What are your memories of school lunches? Do you still taste the mystery meat? Can you feel the awful cardboard texture of the first school pizzas? (shuddering)

School lunches have come a long way and current trends even have schools turning out healthier menus.

Listen in to this week’s chat about our kids lunchtime life and be sure to weigh in in our comments about what you do for your kids lunch.

Our guest is Aurelia Williams, host of Parenting My Teen Podcast and certified life coach.

Recommended Resources:

• Hugs in a Lunch Box for Ages 5-7
• Lunch Box Letters: Writing Notes of Love and Encouragement to Your Children

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I hope this show inspires you to get creative in your gift giving this Christmas! My good friend Sue Davidson and I chatted about foodie (and other) gifts you can mix up in your kitchen to give to teachers, bus drivers, neighbors, etc.

The ideas we shared are simple and inexpensive, and can involve your kids too! Many can be made up in big batches so you have plenty to share (and some to keep at home too!) Homemade gifts are best, as far as we’re concerned, and with a little creativity and presentation you’ll be proud to give.

Homemade Hot Fudge
(Makes 4 Cups)

Melt 12 oz MILK chocolate chips (not semi sweet) with ½ lb butter (not margarine) in microwave or on stove.

Add 14 oz sweetened condensed milk and 14 oz light corn syrup (like Karo). Beat on medium speed with electric mixer 1-2 minutes.

Pour in glass jars. Decorate with pretty lid (cloth, ribbons, etc) and a label, which instructs to keep refrigerated, and to serve: heat in micro.

Hot Cocoa Mix

8 qts powdered milk
2 lbs chocolate drink powder
1 lb powdered sugar
16 oz non-dairy powdered creamer
You might add marshmallows and/or flavored chips (like chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon, mint) too, if desired
Mix all ingredients together, store in airtight container up to 6 months.
To share, pour into container with lid or baggies in mugs.
Label should read: Mix 1/3 C to one cup boiling water.

Friendship Tea
(Makes 5 Cups of powder)

1 jar (21.1 oz) Tang (I’ve used the generic, and it’s fine)
1 C sugar
½ C sweetened lemonade mix
½ C unsweetened instant tea
1 pkg Apricot Jell-O
2-½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
Mix all ingredients together. Store in airtight container.
To share: Label containers to read Mix 4 ½ tsp to one cup boiling water.

Homemade Foot Scrub

(These amounts are approximate)
4 C Epsom salt
2 TBSP chopped cloves (or try different scents)
½ C baby oil (try scented, like lavender)
Mix in big bowl until blended, and the consistency feels right!
Pour into little glass jars; give with rolled up washcloth or scrubby.

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On this week’s show our Guest Contributer Sarah Zeldman of Solutions for Busy Moms and our host Sandra Jensen share their experiences and ideas about handling picky eaters.

You can find:

• The Baby Gourmet Videos
• The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids Favorite Meals
• Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets To Get Your Kids To Eat Good Food
• Feeding The Kids: The Flexible, No Battle, Healthy Eating System for the Whole Family.

At Sarah’s Amazon Store For Busy Moms.

Other Resources Sarah Mentioned:

• The Great Big Vegetable Challenge
• Online Cooking Videos By Kids, For Kids
• The Visual Guide To Healthy Lunches For Kids
• The Healthy Shopper DVD
• The “Help! I Have A Picky Eater In My House!” Ebook

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Discuss this week’s show on the Family Food Network Forum!

Have you ever wondered what it means to ‘keep Kosher’? This week Kelly got to talk with two Jewish moms who help us to unravel the mystery of Kosher.

Sarah Zeldman of Solutions for Busy Moms and Rivka Slatkin, from Jewish Life Organized are smart savvy moms. They are currently working on a co-project, a teleseminar series for Jewish Moms.

Here are some of the great resources that Sarah & Rivka shared with us:

• More Information on Keeping Kosher
• Traditional and Modern Sabbath Menus with Recipes
• Lots of Challah Recipes
• Free E-course:“Kosher Kitchens Perfectly Organized…how to run and set up a well organized and efficient kitchen.”
• Sarah’s Favorite Kosher Cookbooks.
• Sarah’s new Blog: Healthy Shabbat

General Information on all Aspects of Judaism – Including Keeping Kosher:
http://www.chabad.org
http://www.aish.com

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Tishia Lee and Kelly McCausey dish Pizza in this week’s episode.

Pizza Trends: White Sauces Are Hot

It was a little more than three years ago that I had my first taste of a pizza made with a white sauce instead of the faithful red marinara sauces that we’re all so used to. It was a Chicken Alfredo selection on the menu at Olive Garden if I remember correctly. I’ve never been wild about red sauce to be totally honest. I preferred a pizza with as little tomato sauce as possible and liked the flavor to be mild – but nothing came close to the mild creamy flavor of the alfredo pizza.

The following year I asked a local pizza restaurant if they had a white sauce alternative and was pleased to learn that I could order any pizza off the menu with a ranch base instead of red sauce. I quickly sampled their Chicken Parmesan (large strips of white breast meat and chunks of fresh tomato with mozzarella cheese and a great sprinkling of parmesan cheese over the top) with the ranch dressing base and it was delicious.

Ever since, I’ve been converted to ‘white pizza’ and continue to look for white sauce alternatives wherever I go for pizza and from what I’ve been seeing on the local pizza shop advertisements, I’m not alone in preferring a white sauce on my favorite ‘delivery’ food.

Marco’s Pizza has a ‘Big White Cheesy’ pizza that features a white garlic sauce base, thinly sliced tomatos, bacon, onions, motzarella and feta cheese. It’s my preference to have them hold the bacon and onions, leaving me with a mild veggie option that satisfies my cravings.

Cottage Inn Pizza has a ‘Spinach Alfredo’ pizza with an alfredo sauce base, spinach, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and their special blend of three cheeses. I haven’t tried this yet but it’s next on my list.

I’ve also seen white cheese options on the menu at Dominos and even in the frozen pizza case at the grocery store. If you can find Wolfgang Puck’s 4-Cheese & Tomato – it’s very good – I’ve found it at Meijers and Sams Club.

There are still some pizza makers who will look at you with some surprize if you ask them about a white sauce option but don’t let that keep you from experimenting. If you love alfredo, garlic or ranch flavors, you’ll soon join me as a major white pizza fan.

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