...and they helped make it!

The girls did not have school Monday or Tuesday because of parent/teacher conferences and the election. (Their school is a polling place.)  We had so much fun playing games, reading books and making some fun recipes.  One of the things that we made was soft pretzels.  We found them in the canned refrigerated section of ALDI and they were a blast to make.

Our main entree is a soft pretzel from ALDI.  We added a small container of pimento cheese spread for Molly and some Bee's Knees Peanut Butter and Company peanut butter to Bean's.

Our vegetable side is yellow and red peppers.

Our fruit side is mini Empire apples that have been cut into slices.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Greek Yogurt.

Talk Like A Pirate Day Blog Hop

Ahoy, Mateys!!!  Today, September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day!  Do you want to win the Pirate Booty??  See below and hop along like a peg leg pirate to find ye treasure!

Our main entree is an open quesadilla treasure map.  We used flour tortillas, Mexican cheese blend and olives and peppers to create our map including a palm tree and the notorious X that marks the spot of the buried treasure.  We rolled up one end and used a skull and crossbones flag to keep it rolled.

Our vegetable is a carrot cannon and black olive cannon balls.

Our fruit side is a kiwi pirate.  We used chocolate chips and sprinkles to create his eyes, patch and beard.  We also used a strawberry for his bandanna.

Finally, our dessert is a little treasure pouch full of goodies! (a/k/a Rolos)

ps - C.J. is the snack person at preschool tomorrow so we made little pirate ships (blue jell-o with apple slices and a pirate flag) for him to bring and share with his friends.  

  

Every Blogger Buccaneer in this here Hop has a piece o' the treasure map!  You'll need to "collect" each piece and put them together in the right order to find the treasure!  You'll want some parchment and a quill to keep a log with each clue and each number, because there are 39 scurvy pirates running amok with 30 pieces o' the map to collect!  37 pieces will guide you to the hidden treasure (by spelling out the URL where you can enter to win!) and there are 2 bonus pieces with the "secret passwords" to get two chances to win some pirate booty sponsored by All Things for Sale/BentoUSA.com!

This here's my piece o' the map!  Good luck, Mateys!

Here's a guild to help ye along the way.

Now take ye to the next lunch by First Mate, Kat at Obento Mama to get the next piece o' the map!  Ahoy!

Practice for School

We make a few fun lunches over the summer but not every day.  Just before school starts, we make a couple of practice lunches. Mom can figure out what will and will not be eaten and we can be sure that the kids know how to open/close their lunch box goodies.

Molly and Bean had the same lunch in their Laptop Lunches Bento Ware Boxes.  

Our main entree is a turkey wrap.  We used a spinach and herb flour tortilla, spread some whipped cream cheese on it, added lettuce and honey roasted turkey breast slices.  We rolled it up and cut it into pieces for the girls.  We also added some cute little bunny picks.

Our vegetable side is fresh sugar snap peas.

Our fruit is a yellow watermelon.  We used our melon baller to make bite sized pieces.  We added a heart fork pick to this box.

Our dairy side is a Sargento Colby Jack cheese stick.

Finally, our dessert is a few Angry Birds graham crackers.  These were a big hit!

CJ is only 3 so he won't have a school lunch like the girls but we made something fun for him too.  

His main entree is a Pepperidge Farm Brown Sugar Goldfish Bread sandwich with Peanut Butter and Company's Dark Chocolate Dreams spread on it.

He has a clementine, yellow watermelon, sugar snap peas, pretzel sticks and Angry Bird graham crackers for his sides.  

School starts next week!  We can't wait!

Back to School Lunch Essentials List

It’s that time of year again.  The store shelves are lined with back packs, pencils, crayons, paper and tons of back to school accessories.  Let’s not forget about lunch though.  There are lots of things available to make your child’s (or your) lunch fun and healthy.  *I’ve included several links and some discount codes within this post.*

1.      The Lunch Box

We have been using the Laptop LunchesLunch Box for the last few years.  It is a great system and although it seems a bit pricey, this is our third year using the same one and we’re still going strong.

*I would recommend any of the 2.0 Kits or Systems by Laptop Lunches. 

*I would also recommend getting a set of Bento Buddies so that you would have the option of a large container and a couple of the smaller ones in case one was in use or dirty.

*I would recommend the Laptop Lunches plastic drink bottles.  We’ve never had any leak problems with them.

My Bento Blogger Friends also can’t say enough good things about Easy Lunch Boxes.  They are BPA free, light weight and dishwasher/microwave safe.  We can’t wait to try them.

*They also have a carrier that keeps lunches cold and it is easy to clean.

*There are 4 boxes in each set so you’ll have one ready without having to run the dishwasher every day.  (We pretty much do anyway though. J)

*They are now going to be carrying Mini Dippers so that you can have a leak proof small container to put in your Easy Lunch Box for dips and salad dressings. Plus, we’ve heard a rumor about another leak proof small container to hold things like applesauce, yogurt and cottage cheese.
****UPDATE****  We LOVE our Easy Lunch Boxes and use them so often that they are always in the dishwasher.  They are great for leftovers for grown ups and lunches for kids.

2.      The Drink Container/Thermos

As I mentioned above, we’ve had great luck with the Laptop Lunches plastic drink container and would highly recommend it.

We have a Thermos drink holder with a straw.  Molly takes that to use in the classroom when she has a cough or if it’s really hot.  (With the teacher’s permission, of course.)

We also have a Thermos food jar for warm foods like soups and pastas.  These stay warm from the time we load them in the morning until lunch time. (*note: we fill the Thermos container with hot water while microwaving the food that will go into it.  Then, we dump the water and fill the Thermos with the food.  It seems to help with keeping things warm.)

3.      Keeping It Cool

We’ve been asked by several readers how we keep Molly’s lunch cold during the hot months of school.  It’s pretty easy with the Laptop Lunch Box because there is a small pouch in the carrier that can hold an ice pack.  There is also room in the Easy Lunch Box carrier so that the ice pack is right on top of the lid and keeps the food cold.  We’ve used the blue gel kind and also ones that look like ice cubes.  The biggest thing is to get something that lies rather flat.  Molly is in charge of putting her ice pack in her lunch in the morning and putting it in the freezer when she gets home.

4.      The Fun Stuff

We are lucky enough to have an amazing bake shop very close to our house and they have a great supply of cookie cutters and cupcake picks.  Our kids will eat more of something if it is cut out in cute shapes and decorated.  If you don’t have a place like this near you, check out your local craft store or the internet.  We have purchased a lot of things from AllThings For Sale. 

Here’s a list of our recommendations:

            *Cookie cutters for sandwiches.

            *Mini or micro cookie cutters for fruits, vegetables and other produce or sandwiches.

            *Silicone cupcake liners. They are nice for separating foods.

            *Cupcake picks, food safe rings or bento utensils.

            *Food safe markers

            *Sprinkles (dye free if your child is sensitive)

            *Lunch notes (available at Lunch Box Love or you can hand write them) (ps - use coupon
              code MOLLY to save 15% off Lunch Box Love Notes)

            *Cloth napkins

            *A container to put everything in (it’s important to be organized so that you can make 

              your lunches quickly and easily)

5.      A Plan

We try to write out a weekly menu but sometimes that becomes difficult when we get busy.  We usually look at the grocery store ads and start there so that we know what is on sale and what we have on hand.  If that seems like too much, there is a website called MOMables that does it all for you and even includes recipes and a shopping list.  We’ve used it and have had wonderful results.  They even have sample menus on their site to see if it would suit you.  *Stay tuned for a MOMables giveaway within the next few days!*

Theme lunches can be fun too.  We will look at our cookie cutters or cupcake/bento picks and go from there or look at the school calendar for inspiration. (ie: yellow day or Dr. Seuss’s Birthday)  We also look at the school lunch calendar just to see if we can make something similar but healthier. (ie: pizza or chicken nuggets)

6.      The Food

Like I said, we usually have a plan but there are some staples that are always good to have on hand.

            *Natural peanut butter/Sunflower Seed Butter

            *Low sugar jam/jelly/preserves

            *Whole grain or gluten free bread

            *Hard Boiled Eggs

            *Applesauce

            *Yogurt/Greek Yogurt (We like Chobani Champions)

            *Cheese sticks or Babybel Cheese

            *Cooked whole grain pasta (for pasta salad or to heat up with sauce)

            *Bagged salad

            *Baby carrots

            *Frozen or canned vegetables

            *Apples (we like MacIntosh or Empire because they don’t brown as quickly)

            *Fresh fruits and vegetables that your kids like (we usually have berries, peppers and 

              cucumbers in our refrigerator at all times)


Feel free to ask any questions below and have a great new school year! ☺