It got to the point where we decided these nostalgic food-times warranted a whole day of recognition--and maybe it wouldn't hurt to do some of the things that kids do, too. ;)
So this time around, I threw on my celebratory sweatshirt right when I woke up and got to making breakfast!
And duh, it was Pop Tarts! You know, the real Pop Tarts. Not the fancy-schmancy homemade ones that recently put me in the mood to eat these delicious treats. And look! They're healthy, and a good source of vitamins and stuff! Or, er... whatever, they're amazing!
I'd love to say that both of these beauties were for me (which would have been very much like what my breakfast looked like as a kid), but alas, I had to share with the boyfriend. =\
I'm kidding, I'm kidding, this was just the pre-cursor to a day of--essentially--over-eating too much salt, sugar, and cheese! I had to save room.
Can you guys even with this? So simple, so yummy, so cinnamon-goodness-y.
While chomping through our tarts, we sat on the floor in front of the television (like you know, kids do) and enjoyed some '90s cartoon classics: Dexter's Laboratory and a perfectly timed holiday episode of Rugrats!
After breakfast, John and I put on our adult pants and trekked to the grocery store in search of items for the rest of the day's meals. We came back with a plethora of fixins, just in time to start lunch!
For me, you're not eating like a kid unless you make yourself at least one box of Blue Box Mac-and-Cheese. Every summer between the ages of 7 and 11, my sister and I probably ate Blue Box M&C every single day. So healthy, huh? It was also the first thing I ever learned how to make on the stove! I think it was where my love affair with cheese began--because the powdered packet stuff is the real thing, ya'll.
Even though the ingredients and prep are sooooo complicated (not), John volunteered to be the chef for lunch, since I planned on taking care of dinner!
And just like when we were kids (especially me) the portions had to be exactly even! Result of having a twin sister... she could never have more mac & cheese than me! ;)
So John carefully poured the bowls...
The perfect, balanced kids meal! I wish I could say that I didn't drink soda as a kid, but that would be a bald faced lie! Diet Coke was my very favorite thing, and I decided it would be alright to have my first soda in forever just to pair it with this cheesy, blue box deliciousness.
Yum! It took everything in my power not to just hoover this down. I did make one little modification to my original kids lunch recipe: Sriracha!
You guys! This may be my favorite thing in the world to add Sriracha to - maybe with the exception of scrambled eggs. It just kicks that mac & cheese up a notch, and you can actually kid yourself into thinking you're eating an adult meal. Almost.
If you've never done this, I suggest you make it for yourself tonight. But share with someone! Otherwise we all know you'll eat the whole box. 'Cause we all would.
After scarfing down our lunches as slooooowly as we could, it was over before we knew it and we were grabbing our things and scrambling out the door. Because if I did anything when I was a kid, it was spend an afternoon in the darkness of a movie theater.
And it just so happens that there is a fun, animated movie playing right now! We arrived at our local theater and purchased our tickets to the new Disney movie, Big Hero 6!
I used to work in a movie theater (my first job, which I had for 4 years!), and there's just something about the treats at the movies. The colors, the sweetness, and the saltiness... it brings back so many memories! My whole family has a weakness for movie theater popcorn, and while I try not to give into the urge all the time, today was special.
I just love that we can add our own butter now. Maybe you don't remember, but you had to ask for butter on your popcorn before, and you had to trust that the person behind the concession stand would spread that butter around evenly! Haha, clearly I have a bit of a control problem, no?
We scurried into the theater and took our seats. The movie was such a joy! Predictable in a way that kids movies are, but it certainly made my heart grow three sizes. I recommend it if you haven't seen it already. :)
We sped home to get into our comfy clothes, and now it was John's turn to pick his favorite childhood activity to do! Surprising no one, he pulled up his collection of Super Nintendo video games, and fell deeply into The Legend of Zelda...
I watched him move around his 32-bit Link for a while, marveling at the nostalgia of it all. I slipped out while he was gallivanting around Hyrule to start the dinner prep.
My very favorite meal in the entire world... Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup.
Now, arguably, this isn't a kid's meal. It is an everybody meal. But as a kid, teen, and young adult who would would hardly expand my horizons beyond anything other than this, it is a quintessential part of my childhood.
Sourdough bread is a must. Even as a kid, my parents rarely used white bread in their grilled cheese prep. As a San Francisco Bay Area family, sourdough was our go-to. I still maintain it is the best bread to use.
I also made the grilled cheese a bit more fancy by collecting some fresh basil leaves from our balcony garden, which currently looks like an overgrown bush! It's so easy to just spill the leaves over the cheese and cook them between the bread.
It makes a huge difference in the flavor, and adds that little bit of texture that keeps me from eating this meal too quickly. Especially when you add the tomato soup into the mix. It's like basil and tomato soup were meant to be together.
And since I like to make things easy in my meal prep, I used Campbell's Soup at Hand, which happens to fit perfectly in little bowls I have.
I swear, I didn't even color correct that picture above. Those colors really are that vibrant!
The meal came together perfectly, and I called John in for dinner. The spread looked so delicious, and the smells were even more satisfying. Typing this now, I'm this close to making the exact same meal again for lunch today! Are you not craving it as much as I am?
Notice the stack of pickles in the back? That was John's only request, that we include bread and butter pickles so he could pile them on top of every bite of grilled cheese. It was his favorite thing as a kid, and I had never tried it! Turns out, it's friggin' delicious! It may be part of my staple grilled cheese fixins moving forward!
By this time, I had retired my camera to enjoy our last meal of the day together. In front of a good movie, of course! John picked The Princess Bride, which felt just right. We toasted each other with glasses of iced tea and settled in for dinner, and then cuddled under a blanket for the rest of the movie.
It's nice every once in awhile to share the things you loved as a kid with someone you love as an adult. It says so much about one's upbringing -- whether they grew up with food made from scratch, or food straight out of the box (like me!) And I'll admit, I'm already thinking about what the menu for next year's Eat Like a Kid Day will be!
If you had your own day, what would you eat??
xx
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