Back to School Prep

The open enrollment form I submitted for the kids to go to the school that we liked was approved! YAY! We attended the back to school night and it was fantastic. I am very impressed with this school for many reasons and I can't wait to watch my kids grow in every way ;)

I have been searching the Internet and picking my friend's brains about ideas for quick breakfasts, lunch and dinners to help next week (and the weeks after) run smoothly. (Well as smooth as the first week back to school in a new state can be!) I spent a few hours today baking some breakfast treats to freeze. Let's cook with Cassie...shall we?

Banana Crunch Muffins
Good and good for you! Cassie's changes: No buttermilk, so milk with a big quirt of lemon. No canola oil, so I dumped some applesauce in. No bran, so I crumbled 1 cup of Special K cereal with Cinnamon Pecan. I only used whole wheat flour, doubled the bananas and only added 1/4 cup of the sugar. The result...I can't keep my husband or my kids away from them! I had to hurry up and get them in the freezer. Oh...Don't add the granola until the last 10 min, it will burn.

Breakfast Scones
No link for this one..I got the idea from Kaia and got a little creative with it. I followed the recipe for drop biscuits on the Heart Healthy Bisquick and added cooked ham, cheese, salt, pepper and scrambled eggs. They are so good and will be a very easy, healthy breakfast!

Hot Lunch is pricey here so we plan to do cold lunch. But my kids don't like sandwiches so I had to search for ideas. I made a list of foods that we have from each food group. Protein, veges, fruits, dairy, grains, drinks and snacks. I put it on a dry erase board on the fridge and will have the kids build their own lunch every night, choosing one item from each food group. It will teach them about nutrition, they are more likely to eat a lunch that they chose and I love the idea of them being responsible for making their own lunch. I made a trip to the store and we are ready to roll!

For dinner for the next 2 weeks, I am using this and this. These meals are not gourmet by any means, but they have all of the factors that we need for a busy couple of weeks.

On a side note. We have spent most of the day doing yard work/landscaping. This place has been pretty neglected and just by rearranging some of the rocks and dirt, planting some grass seed, trimming the bushes and cutting down a tree, we have it looking SO good! I wish that I would have taken before and after pics, but I just don't seem to think of those things most of the time. I'm sure it would have made this post more interesting tho! It seems a little silly to do so much work on a house that we are renting, but we have had numerous neighbors stop by and thank us. This house is at least 90 years old and most of the neighbors have lived in their homes for at least 70 years. One even said that in his 80 years of living here, he has never seen it look so good! That is worth it right there!

Tomorrow we will be celebrating our 7th Anniversary, it's sure to be the best (and most emotional) yet. We have a lot to celebrate. It's also Labor Day and the kids last day of summer, so it's sure to be a fun day!