1st Day of School!

Tomorrow is the first day of school for Molly and Bean.  They are in a new school, new district and they are going to different buildings for the first time.  It's quite an adjustment but we are thrilled with our move and can't wait to see what the future has in store. Our first lunch is in Laptop Lunch Boxes, a great way to have a waste free lunch.  (link below)

Bean chose cucumber boats (pickling cucumbers hollowed out and stuffed with whipped cream cheese with a little bit of dry ranch mix in it.) for her first main entree.  We added a few pepper rings for some color.

She also has a few crackers and a couple of pieces of turkey pepperoni.

Molly chose pasta salad for her main entree.  She's always been a big fan.

Her vegetables are cucumber slices and pepper rings.  

Both girls have mixed berries for their fruit side.

Finally, their special first day dessert is a Rice Krispie Treat with a few sprinkles added for fun.

Happy first day of school, girls!!!!

We also had to make sure that the teachers were not forgotten.  We made a survival kit for each of them so that they can have a great first day too. 

We picked up a few essentials at the Target travel section.  Tissues, hand sanitizer, band aids, Altoids, Tooth "brushes", Tums, Chap Stick, Advil, Hand lotion, a yummy Annie's snack, a few Hershey's Kisses and of course, the coveted red pen.

All packed up in a re-usable bin with and a little note of appreciation.  

1st Day of School Lunch

WOW!  That was fast!  Didn't I just write the post about the last day of school a few hours ago?  Seriously though, we are so excited for the new school year.  Molly and Bean packed their back packs, picked out their outfits and settled into their beds perfectly.  I remember it being like the night before Christmas.  I never slept well because I was SO excited to start school again.

Without further ado....LUNCH!

Bean's Lunch

Molly's Lunch

Our main entree for Bean is a Nutella and Peanut Butter and Company peanut butter sandwich on Trader Joe's whole grain bread.  We used our mini apple, alphabet and number cookie cutters to make some back to school shapes and our food safe markers to bring the apples to life.

Our main entree for Molly is Trader Joe's Perline Pasta and Prosciutto salad with some light Italian dressing.

Our vegetable side is a rainbow of bell peppers.  A favorite of both girls.

Our fruit side is figs and raspberries.  We drizzled a little bit of honey on the figs per the girls' request.

Finally, our dairy side is vanilla yogurt with little school bus sprinkles on it.  

We also made a little something for Molly and Bean's teachers.  We figured that a little survival kit would be a nice gift to start the new school year.

Some instant coffee, pretzels, milk and dark chocolate, raisins, antacids, vitamin C, gum and the teacher's favorite tool...the red pen. ☺

Happy 1st Day of School Everyone!

1st Day of School Lunch!

Tomorrow marks the 1st day of second grade for our girl, Molly.  She is excited and nervous all at the same time.  I remember not being able to sleep the night before the first day of school.  The adrenaline was enough to make me sick.  Molly can't wait to see her friends and meet her teacher even if there is some resistance on her part since she's such a homebody.  We are very excited to hear all of the stories that the day will bring.

We had a fantastic and busy summer but we are ready to get back at it.  We are ready for our scheduled days and the fun that weekends hold.  We are looking forward to an incredible year with lots of new adventures.

Our main entree is tortellini pasta salad.  Molly chose this for her first lunch because she wanted something that reminded her of the fun summer meals that we had.  The salad includes Trader Joe's Cheese Tortellini, turkey pepperoni, light pepper jack cheese, sliced olives and light Italian salad dressing.  This should keep her nice and full for the rest of the school day.

Our vegetable side may seem a little different.  They are called ground cherries.  They are actually tomatoes and a member of the tomatillo family, which is why they have a "wrapper" around them.  You just peel the wrapper off and pop the sweet little cherries out.  Ground cherries are very sweet and have an almost pineapple-like flavor.  We found these at a local farmers' market and we can't get enough of them.

Our fruit side is a sliced Granny Smith apple and blueberries.  Molly chose these and actually helped clean them and put them in her lunch box.  They are both tart in flavor and will offset the sweetness of the ground cherries.  It's kind of like opposite day. ☺

Finally, Molly chose Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt for her dessert.  She said that she wanted to put a few blueberries in it and maybe even dip her apples in it.  After Molly left to get her backpack and outfit ready, we added a single Hershey's Kiss.  A simple reminder of the love that waits for her when she gets home. ♥

Have a blast in the 2nd Grade, Molly!  It's going to be an awesome year!

We purchased Molly's actual lunch box from www.laptoplunches.com