5 Ways to use leftover Easter ham

Anyone else have lots of delicious ham or ham bones after the weekend?  I can never decide which I like better, the freshly baked ham, or all the ways to use the leftovers!  Here's 5 of my favorite ways to use leftover ham:

1.  Creamy Ham and Wild Rice Soup - This is one of my favorite soups, and a great way to use leftover ham.  You can also cook it with the hambone in, then remove the bone and cut off any remaining ham to add back in to the soup.

2. Split Pea Soup - The classic leftover hambone recipe!  So inexpensive, feeds an army, and tastes delicious, especially with extra freshly ground pepper.

3. Ham & Bean Soup - Ok, so we really love soup around here!  Here's a comfort food classic that's always a hit!

Peanut Post: Preschool Lunches Part I

You didn't think I was going to pack Peanut's lunch several times a week and not take at least a few pictures, did you?  Psssh, of course not!  For the first time, I'm realizing "the big deal" with packing healthy, easy to eat quickly lunches that can be kept cool with an ice pack for several hours.  It's not as simple as it sounds!  But, never fear, here are a few fun ideas from this Mama's kitchen:
Also, see Part II here!

1.  Leftover pasta salad, whole grain fig bars, grapes (This is one of her favorites)

2.  Turkey/cheese/spinach wrap, whole grain fig bars, strawberries

(and extra leaves by request)

3.  Half PB&J sandwich, hummus with feta and carrots, dried cranberries with almonds

4.  Leftover pizza, spinach/cherry tomato "salad", blueberries, craisins/mixed nuts

5. Chicken/cheese/spinach wrap, cucumbers/tomatoes, grapes, whole grain cinnamon crackers

6. leftover pizza, tomatoes/olives, quinoa bar

7.  whole wheat pancakes/syrup, pecans, grapes

(be sure the syrup part is sealed well... ours was not)

8. apples/celery with peanut butter, cheese stick, almonds/raisins, whole grain fig Newtons.

9. turkey slices, spinach/tomato salad, olive/cheese toothpicks, cheddar bunny crackers

General tips:

- Pack for multiple days at a time and store in the fridge, ready to go.  Pack your own lunch while you're at it to cut down on time in the morning.

- Preschoolers don't eat much of any one thing, so split the wrap/sandwich and use it to make two lunches.  Cuts down on waste and time!

- Try a variety of foods and rotate so your child doesn't get bored or in a routine of eating the same thing.  Once they do, they may not want to try something new.

- Incorporate whole grains, protein, dairy, fruit and veggies, if possible.

- Use leftover lunch food as their after school snack - that way, you know they are getting all of those carefully balanced nutrients you worked so hard to include.  And again, less waste.

- Finger foods are always a bonus for this age.  But it never hurts to send a fork/spoon once in awhile for favorites, such as pasta salad.

- Pack realistic portions for your child's appetite and the time allotted for lunch.

- Not a must, but out of courtesy, try to limit the number of lids/wrappers/containers the poor preschool teachers have to unwrap - remember it could be whatever you send times 20! Practice with your child to see if they can open them on their own.  Sectioned containers work well - at the very least, it's only one lid. (Annalyn has no problem with these containers.)

Peanut Post: Preschool Lunches, Part II

A few more of our favorite school lunches. (See Part I here.) Annalyn is a huge fan of mixed nuts and dried berries, so you'll see a lot of those included in this round! I try to mix it up day to day, but I also only get groceries once per week, so I also try to be efficient!

1.  Turkey/spinach wraps, olive/cheese skewers, dried fruit

2. The ever-popular turkey/string cheese rollup, carrots, berries, and crackers/pea crisps

Wooden Spoon

 

"You can't always give your children a silver spoon at birth, but you can give them a wooden one and teach them to cook." ~Mama

 

 

 

If you order one of my cookbooks, you might wonder why I included a tiny wooden spoon.  Well, one of the biggest joys and challenges of the past 5 years has been figuring out how to share my kitchen with my kiddos.  From a very young age, both of my girls showed interest in helping Mama cook.  Maybe because they spent a fair amount of time in a baby carrier while I prepared dinner, or in their high chairs pulled into the kitchen to watch and snitch ingredients as I cooked.  Without really thinking about it, I started narrating what I was doing, as if performing in my own cooking show.  Once they were old enough to pull a chair over and actually help with some parts of the cooking process, I was surprised by my own words coming back to me from their little lips.  "How did you know that?"  You told me, Mama.  WOAH. 

Grilled Favorites

With a awesome forecast predicated for our area this week, we have at least 2-3 of these on our weekly menu!  Love the return the grilling season!!

1.  Grilled Chicken & Steak Kabobs - If only I could decorate my kitchen in garland made of kabobs! These are always so pretty.


2.  Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers - feeling crazy?  Add some chopped black olives along with the feta.