Lunch on May 5, 2011 - Mushroom "sandwiches"

The theme of this week is sandwiches.  As I mentioned yesterday, today's lunch included a sandwich but as I expected, Juju didn't know what to do with it and as she pulled it apart, all the turkey fell on the ground.  Oy.  Some of it was able to be salvaged but the whole fiasco was a reminder that this kid just isn't ready for conventional sandwiches.  But, that doesn't stop me from sending another kind of sandwich tomorrow.

This evening we had some portabella mushroom ravioli for dinner (I went a little crazy in the fresh pasta section of Trader Joe's since the squash ravioli was so good and I am still trying to make up for all the carbs we couldn't eat during Passover).  I didn't think Juju would be into the ravioli (you'll recall she didn't go for the triangles I packed last week) but as it turns out, all we needed to do was cut the ravioli in half to show her the goodness inside and she was intrigued.  When we explained that the goodness inside was mushrooms, she was immediately hooked and asked for seconds and thirds.  At one point during the meal she picked up her ravioli and pronounced, "it looks like a sandwich!"  You can imagine the "ah ha" moment I had when I realized this is exactly the kind of sandwich I should be packing: self-contained, small, and brimming with mushrooms.

Naturally tomorrow's lunch is leftovers from tonight featuring "mushroom sandwiches!"

The "sandwiches" are sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese and are joined by a green salad (romaine lettuce, farmstand cabbage, crushed up whole grain pita chips and a light covering of Green Goddess salad dressing), farmstand strawberries, and farmstand watermelon (not shown).  The watermelon has black "nuts" as Juju calls them (seeds).  She likes to eat them.  Am I supposed to tell her that eating them will cause a watermelon to grow in her stomach or do I just let her enjoy the extra fiber?  Please let this be the hardest parenting dilemma I struggle with. . .

Lunch on April 28 - Trying triangles today

For tomorrow's lunch we are trying something new.  Whenever I try something new I also offer extra stand-by foods in case the newcomer is rejected.

The new items are these triangle ravioli stuffed with butternut squash and a hint of brown sugar.  I find them absolutely delicious and hope Juju does too (I got them in the fresh pasta section at Trader Joe's).  I sauteed leeks and mushrooms in a small amount of butter and oil and layered them with the 5 ravioli (I just boiled them in water).  I also threw in some steamed broccoli and sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top.  My guess is Juju will pick around the ravioli and only eat the veggies but maybe she'll figure out ravioli is really just dressed up pasta and she'll gobble them up (she never has any trouble eating pasta).  I am also including grapes and cantaloupe plus a small bowl of Greek honey yogurt with pomegranate seeds in case she doesn't dig the ravioli triangles.  And, my ReSnackIt bags came in the mail today (finally!) so I stuffed a few edamame pods inside.  The ReSnackIt bags are different from the SnackTaxis in that they feel more laminated and ready for food (like I am not worried about getting them wet) but there is still something slightly "homemade" about them.  I can't make a final ruling on which one I like better until Juju has had some more time with these.

This lunch is pretty healthy but lest you think I am a super-organic-no-pesticides-no-spray-health-food-only mom, let me clue you in to lunch today.  We ate at Johnny Rockets and Juju's lunch consisted of a mini hamburger bun dipped in ketchup, half of a mini hamburger patty (also used for lots of dipping in ketchup), 3 french fries, 2 pickles, and about 6 ounces of her first ever (I think) chocolate shake.  Sorry, no photo.  I'm definitely not winning mom of the year in the food category but I do think it's fun to shake things up a little bit (no pun intended).  She can't eat mushrooms for every meal. . .