Tomato Zucchini Soup {Lunch Recipe}

I love simple lunches. Something I can whip up or reheat easily is key. So when I was figuring out what to do with all of the tomatoes we have coming in right now from our garden, I knew that a soup would be perfect. Now I normally roast my tomatoes with some other veggies to make the base for my marinara sauce so I thought why not roast up some tomatoes for a soup as well.

This recipe, from start to finish, takes 30 minutes and can easily be made in larger quantities to store for future lunches (or dinners!). It'd go great with a grilled cheese and a salad. The kids loved it as well!

Tomato Zucchini Soup

• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 handful fresh basil, stems removed
• Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay tomatoes and zucchini on sheet.

Mix olive oil and garlic together in a small bowl. Drizzle over vegetables. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

Remove veggies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Add to Magic Bullet, food processor, or blender (your choice!) and blend for a few seconds until just combined. Add basil and salt and pepper. Blend until it's at the consistency you like.

Pour and serve. This soup can be served cold, lukewarm, or hot. It tastes good either way!

Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

What type of soup do you love? 

Quick Toddler Lunches: 5 Easy Solutions

One meal that I find the hardest to make for my children is lunch. I don't know what it is but every time I go to fix lunch my mind draws a blank. So I've come up with 5 easy solutions for quick toddler lunches. That means that in less than 10-15 minutes your kids will have a healthy, delicious meal to eat for their mid-day meal.

Frozen Foods and Pasta

Grab a bag of pasta out of the cupboard. Or let the kids decide what pasta they want. Then go into the freezer and grab a few hot dogs and some frozen veggies. Now you're ready to make lunch in under 10 minutes! 

1. Boil water
2. Add Pasta and set timer (cook for however long the bag says)
3. 1/2 way through, add frozen hot dog - cutting up is optional*
4. When 2-3 minutes remain, add a handful of frozen veggies
5. Drain and serve!

Usually takes less than 10 minutes and the kids love it!

Change it up! Don't want to use hot dogs? Toss the noodles and veggies in some olive oil or butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Toss some pepperonis or deli meat in for a change in flavor or cube up some cheese.

Mmmm!

*If cutting up the hot dog, remember to cut up length wise first, then width wise to reduce the chance of choking. 

Roll Ups and Fresh Fruit

Another lunch idea that takes less than 10 minutes. Simply pull out some lunch meats and cheeses and put them on a plate along with a few veggies. When your kids are deciding what to put in their roll ups, wash and cut up some fruit to go on the side!

Once they've decided it's time to start building! Here's what you do:

1. Place a slice of meat down
2. Add some mayo or mustard (or other spread)
3. Add cheese on top
4. Sprinkle with veggies (easier to slice up or shred)
5. Roll up and eat!

Serve with some fruit on the side and enjoy.

Quesadillas 10 Ways

Quesadillas are super easy. The most work spent on them is the time prepping what goes into them. And that can be done in as little as 5 minutes. You just have to know what you want in them! Here are a few suggestions for what to put in your quesadilla:

Now it's time to make your quesadilla!

1. Heat up pan and butter one side of tortilla. 
2. Put tortilla in heated pan, butter side down
3. Sprinkle with cheese and other ingredients
4. Fold over into a half moon and cook until golden brown
5. Flip, cook other side, and serve!

I love serving my queadillas with some left over rice and some ripe avocado and salsa. The kids love theirs with apple slices and tortilla chips.

Pizza Perfection

What kid doesn't love pizza? In our home pizza comes in all shapes and sizes. Don't have pizza dough? That's ok! Grab one of the following to get started:

1. Base
Tortilla
Pita
English Muffin

Then move on to the sauces. I love just grabbing whatever jarred pasta sauce we have in the pantry:

2. Sauce
Pesto
Marinara
Meat sauce
Alfredo sauce

And for the fun part!

3. Toppings! Toppings can range anywhere from veggies to meats to cheeses. And variety is key. When you give your kids a few options you'll be surprised to find what they choose for their pizzas.

Simply go in this order: Base, Sauce, Toppings when creating your pizza pie masterpieces.

Then just use the oven (or a toaster oven) and cook at 400 degrees for a few minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden brown! Looking for a great pizza dough recipe? Check out this one here.

Salad Bar

Just because your two year old hates lettuce, don't rule out the power of an awesome salad bar! And as always, get hte kids involved. Ask your kids to pick 5 fun toppings to add to their salad. I suggest having fruit, veggies, nuts, and some sort of crunch for them to choose from.

Then give them a few lettuce options. Spinach is a favorite in our house with romaine coming in close second. But they also love the crunch of cabbage and the pretty shapes and colors in micro greens.

Here are a few great ideas for Salad Bar fixings:

Once the kids have chosen their 5 topping choices I give them dressing choices as well. From oil and vinegar to ranch dressing and everything in between, giving them 2-3 options makes our salad bar a success.

What's your favorite lunch time fast fix?