Bento Lunch 8-14-2013

School lunch today was taco, cheese & chips, or fiestada pizza. Dino wasn't crazy about those options. He always claims to dislike Mexican food but eats tacos and nachos at home just fine. He asked if I couldn't just make him a lunch?? He has been dying to take lunch in his new lunch box!

I filled his lunch box, the square container of a Rubbermaid Lunch Blox kit, with sliced colby jack cheese, Ritz crackers, an all-beef hot dog (sliced on the diagonal to make a cold hot dog more interesting), 2 clementines ("cuties"), and Teddy Grahams in a silicone baking cup. I placed a napkin on top of the food before putting the lid on, to keep the bears from escaping their container!

This lunch set came with an ice pack that snaps onto the box! It fit perfectly in his lunch box with his water bottle, GoGo SqueeZ applesauce, and a Fruit Roll-Ups Simply Fruit. He takes a healthy snack and water to have in the morning, so I told him to get milk at lunch. Since he isn't used to bringing lunch from home, he wasn't sure how to buy milk when he wasn't buying lunch. We'll have to ask the teacher about that.

I love these new Fruit Roll-Ups, because they really are made from fruit and fruit juice! No added sugar, unlike the second, third, and fourth ingredients in regular Fruit Roll-Ups: corn syrup, dried corn syrup, and sugar. (Funny thing though, real fruit must be sweeter than the added sugar, because a 14-oz. Simply Fruit roll has 10g sugar, but a 14-oz. regular roll has 7g sugar. Go figure. At least it's fructose instead of modified, concentrated glucose/dextrose/sucrose.)

It was a hit! The box came back completely empty! I asked lots of questions, through Dino's Daddy: Was it enough? Did you finish it just in time or would there have been time to eat more? Did you get milk to drink? What did you think of the cold hotdog? (he had never had one cold, so he was skeptical... I used to love them!)

Dino's review to his Dad: "I could have had some more crackers... It only took me about half of lunchtime to eat it all. I drank water, but hardly any of it. I liked the cold hot dog. She made it shaped just for me!"

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Uncomfortable Truths

Inspired by Katherine's Uncomfortable Truths on her blog, Grass Stains.

1. For more of my childhood than I care to admit, I believed that all dogs were boys and all cats were girls. Apparently I didn't understand the requirements for making more puppies and kittens.

2. I tried (unintentionally and unsuccessfully) to burn down the break room at work. I brought my lunch leftovers in a re-used sour cream container, but didn't notice that part of the foil seal was still there, until part of the container caught on fire in the microwave.

3. I don't like ketchup. I put mayo and mustard on my burgers and dip my nuggets and fries in honey-mustard.

4. I don't like carbonation - not Coke, not ginger ale, not beer.... I think the tingly feeling feels like fire! I used to ask for orange soda as a kid to try to fit in with my soda-drinking friends, but I would only take a few sips before giving up.

Recipe - Cheesburger Potato Bake

I am always looking for ways to incorporate more fresh produce into my meals, in ways that my boys will still eat. They decided to rename this dish "Cheese Burgatators!" They loved it, and the leftovers were great too!

CHEESEBURGER POTATO BAKE
Yield: 10-12 Hearty Servings

INGREDIENTS
3 lb Small Red or White Potatoes
1-1/2 cup (approximate) cooked pureed Butternut Squash (see note below)
1 medium Yellow or Sweet Onion, diced
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
3 T Flour
1/2 cup Milk or Cream
Scant 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Dry Ground Mustard
12 oz (3 cups) grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Wash potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces. Boil potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes cook, sautee onion and ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until onions are soft and beef is browned throughout. Add plenty of salt and pepper to season the beef-onion mixture.

While the potatoes and beef cook, whisk the flour with the milk or cream in a saucepan, and season with nutmeg and mustard. Reduce heat and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in butternut squash puree (cook until hot if puree was cold). Remove from heat and add shredded cheddar, a handful at a time, stirring in a figure-8 motion until each handful is melted.

Drain cooked potatoes and place in 1 large casserole dish or 2 medium casserole dishes. Sprinkle beef mixture on top of potatoes, and spoon cheese sauce over everything. (Optional: Bake at 350 until bubbly, but since everything was fresh and hot when you put them together, you can serve right away if desired). Serve hot.

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BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE NOTE:
You have several options for cooked, pureed butternut squash.

1. BABY FOOD: Buy enough butternut squash baby food to equal 1 cup (make sure the only ingredients are squash and water).
For example: http://www.beechnut.com/Our%20Baby%20Food/product.asp?P=38976

2. FROZEN: Warm 1 10-oz box Frozen Butternut Squash with 1 cup of water (or chicken broth or beef broth, for more flavor) and blend to a smooth consistency.

3. FRESH: Peel the squash with a potato peeler (it will take 2-3 passes to get down to the bright orange flesh), cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and membranes with a spoon, cut off the ends, and cut into cubes. (I used a whole, large butternut squash, a little over 2 pounds after peeling and seeding). Use 1 cup of water or broth for each 1/2 pound or so (I used 2 cans of chicken broth). Boil in water or broth until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Puree in batches, filling the blender no more than half-full (hold the lid on tightly to prevent an explosion from steam buildup if it is still warm - do not blend while hot!). Divide the puree at this point into 2-4 portions, depending on the size of the squash. (My 2-pound squash yielded 4 portions, about 1-1/2 cups each. I froze the rest of the portions individually to use in future recipes, like stirring into spaghetti sauce or substituting for oil in sweet baked goods! I used 1/4 cup of puree a few nights later in place of the milk when I made Kraft macaroni & cheese!)

The Cross

Dino was eating a slice of colby-jack cheese. He took a bite from each corner, held it up, and asked me what it looked like.

"A plus sign? An 'X'? Red Cross that's orange and white?"

"No," he said, "it's a cross! Like the one Jesus died on!"

Okay then! An open door! I decided to step through it... "Do you know why Jesus died on the cross?"

He thought for a moment, "So he could go back to Heaven to live with God?"

"Not exactly," I started. I asked if he remembered from the Bible stories that we had been reading, how people used to have to make sacrifices for their sins. God's people gave God offerings of food and made blood sacrifices to atone for their sins. This is how people showed God that they were sorry, and He forgave them. But each individual sacrifice was not enough - they had to do this continually, year after year. I reminded Dino that Jesus was God, visiting Earth in a human body. God sacrificed his own body for us, because His body was the Ultimate Sacrifice that could atone for ALL of our sins at once.

Hebrews 9:28a (NIV)
So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many.

Because of Jesus' death on the cross, we can be forgiven and live with Him in Heaven forever!

Dino took all this in, then asked, "Have I sinned??"

"Yes. We all have..."

Romans 3:23 (NIV)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

"...Do you know what sin is?" I explained that it is when you do something that is wrong in God's eyes. Lying, cheating, and stealing are all sin. I asked if he had ever done those. Dino nodded his head Yes and even came up with some recent examples!

Then he went back to talking about cheese... I guess his brain was full for the moment!

I am so thankful for these moments, for opportunities to share Jesus with Dino. He has a big heart and an impressive brain that soaks up everything put in front of him.

First Grade

Dino started First Grade today! He was sooo excited to be going to his new school, and with a brand new teacher (truly brand new - this is her first year of teaching since graduating college)! Ms. S is very sweet, and seemed to have everything ready for her new classroom!

Dino's First Day of First Grade

Last night, we went to the Back to School Bash. Dino got to see his classroom and meet his teacher. He found his desk, his locker, and his cubby. He admired the globe and the shelves full of books in his classroom. We walked through the cafeteria and the gym, and found out where his bus would be parked. We filled out all the forms, joined the PTO, and got some information about Cub Scouts!

Dino had picked out a new backpack with a matching lunch box. He has been SUPER excited about the possibility of bringing lunch. He really really wanted to bring lunch on the first day of school, but the menu for the first day included some of his favorite foods, so I knew that he'd regret it if we packed him a lunch instead. He does have to bring a snack each day, though, so he does get to use his lunch box after all! Ms. S asked that they each bring a healthy snack (no cookies or chips!) and water for morning snack time, since their lunch is later than most. I gave Dino a choice of applesauce, oranges, or Goldfish crackers. He really really wanted to bring 2 snacks, but Ms. S said they'd only have time for 1 snack, when he asked her at the Bash... So he settled on taking squeezy applesauce and a water bottle in his lunch box for snack. I had gotten him this spill-proof water bottle earlier this year to take on vacation. It survived a 10-day trip attached to my backpack with a carabiner! I put the lunch box in the fridge the night before so it would be nice and cold when he attached it to his backpack in the morning.

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Geek Girl

(Video link)

This makes me happy :)

I'm a geek, but I'm not a gamer.

I geek out on computers, crafts, cooking, and cosplay (and alliteration, apparently...).

My favorite card is at 2:45 "Don't tell my daughters that Lego, Robots, and Superheroes are for boys."

I have a cousin very close to my age, and we spent a lot of time together as kids. Though he is a boy and I am a girl, we often got the same toys. We both had G.I. Joe action figures, Cabbage Patch baby dolls, and Hot Wheels toy cars. We pretended to be international spies, gourmet chefs, and scientists. We both played with my Easy Bake Oven and my chemistry set.

Yes, I had baby dolls and Barbie dolls. Lots of Barbies. My Barbie dolls babysat my G.I. Joes. My Hot Wheels parked in LEGO garages. I took apart my mechanical toys to figure out how they worked. I loved building blocks, Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys. I still do!

At college orientation, we were broken up into teams and challenged with building the highest tower out of drinking straws. I took charge, quickly came up with a design, and led my team to victory.

At an Engineering camp for incoming freshmen sponsored by the Engineering fraternity (there was not an Engineering sorority, of course...), we were again broken into teams and challenged with building the strongest balsa wood bridge. My team won, again with my triangle-based design, supporting more than double the weight of the second-place competitor!

I had an old-school college professor tell the class that girls didn't belong in Engineering school, that it should be men only. I had other professors question my choice of major - maybe I would be better suited in the Humanities Department or the School of Business, maybe music major or accounting....

My first Engineering boss told me, in his office during my annual performance evaluation, that although I was good at my job, I was throwing away my real talent and should quit to become a model.

I graduated with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and have been working in the field for almost 10 years now, first as an Electronics Engineer, and now as an IT Systems Administrator.

Earlier this year, I was featured in a display in my hometown's public library: Engineering in Your Community. I was the only woman on the board of 17 local Engineers!

(You've already seen my Lady Thor costume. Here we are dressed up for the local Comic Con as Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach!)

I don't ever want to hear anyone tell any of my children or my siblings that they can't do something because of their gender. It is OK for girls to play with toy guns and cars. It is OK for boys to play with toy kitchens and dolls. It doesn't matter what color bicycle a child rides - it rides the same whether it is pink or blue!

Of course I love being a girl. I love getting dressed up, whether for real or for play. I love having a man who loves me unconditionally, embraces every single one of my quirks, and listens patiently to my rants. I love being treated like a lady and putting on sparkly accessories. But guys, I especially love that those closest to me love and accept me for me.

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a Mom with a successful career and a Dad who is incredibly patient with children, and both of my parents were dedicated to making sure I was a well-rounded individual who could compete in a male-dominated career field, cook beautiful dinners, rotate my own car tires, sew, whittle, crochet, go camping by myself, and be motherly to my younger relatives. I want to be able to teach all of my children these things, regardless of their gender.

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Special thanks to The Bloggess for linking to the video at the beginning of this post, which sparked today's rant. Thanks for helping me find my tribe.

Nana's Apple Dumplings

Nana's Apple Dumplings
recipe from Tim's mom Sherry

INGREDIENTS
1 large granny smith apple2 cans crescent rolls (8 rolls each)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 Tbs sugar
1 (12 oz.) can Mountain Dew

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Core and cut apple into 16 slices (cut in half, then cut each half in half, cut out the core, then cut each quarter into 4 slices).

Place each apple slice in a crescent roll and roll up. Place in a 9x13 baking dish (2 rows of 8, nestled against each other).

Bring the butter, sugar, and cinnamon just to a boil. Remove from heat as soon as it starts to boil. Pour butter mixture over the rolls, then pour the entire can of Mountain Dew over the rolls.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, until the crescent rolls are golden brown and the sauce has thickened.

Serve warm, making sure to get some of the sauce with each serving.
I like to eat these with a scoop of ice cream!
Yield: 8 servings, 2 rolls each