Easy Pizza Rolls

My oldest often asks me to pack pizza for school lunch. I solved the problem of how to pack cold pizza with these easy pizza rolls. She loves gobbling them up and I love how super simple they are to make. I like to buy three or four prepared pizza dough packages from Trader Joe's to keep on hand for pizza requests. They freeze really well and still taste delicious. 

If you want to get more veggies into your kid's diet, pureeing some spinach or other roasted veggies into the pizza sauce is a great way to bump up the nutritional value without much change in the taste. 

Easy Pizza Rolls

Ingredients

• Pre-Made Pizza Dough
• 14 oz Pizza Sauce 
• Mozzarella Log, pre-sliced 
• Pepperoni 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and place dough on counter to come to room temperature (about 10-15 minutes). 
2. Roll out pizza dough into a large rectangular shape. Spread the pizza sauce, slices of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni (or your preferred toppings) onto the dough. Roll into a large log and cut slices about 1 1/2" apart. 
3. Place pizza rolls into a pre-greased muffin tin. Bake for approximately 13 minutes, until golden. Let cool slightly and serve warm (or cold in the lunchbox like my daughter seems to enjoy). 

Apples! Apples! Apples! Take Back Our Lunch Apples with Opal Apple Bars!

Sponsored Post: This post is sponsored by Opal® apples 

but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Last month, I shared my love for Opal® Apples along with how great they are for lunches since they don't brown. For my picky kids, this is awesome! We've been munching along on Opal® apples in our house and they are hands down our favorite ones. This week while checking out some new recipes, I stumbled upon a few apple bar recipes which looked perfect for the lunchbox. After making a few tweaks, I came up with a delightfully healthy and yet so sinfully tasting apple bar. I must report that I may have had three of these the first day I made them. Maggie agreed with me and polished off five of them. I wasn't sure there would be any left for the other members of the family but we made them last for breakfast and as a lunchtime treat the next day. 

The beautiful appearance of the Opal® Apples which are Non-GMO Project verified along with the crunchy texture and sweet, tangy flavor really shines through in these apple bars. The fact that Opal® Apples are grown right here in Washington State exclusively by Broetje and Congdon Orchards delights me to no end.

These bars should keep for about 4-5 days and will be a wonderful treat in your kid's lunchbox. This is one part of lunch they will be sure to eat! 

I'm excited to announce that Opal® Apples is sponsoring a give-away of their Opal lodo’d bento lunch box and a sample box of Opals. Leave a comment below on how you like to incorporate apples into your child's (or even your own) lunch for a chance to win! Winners will be announced on Monday, March 20th. 

Opal Apple Bars

by Rebecca Mongrain



Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes



Ingredients (24 bars)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup vanilla sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 tsp almond extract
4 Opal Apples, peeled and sliced into thin slices




Instructions


Preheat oven to 350 F.
Spray a a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves. Stir in oats and sugars. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter and eggs. Stir in the almond extract. Mix liquid into the flour mixture.
Press half the dough into the prepared 9x13 pan and set aside.
Using two 15-inch sheets of parchment paper (wax paper works fine too), place the remaining half of the dough between the two sheets. Roll out the dough into a 9x13 rectangle. Place on a cookie sheet indie the freezer for a few minutes.
Place the sliced apples onto the 9x13 pan and slightly overlap each slice until the pan is covered.
Remove the dough from the freezer and press on top of the apple slices. Press around the edges to seal the dough.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool in the pan before lifting the parchment paper out. Cut into squares and enjoy in the lunchbox!






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Sponsored Post: This post is sponsored by Opal® apples 

but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Take Back Our Lunch Apples! Apple Granola Peanut Butter Wraps and Opal Apples

Sponsored Post: This post is sponsored by Opal® apples 

but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. 

While Molly has been at preschool, I've been lucky enough to have her lunches and snacks covered but with kindergarten starting in the fall, my thoughts have been turning to school lunches. I do my best to provide my kids with healthy, whole food and thinking about packing lunches has slightly stressed me out. I worry about food getting squished and apples turning brown. 

I was excited to learn about Opal® Apples which are Non-GMO Project verified.  These naturally non-browning apples are perfect for the school lunchbox. This means I can cut apples for Molly's lunch without worrying about them browning by lunchtime. Another exciting feature about Opal® Apples is that they are grown in Washington State exclusively by Broetje and Congdon Orchards.

Opal® apples have a beautiful appearance with a crunchy texture and sweet, tangy flavor which pairs well with peanut butter and sweet, crunchy granola! I created these delicious wraps that we've been eating with gusto at lunch and breakfast. I'm definitely adding these to my school lunch recipe file though I'll probably substitute the peanut butter for sun butter and make sure the granola is nut-free. Until then, we'll consume the apples and peanut butter with glee! 

I picked up nearly a case of these apples on my monthly Costco run and we've been eating them like mad. I've been putting the apples, thinly sliced, in our snack bags when we leave the house in the morning. I love that they are still nice and fresh without a tinge of brown when we finally dig into them hours later. 

I'll stop going on about these awesome apples and leave you with an equally awesome lunch wrap. Add dried fruit or chia seeds for extra flavor or mix up the nut butters and granolas but never leave off the Opal® apples. 

Apple Granola Peanut Butter Wraps



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 5 minutes




6081000



Ingredients (2 wraps)

Two 10-inch Whole Wheat Tortillas
¼ cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
⅓ cup thinly sliced Opal apples
2 tablespoons granola




Instructions

Take your tortillas and spread each evenly with peanut butter.

Lay thinly sliced Opal apples  evenly, lengthwise, down the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with granola.

Beginning at one long side, roll the tortillas up.

Cut in half and serve. If serving later, wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator until serving or packing in lunch boxes.


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Sponsored Post: This post is sponsored by Opal® apples 
but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.