Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla with a Cheesy Marinara Dipping Sauce

So school is in full swing now, and there are lunches to be made. My son is the PB&J Prince; he could probably eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But I refuse to get stuck in that rut this year, plus a kid in his class has a severe allergy to nuts so they have asked us parents to not send any nut products to school. I know, the nerve of them, but rather than have my son be responsible for hurting a classmate I have been trying to get creative with his lunch ideas.

So I decided to take 2 of his other favorite meals and combine them; pizza and quesadillas. I was looking for different ways to make his lunch more fun, and this is an idea I thought he would enjoy. I was so happy that he enjoyed his quesadilla, and that makes it so worth it. The idea of quesadillas is such a flexible option for kids, you can put anything between 2 tortillas with some cheese and some meat, and you have an instant hit. Plus they are quick, in the time it takes to make a sandwich you can make this for your family.

Pizza Quesadilla with a Cheesy Marinara Dipping Sauce

2 Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (the amount depends on how cheesy you like it. I used about 1/4 – 1/2 cup.)

Turkey Pepperoni

Italian Seasoning

Cheesy Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup crushed tomato sauce

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tbsp shredded mozzarella

Place a non stick skillet over medium to medium high heat and spray with cooking spray (I use olive oil spray).

Put one tortilla in skillet. Once warmed add cheese.

When cheese starts to melt add pepperoni and season with a little Italian seasoning.

Place second tortilla on top and flip. Once the other side of the tortilla is browned, remove from pan and cut into 4 wedges.

For the Marinara Sauce, in a sauce pan add crushed tomatoes (Note: you only need a ¼ cup of sauce. You can put the remainder of the sauce in a Ziploc bag and freeze until you need to use it.).

Then add your spices and cheese.

Once cheese starts to melt stir to incorporate, and put in storage container for the kids lunchbox.

This is a great easy recipe to change up your kid’s lunch and get them out of the PB&J rut. If you need any more lunch ideas head over to http://www.familyfreshcooking.com, and check out her Project Lunch Box.

Hope this show you that it is very easy to prepare a great healthy lunch for your kids. Be blessed and enjoy.

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

It is September and fall is upon us, my favorite time of year. It’s full of warm comfort food, sweaters, apples, pumpkin and chili. During the chilly autumn days there is nothing like curling up on the couch with a big comfy sweater with a big bowl of chili and a good movie (that is a perfect Saturday to me). I love chili, it’s so warm and inviting; meat, beans tomatoes and just a little spicy. Now I know there is a big debate over beans in chili; in Texas I know it’s a big no-no, but I like so I use beans. Cooking is your personal preference, so do what you like.

I normally use ground beef for my chili, but since I have been eating a lot of beef and steak over the summer I decided to use ground turkey. You know lighten it up a little bit, and we normally always have it in the freezer. And I used black beans, which are better for you then some of the other beans. Plus they work nicely with the turkey.

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

1lb ground turkey

1 package of Chili Seasoning (with 1lb of meat use only half the pack)

1tsp chili powder

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp onion powder

1tsp ground cumin

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 can of black beans (do not drain)

1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes

½c water

In a large pot or dutch oven brown off your ground turkey over medium heat.

Add spices and cook off some of the rawness of the spices.

Then add the black beans, tomatoes and water.

Bring to a boil and then turn to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes.

When I made chili I have to have corn bread. I love the Honey Cornbread Recipe from FoodNetwork.com.

This chili recipe is such a great meal to have as the weather starts to cool off to warm you up. Be blessed and enjoy.