The Back To School Shuffle

If your house is anything like mine,  you are dancing the back to school shuffle (and probably doing it backwards and in high heels!) No matter how much advance planning we do, these first weeks of new routines are always C-R-A-Z-Y.

As in:

  • I’ve forgotten to pack a snack for my first grader. TWICE. Seriously. I blog about this stuff and yet I have not managed to remember to shove so much as a granola bar in that backpack pocket on two of the four days we’ve had school. I remembered today, though, so don’t worry Mom, because we’re back on track around here!
  • I am filling up calendar pages left and right with soccer practices, games, tournaments, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Dance Lessons, and Tumbling and whatever comes next. On Friday my 4th grader was fired up about the trombone. Um…..not right now, sweetie.
  • I have made old-school brown paper book covers (because the stretchy ones don’t stretch quiiiiiiiite far enough and believe me, I tried).
  • I have started a password log for the countless URL’s, Logins, and Passwords I am going to be required to keep track of this year because no one has yet built one site that will fit the needs of every teacher and every subject.
  • I still cannot get onto our school’s Volunteer Signup website even though I swear I DID pass my background check and have been fingerprinted! (Note: this may be a blessing in disguise.)

Honestly, I’m still smiling, and so are my kids, but it feels like we stepped on the gas and haven’t quite caught our breath. I ask myself every day if I’m somehow adding to the degree of difficulty – if there is a way to do this more simply. Perhaps there is. Or perhaps this is just how transitions work. They’re tricky because we’re finding our footing and establishing new routines.

Soon enough, we’ll have it figured out again, and the most important companions on our journey from here to there just may be a sense of humor and a healthy dose of perspective.

Here’s a little bit of each that crossed my path;  I thought I’d share both with you today…

First, check out this hilarious essay (and make sure you get to the points about 2014 in the second half)!

And then, listen to the awesome Kid President, who has a few words we need to hear, mamas.

PS – I want to see you dancing in the supermarket aisles!

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White Bean Dip

How are we doing with those healthy school lunches, everyone?? Do you have a fresh batch of ideas ready to go? Or are you facing another year of “sandwiches and sides”?

One trick to keeping lunch interesting is to mix things up by slipping some less traditional items into that lunchbox. As an example, this bean dip is packed with protein and fiber, and when you serve it with pita or naan and raw veggies, you have everything you need for a balanced lunch.

Plus, dipping! Hooray!

 

White Bean Dip

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

4 Whole Wheat Pita Breads (or try Naan bread!)
1 can (19 oz.) cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Chili powder for sprinkling
Variety of cut vegetables for dipping

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Cut pita bread into wedges and place on baking sheet.  Toast until lightly browned and crisp.  10-15 minutes, turning once halfway through.  Transfer to a plate to cool.
2.  In a food processor, combine beans, oil, and lemon juice;  season with salt and pepper.  Puree until smooth.
3.  Place puree into a serving bowl, and lightly sprinkle with chili powder.  Serve dip with toasted pita triangles (or naan, which I prefer soft) and tons of fresh veggies!
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Back-to-School White Vegetable Soup

We are in the final days before school starts, so I’ve started the discussion with my kids about what they’d like to find in their lunchboxes this year. We’ve generated a good list of ideas, but there’s one option that is a favorite for all three, and that’s SOUP!

My kids really love to take soup for lunch. We have small thermoses that fit in their lunchboxes and if I pack them hot soup with some cut up veggies or fruit and a little treat, I almost always find an empty thermos at the end of the day!

I love that I can make a pot of soup on Sunday and send soup in for several days during the week from that one pot. In the morning, I just heat a serving in a glass measuring cup  (the kind that looks like a little pitcher) in the microwave, pour it into the thermos, and repeat the process for each child. Raw veggies and fruit can be packed up the night before so this doesn’t take too long. If you’re packing LOTS of lunches, you may want to just heat a pot on the stove and fill the thermoses from there.

thermos

These Foogo Thermoses are a good size and have a good seal!

This particular recipe is a favorite, and it’s perfect in August because it uses late summer vegetables that you can still find at the farmer’s market (corn, zucchini, squash, beans, onions and potatoes). With the addition of cannellini beans as a protein source, you have most everything you need for a healthy lunch in one bowl!

 

Back to School White Vegetable Soup

8 servings  (so you’ll have enough to get multiple lunches)

Ingredients

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 15.5 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium yellow squash, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound fresh green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups corn (cut from 3 ears of fresh corn or use frozen)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1/3 cup fresh dill springs (optional – parsley is good, too!)

Directions

  1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring the broth to a boil.
  2. Add the potato, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, corn, onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  3. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add cannellini beans. Stir in the dill.

 

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