Lunchtime can be a tricky time of the day, especially on the weekend. When the weather is nice and warm, it is too much more alluring to stay outside and play. Every Mom knows that without lunch there is constant snacking, which will spoil any hope of dinner. Or even better, the sudden recognition of hunger will result in an inevitable meltdown. Hopefully, I am not the only one that it happens to. One time was enough for me! As a Mom with two sets of twins, I would rather prevent the possible than wait for it to happen. In other words… be prepared! And, when it comes to food, it’s always better to be prepared with nourishing foods. That also prevents food-related meltdowns from poor quality foods.
This year, the first day of spring was rainy and cold. So, instead of being too busy outside to come in, I knew the boys would interested in eating. So, I took advantage of the possibility and got a head start on lunch prep right after breakfast.
My son Cameron LOVES bone marrow! Here is a quick recap of the health benefits of bone marrow from LA Healthy Living (1).
Thus my inspiration for this superpower lunch…
First I took two marrow bones (from Roger Harris of South Chestnut Farm) and roasted them on a foil-lined sheet pan at 400 degrees for 30 min. While the marrow bones were roasting Cameron helped me wash and peel two sweet potatoes (from Tart Farms at the NC State Farmer’s Market) and sliced them into sticks. When the marrow was done, I quickly scooped the marrow from the bones while still hot. I added half to two pounds of organ meat mix from (Whole Foods Market in Cary, NC). The other half I added back to the same pan where I roasted the bones and tossed them to coat. I roasted the sweet potatoes coated in the marrow for 45 min at 400 degrees. I then used my indoor grill pan to “grill” the marrow-infused organ meat burgers. Presto! I was ready for the hungry kiddos whenever lunch requests began.
Sure enough, at about 10:45 am both boys were “starving”. No snacks that close to lunch, so we decided to make it lunchtime. Here you go: organ meat, marrow burger, sweet potato marrow fries, raw milk, herbal jack cheese (from Miller’s Organic Farm in Bird in Hand, PA), and homemade probiotic ketchup.
Now I had lunch for 3 days for the girls and boys… AWESOME!!
Children need much more than food to grow and flourish. I do my best to “nourish” their minds and spirits every day in some way. It is easy to get intimidated by feeding kids. I think it can be overwhelming with all of the choices out there. The most important thing is real food. You can’t go wrong by consistently feeding them real, nutrient-dense foods. It takes work and planning… but it is worth every single minute! I hope I can inspire you in your kitchen!
