Ramen a la Carte

In our house we worship Ramen soup.  All the kids have enjoyed it since they were babies, and this devotion has become more evident with Rachel and Andrew at the house while the big sisters are at school.  For them it's as if they were eating candy!  They're living in a self-inflicted, ramen-flavored, brainwashed state of mind.

There are some good reasons for anyone to fall in love with it: it’s an easy recipe to follow, light to any cranky tummy, and very affordable to any family-size budget. And by affordable I mean really inexpensive.  You can buy about 3 dozens pkgs/box for a whooping $1.35.  Or you can go to your nearest going-out-of-business grocery store and get gazillions of them for 5 cents per box.  We successfully did it about 3 years ago; and went back to another Albertson’s stores to get more, another hundred times since then.

Anyway, our children became so addicted to it that when it's lunch time Andrew makes sure I know what he wants.  Everyday, anytime and even better if this is offered for snacks too (another great thing about Ramen: it can stop an screaming one year old in a heart beat by just saying… Ramen's at the table!)   It’s some kind of a daily routine for our little guy. 

Ramen soup can be made in two quick steps, but over the years we've improved it into our own special recipe and its accompanying ritual: 

1. Someone calls out, "Lunch time!"
2. The little ones runs to the pantry to get a Ramen package.  Sometimes it’s a race between two kids, but most of the time a race between me and a screaming/excited Andrew.  Guess who's the winner everytime?
3. Andrew’s in charge of demolishing the dry noodles with a rolling pin.  More than once he's punished himself trying to wield the large kitchen tool.
4. We prepare the soup by following the directions on the package.
5. Then it's serve in an under-sized bowl (so the kids and especially the baby believe they're getting as many as 5 servings per seating.  I’m a tricky mom!) 
6. Add shredded Mexican mix cheese and/or some cooked ingredients for extra protein such as chicken chunks, peas, corn.  Andrew can't hardly wait the 3 minutes cooking process so he loves to hand-snack on the cheese (see pics.) 
7. The piece of bread for dipping is their favorite part.
8. With a paper towel roll in hand, I just sit and watch the kids.  If you're not careful the boy chokes himself eating so fast, all the while with a smile on his face (Rachel isn't an exception.)

That’s it.  No additional dessert is required, and the best part, a quiet afternoon with full tummies is guaranteed!  It’s simple to add up what just happened before/during/after our Ramen-meal:   

Countless Ramen soup serving = about 1.5 cents each

House cleaning after this soupy lunch =  Kidos ready to lick their fingers, the dishes, and even the table.

Happy Moms comes from Ramen-nurtured kids = PRICELESS!

This is the easy, fast and cheap way we keep our house running around here. And below are the pictures to prove it.