Dinner To Go

This post comes because of a request from my friend Cyndie who challenged me to come up with some meals that her family could eat when they are "on the go."  I've never been one to turn down a challenge so here goes.  (Better late than never Cyndie.)

I'm sure that there are a lot of families out there who are juggling school work, sports schedules, music lessons, church activities and family commitments. (The list could go on and on.)  I hate to admit how many nights my family has to eat "on the go" because of our commitments.  The good news is that it is still possible to feed your family healthy and delicious meals even when your out of the house.

One of my family's favorite "on the go" meals is calzones. They are the perfect little pouch of yummy goodness that can be filled with just about anything your family likes to eat.




I prepared my favorite thin crust pizza dough recipe and prepped my fillings for the calzones.

(You can also start with a store bought pizza dough to save time.)








After letting my dough rise for an hour, I divided it into 8 equal pieces. I rolled out each piece into a 12" circle.






I topped each dough with our favorite fillings. My calzone had a chicken, artichoke, feta, mozzarella and basil.




I also made a meatball and mozzarella calzone,




a pepperoni and mozzarella cazone,




    
and a black olive, red pepper and mozzarella calzone.







Once the calzones are filled, I fold them in half and crimp the edges.  Place the calzones on a silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 425.







Serve calzones with a side of pizza sauce for dipping.

If we are eating "on the go" I wrap the calzones in foil and pack them in an insulated cooler until we're ready to eat.  I also like to make extra calzones, wrap them and put them in the freezer to save for the next busy night.  They freeze beautifully. 

Bon Appetit!

"Out of the box" lunch box idea

Since I am not impressed with what the school cafeteria has to offer for lunch, I pack lunches at home for my kids to take to school every day.  Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for me to fall into the rut of packing the same old lunch every day.  I am always on the lookout for ways to incorporate new things into their lunch box.

I like to think "out of the box" if you will, when it comes to lunches.  I have been known to pack a breakfast lunch.  (Bagel, cream cheese packet, fruit, baggie of cereal and a thermos full of milk.)  I have also packed my own version of a Lunchable.  (Without all the salt and preservatives)  I cut up small pieces of ham and cheese and pack it with crackers and a fruit cup.  I also tuck a couple of fancy toothpicks into the lunch box to make it more fun to eat. 

Today's lunch menu - meatball subs. I had extra meatballs left over from the batch of spaghetti sauce and meatballs that I cooked earlier in the week.  I figured this would be a great way to use up some of my leftovers.  (By the way, just in case you didn't spend a day making home made sauce and meatballs, this lunch works just as well with store bought meatballs.)  

Since my kids leave so early in the morning, I pack lunches the night before school.  I cut the meatballs in half and put them in the refrigerator overnight.  I also put a small container of shredded mozzarella cheese in the refrigerator.  I happened to have a couple of extra whole wheat hamburger buns leftover so I put one in a baggie for each child.  (Hotdog buns actually work best for meatball subs but I decided to use what I had on hand.)  With a few extra additions (a pear, pretzels and a cookie) I had lunch ready for the morning.  (Don't forget napkins and a plastic fork.)

Before the kids left for school, I warmed the meatballs in the microwave and put them in an insulated Thermos.  I tucked the cheese into the lunch boxes and off they went. 

A healthy lunch that any kid (or adult) would love.

Bon Appetit!