Pesto Toast

This is one of my favorite lunches folks! It's just so hearty, fresh and filling, but doesn't make you feel gross after eating it. My kind of meal! And really, you can make it your own. Add whatever toppings sound good at the time. I've even done a pizza twist to it and added pizza sauce instead of pesto with peppers, onions and pepperoni as toppings. I have to give a big shout-out to my sister in law, Jen, for steering me toward this gem. I don't know what I would do without it in my life:)

1 slice of bread (I use Dave's Killer Bread)

2t pesto (or as much as you want!)

Handful of Spinach

Fresh Garden Tomato (OK store bought is good too)

Diced grilled chicken

Sprinkle of Mozzarella Cheese

Dash of Italian Seasoning

Place your oven setting on high broil. Put bread on a cookie sheet. Spread on pesto and then layer your toppings in whatever order you want. I layer this way: spinach, tomato, chicken, mozzarella, Italian seasoning. It's best if the cheese is on top so that it gets nice and bubbly and brown. Broil in the oven for a few minutes. I usually just keep an eye on it until it looks perfectly bubbly. Remove and sit and enjoy your healthy, filling lunch!

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

I make these about once a week. My kids love them so much and they’re packed full of nutritious things so I don’t mind. They even ask for these for dessert after dinner. I love win-win’s when it comes to kids and food. I like to bake them in a mini muffin tin, but they definitely can be made into regular sized muffins. They’re just so cute mini:)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats (I’ve used quick oats before and it works)

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/4 plus 2T brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 t cloves

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/2 c mini chocolate chips (optional)

1 c zucchini, grated with skin on

1/2 c carrots, grated

2 eggs

6 oz plain Greek yogurt (sour cream can be substituted)

2 T oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper cups. I usually use paper cups when making regular sized muffins and don’t with the mini’s.

In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine all of the dry ingredients with excluding the chocolate chips.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients including zucchini and carrots. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon for the min muffin tins or a 1/4 cup for the regular sized muffins, fill each muffin cup. I usually fill 2 mini muffin tins or 1 regular muffin tin. Bake for 6-7 minutes for the mini muffins or 16-18 minutes for regular muffins or until toothpick comes out clean or cupcake springs back when touched. 

Wait 2-3 minutes before removing if not using paper cups. Let cool or eat straight out of the oven;)

*From The Lemon Bowl

Kids Granola Bar Bites

I think I’ve found a gem here. These are SO good and the kids are crazy for them! I made a batch on Monday, just to try them out, and they were gone by Thursday. Bryce asked for them in his lunch EVERY day and they even asked for them for dessert after dinner! I think I tricked them with the Mini M&Ms. I don’t care, all I know is that they love them, I love them and they’re a healthy snack. Win, win, win!

2 cups rice crispy cereal

2 cups quick oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds (or nut of your choice)

4 T ground flax seed

3 T chia seeds

3 T wheat bran

1 T olive oil (or coconut oil if you have it)

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup honey

1 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup Mini M&M’s

In a large saute pan, toast the oats and nuts until fragrant. Then combine them in a large mixing bowl with the rice cereal, flax seed, chia seeds, and wheat bran. Add oil and vanilla and stir until well distributed. 

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the honey for 1 minute 30 seconds. It will be bubbly and hot when it’s done. Remove the hot honey mixture and stir in marshmallows until they melt. If they don’t melt all the way, put them back in for an additional 10-15 seconds. Stir peanut butter into honey/marshmallow mixture until completely combined and smooth. Pour over dry mix and stir until everything is coated evenly. 

Let rest about 5 minutes to cool down and then sprinkle in M&Ms. Gently stir to distribute them.

Using 2 sandwich bags with your hands in them, take small handfuls of the mixture and shape them into balls and them place them on a lined cookie sheet. By the end, the M&Ms might be kind of smash from being warm, but it doesn't matter because they're still good...just smash away! 

Refrigerate or freeze until set. After they’re set, you can put them in a large Ziploc bag or airtight container, but store them in the fridge. Then enjoy the goodness!

*Adapted from reallifedinner.com

Avocado Chicken Salad

Made this. Loved it. Then I made it again because I didn’t feel guilty AT ALL because it’s delicious, easy AND healthy:)

1 cup shredded chicken (I use canned chicken and it’s great)

1 avocado, mashed

1 lime

1-2 T cilantro depending on how much you like it

salt and pepper

Add chicken and avocado to a bowl and mix. Add lime, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Eat with crackers, in a sandwich or on my personal favorite, Bagel Thins. Enjoy!

My Favorite Snack

I've found my new favorite snack. I've got a HUGE sweet tooth that I'm currently trying to tame:) This is SO beyond delicious to me. I feel like I'm cheating and eating some sort of dessert. I've also found my new favorite yogurt:

I'm not much of a Greek yogurt fan...at all. I tried several and was disappointed by the taste and texture. But this one...YUMM. I love how it has a great taste, has double the protein, AND is still only 80 calories. Love it. I personally prefer the vanilla flavor over anything. I also use this yogurt in my breakfast every morning with some cottage cheese, Fiber One and some strawberries. I'm tellin ya...GOOD! Anyway, back to my favorite snack. If you're a peanut butter fan, you'll absolutely fall in love with this!!!! And you also won't feel so bad because it's packed with protein, fiber, is SUPER filling, but is still only around 200 calories. 

1 small container vanilla Greek yogurt (about 1/2 cup)

1 T peanut butter

1/8 t cinnamon

1 apple cut up

Mix yogurt, peanut butter and cinnamon until smooth. Devour with cut up apples and ENJOY!!!

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

I was noticing that the kids wanted to eat a granola bar almost every single day. I get freaked out about my kids eating the same thing day after day after day especially when it is store bought and there’s no way of knowing what’s really in it. That’s when I decided to try a homemade granola bar recipe.

I made several batches until I came up with the best in my opinion. I like my granola bars nutty and chewy and sweet. I also like them chock full of fiber:) These are delicious and my kids eat them up. The best part about them is that you can basically make them your own by adding whatever you like. Try them and you’ll love them!

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 t salt

1/4 t cinnamon or other spice you like

2 1/2 cups additions such as: dried fruit, seeds nuts, flax seed, bran cereal, puffed rice cereal, crushed pretzels, marshmallows, chocolate chips, etc. My combo is 1/4c flax seed, 1/2 cup bran cereal, 1 cup puffed rice cereal (for good crunch), 1/2 cup toasted almonds (chopped) and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips.

1/3 cup peanut butter or other nut butter

6 T olive oil (you can use other oils or melted butter)

1/4 cup honey (you can use maple syrup)

1 T water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper with non-stick cooking spray. 

Process 1/3 cup of the oats in a blender or food processor until finely ground.

If necessary, chop up dried fruit and nuts. Stir together all dry ingredients. Whisk together oil, honey, peanut butter and water. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients then spread into prepared pan. Press firmly into the corners and edges so the top is even.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the sides start to brown. They may feel underdone in the middle, but will firm up as they cool. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes. Then take them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Let cool completely before cutting.

I got about 14 bars out of one batch. Keep them in an airtight container or wrap them in plastic wrap for an on-the-go treat. Enjoy!

*From honestcooking.com

Asian Pasta Salad

I LOVE salads like this. You don’t have to cook a dang thing and it’s so refreshing. I’ve really been on this Asian kick too…loving the toasted sesame oil. And the best part is that it gets better and better as the days go by. The perfect salad to make and have for lunch the next day…and the next…and the next…

1 lb bowtie pasta
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
2-3 T sesame oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2-3 cups of rotisserie chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (put more chicken if you want it meatier)
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seed
3 cups washed baby spinach

Boil and cook pasta. Make sure to salt the cooking water. Drain pasta and set and rinse with cold water. In a separate bowl combine oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and rice vinegar until well blended. In a large bowl combine pasta, peppers, onion, chicken and spinach. Toss with the sauce until well combined. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Keep in fridge until ready to eat, or serve immediately, either way is delicious.

No Bake Energy Bites

I like a good, healthy recipe sometimes. And it makes it a lot easier to eat healthy when it’s this good too:) I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed these. It was hard to not eat like 8 at a time. They’re just such a good combo…not too sweet, not too salty, but the right balance for a mid morning or afternoon snack. My kids even love these! Surprisingly they were calling them candy balls and kept asking for more. So if you’re looking for something healthy to snack on to keep in the fridge, try these!

1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)

1 cup toasted coconut flakes

1/2 cup chocolate chips (any dried fruit or nuts can be substituted)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir until completely combined. Let the mixture chill in the fridge for about 1/2 hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you like (I chose to do about 1 inch in diameter.) Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

*From gimmesomeoven.com

Honey Banana Muffins

Sometimes I get obsessed with what I feed my kids…especially when I’m pregnant and have lost most motivation to make an effort in this area. After a few days of noticing they aren’t eating the most healthy things, I go on a “health binge” with them. I’ve been wanting to find a really good “healthy” muffin and have tried several recipes and came up with these. There’s no sugar – it’s sweetened with honey, plenty of whole wheat flour and flax seed. I’ve become a HUGE supporter of flax seed as of late. It’s such a healthy grain that can be added to most anything. I ALWAYS add it to my muffins, pancakes, waffles, breads, etc. I highly suggest trying it – it bumps up the nutritional value significantly. I buy mine milled from Costco in a huge bag that has an incredibly long shelf life. I just throw it in whenever I can.

ANYWAY, I judge how good things are based on my kids’ reaction to them. If they finish it in a few seconds and ask for more, I know it’s a winner. After eating 2 of these and asking for a 3rd, I knew I’d found a gem:) They’re kid approved and hey, I say if its healthy and the kids love them, it’s a success!! So if you’re looking for a healthy option to give your kids while they still think they’re getting a special treat, look no further!!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you definitely can use ALL whole wheat)

1 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

4 T milled flax seed (this can be left out if you don’t have it)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (usually 2 bananas)

1/2 cup unsweetened, all natural applesauce

6 T honey

1/2 cup raisins, crainsins, or chocolate chips (your choice)

In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Combine the eggs, banana, applesauce and honey in another bowl. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in the raisins or chocolate chips

Line a muffin tin with liners and fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

*I also like to make these in a mini muffin tin so they are easier for kids to pop them in their mouth. Or make them half mini and half regular.

*Makes about 14-16 muffins

* From All Recipes