February is the half way mark for the school year and it is time to change up the school lunches. Last week our cooking group made breakfast, lunch and dinner in an effort to bring new inspiration into the school lunch monotony. Any of these recipes can be used to spice up your kids’ lunches. We made Pumpkin Waffles, Mini Spinach and Cheese Quiches and Mexican Quesadillas.
For serving at home you might like syrup, fruit or berries and yogurt on the waffles. For the Quiches you could serve it with a side salad and for the Quesadillas you can pick up some salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.
This Pumpkin Waffle recipe is thanks to Jan Scott's posting on Savvy Mom. When I cook these on my own I like to double the recipe and then put some away in the freezer for a quick breakfast or even a school lunch sliced in strips and kept in a thermos or wrapped in foil. Serve with fruit and yogurt and/or maple syrup.
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This Pumpkin Waffle recipe is thanks to Jan Scott's posting on Savvy Mom. When I cook these on my own I like to double the recipe and then put some away in the freezer for a quick breakfast or even a school lunch sliced in strips and kept in a thermos or wrapped in foil. Serve with fruit and yogurt and/or maple syrup.
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Instructions
In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large measuring cup whisk together liquid ingredients.
Combine liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula and let the batter sit for 15 minutes. Pre-heat your waffle maker.
Using a muffin type scoop add batter to the centre of your waffle pan and cook until waffles release easily approximately 3 minutes. Remove waffles with a fork or tongs and serve.
Extra waffles can be frozen and reheated in the toaster oven another day.
Mexican Quesadillas become little triangle gems that are perfect for a quick meal before activities, on the run or packed in foil for lunch. Look for Eden Organic refried beans in the health food section - some other beans can be runny and make the quesadillas messy. Serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream and chopped vegetables if desired.
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Mexican Quesadillas become little triangle gems that are perfect for a quick meal before activities, on the run or packed in foil for lunch. Look for Eden Organic refried beans in the health food section - some other beans can be runny and make the quesadillas messy. Serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream and chopped vegetables if desired.
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Instructions
Combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Divide mixture between the 8-10 tortilla shells, spread with a knife on half the shell and fold over.
Coat a 12 inch frying pan with a tiny bit of oil (no oil needed if you are using a non-stick pan) and fry up 2 shells at a time over medium heat.
Flip shells when slightly brown 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve with dipping sauces. Extra quesadillas can be cooked then frozen, wrapped in foil in a ziplock bag and reheated at a later time in a frying pan or in the toaster oven. Try them for school lunches heated and wrapped in foil.
Spinach and Cheese Quiche
Once you try this recipe a few times you can start to experiment with different ingredients. My kids often make this recipe on their own after school for dinner and I just pre-bake the pie shell ahead of time which ensures a crisp crust. For instructions to make mini quiches see sticky tips below. For dinner serve with a salad.
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Spinach and Cheese Quiche
Once you try this recipe a few times you can start to experiment with different ingredients. My kids often make this recipe on their own after school for dinner and I just pre-bake the pie shell ahead of time which ensures a crisp crust. For instructions to make mini quiches see sticky tips below. For dinner serve with a salad.
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Blind bake the pie shell. Let shell soften while you preheat the oven - 5-10 mins. Prick the bottom with a fork. Line the shell with foil and then ceramic beads (dried beans or rice also work) and bake for 18 minutes. (Pre-made pie shells should have instructions on the box for baking).
While shell is baking in a large bowl whisk eggs, add milk, salt & pepper. Add in spinach, corn, green onions and garlic.
Once shell is baked remove beads and foil. Place the shell on a baking sheet. (2 per baking sheet)
If there are any cracks in the shell sprinkle with cheese to melt in and fill the holes.
Mix in remaining cheese with eggs and vegetables and pour mixture into baked shell.
Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden colour and fork in the middle comes out clean.
Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving. To reheat before dinner or lunch you can bake at 325 for about 15 minutes.