Pizzadilla leftovers....

Leftovers are a beautiful thing....you cook once and eat twice. They are especially great when you are in hurry and need to make lunch FAST!! Leftovers just taste better on the second day, too, don't they? Monday was a crazy busy day for me, and then last night, the hubbz, kids, and I had a school open house to attend. Doncha just love open house!! The kidlets came home from school, and it was like a tornado around our house getting homework done, dinner prepared, and lunches made. Dinner ended up being quick pizza quesadillas which I call pizzadillas....all the yummy toppings of a pizza folded inside a warm, crispy tortilla. Oh yeah!! My kids love these. I intentionally made a few extra so I could send them in Z's lunch.

My pizzadillas are very easy and quick to make.  I like to serve the marinara sauce on the side instead of layering it on the quesadillas (cuts down on the messiness). When I make these, I layer Monterey Jack cheese, pepperoni slices, mushrooms, and sautéed onions on the tortilla, and I cook them in a large skillet on medium heat (I spray the pan with Pam butter cooking spray) until the cheese is oozey, goozey melted goodness, and the tortilla shells have crisped up.

Pizzadillas are delish, and YES, my kiddo will eat them at room temp. Give them a try...your kids just might like them room temp, too.

This lunch is packed in EasyLunchboxes.

• Pizzadillas served with marinara sauce for dipping- made with Sargento Cheddar/Jack cheese and Vermont Smoke and Cure nitrate and additive free pepperoni slices
• black olives
• Sun World Scarlotta red seedless grapes- These grapes are soooo sweet and delicious.
• green beans tossed in balsamic dressing
• yogurt tube- This is the Kroger brand yogurt tube with no artificial colors or flavors.

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Look....Lunch! #5

Aahhhh!! Fall break! We love fall break. I can hardly believe my kiddos have been in school for 9 weeks. The weather is gorgeous here in the M-town, so the fam and I are headed to the lake for some R&R on Wednesday....one last visit this year before it gets too cold. A big shout out of thanks to my mom and step-dad for looking after my fur baby. I hope you all have a great week, and I'll talk to ya next week.

Look....Lunch! #5
Here's the little guy's lunch from last Friday:

"Look.....Lunch!" is a series of lunch posts for those days when I just don't have time to say anything more than, "Look.....Lunch!".


This lunch is packed in the Lunchbots Cinco.
You can read my original post on the Lunchbots Cinco HERE.

• Vermont Smoke and Cure pepperoni and ham chunks- nitrate, hormone, and additive free
• Kim and Scott's organic soft pretzel bites with mustard for dipping- I brushed off all the salt sprinkles on top as my kidlet doesn't like the salt. I found these at Costco.
• red seedless grapes
• baby carrots and Sunburst cherry tomatoes with spinach/artichoke dip in the rainbow box
• Dannon Danimals strawberry Greek yogurt with a few sprinkles

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Pizza pasta in a Thermos....

Hi Friends! Is it feeling a bit fallish where you live? It sure is here in the M-town. And I LOVE it!! When the weather starts cooling off, my little guy likes to have a hot lunch from time-to-time. I'm happy to oblige because that means more dinner leftovers for lunch, and leftovers are easy. Yay for leftovers! Yay for easy!!

 A Thermos is an awesome supply to have in your lunch packing arsenal for hot foods. There are several brands of thermoses on the market, but the one that I like best is the Thermos Funtainer. I used a Thermos Funtainer for my oldest when he was taking a packed lunch to school, and I have used one for Z since second grade. These thermoses are great, and they really do keep food warm for several hours. I pack Z's Thermos at 7:45 in the morning, and he eats lunch at 11:50. He says that the food is still warm at lunchtime. So, I highly recommend the Funtainer.

While I prefer to pack hot foods, the Thermos Funtainer is great at keeping foods cold, as well. I like that the Thermos Funtainer is stainless steel, BPA free, has an easy open lid, and is made in the U.S.A.

Here are a few things that I have packed in Z's Thermos:
Pizza pasta
Spaghetti
Oatmeal
Mac & cheese
Meatballs
Chicken noodle soup

How to pack the Thermos:
Fill the Thermos with boiling water- and I mean BOILING water.
Close the lid, and let the Thermos sit for 10-15 minutes.
Heat the food to go in the Thermos where it's VERY hot.....scald your mouth hot.
Pour the hot water out of the Thermos, and IMMEDIATELY fill the Thermos with the hot food.
Replace the lid, and pack it in your kiddo's lunchbox.
Done...easy, peasy, lemon squeezy as Z would say.


This lunch is packed in the Thermos Funtainer and a Take-A-Dip snack container.

• Pizza pasta- you can find the recipe for the pizza pasta bake HERE. I loosely follow this recipe when I make the pizza pasta. I often will use whatever pasta shape I have in my pantry. I prefer to use ground mild sausage instead of the links, and I prefer pepperoni chunks in mine instead of the sliced. I also prefer to use fresh mushrooms that I cook in with the peppers and onions, and I combine the Glen Muir pizza sauce with spaghetti sauce because my family likes a really saucy pasta. And, of course, I use twice as much fresh mozzarella cheese as this recipe because WE LOVE CHEESE!
• Goldfish pizza flavored crackers
• red seedless grapes
• baby carrots with Lakeview Farms spinach/artichoke dip
• Hershey's mini chocolate
• Gogurt

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:

Z-man loves to dip.....

Mmmmm...peanut butter!! My little guy loves peanut butter. He loves the smooth, crunchy and anything in the middle. He will eat just about anything with peanut butter in it or on it. Regular peanut butter sammie...loves it! Peanut butter wrap...loves it! Peanut butter and crackers...loves it! And, yes, he LOVES to dip with peanut butter. But, hey, what kid doesn't? It's in their DNA or something, right? When Z gets a snack attack at home, it's apples with peanut butter for dipping to the rescue. I bought these peanut butter Jif-To-Go cups at the grocery and thought they would be great in the lunchbox. So, today's lunch is all about dipping....apples, veggies, pretzels, and graham crackers.

Here are a few other things that are quite tasty dipped in peanut butter:
Marshmallows
Saltine crackers
Waffles
Bananas
Ritz crackers
Pears
Rice cakes
Animal crackers
Pita chips

This lunch is packed in EasyLunchboxes.

• Vermont Smoke and Cure ham chunks- nitrate, hormone, and additive free
• Sargento cheddar cheese
• Jif-To-Go peanut butter
• celery and baby carrots
• Annie's organic honey graham crackers
• Rold Gold honey wheat pretzel sticks
• Pink Lady apple wedges

Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch: