Kids Food / Lunch Box / On the Go / Sweet Treats

…Jam.

Last week we deconstructed peanut butter.  This week we had to top it with a quick, healthy jam!  Making jam is a summer routine for my family but it requires a few pieces of special equipment, quite a bit of time, and in my case, a couple of scorching burns (none of which make for a fast Out of the Box Food alternative).   But since fresh, homemade jam can be such a treat, I knew we had to explore a quick and easy alternative for Out of the Box Food. (more…)

2 Comments
10/17/2010
Breakfast Table / Kids Food / On the Go / Snacks

Breakfast Bars – Amp Up or Fuel Up?

Last week a friend suggested we take a deconstructed look at breakfast bars.  As a working mother of two under four, her mornings are busy and rushed yet she wants to provide a healthy start to her kids’ day.  One day in a pinch, she picked up a nationally recognized brand bar for the following morning’s breakfast.  Ten minutes after eating the bar, her son was bouncing off the walls.  That little self-proclaimed “health” bar, had turned a quiet morning into a wild, stress-filled kickoff to the day.

Aren’t school mornings challenging enough? (more…)

20 Comments
09/26/2010
“Maple” Syrup: Fact or Fiction?
Breakfast Table / Kids Food

“Maple” Syrup: Fact or Fiction?

Last week at Out of the Box Food we discussed easy alternatives to frozen waffles and pancakes.  So what can we do this week to top those healthy, delicious waffles and pancakes?  Syrup of course!  Okay, this is a tricky one.  Real, honest-to-goodness maple syrup is great.  It’s single ingredient is natural, sweet and even better warm.  But if the amount of sugar in maple syrup makes your kids go a bit wacky like it does mine, then what can we top pancakes and waffles with on busy school mornings?  How about warm, thick blueberry syrup?  Sweet, rich strawberry syrup?  We getting somewhere?

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5 Comments
07/18/2010
Leggo o’ the Eggo
Breakfast Table / Kids Food

Leggo o’ the Eggo

Sunday mornings are waffle mornings at our house. Wholesome, whole wheat, buttermilk waffles. In six minutes the batter is made, then I ask the kids: “waffles or pancakes…or both?  Yup, the kids get to choose but I don’t have to be the short-order cook.  In fact, for the rest of the week, even on busy school mornings, the kids can choose to make it a  pancake or waffle morning.  How?  In six minute we’ve got a  pancake and waffle batter for that special Sunday morning plus extras to freeze for the busy weekday mornings.  No more store-bought frozen toaster waffles or pancakes.  Oh, and did I mention no need for maple syrup?  The next post will cover that…stay tuned.

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10 Comments
07/06/2010