How to pack a Pocket Pie for school lunch

My kids enjoy Hot Pockets. I'm not a big fan of processed foods, but I will happily admit that last school year, Hot Pockets were an occasional life saver...especially after I figured out how to pack them for lunches.

I was so excited about my new school lunch option that I, of course, told all my friends about it. Which is when I discovered that some people are intimidated by the lunch packing how-to's. So I'm sharing the process here. It's not complicated. Really. And your kids get a hot meal without having to spend precious lunchtime minutes waiting in a cafeteria line.

Hot Pocket packed in a Thermos for school

How To Pack a Hot Sandwich for Lunch

What you need:
1 Wide-mouth Thermos
Hot water, enough to fill Thermos
2 parchment paper or aluminium foil rectangles. Large enough to mostly cover half a sandwich.
1 hot sandwich (e.g., Hot Pocket or a grilled cheese sandwich)

1. Fill Thermos with boiling water. Let sit for a few minutes.
   I do this before I make breakfast for the kids thereby giving the water plenty of time to heat up the Thermos.
2. Cut two pieces of parchment paper or foil into rectangles. They should each be large enough to cover half a sandwich.
3. Warm up Hot Pocket in microwave. (Or prepare your warm sandwich.)
4. While sandwich is warming, quickly drain and dry Thermos. Resealing the lid when you're done.
5. Working quickly, cut warmed sandwich in half and wrap each portion in paper or foil.
   (Wrapping the portions individually makes it easier to pull them out of the container.)
6. Place in Thermos and seal.

I've asked my kids how warm their sandwiches are by lunchtime and one responded that they were still "hot." But that's my sensitive one. I doubt the sandwiches are "hot," but I'm confident that they are, at the very least, warm.
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Okay. I wasn't being entirely honest about how often I fed my kids Hot Pockets last year. They were waaayyyyy more than an "occasional" life saver. Which is why I'm spending the summer looking for an alternative that will lessen my mom-guilt, if even just a little bit. And I've found some options! I'll share them later.

Jammers

I made jam biscuits for breakfast today. They were yummy and super EASY to make. I highly recommend the recipe...and plan to serve them on a fairly regular basis...they're just biscuits, after all!

Visit here for the recipe and pictures: http://www.outlikebandits.com/miracle-jammers/Made these for breakfast today. They were yummy and super easy to make. http://www.outlikebandits.com/miracle-jammers/

Makin' whoopee

I can only imagine how many returns I would get on a Google search of the term "making whoopee." In my case, I didn't actually make any whoopee...pie, that is. Although it is most definitely on my list of to-do's; I even  have a recipe lined up to try. But last Sunday was not the day for that attempt. Instead, we enjoyed the pre-made version from Trader Joes.

The pies were my family's weekly extra-special treat. I recently realized that the boys were getting used to dessert after dinner. The habit just kind of snuck up on us. Granted, they generally got fruit juice-based popsicles, but it still isn't a good habit to have. So we rather abruptly discontinued their daily after-dinner-sweet-treat routine but appeased them with the offer of something extra-special on Sundays. It's a lovely compromise because now I can make a weekly treat without feeling bad about adding to their sugar intake. Once a week is okay with me! (Daily, not so much.) And, suprisingly, they're actually quite content to wait until Sunday.

After a day filled with activities (church, pet adoption visit, grocery store, picnic, park) we returned home and just lounged. Well. The kids did. When I  strolled into our backyard this is what I saw.

Two pairs of feet in our new hammock.

Oldest Son was playing his DS while Youngest Son looked on. They have their moments, but in general they play together so well. Their personalities complement each other. Amazing. They are ever so lucky.