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Get Creative with Healthy Back-to-School Lunches!

Aug 12 by Chef Hollie Greene 1 Comment

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Back to school lunches top photo

Please join me on September 10th at Cornerstone Sonoma and Sunset Magazine’s Outdoor Test Kitchen for a parent/child hands-on demo on how to make packing school lunches a breeze. Register here.

Outdoor test kitchen

There is nothing wrong with PB&J. There, I’ve said it! I know that parents all share the same goals when it comes to sending their children to school with the best food they can to help their growing minds and bodies excel. The trick is in getting them to eat those healthy lunches.

When Lisa Yokota and Claudine Wong asked me back on their show, Bay Area People, KTVU Fox 2, to cover healthy back-to-school lunches and easy weeknight meals, I jumped at the opportunity. Not only do I love working with these two talented news journalists, but I also receive this request often from the families I work with. “How can I work variety into my child’s lunchbox but without feeling like a short order cook every morning—AND avoiding waste?”

Hollie on Bay Area People Set

Whether it’s those weeknight meals or back-to-school lunches, I always use my 3×3 method to quickly plan and execute healthy meals that children and their parents will love. It all starts with 1) what does your family enjoy eating, and 2) what’s already in your pantry. Then, I put together a very short list of fresh ingredients you’ll need from the grocery store and a game plan that ensures you’ll use the perishable items multiple ways during the week with zero waste.

When you are packing your child’s lunch this year, think about my 3×3 method—always pack a:

  1. Fruit
  2. Veggie
  3. Protein

When choosing ingredients, keep in mind:

  1. Color
  2. Crunch
  3. Taste: Salty + Sweet

Keep it colorful

I also love to throw in some “food hacks” from already made ingredients you can pick up at your local grocery store, such as my unique flavor twists made fast from store bought hummus (see recipes below):

  • Avocado Green Dream Hummus
  • Creamy Carrot Curry Hummus

The key to making it feel easy during the week is to prep ahead on Sunday for the following three days:

  • Cut carrots and cucumbers for next 3 days
  • Make flavored hummus and granola bark
  • Cut fruit for next 3 days

Here are a few ideas I’d love to share with you that will make this year’s school lunches more fun to pack with your children:

Making lunches set up

Menu:

Meatless Monday

  • Hummus, cucumber, carrot wrap
    • Take one piece of whole wheat bread and roll it out with a rolling pin until ¼ inch thick. Spread store bought hummus on the bread and top with shredded carrot, diced red bell pepper, and some torn basil leaves. Roll and cut into four small rounds.
  • Roasted chickpeas
  • Rainbow carrots cut into “sticks”
  • Strawberries/Mango
  • Granola bark (see recipe below)

Tuesday

  • Taco Tuesday wrap: chicken, cheese, and avocado hummus
    • To make avocado hummus: take ½ cup of store bought hummus and blend it with ½ avocado, 1 garlic clove, a pinch of cilantro, and a pinch of cumin. Spread on whole-wheat wrap and top with shredded rotisserie chicken, and shredded cheddar cheese. We also love to add in some of our diced red bell pepper and extra cilantro before rolling up and slicing into two pieces.
  • Mango/Blueberries
  • Cucumber sticks
  • Roasted chickpeas

Wednesday

  • Chicken salad wrap-diced chicken, yogurt, honey, curry powder, dried cranberries
    • Make curry yogurt sauce: 3 tablespoons yogurt, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Take one piece of whole wheat bread and roll it out with a rolling pin until ¼ inch thick. Spread curry yogurt sauce on bread, top with shredded rotisserie chicken and some dried cranberries. Roll and cut into four small rounds.
  • Carrot curry hummus
    • To make carrot curry hummus: take ½ cup store bought hummus and blend in 2 leftover roasted carrot sticks (from previous night’s dinner!), 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Eat with carrot and radish dippers.
  • Rainbow carrot half moons + rainbow radish half moons
  • Blueberries

Thursday

  • Chicken gyro wrap: plain hummus, chicken, shaved carrots, garlicky yogurt sauce
    • To make garlic yogurt sauce: mix 3 tablespoons yogurt, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 garlic clove, ¼ lime, and a pinch of salt. Spread store bought hummus over whole-wheat tortilla wrap, top with shredded rotisserie chicken, garlic yogurt sauce, and grated carrots, and roll up and slice into two pieces.
  • Roasted chickpeas
  • Strawberries
  • Granola bark

Friday

  • Strawberry n Sun Butter “sushi roll”—new take on a PB&J!
    • Take one piece of whole wheat bread and roll it out with a rolling pin until ¼ inch thick. Spread sun butter (or your favorite nut butter) on the bread. Line up sliced strawberries on the edge closest to you and roll the bread like sushi. Cut into small “sushi rounds.”
  • Rainbow carrot rounds
  • Carrot curry hummus
  • Granola Bark
Granola Bark Recipe
2016-08-11 16:53:55
Adapted from a Yum Chefs SF Recipe | Yields about 12 small granola bark pieces
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup rolled oats
  2. 3 Tbsp. oat flour*
  3. ¼ cup sugar
  4. ¼ tsp. salt
  5. ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  6. ¼ cup dried cranberries
  7. ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  8. ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  9. ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
  10. 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  11. 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  12. 3 Tbsp. melted butter
  13. ¼ cup honey
  14. 1 ½ tsp. water
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Stir together the rolled oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, dried fruits, chocolate and seeds. NOTE: if you don’t have some of the seeds or dried cranberries, you can substitute with the dried fruit, nuts, and seeds you have in your pantry. The total amount is 1-½ cups, so you can play with the ingredients to use up what you have on hand vs. buy new items. I use this recipe to “clean out my pantry!”
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, honey, and water.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
  6. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and press them in firmly. Bake for 15 minutes, or until they are brown around the edges.
  7. Allow cooling and setting for about 15 minutes before cutting bark.
Notes
  1. *Tip: to make oat flour, simply grind rolled oats in a food processor
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Filed Under: Joyful Updates Tagged With: carrot, cucumber, lunch, strawberries, strawberry

Harissa Spiced Turkey Burger Pita Sliders

Aug 25 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

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#1 8-25 cover shot

When I have a weeknight recipe that works (and is fast and easy), I really hate to tinker with it. But then, I get bored. I’m sure you know this cycle well. Not one. more. night. of. turkey. meatballs!!!

#2 8-25 me standing in front of bowl

Just last week, I decided to mix it up a bit with one of my family’s favorite recipes, my Moist and Meaty Florentine Turkey Meatballs. What makes them so delicious and easy is first that you bake them (no messy pan frying) from end-to-end, and they are loaded with flavor from all the spinach, parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic, organic ketchup, egg, and GF breadcrumbs.

#3 8-25 ingredients pita burger

But I decided to dig into my pantry to see how I could play around with those seasonings to build upon this base recipe.

Oh, yes. Harissa would play nicely with that ketchup. Maybe some mint to cool down that heat a bit instead of parsley. Green onions would be nice and crunchy vs. grating white onion like I usually do.

#4 8-25 holding the egg #5 8-25 cracking the egg

And then it hit me! Why not make little Greek pita sandwiches, like the gyros I adore but turkey meatball style with feta, and mint, and some fast pickled cucumbers for crunch.

#6 8-25 in a row #1 #7 8-25 in a row #2 #8 8-25 in a row #3

All summer long, I’ve been loving these little Persian cucumbers from my local farmers market in a hot bath of sugar and vinegar spiced with equal parts cumin and coriander.

#9 8-25 cucumber overhead #10 8-25 cucumber pour shot 1 #11 8-25 cucumber pour shot 2

What started as a Moist and Meaty Florentine Turkey Meatball baked in the oven, turned into the perfect grilled summer burger–Greek style. To top it off and really make this new version as playful and delicious as was possible, I finished off each pita slider with a hint of more fresh mint, feta cheese, and little toasted pita triangle toppers.

#12 8-25 build a pita #1 #13 8-25 build a pita #2 #14 8-25 build a pita #3

It’s worth it to break out of the rut sometimes. You can never go wrong when you start with a good foundational recipe (and take it international)!

Special thanks to Elle Wildhagen, our photographer and videographer, for this beautiful shoot.

Harissa Spiced Turkey Burger Pita Sliders with Mint, Feta, and Pickled Cucumbers
2015-08-18 11:47:00
Serves 4
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. Dark ground turkey meat, 1 lb
  2. Green onions, 1 bunch
  3. Organic Ketchup, ¼ cup
  4. Harissa paste, 4 tsp.
  5. Bread crumbs (your favorite GF brand), 1 cup
  6. Eggs, 2
  7. Salt, 1 tsp.
  8. Black Pepper, ½ tsp.
  9. Mint, small bunch
  10. Pita bread, enough for four people
  11. Sour cream, 3 TBS.
  12. Feta cheese, 6 oz.
Quick pickled cucumbers
  1. Persian cucumbers (small variety), 3-4
  2. Apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup
  3. Sugar, 1/8 cup
  4. Salt, ½ tsp.
  5. Ground cumin, 1 tsp.
  6. Ground coriander, 1 tsp.
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Wash all produce.
To quick pickle the cucumbers
  1. Slice thinly (skin on).
  2. Heat vinegar, sugar, and spices in a pot until melted.
  3. Pour over cucumbers (in a bowl or mason jar) and let sit while you continue with prep.
Make the turkey burgers
  1. Thinly chop six green onions (white and green parts).
  2. Cut about ½ cup of mint leaves into thin ribbons.
  3. In a large bowl, combine turkey meat, green onions, ketchup, harissa, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, and mint. Mix together well. I like to use my hands.
  4. Preheat your grill. If you do not have an outdoor grill, these can easily be seared in a pan (2 minutes per side) over high heat and finished in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes.
Cook
  1. This recipe will easily make 8 small burgers. On the grill, cook them over medium heat about 5-6 minutes per side. Let them rest a few minutes on a plate before serving.
Assemble
  1. Spread a little sour cream onto your toasted pita bread, top with turkey burger, pickled cucumbers, more fresh mint, slices of feta cheese and the other piece of toasted pita. We love to eat these with fresh summer corn on a hot night!
Notes
  1. Note: this recipe is easily made gluten free. Just use your favorite brand of gluten free bread crumbs in the burger mixture and your favorite GF bread, pita or buns. Here’s a fun recipe to make your own GF pita bread.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Filed Under: Enthusiastic Eater Tagged With: cucumber, dinner, green onions, lunch, summer

Homemade Lemony Hummus and Pita Chips

Jun 11 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

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hummus

Hummus is everywhere nowadays. Long gone is its exotic nature. What is exotic though is making your own, and we’re here to show you that in literally less than 15 minutes, you can make your own delicious snack and the pita chips that go along with it!

hummus-ingredients

This is another teen tested and approved recipe for JoyFoodly (see our last one here)! Eight Novato High teen students tested this recipe in May and made it even better by kicking it up with extra garlic. They must have known how good garlic is for you, and the fact that to maximize the health benefits of garlic, you should crush the garlic first and allow it to sit for a few minutes before cooking or using it. This triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic.

Whatever you choose to dip in this healthy snack, make it fun, colorful and crunchy! Happy dipping.

hummus-3

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Filed Under: Seasonal Recipes Tagged With: bell pepper, carrot, cucumber, gluten free, lunch, nut free, side dish, snack, spring, summer squash, vegan, vegetarian

Hey, I’m Chef Hollie!

Here at JoyFoodly we help families joyfully eat more fruits and veggies each season. I am passionate about helping parents feel good about the food they feed their kids.

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The information on this website is designed for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use the information found on this website to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare providers (such as a pediatric dietitian) with any questions regarding a medical condition, nutritional issue or any eating/feeding problem.