Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Wednesday Wink 007 & $100 Giveaway

Turkey sandwich, peanut butter and jelly, chicken nuggets... Repeat! A variety of healthy, pick-up friendly foods for a toddler's lunch is such a struggle. As a working mom this is probably one of the biggest challenges. Not only do you have to worry about whether an item is healthy, but also if your toddler will be able to eat it without making a complete mess. Or how about keeping the milk cold and the pasta hot? I am better when I plan. So, this school year I decided to come up with a monthly meal schedule. Something a little more creative.
When I get our daily report card home, I will be able to check those meals that worked, and then 'X' those that were not kid-approved! I would love to hear some of your lunch ideas! And all that lunch planning makes me exhausted... so let's eat out tonight! I am giving away $100 GIFT CARD TO PAPPAS BROS. This card is good at all the Pappas Restaurants: Pappadeaux, Pappasitos Cantina, Pappas Seafood House, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Yia Yia Mary's Greek Kitchen, and Pappas Burger!

Note: This was purchased by Kathryn's Camera and is NOT affiliated with Pappas.

HOW TO WIN THE $100 PAPPAS GIFT CARD
  1. You MUST comment on this post with your lunch or dinner menu idea by Noon, Wednesday September 14, 2011
  2. One winner will be selected using Random.org and posted in next Wednesday's Wink
Want additional Entries?
  1. Become a new fan of Kathryn's Camera on Facebook and tell us in your comment here.
  2. Get a friend to 'like' Kathryn's Camera on Facebook (up to 5 additional entries) and let us know here.
GOOD LUCK!!!!

16 comments:

  1. Ethan loves the Gerber yogurt in both banana and strawberry. And he loves the winnie the pooh brand spaghettios and chicken noodle soup that you can buy next to the baby food. I compared those to like chey boyardee and the salt content is crazy different. So I'll stick to the winnie the pooh kind. Do you make all of this yourself or do you store-buy? just wondering so I can pick some up for E and see if he likes it!

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  2. I've been meaning to tell you the Smart Tots, or whatever brand it is at Target, as these organic salmon sticks that C absolutely LOVES...she dips them in ketchup but whatever! They also have organic fish sticks that are shaped like little fish. She loves those as well. Hope this helps...all of these don't take that long to cook either so that's an added bonus for working moms!

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  3. Ok no kids in the house so I have no idea what to recommend for lunch or dinner that is kid-friendly. But I am so thankful to have you as a friend so I know what to be prepared for! That calendar looks awesome. Taking notes for when my time comes :)

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  4. I think Lainey might eat bananas for every meal if I let her! I try to blend up whatever we are eating to feed her (plus a banana!).

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  5. Brooks is funny...one day he loves something saying "more, more"; the next day he does not want anything to do with that same food. "all done" he says...I can always get him to eat fruit though. An easy meal in my head is mac & cheese, but B will have nothing to do with it. Costco has chicken nuggets shaped as Mickey Mouse...these are easy and his favorite.

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  6. Wait.... a gift card..... I love pappas bbq!

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  7. Yeah, I just give him whatever you two tell me he likes that day! :) But I do have one idea ... a while back I went to Grandmama's and did a quick inventory of her pantry/freezer etc and made meal plans for her based on seeing what she had and coming up with a few new ideas -- she was getting bored with it too. I loved doing it and would be happy to do it for you too. Let me know if you want to take me up on it -- I work for toddler hugs!

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  8. Wow! You are the MOST amazing mommy!!! I'm so grateful Liam (and Bill) have you, sweet girl. You continue to amaze me with your excellence as a wife and mom. You bless our lives in countless ways. This is just one more example of that. And...don't ask Bill about his lunches when I was an at home mom...there were no charts and probably WAY too much PB&J! ;-) I sure could've used some KRob or Aunt Nolie input back then!

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  9. Since my child is older and now they don't heat up her food, i will tell you what we do for a 6 yr old. She isn't much of a sandwich eater, but she loves ham and/or turkey rolls. I always do a yogurt, cheese stick, and at least 2 fruits. Sliced strawberries are a must, mandarin oranges, clementine oranges, apples or grapes. Also, the frozen pb&j uncrustables are great and my lil one loves them! They thaw out perfectly by lunch. For a special treat i will sometimes do the little pizza lunchable. It seems healthier than the salt infested turkey ones! She can make her own little pita cheese pizza and as most people know....if kids prepare their own food, they will typically eat it all.

    I am always looking for lunch ideas, so i look forward to reading more!

    Ashley Wenmohs

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  10. I love your school food schedule. I did this for my family when I was finishing up my CPA classes so it would help me with grocery shopping, meal planning & cooking on crazy nights that involved school! Addison is not a big fan of meat so right now I just send lots of fruits, veggies & yougart to school for her.

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  11. Looking at your calendar reminds me that I need to make a banana bread. Love bananas and can eat them all the time.
    Lost_Star_99 (at) yahoo (d0t) ca

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  12. I am a new fan to your website...great blog and amazing photos! Our daughter is 15 months old and being that we are a vegetarian family I can relate to the difficulties of coming up with a meal plan :) We like to give our little one spaghetti squash which can be made in different ways and also stored in the freezer. But her favorite are breakfast tacos which we have found can be for lunch or dinner...I guess its our mac n' cheese :) We make them with black beans, scrambled eggs, small amounts of shredded cheese and sometimes diced potatoes. So this can be rich in protein and most food groups and can be as healthy or non healthy as you want...depending on the way its prepared.

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  13. Wyatt's school provides lunch for him which is a really big help for a full time working mommy. They get him to eat all kinds of things he won't eat at home, for example chili and cornbread, spaghetti, taco's, and cheese enchilada's. I love the calendar idea to use at home. I can give you a copy of Wyatt's school lunch calendar for extra ideas. Happy cooking!
    Claire Ellison

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  14. I almost forgot, Bella will sometimes eat rotini pasta salad. Its easy to make and doesn't have to be heated. We prepare ours with bits of feta cheese, peas, diced carrots and tomato or sometimes edamame. It's strange but my daughter loves to eat tomatoes and cucumbers...she's not a fan of spinach, broccoli or green beans. The great thing about this item is that everyone in the house can enjoy it.

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  15. Ditto Claire. Miles' school provides lunch and he eats anything and everything so I'm really no help either. And I do love that I don't have to pack a lunch everyday. Makes workin' mama happy. :)

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  16. I put peanut butter on a tortilla then roll it up with a banana and slice it into pin wheels. Ethan loves it!

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