Lasagna!

This lunch is the same for Little Valley Academy and Valley Fellowship Christian Academy(just different portion sizes).

Lasagna, Veggies, (Green Beans this time) and Bread-sticks. Lasagna and Bread-sticks are both made in house,

Homemade Spaghetti & Bread Sticks!

Wednesday Lunch: Spaghetti & Meat Sauce, Green Beans, and Bread Stick(s)
Little Valley Academy
[update: I should point out that we use shells or shaped pasta for LVA because we feel the spaghetti noodle is a potential choking hazard for children this young]

Here we have Mr. John, the greatest "on time" delivery service to LVA!

Valley Fellowship Christian Academy

Bread sticks are made right here, and so is the meat sauce!

Baked Ziti, Mixed Vegetable, Garlic Bread

Baked Ziti in essence is another form of Lasagna as far as kids are concerned. Here it is pictured made with penne pasta and not ziti. What's the difference? Not much. If I can't find the one, I buy the other. We make it here at the kitchen. Cook the meat, salt the water and boil the pasta, season the tomato sauce (made out of puree and blanched chopped tomatoes) and layer with Mozzarella and a Cheddar/Monterrey Jack cheese mix. The kids are always worrying about getting the cheese, so I started putting a layer of the cheese in the middle AND on top. (that's what makes it similar to lasagna besides just ingredients, another layer) 

The mixed vegetable shown is called a Cali Blend: Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots (I think it used to be called Normandy Blend). I season the veggies with a small amount of salt. And sometimes a dash of salt-free Ms. Dash original seasoning. Most veggies I buy frozen or fresh, usually never canned (except for maybe tomato products). Fresh obviously has no extras added BUT canned or frozen foods I always check the ingredients list. At the most I want the ingredient list to include the main product like tomatoes, then water, and/or salt...nothing else.

LVA, K5-12TH all pretty much get the same thing as shown in the picture but in grade appropriate portions. The picture shown is for Little Valley Academy. On our menu I use the listing bread/roll because some days I use rolls or buns and then some days I make my own bread or bread sticks!

Leave a comment to ask questions about our school lunches or anything related!

Tomorrow: Chicken & Waffles!

Christmas Dinner

A lot of people have asked either my wife or I what we had planned for dinner, and or what we had for Christmas or Christmas Eve dinner. Hate to disappoint others but we usually don't do 'traditional' meals for holidays.

This year it was just us (wife and I) and the boys. There was to much sickness going on with friends and extended family so it was small and...no not intimate, remember we have two young boys...loud and rowdy, BUT FUN!

Back to the topic. On Christmas Eve I made Chicken Tortilla Soup (our own recipe) but I sure do miss the grilled whole chickens I used to get from Mi Pueblo's in California I used! They would grill those chickens out in front of the store and the rub/marinade they used on them was excellent! Kind of like a rotisserie seasoning, but much better. I searched online for a copycat recipe to no avail.

Christmas dinner was my own homemade thin crust pizza made with a dough I developed for it. Nothing secret or special to it except I know exactly how our family likes to eat and I like to put a few herbs and spices right in the dough and use certain techniques to get the crust and chew to come out just perfect for us. Oh, I made some breadsticks too...