Noodles and Tines

It is finally beginning to feel like fall around here. Our weekend was chilly (about 50 F) and its been raining since late this afternoon. We went to the farmers' market on Saturday and bought what may be our last fresh tomatoes for the season - an assortment of cherry tomatoes and a quart of big, beautiful red slicers. And just as the weather is getting cooler, Caroline is finally becoming more interested in cooked tomatoes. Geoff made spaghetti with meatballs for dinner tonight and Caroline really liked it! Spaghetti and meatballs is Geoff's specialty. He doesn't follow a recipe but the meatballs are made with ground beef from Creswick Farms, fresh thyme and parsley, onions, bread crumbs, garlic, and eggs. They taste a little bit different every time but are always perfect especially on cold nights. Caroline actually wasn't that interested in the meatballs until I gave them a couple of pulses in the Cuisinart mini-prep. She started using a fork last weekend and loved watching me twirl her noodles around the tines. She'd watch, grab the fork, and aim for her mouth. And surprisingly, most of the noddles and sauce did end up in her mouth!

Caroline's Lunchbox Menu, October 15: Breakfast - O's, red raspberries; Lunch - whole wheat spaghetti, tomato and meat sauce, zucchini, salad (green leaf lettuce, chard, baby spinach), apple slices; Snacks - mixed variety of cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese

Childcare Center Menu, October 15: Breakfast - orange juice, Cheerios, Life, Rice Krispies; Lunch - spaghetti with turkey sauce, salad, bananas; Snacks - crackers, cheese