A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Sponsored Post: This post is a paid collaboration with Nellie’s Free Range Eggs. As always, opinions are my own.

Is this healthy for you? A question that we hear frequently in our house these days. Ever since my kids started to go to school, they come home saying things like, “John’s mom gives him Doritos every day at lunch, how come we can’t have them?” My answer, “Go live at John’s house…” I’d like to think that we are a middle of the road kind of family – my kids eat veggies and fruits with every meal and yet, sometimes I let them have ice-cream before lunch….

We have been talking a bit about proteins and carbohydrates, and how if we don’t eat a good breakfast, we will be hungry later in the day. Protein gives you fuel to get through your day. I have one really good eater, and one that is just recently becoming a bit more adventurous. A staple in my house has always been eggs. They are quick and easy to make, and my dad lets the kids help make them, so that instantly makes them awesome in our house. Everybody can agree on scrambled eggs, but we are slowly trying other styles.

For breakfast, we tried baseball eggs on a bagel sliver (basically a quarter of a bagel). The adults had it with Sriracha and the kids had it with ketchup. We made them with yolks and without. The kids thought that having a “baseball” for breakfast was pretty cool.

(Top right) I made some egg salad and put it in a cute baseball helmet – the kids could decide if they wanted it as a lettuce wrap or if they wanted it on bread. Super easy to make ahead for lunch at home.

(Middle right) We tried “toad in a hole” with my best (read: sad) attempt at making a baseball glove out of brown bread. We added a little fruit on the side and yes, my children won’t eat a thing if it is touching another thing on the plate. Are your kids like that too?

(Bottom right) Egg salad sandwiches with baseball cheese. I bought slices of cheddar cheese and used a baseball bat cookie cutter to make them into cool shapes. You could use any shape that makes your kid happy. I also used those mini babybel cheeses and made them into baseballs. I get in a rut at school because lunches are already hard for me, and then add on no peanuts, tree nuts or coconut in their meals. I’ll admit, there were many days in a row where I just sent my kids to school with cold pizza.

(Middle bottom) We rarely have bagels in the house, but when we do, I buy them from Stop and Shop pre sliced. Each bagel is sliced into four pieces, you’re still getting the delicious bagel, but cutting those calories (and carbohydrates) down significantly. I am not a huge fan of cream cheese, but I have these great memories as a kid of visiting my grandparents in New York and my grandma would always have Temp Tee cream cheese (and pink grapefruits). So I put a little schmear on a bagel for the kids with some peppers to make it look like a baseball. Super easy, super cute.

So what’s with all the baseball themed eggs you ask? The Red Sox just named Nellie’s Free Range Eggs the official egg of the Red Sox. Nellie’s eggs are certified humane. What does that mean? The hens have room to run in fields, have a more diverse diet and are in general healthier. How can you tell they are healthier? Their deep gold color of the yolks of their eggs. And let me tell you, it’s instantly noticeable when you crack open that first Nellie’s egg.

For more information about Nellie’s Free Range Eggs, click here.

Tags: breakfast, kids meals, lunch, meal planning