Asian Noodle Salad

For my daughter's  & husband's work lunch today, I am sending leftovers from last evening's dinner.  It was a big hit with my family, and there is plenty left over to send in lunches.  My husband asked if there was enough for him to take too.  I even halved the recipe.  I will definitely be making this again during the school year, so that I have an easy lunch to pack the next day.   I'm adding a fruit salad with fruit that I have on hand that needs to be eaten.  They'll have a lunch that is full of fresh fruits & veggies, some whole grains & lean protein! 

Also, when I was at the grocery store yesterday (Meijers) I found these great containers. They include a snap in ice pack to keep foods cold until lunch.  These are especially helpful after the news article yesterday about foods not staying cold enough in brown bag lunches.  One of the containers even has a built in dip container in the lid too.  My kids were talking about possibilities for it (veggis & ranch, veggies & hummus, chips & salsa, apples & peanut butter...)

The containers had information about a wonderful website called: http://www.buildhealthykids.com/.  There is so much there about steps you can take toward healthy eating & exercise.  I especially like the lunch box planner.

For the Asian Noodle Salad recipe:  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/salads/asian-noodle-salad/
I made a few variations: 
1.  My grocery store was out of Napa cabbage, so I substituted a bag of rainbow broccoli slaw mix for both cabbages.
2.  I didn't use the mung bean sprouts.We aren't fans of extra spicy food, so I didn't use any hot peppers in the dressing.
3.  Since this was our dinner, I sliced a few chicken breasts & stir fried the pieces, then added to the salad.

My Crusade for Healthy Eating in my Family

My Crusade for Healthy Eating in my Family

Over the last few years I have become increasingly determined for my family to eat healthier food.  Much of that has been because of some diet related health issues faced by one of my children.  So during the school year, I am going to chroncicle my attempts to make continued progress toward my objective. 

 Today I made this mango/strawberry salad for my daughter to take to eat for lunch at her summer job.  It looks delicious, so I kept enough for me to have one for lunch too! Also in her lunch, I packed some cucumber slices with hummus, some cinnamon roasted almonds and a bottle of water.  Hope she likes it!

And I bought her this cute new lunch tote to take it all in :)

Recipe:  Spinach Salad with Mango and Strawberries
Makes 2-3 portions
2 T pine nuts, toasted 2 minutes in a pan over stove
2 C baby spinach or mixed salad greens
2 T diced red onion
1 small or 1/2 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped
5 strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 T dried cranberries
Dressing:  3 T olive oil, 1 T balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar, salt & freshly ground pepper
Source:  Lunch Boxes and Snacks by Annabel Karmel