Angry Birds Star Wars

Daddy and the girls have become OBSESSED with Angry Birds Star Wars.  Any computer time they can get, that is the choice.  Tonight, Daddy was a huge help to me.  We worked together on lunch and he said that he would make sandwiches while I cut fruits and vegetables.  He asked if I had a theme in mind and I said no.  He started to get giddy.  I knew that he had an idea and I was so excited to see what would happen.

Our main entree is a Millennium Falcon salami and cheese sandwich with yellow bird, Han Solo, as the pilot. We added a LightSaber to this container in case Darth shows up.

Our vegetable side is orange pepper slices.

Our fruit side is strawberries and pineapple with Obi Wan, the black bird.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is two white chocolate truffle "Death Stars" nested in a Star Wars cupcake liner.

Great Shopping = Great Lunch

Molly's little brother and I dropped the girls off at school this morning and headed to Sam's Club.  We picked up a bunch of fruits and vegetables as well as a few staples.  Everything is so fresh and delicious! The weather here was so wonderful that it felt like we were leaving the farmer's market in the spring instead of the store in the winter.

Our main entree is a salami and cheese sandwich.  We haven't had this for a while and the kids have been asking for it so in our cart it went.  We have Castle Wood salami and provolone cheese on our whole grain white bread cut into a heart.  (I can't believe tomorrow is February 1st already!)

Our vegetable side is sugar snap peas.  We saw a big bag of these and they are so tender and delicious.  They are a great alternative to potato chips because they are very crunchy and filling.

Our fruit side is a kiwi.  We just sliced this one up and fanned it out so that Molly can enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a new favorite, Chobani Champions vanilla chocolate chunk Greek yogurt.  The kids are saying that it's just like chocolate chip ice cream.  We say, BRAVO to Chobani for making a delicious and nutritious alternative to ice cream.

Back to School!

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving and a great time over the break.  Our house is now in full on Christmas mode.  The tree is up, the lights are twinkling outside and the smell of Christmas trees is filling our house...care of a candle as our tree is artificial.  Before you know it, the jolly old man in red will be coming down the chimney with presents for all.  That is, if the kids start behaving.  I think that they are really excited and the excitement is taking over the part in their brain that tells them the proper way to act.  Or, maybe they are just ready to get back to school after a nice break.  Back to school and back to lunch.  Here is Molly's lunch for tomorrow.

Our main entree is provolone cheese, salami and crackers.  Molly asked for salami and cheese, but not in a sandwich and without any bread.  We improvised and added cheese crackers instead.  We used a fluted cookie cutter to make the meat and cheese into fun little shapes.

Our vegetable side is green pepper slices.  We had the choice of carrots or peppers and Molly chose the peppers because they are "softer" than carrots.  She lost another tooth over the break so now she is really cautious about what she eats so that the Tooth Fairy doesn't have to visit too often.  She'd rather have it spread out over time...and we're just fine with that.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  Molly's brother picked these out on a recent trip to the store.  He would eat two or three bowls of these every day if he could.  They are a great source of nutrition and we are really lucky that they are available to us at this time of year.

Our dairy/dessert is strawberry yogurt.  We had to spell it out to Molly when we were talking about her lunch because if her brother gets wind of the word yogurt, all action stops and he wants some right then and there.  She requested that it be strawberry and lucky for her, we had some.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Special Treat

We are so excited to have a beautiful couple of days ahead of us.  As I have mentioned before, fall is my absolute favorite time of year.  There are cool and breezy days, warm and sunny days and gray and rainy days.  Each of them has their own pluses.  The cool and breezy days are fantastic to spend time outside, running around and playing in piles of leaves.  The warm and sunny days remind us of the wonderful summer that is slowly finishing its long good-bye.  Finally, the gray and rainy days are perfect for cuddling up under a warm blanket and snuggling into a good book with a cup of hot apple cider.  The next few days are promising to be warm and sunny but not too hot.  We have great plans with family and friends and we just can't wait!

Molly will be buying lunch on Friday (per her request) so we gave her a special treat one day early.

Our main entree is a salami sandwich.  We used Genoa salami, pepper-jack cheese and mustard on whole grain white bread.  We cut the crusts off and then cut the sandwich into quarters and served it point side up.

Our vegetable side is red and orange peppers.  They are cool, juicy and refreshing.  The crunch on these is perfect too.

Our fruit side is more honey crisp apples.  Molly liked the way that we prepared them for today's lunch so we did the exact same thing.

Our dairy side is a cheddar-mozzarella cheese stick.  Molly keeps requesting that these be added to her lunch so that she can keep from being hungry at the end of the day.

Finally, our Fun Friday (a day early) treat is Fit and Active S'mores Mini Drizzled Crisps.  They are light, crunchy and sweet and do not taste like something that would be considered healthy.  Molly and her siblings are huge fans of these.

All Request Lunch

It was a busy day at our house today.  Molly had her picture day so there was some extra primping in the morning.  Molly's sister had preschool.  Then, Molly's brother and I had Mommy & Me.  Molly's Daddy started his new position at work today too.  After all of that, there was Faith Formation (CCD) this evening for three of the five of us.  Plus, it's garbage night.  One last thing, dance classes start tomorrow for Molly and her sister so they are about to burst with excitement trying to plan everything.  Whew, that was a lot for one day.  Now off to make Molly's lunch.  The wonderful thing about her mind going crazy with lots of fun things is that she tries to incorporate her lunch into her thoughts.  This lunch was completely by request and I'm sure that Molly will enjoy every little bit of it.

Our main entree is a salami and cheese sandwich.  Molly asked that we use salami, pepper-jack cheese, mustard and our whole grain white bread.  We thought it was a great idea.  We used  pumpkin cookie cutters just for fun.

Our vegetable side is carrots.  Molly is going through a big carrot phase these days.

Our fruit side is a whole bunch of red and green grapes, again.  Molly said that they tasted so good today, that she can't wait to have them for lunch tomorrow.

Our dairy side is a colby-jack cheese stick.  We were told that these really help to complete the meal when Molly is feeling extra hungry...and apparently she has been lately.

Finally, our dessert is a Chobani Champions Verry Berry.  Molly has had one of these for a few days so she was craving the sweet and creamy flavor.

F-R-I-D-A-Y!

Final school day of the crazy week.  Molly is very excited to go to school tomorrow because she is so confident about her spelling test tomorrow.  She's been practicing all week and even the hard words aren't intimidating her.  Plus, it's Fun Friday!

Our main entree is a salami sandwich.  We used the new Sara Lee Iron Kids bread.  It has extra iron and calcium that are important for a kid's diet.  We added, salami, pepper-jack cheese and mustard then used a large heart cookie cutter and a micro heart cookie cutter to show our love for our girl.

Our vegetable side is a tossed salad.  Molly's Daddy helped out and made this for her.  There are black olives and light Italian dressing accompanying it.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  We bought these today and the smell incredibly sweet and delicious.  Molly's Daddy also helped out with these by slicing them up just for his little girl.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is a Little Debbie Pumpkin Delight cookie.  These are only around once a year so we have to take advantage of that awesome fall flavor.

First Full Week Friday

It's finally Friday!  This week seems to have gone slowly because we are just getting back into our routine so there were plenty of  hiccups.  We are looking forward to a great weekend and some time off.  The great thing about Elementary School is that there usually isn't any homework on the weekend.  Happy Friday everyone!

Our main entree is a repeat of today, salami sandwiches.  Molly went nuts over these and asked for them again, plus she wanted more of them, so we added more.  She said that they were so good and that she could have eaten a "whole bunch more" of them.  So, again it is our Wonder Smart White Bread with Genoa Salami, Pepper-Jack Cheese and mustard, cut with a fun cookie cutter.

Our vegetable side is cucumbers.  This was requested by Molly since she hasn't had them in a while.  She always says how great they taste in her lunch.

Our fruit side is a clementine.  We had these for our dessert after dinner tonight and Molly made the request to have them in her lunch tomorrow.  She said that they are extra sweet.

Our dairy side is a Colby-Jack cheese stick.  This is just in case she's still hungry after everything else.  We think that Molly might be going through a little bit of a growth spurt.

Finally, our Fun Friday Treat is ThinAddictives Cranberry Almond Thins.  These are similar to biscotti but much more thin.  They have a wonderful crunch and a great flavor.  Molly's Grammy purchased these and Molly has been begging to have them in her lunch so we've been waiting for Friday and a nice treat.

In a Pinch Lunch

My day started very early this morning.  Molly's brother was up before the sun but that allowed extra snuggle time with him.  Tonight, I went to see The Help with my Mom.  WOW!  It was incredible and I would recommend it to anyone.  I got home late and just made Molly's lunch.  I grabbed the things that I had already prepped and threw it all together.  Now, I'm writing this post and then going straight to bed because I'm sure tomorrow morning will be here before I know it.

Our main entree is a salami sandwich.  We used our Wonder Smart White Bread and added Genoa Salami, Pepper-Jack Cheese and mustard.  Then we used our fluted cookie cutter and Molly has finger sandwiches for lunch.

Our vegetable side is a rainbow of bell peppers.  They were a hit on pizza day so we were excited to have them already prepped so that we could quickly add them.

Our fruit side is a peach.  We cut it in half, removed the pit and then sliced it.  I think Molly might dip it in her yogurt.

Finally our dairy/dessert is another Chobani Champions in the Very Berry variety.  It's still on the favorite list so that's what we're putting in her lunch box.