she goes to bed and the veges not to spoil while we go to the bus stop!
Shifts - Day, home at 7.15pm
Activity - Music till 3.30pm
Needed - joint of beef & veges!
Pantry/Fridge items - gravy (staple - we actually keep Gravox in business...)
Friday - sausage and mash!
Shifts - Day, home at 7.15pm
Activity - Swimming 4 - 5.30pm
Needed - sausages, potatoes, veges to steam
Pantry/Fridge items - frozen peas (staple)
So there you go, a week of us. This is an easy week or at least in theory it should be. The needed items are basically my shopping list.
With 4 day shifts there is little to no scope for help with the cooking but I will (make up for it over the weekend) do some of the prep before shcool pick up where I can or get Amelia to help which she loves, peeling carrots and cucumbers are her speciality. We also meet Daddy off the bus and as the evenings are lighter we can. Daddy gets home about 7pm which is a dreadful time of the night... We want to eat as a family but she should be in the bath! Aarghh! It's all good though. She seems to be coping with the later nights but still awake early in the mornings as we don't have the sound buffering in our new house we had in the old one and the combination of shower noise + male = early mornings :-(
We're finding it a hard juggle and having lots of early nights on the weekends!!
I will do my best to post the recipes for the pie and the tuna salad this week. These are my variations on printed recipes so I am not breaking any laws!
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