Ranch Apple-Bacon Coleslaw {Hidden Valley Ranch & Lunch Break for Kids}

I am so excited to be a part of and share with all of you my great readers about Lunch Break for Kids with Hidden Valley Ranch.  Lunch Break for Kids is a national fundraiser to highlight ways for parents and kids to come together with chefs and schools to learn more about how simple, good food can make healthier bodies and stronger family connections.

Click on the location tab here  for a local Lunch Break for Kids fundraiser or a Childhood Nutrition Day volunteer location in your area to join, or start one of your own.

As a mom I have always had so much fun making my kids breakfast in the morning before school, and then being creative with their lunches too. Here are a few FUN first day of school photos from years past. Even though my daughters are off at college now and I just have my little guy left (he is in 8th grade, how did that happen?), I do try and be as creative as possible with him (but my twins were so much better at trying new things, he is kind of a creature of habit and enjoys the SAME thing everyday). But, I will tell you ALL of my kids love Hidden Valley Ranch, it's pretty much a staple at every meal (almost).

I think my little guys favorite thing would be cucumbers and ranch (pizza and ranch is up there too), but if we are going for healthy then cucumbers and ranch would be his thing (he won't eat carrots or celery or broccoli or anything else on the veggie try), but give him a whole cucumber and he will go to town. He loves tomatoes too, it's funny in Kindergarten his teacher would be so amazed that he would bring a whole tomato in his lunch pail, she really thought it was a very rich red apple, and when she discovered it was a tomato she was speechless. He still loves those tomatoes, the grape tomatoes are his favorite. He can pop those in his mouth like they are candy (yep, happy mama), and he use to love avocados, although that phase has faded a little I was extremely happy when he use to want avocados over ice cream.

Today, I wanted to share with you a quick Hidden Valley Ranch Apple-Bacon Coleslaw that I created for a quick and easy healthy veggie snack in your kids lunch boxes (or mom's lunch box too).

Ranch Apple-Bacon Coleslaw
created by me, Tina Hudgens

1 head of cabbage
4 celery stalks, diced
1/4 cup diced green onions (or less)
2 red apples, unpeeled and diced
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
4 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled

Shred or finely dice a head of cabbage and add to a large bowl. Take your diced celery and add to the bowl, chopped your red apples with the skin on, as it allows for great color in your coleslaw and toss this with the lemon juice before adding it to the bowl. Pour in the ranch dressing, apple cider vinegar, sugar and the bacon. Mix together and refrigerate for at least an hour (or overnight) before serving. I like to package these up into small individual containers like shown below to make a perfect addition to your kids lunch or for a quick grab for an after school snack.

"Part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program"

The Hidden Valley® Original Ranch®, dressings & dips has provided me with free product to help with my review, but anything I receive from Hidden Valley does not affect my thoughts on its company or their product.

Spinach Artichoke Grill Cheese

My daughter is a recipe (sandwich) connoisseur, I wouldn't be surprised someday if she opened up a sandwich shop in New York City (her second love), but for now let's get through the first year of college. She was not very pleased with her fast-food sandwich she got tonight after the Lindenwood University football game, I am sure she would love to have one of mommy's sandwiches right about now.

Since her twin sister loves spinach artichoke and she is always up for something new, I decided to create this sandwich before they left for Missouri from one of the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGES. 

The NEW IMPROVED Crazy Cooking Challenge is just around the corner. Make sure you are all marking your calendars and are preparing your Apple Pie for the upcoming CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE on October 7th.

Spinach Artichoke Grill Cheese
adapted (alot) by me, originally  from a recipe found at Recipes of a Cheapskate

pre-packaged Spinach Artichoke Dip
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp olive oil or butter (for the pan to brown the grill cheese)
4 pieces bread

On each piece of bread, spread butter on one side. Heat a griddle pan to medium heat. Add 2 slices of bread to the grill, spread some cheese, the spinach-artichoke dip mixture, and some more cheese (approx 1/2 cup per sandwich). Top with the other slice of the bread. When the bottom is browned, flip the sandwich and cook until the other side is browned.

Seasoned Baked Potato

Seasoned Potato, good enough for a meal but great as a side dish too! I choose to cook one of these up for lunch at work one day after seeing this amazing recipe on Pinterest (we have a great toaster oven that works perfectly at work for quick meals like these). Either way this is a great way to spice up the plain ole' baked potato.

Seasoned Baked Potato
recipe found at Iowa Girl Eats

1 Baked Potato
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese (fresh is best)
2 tsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Cook the potato (which ever way you wish - I prefer the oven - the microwave just doesn't do it justice). After the potato is fully cooked, cut the potato in half, then cut each half into squares. Don’t cut all the way through, just down to the skin. Season with butter, Parmesan cheese and Lawry's Seasoning Salt, then pop them into the middle rack of your oven set to broil for 10-15 minutes. I like to add a drop of Sour Cream to the top and Eat Away! I promise you won't be sorry! DELICIOUS!!!

Pineapple Bacon Burgers

What a neat way to serve up a burger, Pineapple, Bacon and the Burger all in one. I premade these, stuck them in the freezer a while back from this great idea I saw on Pinterest (of course the pin had no recipe attached, so I just winged it), then when we decided to head to the park with friends, these were already in my freezer ready to go. I just took them out and let them defrost before throwing them on the BBQ.

I want to tell you these are OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD YUMMMMYYYYYYYY!

Pineapple Bacon Burgers
original idea found on Pinterest, source unknown

Make Your Favorite Hamburger patty recipe. If you don't have one here is mine.

2 lbs favorite ground beef, well chilled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1 to 2 tsp seasoning salt
1 egg
1 lb bacon
1 can sliced or fresh pineapple
8 to 12 slices Kraft American Singles (we like DOUBLE cheese)

Mix all ingredients together (except bacon and pineapple) and form patties. Then you can lay them on foil (if you are freezing for later) or just on a cooking sheet if cooking them now. Take two pieces of bacon and lay them cross ways, 1 slice of pineapple and lay on top of the formed patty. wrap the bacon around the top and pineapple and it's ready to BBQ.

Favorite Hamburger Buns
Iceberg Lettuce
Fresh Tomato Slices

After burger are cooked, top with lettuce, tomato and your favorite burger sauce and ENJOY!

My friends husband was the BBQ man of the day! Thanks Wayn-o !!!

Having a good burger is one thing, but enjoying it at the park with friends makes it even better and believe it or not, my husband was there too! This was a RARE-RARE occasion lately in our family. Don't tell anyone, but this event actually happened on Easter Sunday, it's just taken me this long to FINALLY post this awesome recipe. And by the way we had a wonderful Easter too!

Homemade Cheeseburger with Kraft American Singles

Wow! Kraft Singles has won my heart over again! I've been using this delicious cheese as far back as I can remember and now I am repeating the tradition with my own kids.

We love a classic grill cheese sandwich with Kraft singles or a Homemade Cheeseburger just isn't the same without it. We all love DOUBLE cheese, I don't know if I've ever had a Grill Cheese or a Homemade Cheeseburger with just one slice of cheese, I always add TWO slices of the delicious Kraft American Singles. This past weekend we heated up the BBQ and made this awesome homemade burger sauce and WOW-WOW-WOW! I think this will become a regular to our weekly menu, and this homemade burger beats a fast-food burger any day of the week.

Homemade Cheeseburger
recipe created by me: Tina Hudgens
(makes about 4 to 6 hamburgers)

2 lbs favorite ground beef, well chilled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tsp of worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1 to 2 tsp seasoning salt
1 egg

8 to 12 slices Kraft American Singles (we like DOUBLE cheese)
Favorite Hamburger Buns
Iceberg Lettuce
Fresh Tomato Slices

Homemade Burger Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp Sweet Honey Catalina Dressing
4 tsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp onion (grated on a microplane grater)
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp chili powder

Mix together ground beef, Kosher salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, seasoning salt and egg. Form hamburger meat into even balls and flatten into nice size hamburger patties. 

Combine all of the burger sauce ingredients; stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to use. This sauce is out-of-this-world delicious.

Place season burger patties on a heated barbeque and grill to your liking, cooking until cooked all the way through. Add DOUBLE slices of Kraft American Cheese and cook a minute or two longer until cheese is melted.

To assemble your Homemade Cheeseburger, spread a thick layer of sauce on each bun, add on the lettuce and tomato along with your cheeseburger, stack it all together and bite in. YUM!

"As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program,

I received a coupon for free Kraft Singles and a stipend."

Tailgate Sandwiches

Another new sandwich! But I can not decide which is my favorite; the new Tailgate Sandwich or the original Hot Sub Sandwich, therefore I am posting both. The first time I heard about this kind of sandwich is when it was picked as a TOP PICK for THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS and it now has become a household name, we call them Hot Sub Sandwiches, click here for the original recipe. But, lucky me. I love searching out new recipes and I found this twist on this same sandwich and I couldn't resist trying it out.

The two biggest differences are the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and the Cream Cheese.

Tailgate Sandwiches

from Taste of Home Magazine, Caryn Ross

12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, split

1 lb shaved ham

12 slices white cheese, mozzarella

1 tub Cream Cheese

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 tsp dried mince onion

Arrange bottoms of rolls in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Layer with cheese and then ham. Spread the top of each roll with a thin layer of cream cheese. Place cheese side down.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Pour over sandwiches. Let stand for at least 20 minutes.

Cover and Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Baked Potato with Chicken & Asparagus

I have just way too many recipes to post. Thus two posts in one day. I just can't wait til tomorrow, because tomorrow I have another new recipe for you and then Friday is the second posting of CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE, and we've got over 100 Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes to bring you! YUM!

This was a recipe intended for crepes, but I made it for on top of a baked potato. Now, I don't know if we will ever have it the other way. We just LOVED LOVED it this way. I guess that's the way recipes go sometimes.

Baked Potato with Chicken & Asparagus

from Tina Hudgens

4 extra large baked potatoes, pre-cook and have ready to go

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp onions, finely diced

1/2 lb fresh Asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tbsp parsley, herb de provence, dill or whatever is your favorite

2-1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, pre-cooked (I buy the pre-made one at the grocery store)

3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher Salt & Pepper

In a skillet over medium-high heat melt the 3 tbsp of butter. Add in onions and cook for about 1 minute. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add in the chicken broth, lemon zest, 1 tbsp of your favorite herb and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shredded pre-cooked chicken, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and season how you wish with kosher salt & pepper. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until cheese melts. Serve mixture on top of Baked Potatoes and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #49 (SANDWICH) and Bagel Avocado Open-Faced Sandwich

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #49

The Theme is: Sandwiches
(Please share with us your favorite sandwich!)

This is an all-time favorite of my girls. They LOVE LOVE this sandwich that one of my friends shared with them at the river a few years ago. It's so simple, so easy and yet so delicious! We forget about it and haven't had it in a while and when made it for them today so I could photograph it and blog about it they said once again "this is the best sandwich ever".

Bagel Avocado Open-Faced Sandwich

from a long-time friend Lisa

1 bagel (toast or not)

cream cheese

turkey or ham

1 avocado

Toast your bagel, if you wish. Spread with cream cheese, layer with ham or turkey and top with slices of avocado. And yep. that's it! ENJOY!

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS is just about one year old! I can not believe I have been blogging and linking for over a year now. I really have enjoyed every minute of it! It's SO fun!  And THANK YOU all of my readers & bloggers.

I have a request... some one you have been following along and loving my linky party... the theme week's and I am looking for 2 or 3 bloggers to help host THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS. The commitment is low, but it is EVERY week, on Monday and you too will host this same linky party on your blog along with me. The new year starts in about 3 weeks and I would love to add a few more bloggers to the hostess list. If you are interested please email me at tinahudgens@aol.com.

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Please Grab Our Button !!!

This Week's Cravings Upcoming Linky "THEMES"

Here is a complete list of the past and what's coming up next on THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS!

October 10 - Angel Food Cake Day

October 17 - Any Pasta Recipe

October 24 - Halloween Treats & What to do with Left-Over Candy?

October 31 - National "Men Make Dinner" Day

This is a BLOG Party hosted by From My Tiny Kitchen and MOMS CRAZY COOKING. If you are a regular link-up we're excited to see what you made this week. If you are new please read and follow the simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don't feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!

The LINKY PARTY is opened ALL Week!

PLEASE do not link more then 3 recipes per week.
This week's theme is: SANDWICH 
Please only link recipes with our theme!

Grilled Cheese with Bacon & Thousand Island Dressing

I cook a lot while on vacation in my motorhome. I think I just view this as my time to cook, relax and enjoy my family even more then I do at home. There is less stress and very little to do, so cooking is more enjoyable.

I call myself the "Lunch Lady", I disappear into my tiny little motorhome kitchen and about an hour later I emerge with a new and trilling lunch item each and every day. We had brought a few extra friends this time, so I had a total of 8 or 9 people to make lunches for each day. (But, I wouldn't have it any other way)

This new sandwich was OUT OF THIS WORLD, I can not even begin to describe to you how wonderful it was. I know this will be a NEW all time favorite at my house. The melted cheese, the crisp bacon and the tang of the Thousand Island, oh my! If you love all of those things and have never thought in a million years to put them all together, then I encourage you to try it TODAY! You probably have most of this stuff in the house, right now!

Grilled Cheese with Bacon & Thousand Island Dressing
adapted to our taste from Food Network Magazine, April 2011
Greg Morris, owner of Oaks Gourmet in Los Angeles

8 strips thick cut maple-glazed bacon
2 tbsp butter8 slices sourdough bread
8 slices of your favorite cheese (original recipe cotswold cheese or cheddar)
4 tbsp Thousand Island Dressing

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, remove and drain. Wipe out skillet.
Heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat, spread butter on the outside of all 8 slices, lay 4 slices butter side down in skillet. Layer with cheese and bacon. Spread thousand island on inside of the additional 4 slices of bread, then lay thousand island side down on top of the bacon & cheese (butter side should be facing up).

Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides; 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Repeat until all 4 sandwiches are made, unless you have a huge skillet like I do and can make all 4 sandwiches at once.

Here are the moms on the camping trip, this is what we do ALL DAY long,
so stopping and cooking for my family is a no problem at all, I LOVE MAKING new things!!!

Ole' Favorites - Lunch Recipes from 2010

We are off on our second family vacation of the Summer, Moabi at the River. (My hubby and son our on their 3rd vacation, as they do a guys only fishing trip that they just returned from 13 days ago..lucky guys). This is my kids favorite vacation of all, it's 10 days of water fun, with lots of their friends (I have twins plus one and I am taking another set of twins plus one, another other friend has triplets plus one & my other friend has two, that equals a whole lot of kids). We have several families who go with us, we get our own private beach and we have a blast. From sun-up to sun-down we are in the water playing, talking, relaxing and doing any and all kinds of water-sports, plus a few years ago the kids started making up Survivor type games each day and theme nights each night. This is a newer tradition and is so much fun, we always have 100% participation.

Here are some scrapbook pages from last year, and since I am on vacation I have pre-scheduled lots of fun recipes for you all week long. So, please stop back by and see everything I've been making so far this summer.

Today, I wanted to continue sharing with you my favorites from 2010...I've already shared Breakfast Favorites and Dinner Favorites, and today is all of my personal favorite Lunch recipes.
 

Grilled Chicken Cesar Salad Sandwich

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

Fresh Mozzerella BLT with Pesto

Macaroni & Cheese with Sweet Potatoes

Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich

PB & J Spirals

Hamburger Crescent Rolls

Crescent Rolls are good anytime, anyday and you can make almost anything with them! I have shared a few GREAT recipes that my kids LOVE with crescent rolls here on my blog in the past and I would LOVE to recap them for you now, PLUS we have a new Hamburger Crescent Roll recipe for you today!!

Chicken Crescent Rolls

PB & J Spirals

Brie & Cranberry Pizza

Now onto our newest creation with Crescent Rolls

Hamburger Crescents

Hamburger Crescent Rolls

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp Relish

1/2 to 1 cup of graded cheese

1 to 2 lbs ground hamburger/turkey meat (already cooked)

1 to 2 pkg Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Sprinkle of Paprika and/or Grandma's Salt

Hamburger meat needs to be pre-cooked. Then mix all the ingredients together. Put a spoonful of the mixture into each roll and roll them up. Sprinkle with a little paprika (and/or a bit of Grandma's Salt), bake at 350 for approx 12-16 minutes.

Chicken Baked Potato

What a delicious way to be on a diet. A perfectly delicious baked potato (sorry added a little too much sour cream; which is not on the diet menu); but didn't want my potato dry. (bad habits are hard to give up)

Chicken Baked Potato
from Tina Hudgens (via ideas from the Jillian Michaels Self Diet Article)

1 medium russet potato
4 oz chopped chicken breast
1 cup spinach
1 tomato, chopped
2 slices, red onion
fresh pepper
scoop of sour cream (if you wish to be bad)

Bake 1 medium russet potato at 450 until tender, 45 to 60 minutes; cut in half. Cook 4 oz chopped boneless skinless chicken breast in a pan coasted with cooking spray for 10 minutes. Add in 1 cup spinach, 1 whole tomato, chopped and a few slices of red onion. Cook until vegetables are tender. Top the potato with chicken mixture and fresh pepper.

Bacon-Tomato Cheese Toast

Friday on MOMS CRAZY COOKING, recipe ONLY! Enjoy & Have a Fabulous weekend!