Pasta Salad

I am always on the look out for  kids' lunch ideas. Because, all of us moms know it...by the time they get to eat their lunch, the hot lunch isn't cold, the sandwich is all soggy and many different things the food can morph in a few hours. So this pasta recipe is great. It holds well on a cold winter day.

I put the ingredients my kid likes. The one thing YOU can add to this is pepperoni and it will be a meat pasta salad

Pasta Salad (Pasta with pizza ingredients)

Pizza pasta salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup fun shaped pasta cooked according to the package directions ( I got presents, Christmas tree, shooting stars pasta)...I wish I had taken a better picture...but we were running late for the school bus
2. handful of olives, 
3. handful of cherry tomatoes
4. 1/4 cup corn
5. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions + celery + carrots
6. 1 tablespoon each of mayo+ sour cream + relish
7. 1 teaspoon each of  mustard, olive oil
8. dash of pepper
9. 2 slices of your favorite cheese or from a block (I used provolone)

Cook and drain the paste according to package instructions. In the last 2 minutes add the corn to the boiling water. Drain and mix with olive oil so that the pasta do not stick to each other.

Mix all the ingredients of #6 and #7 well. 

Mix everything together and add the pepper and enjoy

 

Carrot zucchini muffins

I have been trying to find a good recipe for breakfast muffins and haven't found one yet but I found a sweet muffin which has a ton of vegetables and a ton of flavor in them. Bingo. Next time I am going to reduce the amount of sugar a little bit more and will serve as breakfast muffins. The kids love it and I like it because of the veggies in it

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups grated carrot
2. 1 cup grated zucchini
3. 1 cup wide grated apple
4. 1/2 cup coconut flakes
5. 1/4 cup almond slivers
6. 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
7. 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
8. 2 eggs lightly beaten
9. 1/2 cup canola oil
10. 2 teaspoons baking soda
11. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
13. 3/4 cup sugar
14. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Toss together the carrots, zucchini, apples, coconut flakes, almond flakes, poppy seeds and set aside

Beat together the eggs, vanilla, oil, sugar and salt for 5 minutes. Add the flour and baking soda to this and mix. Fold in the veggie mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (375 for light colored pan)

Greece the muffin pan and add the muffin covers and divide the batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. let cool for 10 minutes and serve