Hot Lunch vs Cold Lunch

We all face different temperature issues when packing lunches for our kiddos. Sometimes it's how to keep everything cool, other times we try to find ways for them to eat a hot, home-cooked lunch.

Hot lunches are a great way to avoid sandwich fatigue and re-purposed leftovers so we aren't always making something new. Some schools, especially for the younger tots, will heat up packed lunches for them. But as our kids have gotten older, it's a bit more of a free-for-all! Our best solution so far has been using a thermos, but here are a couple of our lunch packing tips!

For keeping cold:

Freeze your bread! Freezing the sliced bread for sandwiches keeps it fresher longer, and also ensures that the sandwich filling (like chicken or egg salad) stays cooler longer. The bread will be perfectly defrosted by lunch time!


Freeze yogurt! Yogurt can last longer than you think without strong refrigeration because it's bacteria cultures fight off anything hazardous, but freezing a yogurt is an easy way to add an "ice pack" without taking up a lot of extra space in a lunch.

Freeze a water bottle! Even a small water bottle or juice pack will keep lunches nice and cool in a backpack until lunch time.

Freeze the thermos! In the morning while you're packing a lunch and mainlining coffee, fill the thermos with ice water and let it sit in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour out the ice water, put in your cold items, and be amazed at how long they stay chilly! This is perfect for packing a smoothie or milkshake for their lunches!

For keeping warm: 

Boil the (wide mouthed) thermos! Simply boil a small pot of water and pour it directly into the empty thermos, screw on the lid, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Remove the water and put in your favorite hot lunch! We love everything from an omelet, to chili, to meatball or mac n cheese. Even potstickers or shepherds' pie make great options!

Separate! Put napkins with utensils, a pack of crackers, or a banana in between the hot thermos and any sort of cold food you might be packing.

What are your lunchbox hacks? And how in the world do you get your kids to bring home the ice packs and all the containers?! :)

Kids Making a Dif!

Have you heard of the blog called, Never Seconds?  It’s a blog that a young girl in Scotland started a few months ago.  Martha Payne is 9 years old and is a superstar on the web thanks to the power of social media.  She’s a superstar to us because we love that she is taking ownership of getting more nutrition in her life.  Peas to you Martha! 

pea.s :

Martha, let us know if you are looking for a summer internship!

DIY English Muffins

Make our English muffins on Sunday and enjoy them all week long. They are a great breakfast treat, lunch box sandwich, or a quick and easy mini-pizza dinner! Making your own English muffins avoids using preservatives, and other industrial ingredients, found in most store bought varieties. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make a special Valentine's Day breakfast.

• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbl sugar + 1 pinch
• 1 packet yeast
• 1 cup water, about 110 degrees
• 2 Tbl melted butter (substitute with vegetable oil)
• 4 to 6 cups bread flour
• 2 tsp salt
• corn meal for dusting, about 1/4 cup
• cooking spray

Warm milk in saucepan and remove from heat when milk just starts to bubble. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, add the 110 degree water and stir a pinch of sugar. Then add yeast, stir gently, and let start for at least 10 minutes. Mix in the milk, butter (or oil), 1 teaspoon salt and 2-3 cups of flour. The mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 4 hours at room temperature or let rest in the fridge overnight for flavor development (optional).
Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar and mix well. Add flour until a moderately sticky dough is formed. Knead dough at least 5 minutes, using minimal flour so that it doesn't stick too badly, but is still tacky to the touch. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Dust two baking sheets lightly with cornmeal and set aside. Roll dough out to about 1-1.5" thick lightly and cut into peices for muffins, about 2 inch squares (makes about 24 muffins). Place on dusted baking sheets and top muffins with a sprinkle of cornmeal. Let rise for 30 minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. One batch at a time, spray hot pan lightly with cooking spray and add muffins. Flip when golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining muffins. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 405 days or freeze for up to a month.

Here at Peas, we're excited to take our blog in a new direction.

We're going to use this platform to provide tips and tidbits about cooking, kids & nutrition.

Our first tidbit is:

Snack for a healthy smile!

We know that dairy products are a great source of calcium, but turns out that cheddar-like cheeses have additional benefits to aid in the development and maintenance of teeth, particularly when eaten at the end of a meal.

First off, the minerals calcium and phosphorous present in cheese buffer the weakening effects that strongly acidic foods have on teeth.

Chewing on cheeses like cheddar activate the salivary glands to produce more saliva which helps remove residual pieces of food in the mouth. This is particularly effective after a child eats sweets: the cheese loosens and sweeps away sticky bits of candy and thereby helps prevent decay.

Eating cheeses that are semi-firm (like like cheddar, swiss, mozzarella and monterey jack) are particularly effective in this regard. These cheeses are made from very smooth curds that act similarly to a squeegie on a glass window, removing all of the grime, leaving teeth squeaky clean!

So at the end of a meal, consider serving a small cube of cheese to your little one, and enjoying a nibble for yourself.