Get Ready For #BlueberryPancakeDay with Driscoll's!

 

January 28th is National Blueberry Pancake Day, and what better way to celebrate than with some blueberry pancakes for breakfast (or lunch!)

[This post is sponsored by Driscoll's Berries]

I don't really have a "pancake recipe" since I'm usually lazy and just use a gluten-free pancake mix. But I always add 1-2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp real vanilla extract in addition to whatever the package says, and I substitute non-dairy milk and butter. However, I do enjoy making a quickie microwave berry compote to go on top instead of syrup!

I tried making a big batch of compote once, but I'm the only one who eats it - my girls prefer maple syrup or honey or powdered sugar on their pancakes. And Hubby prefers peanut butter. So I figured out a way to make myself a single serving in the microwave. Quick, easy, and I don't have to boil jars to store the leftovers... since there aren't any!

Microwave Blueberry Compote

Single-Serve:
~1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I just use a 6 oz berry clamshell usually)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2-3/4 tsp corn starch

Enough for Everyone (3-4 servings):
3 cups fresh or frozen berries
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp corn starch

Combine berries, sugar, and corn starch in a large microwave-safe bowl (can use smaller bowl for single-serve size.) Mix well.
Cover (I use a plate) and microwave on High for 2-3 minutes.
Stir (mash fresh berries a little if needed) and microwave again for 2-3 minutes, until bubbling and starting to thicken.

I like to stock up on organic Driscoll's berries when they are on sale or if I have a coupon, and then freeze any that don't get used up fast enough. Fresh berries are great for lunchboxes and shortcake or sundae toppings; and frozen berries are perfect to add into pancakes or baking, making compote or jam, or to make cold smoothies without needing to water it down with ice! 

Berries shown in the Crisp reusable Berry Basket. Great for rinsing, straining, and storing fresh berries and grapes!

May Day Flowers

Monday, 5/1/14 - I made flowery "bouquet" lunches for my girls for May Day, plus a snack to share at the playground after school!

Flowers for Kindergarten

Organic carrots, GF PB sandwich "wands," peppermint marshmallows, organic strawberries

 

I made flower sandwich "wands" using a large flower veggie cutter and glued gluten-free pretzel sticks in between the bread slices using gobs of peanut butter. Neither girl has really been eating their sandwiches lately, and I figured (correctly) that making these flowers with stems would make them super fun to eat.

I cut a carrot stub with a small flower veggie cutter, then cut that into coins and put them in a small silicone flower cup to keep with the flower theme.

She had been promised some of these gourmet marshmallows in her lunch, in exchange for getting ready for bed the night before. I stuck some flower picks and a leaf pick in them to make them more exciting, since using a flower cutter on them hadn't really done much. (I ate those attempts. Omnomnom!)

And a few lone strawberries in a medium silicone flower cup.

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Toddler Bouquet

Organic grapes, GF PB sandwich wand, GF pretzels, organic carrots and tomatoes

A similar lunch for Little E, but with pretzels instead of marshmallows, since she gets enough treats as it is (she's in full-blown Little Turd 2-year-old phase, and I often throw candy at her to prevent a meltdown. Or to get her out of the kitchen long enough to finish dinner. Or to get her into her car seat...)

My plan backfired, as I forgot that Z had a midday appointment, and that the girls would be eating side-by-side in the car. E was upset that she didn't have any "mah-mawwoes" and Z was miffed that she didn't have any extra pretzels. *sigh* Luckily they were both happy to share!

After-School Snackerel

Organic carrots, clementine, GF PB sandwich wands

Since the weather has been so nice lately, the girls like to stay and play on the playground after Z gets out of school. But Z starts whining that she's hungry, which sets off a little "I'm hunry" toddler copycat. Even though Z usually has leftovers in her lunch, after watching them squabble over some twice-rejected grapes and carrots that I then offered to the toddler, I decided to try and pack something that they have no choice but to share!

I hand-cut notches into the rest of the carrot, that was too skinny to use the veggie cutter on. I put the flower coins into a flower muffin cup, and tucked some carrot sticks in behind. I used a Sharpie on a clementine peel to make more flowers, and added a few extra sandwich wands.

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National Pretzel Day-ish

Monday, 4/28/14 - The night before, I had mis-read somewhere that this day was National Pretzel Day, so I got all excited and made simple pretzel-y lunches and snack for my girls. Then I went and looked online and saw I had just missed it by a few days. Doh! Oh well. They were thrilled with their lunches anyway!

Kindergarten Snackerel

GF pretzel sticks, Udi's Ancient Grains Crisps, organic strawberries

 

Z's morning Kindergarten has a class snack, and lately the other snack parents have been sending Z-safe snacks, so I've been lax about packing one every day. But I made sure to pack some pretzels!

Pretzel-y Lunch for Big Sis

PB sandwich on GF Ener-G pretzel bread, GF pretzel sticks, organic carrots and grapes

I found this "pretzel bread" at a local gluten-free market up near Nana's house when I overheard another customer raving about it. So it was the perfect sandwich choice for what I thought was Pretzel Day!

I didn't want to cut the sandwich into a fancy shape because the crust is covered with pretzel crumbs. It's the best part!

Pretzels for Little Sis

1/2 PB sandwich on GF Ener-G pretzel bread, GF pretzel sticks; organic carrots, tomatoes, and strawberries

 

Little Sis got a half-sandwich, and a few strawberries on their last legs. Plus little tomatoes. She loves little tomatoes!

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Every Child is a Piece of the Puzzle: Autism Awareness Day Bento

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day, and the whole month of April is National Autism Awareness Month in the US. The Puzzle Piece is the perfect symbol to reflect the mystery and complexity of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Also, since every puzzle piece is different in some way, a puzzle piece accurately represents the diversity of the individuals affected. 

We don't have a diagnosis yet, but I'm fairly certain that Z has something in the Autism spectrum. Either way, I have enough friends with children in the Autism and Sensory spectrums, and packing a puzzle lunch is a great way to show them my love and understanding too!

Black rice crackers, goat cheese, organic carrots and apples

The "official" Autism colors are red, yellow, and blue, to represent the diversity of people and families living with Autism, but blue is the color for Autism Speaks, which has a powerful marketing campaign, which is why blue is so often associated with Autism. I went mostly with blue for this lunch anyway.

I chose multiple silicone cups in different shapes mostly because I didn't have a bunch in any given shape with that shade of blue. But I also felt that the diversity in shapes was a lot like the symbolism of the puzzle piece. We're all a little different, but we all fit part of the bigger picture.

This was a pretty quick and easy lunch, thanks to a tiny edge-piece cookie cutter and tiny puzzle piece cookie cutter I bought online. They're freakishly expensive, but hopefully won't rust and dissolve like some of my standard (steel?) ones left by the sink too long. Since I was ordering the little fish cutter anyway (gluten-free dairy-free goldfish crackers, anyone?) I decided to spread out the bite from the $8 shipping charge and ordered all 4 "mini tiny" cutter shapes, plus some cute mini gnomes.

I also added a puzzle pick in with the apples. I just ordered these, and they arrived just in time!

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"Puzzle Cheese" for the Toddler

The little one got leftover carrots and fruit from snack and lunch the day before, in the hopes that they'll actually get eaten at some point. And she got all the cheese scraps from Big Sister's lunch. Whenever I'd make fun cheese shapes for my nieces, I'd always save the scraps to eat later or melt in grilled cheese sandwiches or whatever. The older one started calling them "puzzle cheese," since they fit around the cut-outs like a puzzle, and she'd always ask for more "puzzle cheese." So that's what we call them now!

E also got a silicone star cup because every child is a super-star. And I couldn't find any other shapes in blue.

    

Bent On Better Lunches is hosting an Autism Awareness lunch linky party, so be sure to check out a gaggle of other puzzle-riffic lunches, or go link up your own!

 

Learn some of the signs of Autism, and if you suspect something might be "off," trust your instincts. Find your local Early Intervention program for a free screening of cognitive, motor, and social/emotional development for children birth to 3, and ChildFind through the school district for ages 3 to 5. (Google either program name and your city, county, or a nearby city name to find the ones near you!) These services are free to you, and it's never too early to start helping your child(ren)! Even if you feel your child is fairly "normally developing," it's still nice to see where they fall, and get advice on how to help them with the stuff they are still struggling with!

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