Lunches

Lunches around here have to be quick.  I have learned that there are many things I just can't do for lunch because it takes too much time.  I often get a child or two to help me make lunch.  They wash the fruit and cut it or make sandwiches.  Sometimes I use this as a chance to teach them how to make simple things such as scramble eggs, etc.  I love to use the plastic lunch trays to serve the kids on.  It just seems fun to me.  It also helps to fill them with different items.

Our outdoor lunchroom(aka. mom doesn't have to clean the floor)

Egg burritos (scrambled eggs wrapped in a tortilla shell with cheese and sometimes salsa)

Spinach wraps(tortilla shell with mayo, garlic salt and dill weed, spinach and lunch meat, rolled up)

Sandwiches with fruit on the side ( we have Peanut butter and jelly, chicken salad, tuna salad, meat and cheese)

Little kids get snack trays with cheese, ham roll, crackers, raisins, fruit

Make your own salad( I put out tomatoes, cheese, chick peas, green peas, nuts, raisins, fruit, etc.)

Leftovers

Pasta salad with a half sandwich

Pita pocket sandwiches

Pizzas made on tortilla shells or pita bread

Pasta stars with grilled cheese (these are like homemade spaghetti O's)
 
Quesadilla with leftover tacos

Breakfast meals

We get tired of the same thing for breakfast.  I also hate to do cereal from the store because I then have kids begging for a snack in just an hour.  I strive to do whole grain recipes that will hold everyone over.  These are all the Breakfast meals that I cook but some are only cooked on the weekend.  If I can't make it ahead and just bake in the morning I usually don't make it during the week.  Most muffins can be mixed up the night before and sit in the fridge.  The baked oatmeal and cooked cereal can be made ahead.  I do make granola cereal in the morning because it's pretty quick to mix up.  I hope these ideas help you with your menu planning.


  Oatmeal- we like to add chocolate chips, blueberries, cinnamon, coconut, or peanut butter.  Many times I make the oatmeal and dish it in the bowls.  The kids then add in their favorite things.  I don't allow chocolate chips all the time but occasionally.

 Granola cereal   one of our favorites.  I've also found others I cook.
 Muffins- applesauce(these are from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook), banana chocolate chip ( I substitute applesauce for the mayo in these and 1tbsp of coconut oil)
 Smoothies or our favorite smoothie recipe- Chocolate smoothie ( I usually throw in a little spinach)
Waffles
Pancakes(oatmeal pancakes)
 Baked oatmeal
Baked cereal
 French toast
 Toast and eggs

okay, sometimes we do eat cereal!

Oatmeal cereal

Oatmeal cereal

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Applesauce
• 1/4 Cup coconut oil
• 1 1/4 Cups Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 4 1/2 Cups Old fashionioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Raisins or chocolate chips
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350. Mix together applesauce, oil and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Stir. Add in oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and either raisins or chocolate chips. Grease 9x13 pan and spread mixture. Cook 28-35 min. We eat with milk as cereal. You can use all applesauce and no oil and they will turn out more like a breakfast bar. Also using some flour instead of all oatmeal will make them like a bar.

Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal 

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup applesauce
• 3/4 Cup Sugar( brown and white mixed)
• 2 eggs
• 3 Cups Oatmeal
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Directions

1. Mix all dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine and stir just until moist. Pour mixture into greased 9x9 pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you choose. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Or until brown. You can make this and leave in the fridge until morning.

School Room

Warning:  This is not the way this room usually looks.  But, this is the way I love for it to look.  These days I resort to taking a picture when a room gets all the way clean.  At least then on my computer it looks clean!  Our schoolroom is in our Dining room.  This is right off the Kitchen and Living room/entry.  For years we did school in the kitchen and living room.  We still love to cuddle on the couch to read all our books.  But, most of the work now takes place in here.  

I finally have a white board and large map.  It's so nice to have a board to write things on.  Usually we write our Bible verse for the week on here.  The bookcases pictured below hold toys.  I like to keep toys put up and grouped together.  They also have the little girls books on them.  Well, some of their books.

My beautiful cabinet that my hubby made!  He did such a great job.  It was his first furniture project and I love the way it turned out.  It also has hidden child locks on it!  This holds all our current school books and some for the future.  Inside the bottom holds preschool things, construction paper, markers, etc.  All the things I need to keep out of reach of little hands.

Our Preschool corner is pictured below.  The table was a Christmas present for our girls.  I love it.  We had a Little Tykes plastic table that was warped from standing on it.  I always thought I wanted a white table and chairs.  The girls have taught me that dark is best. 

Now we have a wonderfully used Dining Room!  

Here's the lunch room.  The tree on the table was our Jesse Tree for Advent.  See my cute students!

Favorite Christmas Pictures

 The Girls

The Boys

The Stockings

Four in Fall

My cutest little four...well, some are not so little anymore.

Our littlest football lover.

The guys made a football field in our backyard.  Complete with two goal posts and painted lines.  So cool!

The girls all dressed up!  It's nearly impossible to get both girls to look at the same time.