Strawberry Jam

For me there is nothing better then fresh, Oregon strawberries, Hood berries to be exact.  They're little, compact, sweet, juicy gems.  Bright red all the way through, they stain your hands and your lips.  (You can expect this same adoration when raspberries and blueberries are in season and right after I've headed to the Gorge to get fresh cherries.)  This year, I took the girls and declared that we would be picking berries, actually hunching over the little mounds gathering our own fruit.  I would not just be pulling into the farm and buying them from the stand.  And it was fun; for about an hour. 
So I paid for a combination of the fruit we picked and some flats that were picked for us, loaded them up and stopped at the store to buy canning materials.  In my journey to feed my family a little bit better, a little healthier, I'm trying to make as many of the things we use so that I can control what goes into our bodies.  And jam is really easy to make!  We used the Surejell Recipe (by we I include my wonderful Mom, or Nama as my girls call her...she has taught me most of what I know about cooking and canning!) and we don't boil the jars to tighten the seal, just turn the jar over as soon as you've filled it and tightened the lid...wait about 20 minutes and flip right side up, and wait for the ping!  This little trick makes canning even easier.

Fresh Oregon berries, from an organic farm.

Cut strawberries with organic sugar, you can make sugar free jam but I figure you use very little jam so it might as well taste really yummy!

The finished product, we couldn't wait to try it, so we had jam on ice cream...versatile too!

I used the same preparation for getting strawberries into the freezer, just clean, cut and toss with organic sugar...fill a freezer bag and don't forget to note the contents and the date.  Frozen berries can be used for sauces, snacks, in baking, and smoothies; you name it the possibilities are endless!  And again, you control what is going into your families bodies and save yourself money. 

Here's the recipe:

*2 Quarts Strawberries, cut and crushed, should equal 5 cups

*7 Cups of Sugar (I use organic)

*1/2 teaspoon of butter

*I box powered SureJell

 

Instructions:

1. Pour crushed berries into large pot

2. Measure sugar into separate container and set aside

3. Stir package of SureJell into berries

4. Add butter (it keeps the foam down)

5. Bring berries to a full rolling boil (will not stop when being stirred), then add sugar

6. Stir constantly

7. Stir in sugar quickly

8. Return mixture to a full rolling boil, and boil exactly 1 minute, stir constantly

9. Remove from heat

10. Ladle quickly into jars that have been cleaned and preheated (if you can have them washed and in a warm dishwasher waiting, that'll be perfect)

11. Fill jars to about 1/4 inch from rim, clean sides and rim of jars

12. Place heated lids on jars (to heat lids, simmer in water for at least one minute) and be sure to tighten lids

*This is where my directions will differ from SureJell's

13.  Turn jars over for about 20 minutes, then flip right side up, and wait for a pinging noise...then you have jam!  Store in your pantry, and be sure to mark with the date and berry!

Snacks for a Long Day...

As parents we all have those dreaded days of hours spent on the side lines, in ice skating rinks, or dressing rooms(backstage)...days when you have little options for food, or when food isn't allowed.  Yet our active kids need to feed their growing, moving bodies. These were snacks I packed for my girls during dance rehearsal week, they technically couldn't have snacks...but we all know that kids need fuel and these were long 6-9 hour days.  Fortunately our dance school would allow the girls to throw on cover ups and grab a quick bite.  I packed foods that would give them a burst of energy, fill them up and not cause any mess to those darling costumes. 

This is one days snacks...I tried for variety but it didn't always happen.  They got jerky or pepperoni, pretzel and cheddar goldfish, cheese slices, applesauce, juice, fruit leather, bananas, apricots, apples, and water bottles.   The variety gave them lots of choices through out the day and met many of their nutritional needs.  There isn't much in the way of grains...but lots of fiber in the fruits and veggies.  Some days they got carrot sticks, cucumbers, yogurt, whole wheat crackers, grapes and dried fruit.  I love my reusable bags, just rinse them out with warm water and a little soap and your ready for the next use!

Just two of the adorable costumes they wore...this was for a Mary Poppins Acro number...it was darling!

4th of July

I know this isn't a lunch, nor is it very healthy...but it sure was yummy and fun.  I love the 4th of July more then any other holiday.  I am so proud to be an American (with faults and all), I love living here, I am grateful to the men and women who serve our country and I cry every time I hear the National Anthem.   It's only fitting then that our celebration includes a small town parade, a barbecue and loads of desserts!

Here's a picture of my Red, White and Blue Starcakes, and a bunch of sweet little girls waiting on the parade.

I use a basic English Scone recipe, which I cut into star shapes.  Macerate strawberries, raspberries and blueberries with a little sugar.  Top with some fresh whipped cream, instant yum!

Three families, 9 little girls (not all pictured), a giant handful of sugar and spice!  Hope your families had a safe and happy celebration!

An American Bento

Have you seen those tradition Japanese Bentos?  They look exquisite, filled with all sorts of exotic goodies.  My girls get a little squeamish when I suggest the possibility of making one of those...but I think they'll enjoy this bento lunch.  It takes some of the food finds of a traditional bento box and mixes them with things that are a favorite of my kids.   And since this is one busy, work filled weekend for me I made some Bento lunches for Daddy-O to pull out of the fridge and serve. 
I know the girls will love them, but I'm willing to bet he makes himself something different!

This lunch has some salmon, jasmin rice, cucumber salad, carrot sticks, cashews, some mandarin oranges, and some crenshaw melon.  This is local salmon (we live in the Pacific NW, and man is our salmon yummy!) and the cucumber salad is similar to what you'd find in a sushi restaurant.   As always I used our easylunchboxes...not only can I pack a ton, but they stack in the fridge so nicely!

Picnic at the Park

I asked what you wanted to see and a Picnic lunch was the winner, and well frankly, a picnic is really a great way to go!  I packed the girls up today to hit a local park to burn off some extra energy, and threw together a few lunches which not only saved money, but saved us from needing to make a trip through a drive through.  When I was packing the lunches I kept thinking about what Ma might have packed the Ingall's family for a picnic after church (I am such a product of the 70's).  I decided she would have packed chicken, potato salad, berries, maybe a chocolate cake or an apple pie, probably some season veggies and some fresh baked bread.  Since I had 30 minutes the fresh bread and pie were out.  Also the veggies picked from my garden will have to wait, since the plants aren't yet producing... lucky for me the 10 plus local grocery stores have all sorts of lovely produce!

This picnic lunch has some grilled chicken drumsticks, homemade potato salad (yum), an apricot, watermelon, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, some Tillimook cheese and a cupcake! (The cupcake was leftover from a birthday celebration this weekend, but if I hadn't have had it I would have made some brownies.)  Since it's a picnic I'm going to go a little crazy and pack some Hansen's soda!    I'm willing to bet this picnic lunch that Pa and Half Pint would have gobbled it up.
And this easy, yummy picnic lunch is packed in my favorite easylunchboxes. 

Breakfast for Lunch

My family loves the novelty of breakfast for dinner and I love just how easy it is to prepare, so it got me to thinking.  Wouldn't breakfast for lunch be really fun too?  Or how about to bring on an early morning flight (when you fly from the West Coast, flights are almost always early);  if your rounding up the troops at 4 a.m. no one feels like eating a bagel; it never fails as soon as you board the plane everyone is starving and pretzels and ginger ail just won't cut it.  In this case, we had a busy morning of real estate and drop offs at Nama and Papa's...so this little lunch is really a little brunch.

Brunch includes a hard boiled egg, apple and orange slices, greek yogurt with some blackberry jam, white cheddar and colby jack cheese flowers, and a cinnamon muffin.  I threw in an organic milk box to bulk up the protein.  As always I packed these lunches in my favorite Easylunchboxes!

Snack Pack

Today was a long day, with a lot of time in the car; in my free time I'm a real estate agent;  and I wanted to  make sure that while I drug the girls all over God's creation we wouldn't need to make a pit stop at McD's.  Our schedule inspired todays snack packs, I channeled the Lunchables concept when I packed the lunches.  (On a side note, lunchables might be the worst thing you could feed your child.)  And tried to give the girls tons to chose from, by food items that would hold up to a day on the road, not be messy and keep them feeling full.
LiLi was far more impressed with the idea then GiGi, but they both loved the idea of digging into their snackpacks anytime they felt the urge to have a nibble!

The lunches have mini blueberry muffins, apple slices, carrot sticks, cashews and raisins, cheese flowers (string cheese and colby jack) and some gummy bears.  I think the little treat is always the pull for those Lunchables.  They also had water bottles and a can of V8. 

As always, I packed these little cuties in our easylunchboxes...seriously, have I mentioned how much I love these lunch boxes!