Food Friday - King Arthur Bakealong Challenge!

from Tracey G

This week we're having a little fun... I discovered the King Arthur Flour Bakealong Challenge (click the link to go their page on it along with the links to this month's recipe!) on my Instagram feed. As soon as I saw it, I immediately sent a text to Kris saying that this would be a fun thing for her and I to do, just because. At the time I wasn't thinking of the blog. Then, one day last week, it hit me that it would be fun to incorporate it this week into our Food Friday post, if she was game! Since we were a month behind, we each took a recipe to make this time around. I couldn't locate the proper sun-dried tomatoes needed, so I asked Kris if she'd mind making the Bakealong Challenge Recipe #1, the Pane Bianco and I'd make the #2 recipe, Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffins. It was a deal!

Well, it was fun! I enjoyed trying something new - and let me say that as soon as I find the proper sun-dried tomatoes I am making the Pane Bianco because it looks yummy and fairly easy! I am finding that I am now looking forward to the next month's recipe challenge. We also have been bantering back and forth on how to incorporate the King Arthur Bakealong Challenge recipes every month on the blog. I know we'll come up with something fun to do with it because was a fun experience and will be a fun one to share too! If you make it, let us know! Or tag it on Instagram with the King Arthur Bakealong tag, #bakealong and mention us so we can see your creations!  Our Instagram id's are @allinadaykris and @traceann24. You'll see us there, so join in on the fun!! And the treats!

Now, on to the recipe. It was super simple to make and let me tell you it's one of the yummiest muffins ever and has spawned some ideas in my brain of using the technique on other muffins - think carrot cake with the frosting on the inside! And I really enjoyed making it, although for some reason I was totally unorganized feeling! I have no idea why, but it just felt like I did everything out of order - but even then, they came together beautifully and perfectly! I think it's one of the times I actually was pleased with how they looked after they were baked off - I thought they looked lovely! And I did use the cookie scoop as they suggest and wow, did it make it easy to make the whole thing, every stage, the scoop was great!

Here's the link to the recipe walk-through, on the Kind Arthur blog:

King Arthur Flour Bakealong Challenge #2 Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffins Walk-Through

And here's just the recipe:

King Arthur Flour Bakealong Challenge #2 Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

I have a feeling this is going to be a lot of fun!!! Enjoy!


from Kris B.

I’m almost up for a challenge, especially when it involves food and or photography.  To find one that includes both is like hitting the jackpot.  As Tracey said, she found out about the King Arthur Bakealong Challenge two month’s into it.  That’s OK; it gave us each a recipe to try!  Deciding who would do which one was easy…Tracey had the ingredients on hand for the pumpkin muffins and I have two basil plants with enough leaves to make pesto for the entire state of Texas so I was happy to make the Pane Bianco. At the least, it gave me another use for some of the basil!  Sadly, we did not have homegrown tomatoes this year so I did have to buy sun-dried tomatoes.  But, there’s always next year for the homegrown….

This is one of those recipes where the final product makes it look much harder than it is.   The bread requires just a little cutting and shaping of the dough to give it an artisan look.  All you need to know is how to make the letter “S.” lol!

The recipe says that the dough will be a “soft” dough.  Mine was not.  It was a bit dry when first combined.  I kneaded with wet hands and that helped.  My first rise time was almost double what the recipe indicated.  I’m not sure if the differences I encountered were due to the flour (I did use King Arthur bread flour.), the weather here in Dallas, or user error, but in the end, all was well.  The bread is absolutely delicious!!!

Try the recipe as is or stuff it with some of your favorite ingredients.  Several of the posts on the King Arthur site suggested that black olives would be a nice addition.  I’m not an olive fan so I am perfectly happy with the recipe as is.  Whatever you use, the recipe warns not to over stuff. Cooking is all about having fun and being creative!  

Here's the link to the recipe walk-through, on the Kind Arthur blog:

http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2016/08/08/pane-bianco-bakealong/

And here's just the recipe:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/bakealong/pane-bianco.pdf

If you make either of these recipes we’d love for you to share pictures of your projects.  No worries…you don’t have to share your muffins and bread!  As Tracey said,  on IG #bakealong and mention us, @traceann24 and @allinadaykris so we won't miss your creations!

Happy baking!

Food Friday - Breakfast On the Go

from Kris B.

Tracey and I do our best to share recipes on Food Fridays that we both enjoy making and eating and our hope is that you will find a few that you like as well.  There is no question that we both enjoy the cooking, photographing, and then eating whatever it is that we share in these posts as well.  But honestly, often the “behind the scenes” conversations that we have about what we are doing is the most fun of it all!  I am going to share a bit of this week’s text messaging about our progress toward getting this week’s post done.  You guys will either lose complete respect for us (assuming you ever had any, LOL!); or, you will wish you were part of our circus!

One of my favorite things to think about is text messages that are sent that if were read and of context are either hilarious, frightening, or grounds for a stay in a mental health facility.  Here is one such exchange between us this week.

Me: I need to go shoot muffins.

Tracey: “And what did you do on Saturday?  I shot some muffins!”

Me: It is hunting season, right?

Tracey: Small game I think, so that would be mini muffins…

Me: Uh oh!  I am shooting jumbo muffins…without a license!

Tracey: I won’t tell the DNR!

I am so glad that I have a friend who has my back!  Oh, and this whole conversation was going on amidst another conversation about cup sizes…and not measuring cups!!!  You are going to have to wait for Tracey to share that one with you!!!  Trust me.  You won’t want to miss it!

Now for this week’s recipe, which I believe originally came from Taste of Home…

I have been trying to get up early enough on school mornings to have a nice, calm slow breakfast that involves multiple cups of coffee.  (Nope! Not coffee cup sizes either.)  This works fairly well on the days when my first class is a 9am.  Tuesdays and Thursdays when class starts at 7:30, it’s a once cup morning, with that cup being a travel mug, and sometimes a grab and go breakfast.  These Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins are a great compromise when my taste buds want oatmeal and my schedule say, “Not today, sweetheart!”

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 Cups quick cooking oats

 1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp  baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 Cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 Cup milk )I used almond milk)

3 TBS canola oil

1 egg white

For the topping:

1/4 Cup quick cooking oats

1 TBS brown sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon (I probably used closer to 1/4 tsp)

1 TBS melted butter

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, excluding those used for the topping.  In a second bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until incorporated.  *Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 of the way full.  

Mix all of the topping ingredients together and sprinkle evenly on the tops of the muffins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes.

This recipe yields 10 regular muffins, 6 jumbo muffins, or 20-24 mini muffins.  Choose responsibly depending on whether or not it is muffin hunting season in your area!  

And, using muffin liners negates the need for greasing the tins. :-)

One more thing...There is great debate in food photography as to whether drips and crumbs should be left in photos.  I am a realist.  I think they should.  And, I can't get muffins in the tins without dripping somewhere. So, I left the burnt on drip.  That is me!  If you are a perfectionist and secretly, or not so secretly, want to be Martha Stewart, clean your pans carefully before you bake and photograph.  Or, become a Photoshop whiz!  I have neither the real skills of Martha nor the PS skills to make me look like a fake Martha. Therefore, drips it is.  

Enjoy!

from Tracey G

Ok, I'll admit it - after reading through my friend's post first, before I sat down to write mine, I realized I am a drip-wiper-upper before I bake! LOL! There's never really been any thought to it, it's just something I do, whether I am photographing it or not! Now I wonder if it's not some other manifestation of my tendency toward the perfectionist regime...something to think about for sure as to my motives to do so! Ha!

My post has been quite the project for me this week - not the making of or photographing of, but the getting-it-done-and-all-put-together done kind of thing. I've had a nasty cold and other another illness, involving needing antibiotic, that's been making me feel yucky as well. Geesh, when it rains it pours! So, my attention span has been really shallow, due to feeling tired and just plain blah and icky. It's hard to think when you just want to vegetate and sleep! So, I apologize now for it being later than usual!! Unfortunately, it now seems to have morphed again into a sore throat thing, which is not pleasant at all to deal with and making me rather annoyed, I just want to be back to normal healthy! LOL And here I thought I was starting to feel better....silly me! I should have known better!

I am still in my mode to find things that can be convenient to eat and convenient to store - preferably in the freezer until they're needed and can then be heated and eaten. No muss, no fuss. I found a few recipes for breakfast items that can be an individual serving right out of the oven or the freezer. This one is my own version of a few breakfast-in-a-muffin-cup kind of things. I adjusted ingredients and amounts to suit  my tastes, so that should tell you that you too can do the same thing. Adjust it, add to it - make it yours. Among the variations in my research, things like chopped onion or chopped green pepper can be added to change it up. I am thinking I am going to try a "Greek Version" using feta and spinach, and possibly chopped tomato in the egg mixture. I've lots of ideas for this one, and decided that if the child didn't like them, it didn't matter because I did - and this is something that can help me be on the healthier eating straight and narrow. It's quick and easy to make, and to reheat to eat later - especially if it's one of those times I'm rushed and would be tempted to turn to something either processed or not-so-healthy! And they even are good for brunch/lunch, not just for breakfast, I tested that out as well, lol.

So, here we go, here's the super simple recipe that could potentially have quite a few variations! Let me say here though, that I had a heck of a time getting them out of them out of the muffin cups, even though I sprayed them well. I am thinking that next time I make them, I may use the foil cupcake liners. I'd just have to make sure to remove the foil liner BEFORE I reheated in the microwave!

Egg and Sausage Muffins

Makes 12

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage

12 eggs

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (or more to taste! Or even a different cheese if you prefer!)

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. In a skillet, cook sausage, breaking into crumbles, until no longer pink; drain.

2) In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add garlic powder, salt, onion powder and pepper. Stir in sausage and cheese.

3) Prepare muffin tin by spraying with cooking spray. Spoon egg mixture into muffin cups, about 1/3 cup in each. Bake for about 20-25 min, or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Freeze Option: Cool baked muffins completely. Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets and freeze until firm. Transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag (or another tightly covered freezer container) and store in the freezer. To use, place in greased muffin pan, cover loosely with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven until heated through. Or microwave each muffin on high 30-60 seconds or until heated through.

Nutritional Information (approximate), per muffin: 160 calories, 12g fat, (5g saturated) 207mg cholesterol, 346mg sodium, 137mg potassium, 1g carbohydrate, 11g protein

Food Friday - Grab and Go

from Kris B.

My head is still wrapped around easy lunches and, if necessary on a busy evening, quick dinners.  I have always loved the idea of the commercial Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets, but tend to steer away from packaged foods.  It is the "hot" part of these sandwiches that appeals to me.me.  Though I do love my PB&Js, a hot sandwich seems more like "real" food.  I know.  I'm a little weird in my thinking.  Now that we have established that...

I am sharing here a process rather than an actual recipe.  This is my solution to a hot sandwich as well as na good choice when I can't decide what I actually want to eat.  These pizza pockets are a little bit sandwich, a little bit pizza, a little bit cheese and crackers, a little bit calzone, and a lot of tasty goodness!

Start with pizza dough.  I make my own dough using the recipe from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes A Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  Their process allows you to make the pizza dough and store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, using only as much as you need each time.  I can make one pizza a roll or I can make a dozen or more.  The dough is there for the using.  But, any pizza dough recipe will work.  Or, if you prefer, you can even use canned or frozen dough if you are really trying to keep things simple.  Roll the dough to 1/4" thick.  You will need a 4x4 square of dough for each pizza pocket.

Choose you filling.  For me, this is my favorite pizza toppings - Canadian bacon, spinach, bell pepper, and onion.  Anything you like will work.  Layer your toppings on the dough square leaving about an inch of dough all the way around.

Then place a mozzarella cheese stick in the center.  Carefully roll the dough around the cheese stick sealing the seam and both ends.  Place the pizza rolls on an uncreased cookie sheet.  Brush each one with melted butter.  Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top and, if desired, add a little garlic salt to the tops as well.

Bake at 400 degrees for 22 minutes.  **If you are using commercial pizza dough, your cooking time may differ.  Follow the manufacturers instructions.

Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

These can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen and reheated as needed.  They are best if reheated in the oven or toaster oven, but in a pinch, the microwave will do.



from Tracey G

I am forever it seems looking for snack-type items that are fun and that Harry would like - especially for after school. There's that time between getting home from school and getting dinner on the table that I hear the never-ending, "but I'm starving!" from Harry. Lately he's been on a total corn dog kick, I have to keep them in the freezer constantly it seems. He absolutely loves them, so when I spotted this recipe on the Wilton site, I was intrigued! It's a little snack version of a corn dog! And looked super simple to make - which was better yet!

Well, let me say they did come together super easy, a total snap to make. It said that it made 4 dozen, and I got four dozen, plus some batter left over so I made a pan of just mini plain corn muffins. Now I should say here, that I, do not care for corn dogs. I like hot dogs and corn bread, but not put together - never have. BUT, I really liked these little things! Harry, on the other hand, was not too impressed. And the only reason for that is, because they aren't the commercial, deep-fried dogs on a stick. Heaven forbid we like homemade better! But, I like them quite a bit and Jeremy did too - they're even good cold out of the fridge in my opinion! But then again, I can eat just about anything cold out of the fridge, a proclivity I'm sure I inherited from my father - he was the same way, didn't matter what it was, it was good right out of the fridge, no need to reheat! LOL!!

I did tweak the recipe a bit by adding in an extra tablespoon of sugar, the batter just wasn't the right sweetness to my taste (yes, I had to taste the batter, raw eggs be darned!), so instead of 2 tablespoons, I used 3. And I made sure I used good all-beef hot dogs too, my personal favorites these days, the Nathan's Bun Length Hot Dogs - I think that those really added to the yum factor for me as well!! The recipe does include a dipping sauce that sounds really yummy, but I didn't make it because I knew it wasn't something that would appeal to Harry, but I know I'd like it!

As I said, I found this recipe on the Wilton site, so it can be found here:  Mini Corn Dog Bites

And here's the recipe, as written!

Mini Corn Dog Bites

Courtesy of Wilton.com

Makes 48 mini muffins (4 dozen)

1 package (15 ounces) all-beef bun-length hot dogs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (melted and cooled slightly)

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream (additional 2/3 cup for dipping sauce)

2 Eggs

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

1) Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare Mega Mini Muffin Pan with vegetable pan spray.

2) Cut each hot dog into 6 pieces.

3) In large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. In medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk, sour cream and eggs. Stir butter mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared pan cavities, filling each about half full. Place one hot dog piece in the center of each cavity.

4) Bake 14-16 minutes or until muffins are golden brown around edges. Cool in pan on cooling grid 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

6) In small bowl, stir together sour cream, mustard and honey. Serve alongside warm Mini Corn Dog Bites.

Food Friday - Ode to the Lunchbox

from Kris B.

School started for me last Monday.  As I was sitting at the dining room table that morning drinking my coffee and running my day in my head, it dawned on me that that day, August 29, 2016, was my fiftieth first day of school.  I started kindergarten in September of 1966 at age 4.  I have been involved in education, on one side of the desk or the other, ever since then.  I spent thirteen years, including that year in kindergarten, as a public school student, three and a half years as an undergraduate, seven years as a graduate student and graduate teaching fellow, a year as a pre-school and elementary music teacher, and the last twenty-five years as a professor of music theory.  I posted something along these lines on Facebook on Monday morning.  One of my friends posted a comment that said, “Where is your first day of school picture?”  That started me thinking…

I remember a few first day of school photos that my mom took, maybe kindergarten, first, and second grade, but that’s it.  She was not a picture taker.  When my girls were in school, I did take first day of school pictures of them, but it never crossed my mind to either take one of me or even one of the three of us together.  When I read my friend’s comment I wondered what it would be like to have all of those fifty first day of school pictures.  Maybe if I’d known back in elementary school or junior high that my whole life would be spent in education, I might have thought to document it this way.  Sadly, I didn’t.  So, I had to rely on my less than vivid memories to help me “celebrate” this "golden anniversary.";

I thought about all the schools that I had attended, all the teachers that I had had.  I smiled as I recalled those that had truly inspired me.  I said “thank you” to those who had a part in shaping me into the teacher that I am.  I forgave those who made school miserable at times.  Names of friends who I haven't thought about in decades crossed my mind.  I wondered what happened Steven Leonard, the kid in fourth grade who threw up in class every morning that his mother gave him Carnation Instant Breakfast.  I lamented the fact that I kept in touch with exactly zero of my girl friends from high school.  I could have spent a long time wandering aimlessly through the past not sure where I was going or for what I was looking.  About this time, I happened to look at the clock and realized that it was time for me to head out the door.  Back to the present, to a time where I knew exactly where I was going and what I needed to be doing.

As I sat down for lunch that day, those twinges of nostalgia crept back into my thoughts.  Though first day of school pictures were not part of my start of school memories, other things were.  I remember getting new clothes, mostly dresses because I am old enough that girls had to wear dresses to school every day.  This was the case until I was in junior high.  I got new shoes, shoes that I had to take off as soon as I got home from school because school shoes were not play shoes.  I got new notebooks and pencils.  But, my favorite thing about the beginning of a new school year was that I always got a new lunch box.  They were always metal and came with a “real” breakable Thermos.  I had them with pictures of astronauts on them and Peanuts characters. I had one that looked like a mailbox and another that was red plaid.  My all-time favorite though was the one with Johnny Gage and Roy Desoto from the TV series Emergency.  Lunch boxes themselves have changed a lot in the last fifty years, but the fact that I still get a new one at the beginning of every school year has not.  And, neither has my preference in lunch box meals.

I do take leftovers from the previous night’s dinner or salads for lunch several days a week, but I have to admit that my favorite lunch is a tried and true PB&J, chips, fruit, and a sweet treat.  When I was little, my PB&J was made with Skippy peanut butter and grape jelly on white bread.  Now I eat it with homemade peanut butter and red plum jelly on preferably homemade oatmeal bread.  My chip preference used to be Fritos, probably because you got a free Frito Bandito eraser in the package.  Now I eat pretzel thins.  Most days I still eat an apple, though occasionally I branch out to another fruit.  Somewhere along the line I bought into that notion of an apple a day… And, my two or three Oreos or chocolate chip cookies as a sweet treat have been replaced by a small piece or two of dark chocolate.   If only I still had Johnny and Roy on my lunchbox… Though my food choices haven't matured much, my lunchbox has, sort of.

This year’s lunchbox is sort of like a Bento box.  I like the small compartments because they help with portion control.  Yeah…the need for portion control was not an issue for me fifty years ago either.

I am thankful that these day I enjoy my faithful PB&J most often   in my office by myself rather than in a noisy school lunchroom.  There are some benefits to growing up!!

And now its time for a confession…as I sit here writing this, I am drinking coffee and eating pumpkin spice Oreos.  Oreos may make their way back into my lunchbox this year!!!  

from Tracey G

This week Kris and I have been musing about school, the first days of, lunches, and so forth. Harry starts school on the 6th this year, just a few days away. Hard to believe summer has flown by so quickly, yet it really didn't feel like it went by that fast. It's a strange combination of perception this year! I would have to say it was a good summer, didn't do a whole lot of anything, but a lot of that was directed by Harry, so as long as he was happy, that's good enough for me! I think he really was ready for some unstructured kid time after a school year of nothing but structure and rigid routine. This summer was one full of lazy days - up late and sleeping in late, which I know he's loved every minute of! I even think there were a few days for him he never even got out of his lounge clothes - and I would bet my right arm that if asked him, those were his favorite days of all, lol.

But there is something to be said about gearing up for the new school year - and getting him ready for it always reminds me of all my years of getting ready for the First Day of School. The ritual of school clothes shopping was my favorite, of course, lol, my parents would give me a nice budget and let me go nuts - good times! We didn't use backpacks back then, they weren't a "thing" until college (and let me say I wished they were the thing when I was in Junior High and High School because that was a LOT of book juggling!). Why, I have no idea, like it wasn't cool to carry one until college, lol. Crazy.

The choosing of the lunchbox though was a big deal - that was something special to be sure. I don't remember when I stopped buying lunch boxes. Probably 6th grade if I hazard a guess. By 7th on up I ate school lunch because it was a la carte by that stage and way more fun than bringing lunch from home!  The funny thing is, I can remember my first few - of course they were metal (called "vintage" these days), and the first couple included Speed Buggy, I'm sure a Speed Racer one and maybe a Scooby Doo thrown in the mix. I remember 5th grade's for sure - Wonder Woman!! Only by that point it was an insulated vinyl material. But after reading the draft of what Kris had to say, I could have only wished I'd been able to have an "Emergency" themed lunch box - I was head over heels crushing on the character Johnny Gage from the time I was like 3 on up, lol. Randolph Mantooth (who played the character Johnny) was my first fangirl crush!!! And I'll never forget I wanted to be just like nurse Dixie McCall! (played by actress AND singer, Julie London - I remember when my dad told me she was a singer too, I didn't believe him until he pulled out her album!)

 But, back to the lunchboxes, I do remember that we had this crazy little lunchroom ritual when we brought lunch in my early elementary school (only grades K-2 if I remember correctly),  for some reason upon entering the lunchroom, we'd slide our lunchboxes on the floor to the table we were going to eat at! It was like lunchbox shuffleboard, lol. My metal lunchboxes took a beating...

In the shopping for Harry's lunchboxes I can't help be reminded of how much things have stayed the same (kid's favorite characters!) yet how much they've changed (materials!). I do have a hard time letting him pick his own, lol, I see the ones I like and it's like I'm a kid all over again and gently remind myself this is HIS lunchbox, not mine, so if he wants Miles From Tomorrowland over Star Wars, that's what it is. Even if I do secretly covet that cool Star Wars lunchbox... This year though, since he opted for a Minecraft themed backpack, we searched for a cool lunchbox in the same theme, but there weren't any to speak of. So, this year, it's a plain black one with lime green piping and handle. It's pretty cool I think - and it matches his backpack fabulously. And he likes it, that right there makes it perfect.

The items that go inside have changed quite a bit as well - where I had pretty much eaten out of my thermos (Campbell's soups were a favorite of mine), because I was one of those odd children that didn't like peanut butter and jelly. I just started liking it actually not that long ago, lol, and even now I prefer no jelly/jam on my peanut butter sandwich, but sometimes when the mood hits, sign me up for the addition of some yummy seedless blackberry-black raspberry jam! But anyway, there's so many cool portable lunch products out there these days! I love the drink/juice bags, I remember when the ONLY brand out there was Capri Sun - I remember when they came out, and let me just say that was well AFTER my school lunch days, lol. They became a camping staple for me, lol.

I have to confess, I love individually packaged items. Yes I know I could buy a big container of things and portion it out myself a lot more cheaply I'm sure, but what it saves me in time and peace of mind, I'd rather have those individual bags of Goldfish and pretzels! Not to mention the cheese sticks - not only the string cheese, but the colby-jack and cheddar! The applesauce pouches (and just about any fruit you can imagine in a squeezy container, lol) are a wonderful thing - no utensils necessary, no trying to open the little cup of the stuff - awesome, lol. I do get a few things that are less than the healthy route, but I believe in all things in moderation, so a little treat is nice to have occasionally as well to help keep the hum-drums out of lunches packed from home when you're a 7-year-old kid, lol. So he'll find the occasional Rice Krispies Treat square or fruit gummies - and maybe sometimes an individual package of chocolate chip cookies when I don't have homemade around for him.

What I do know is that there are so many cool choices out there - fairly healthy, and of course some that aren't so healthy but are guilty pleasures nonetheless - that would have probably had me taking lunch from home WAY more often than I actually did as kid! Kids these days (and adults who pack a lunch every day or almost every day) have a lot of fun choices to keep things fun and fresh in the realm of packing that lunchbox!!!