Let's Make Meals Together

I've based most of my blogging on how education affects the way that people eat.  In my last entry I talked about the importance of students having access to balanced meals in school.  Today, I'm going to talk about easy recipes that parents can make with their children to bring to school.  

While food remains to be an important part of one's identity, I believe that the process of making the food and who one is making it with is just as important.  When I was in elementary school, my dad would always pack me a lunch.  Making lunch was always very special to me because we would make lunch for each other.  I would pack him a lunch to take to work and he would pack me a lunch to bring to school.  This sort of experience was not only representative of us as a family unit, but it represented a small tradition that revolved around food.  

Today, food no longer has a lot of meaning.  "Sadly, Americans rarely eat together anymore. In fact, the average American eats one in every five meals in her car, one in four Americans eats at least one fast food meal every single day, and the majority of American families report eating a single meal together less than five days a week" (Delistraty).  These statistics affect both children and families as an entire unit.  There is no longer time to catch up with one another and discover how things are at work, school, or in general.  I think that now I treasure the mornings I had with my dad more than ever becasye of the drastic change in the way that people eat.  

I've decided to attach a simple recipe to my blog this week.  I think that this is a recipe that can be easily utulized by families with children (and it makes for great leftovers!).  Pizza delivery cars go by my house more than people walk by...while this is an unfortunate observation, I think that we can take this pizza revolution and make something healthy and wholesome out of it!

Pizza on the go is a fun and easy recipe that won't take too much time, but is sure to make a lot of memories.  I make this recipe with my roomates all the time because we can bring them to class and eat them on our way out the door.

Have you ever seen the lunchable pizza packs?  Well, this is a healthy alternative to those with all the fun and WAY more nutrition.

I recommend making a bunch of personal sized pizza crusts with the recipe below!

Ingredients

·         1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

·         1 teaspoon white sugar

·         1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

·         2 1/2 cups bread flour

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

The only difference is that I don't put the toppings on until later...it's up to you, but I think that it's more fun to put my pizza together and then eat it!

Now, the sauce is a bit more tricky than the crust, but it only takes you 45 minutes and you can freeze whatever you don't think you'll use!  This is the recipe I use

Ingredients

·         2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes

·         1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

·         4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1 teaspoon dried oregano

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

·         6 tablespoons olive oil

·         1/3 cup finely diced onion

·         1/2 cup white wine

Directions

1. In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

So this sauce recipe is super delicious!  The last step of this wonderful take on make your own pizza is just to refrigerate everything.  The next day I put all of my ingredients in separate Tupperware containers and then I put the pizza together right before I eat it.  This recipe is fun for kids and adults.  It's super easy and healthy.  It's a great alternative to the greasy, processed pizza that children are fed at school.  Pack some veggies in a container and they can be put right on top of the pizza.  

Works Cited

 Delistraty, C. (2014, July 18). The Importance of Eating Together. Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/the-importance-of-eating-together/374256/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/11966/best-marinara-sauce-yet/print/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/20171/quick-and-easy-pizza-crust/print/