Camping Lunch

When the girls at Bento Bloggers and Friends came up with a summer lunch themed blog hop (see below), I jumped right in. *pun intended* This is a fantastic group of ladies that make incredible lunches for their kids and even some of them make lunches for their husbands.  They are all a great source of inspiration.

When given the theme of a summer lunch, I was torn between doing something like the summer lunch that I made for Molly at the end of the school year and something new.  I thought about some of our favorite summer activities and our theme was born.  Camping!

Our main entree is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  We cut our sandwich into a triangle and used our food safe markers to create our camping tent.

Our vegetable side is campfire peppers.  We cut pieces of yellow, orange and red peppers into flames, stacked them and put some kindling, a/k/a pretzel sticks, at the bottom.  These were a big hit.

Our fruit side is a banana, a sleeping bag banana.  We cut the banana in half and wrapped it with a fruit roll up.  Then, we added some chow mein noodles for crazy bed head hair.  Finally, we used our food safe markers to add a sleepy face.  *note: the moisture from the banana makes the fruit roll up very sticky and messy, but still yummy.

Our dairy side is a Babybel cheese.  We cut out a little tree shape in the red wax.  We are always surrounded by big beautiful trees when we go camping.

Finally, our dessert is roasted marshmallows.  We put mini marshmallows on pretzel sticks and used the burner from our gas stove to toast the marshmallows.  All three of the kids LOVED this, especially because they could eat the stick. ☺

*This tray is from Target and the cup filled with water is from Ikea.

Now, head on over to visit the incredibly talented Shannon at the awesome What's For Lunch At Our House by clicking on the blog hop link below and keep hopping for some great summer lunch inspiration.

Is it Friday Yet?

We were so busy last week and the time just flew by.  This week is already dragging on and it's only Monday night.  Hopefully the rest of the week will go a little faster.  Although, Molly's day seemed to go pretty quickly.  She said that she's all caught up on the few things that she missed on Friday.  ☺

Our main entree is a salami and smoked Gouda sandwich on 12 grain bread.  We picked up some salami at the end of last week.  Molly was very excited to request one of her favorite sandwiches for lunch.

Our vegetable side is red and yellow peppers with a side of roasted red pepper hummus.  We asked Molly what she would like for her vegetable and this was her exact answer.  (so much for cucumbers and carrots. haha!)

Our fruit side is cantaloupe chunks.  We picked this up last week as well and were pleasantly surprised at how sweet this particular melon was.  It didn't last long after it was cut up.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chocolate Chunk Chobani Champions Greek yogurt.  We were so happy to see that Chobani Champions is a sponsor of the USA Summer Olympic team.  Way to go Chobani Champions!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

There was a big build up to tomorrow all week.  Molly's little sister's school was celebrating Dr. Seuss this week and we had lots of fun dressing up, reading the books and talking about how fun Dr. Seuss is.  Tomorrow, Molly gets to dress up as her favorite Dr. Seuss character at school.  She chose The Cat in the Hat.  We had a blast making her costume.  (See below)

Lunch is no exception in the theme.  We did our best to represent some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books.  We had to keep our food functional so please use your imagination.  After all, that's what Dr. Seuss did. ☺

Our main entree is a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich on 12 Grain bread.  We used our food safe markers to draw Horton from "Horton Hears a Who" on the front of it.

Our vegetable side is orange and yellow peppers.  We created the Lorax by cutting the peppers like a face, a mustache and eye brows.  We then added two small slices from a cheese stick for eyes and used our food safe marker to create pupils and a nose.

Our fruit side is apples and strawberries.  This is supposed to look like the Cat in the Hat's hat.  We did our best to keep it looking authentic but it was a little bit hard.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is from "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish".  These are just some Sweedish Fish that we picked up and plan to use for dessert sushi. (A Rice Krispie treat rolled around a Sweedish Fish and then wrapped with a fruit roll up, very fun!)

We found some fun stickers and added them to Molly's Lunch Box so that she knows what books we are representing.

If you are looking for some easy costumes for Dr. Seuss Day, here are The Cat in the Hat and Thing 2.  Just t-shirts with felt.  The hat is felt with a barrette on the bottom and the Thing's hair is yarn tied around a hair elastic.

Pizza Pasta Salad

Molly's school serves pizza every Monday.  Usually, we try to make some sort of pizza over the weekend and the leftovers are part of Monday's lunch.  That didn't happen this weekend.  Molly and her sister were treated to a fantastic weekend, courtesy of their Grammy and Papa.  They did their nails, got all dressed up and went to see Beauty and the Beast at our (Mommy and Daddy's) high school alma mater.  The reviews were spectacular.  Gaston, in particular, was a huge hit.  Though, the girls chose the roles of Belle and Mrs. Potts as future characters that they'd like to play.  Thank you, Grammy and Papa, the girls had a blast.

Now, on to Molly's lunch and our pizza alternative.

Our main entree is pizza pasta salad.  We mixed together some extra whole grain rotini, mozzarella cheese and mini turkey pepperoni.  We then added some light Italian dressing to make everything taste extra good.

Our vegetable side is slices of pepper.  Molly's little sister and little brother went to a birthday party today and they had a huge veggie tray.  We were asked if we wanted to take any of the leftovers (there weren't many, good choices Johnson family!) and we were happy to take some of the small peppers to put in Molly's lunch.

Our fruit side is a small "kid sized" Macintosh apple.  We picked these up at Sam's Club and they are the delicious.  Molly's Daddy and I will grab one before or after a run and they are the perfect size.  Also, they really are great for the kids.  No half eaten apples in our fridge anymore.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  Molly again requested that we put a few (maybe a Tablespoon at best) mini chocolate chips in a small container so that she can add them to the yogurt.  We can't blame her.  Orange and chocolate are so delicious together.

Leftover Monday

We are doing our best to eat healthy, incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our meals and not waste things that we buy.  We're trying to figure out how to list all of the things that are in the fridge or freezer so that they don't spoil before we get a chance to eat them.  We are also trying to do more menu planning, or better menu planning.  It goes well for a few weeks, then life's little chaotic episodes take over and the plan drops.  I guess it's a constant battle but it's one that we're willing to fight so that we can keep our food fresh and healthy and produce less waste.

Our main/vegetable entree is a large spinach salad.  We added some meat from leftover chicken legs that we had for our dinner tonight.  Also included are yellow peppers and some French dressing on the side.  Molly is a fan of French dressing lately and while it is not the healthiest, she doesn't use it often so once in a while, it's fine.

Our fruit side is mixed fresh berries.  Raspberries, strawberries and blueberries to be exact.  We had this mix in our dessert this evening.  We made some sugar free lemon pudding and topped it with the berries.  Everyone was very pleased.

Our dairy side is a Frigo Cheese Head cheese stick.  Sometimes a salad can be filling and sometimes it can leave you hungry, so we added this as an option in case Molly is still hungry.

Finally, our dessert is a Chobani Champions Orange Vanilla Greek Yogurt.  Molly said that it tastes like a creamsicle so it's a perfect dessert for her.  It's also a great size for kids and adults alike because it is not too much, just a perfect sweet note for the end of a meal.

Fun Friday Lunch

I'm keeping it short tonight because it is late.  Molly's Daddy and I have been busy making things for a bake sale on Saturday morning that benefits a little boy in Molly's school district who has cancer.  We don't know him or his family but we believe that it's important to help those in our community and we try to instill that in our kids.

Our main entree is a croissant sandwich.  We layered Castle Wood Buffalo Style Chicken Breast and some hot pepper cheese on a mini croissant.  Molly requested this sandwich because she likes extra spicy things.

Our vegetable side is sliced peppers.  We have yellow, orange and red peppers that are sliced in small pieces so that they are easy to pop in her mouth.

Our fruit side is mixed berries.  Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are some of our favorites and Molly really enjoys them in her lunch.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is vanilla and raspberry yogurt covered pretzels.  Molly's little brother picked these out at a recent shopping trip and Molly's eyes lit up when she saw them.  YUM!

*Huge thanks to Molly's Daddy for actually making Molly's lunch while I was cutting out sugar cookies.  It's wonderful being part of such a great team! ♥

Final Lunch of the School Year!

WOW!  So, this is it, the final full day of school which means the final lunch of the school year.  What a year it has been.  We are so proud of Molly.  She has transitioned into an avid reader with some mad math skills.  She has grown about three inches in height and probably 5 pounds in weight. She is currently going through yet another growth spurt.  She seems like a different kid.  She has matured by leaps and bounds and doesn't seem so little anymore.

Each of her lunches have been a labor of love.  I've learned so much from her feedback and from suggestions of other Moms and Dads.  I feel so proud to have completed the blog for the year and I can't wait to see the fun and new things that next year hold.  A HUGE shout out to Laptop Lunches for making such an incredible lunch box that has allowed us to create these healthy and delicious lunches every single day.

For our final lunch, we are looking back at the very first lunch of this school year.  This is one of her ultimate favorite foods of all time. We LOVE YOU so much, Molly!  Congratulations on another successful school year!

Our main entrée is vegetable sushi!  Molly loves her sushi and we figured that we'd take Molly's Lunch Box full circle and end with what we started with.  We made some brown sushi rice, spread it on the nori and added light cream cheese, cucumber and carrots.  On the side we have the classic light soy sauce.

Our vegetable side is multi-colored peppers.  Molly would eat peppers everyday and she will as soon as they grow in our garden this summer.  We have little buds and the promise of some yummy goodies all summer long.

Our fruit side is a summer classic...watermelon.  We keep getting the mini watermelons because they are so sweet.  We think that watermelon is the perfect fruit to get Molly in the mood for summer.

Our final side is our dessert.  We found these Heath Chips Ahoy cookies and figured that they would be a fantastic Fun Final Day treat.  Molly really likes Heath toffee so she will be pleasantly surprised.

Finally, we gave Molly a special drink instead of her usual water.  Sushi is great with iced tea so we gave Molly some Snapple Mango and Papaya iced tea.  We think that she will be ecstatic with this choice.

*Thank you all for reading Molly's Lunch Box.  It has been so much fun to share my ideas and Molly's favorite foods with each of you.  Please tune in for some new ideas and delicious healthy lunches coming to your computer in September.

Something a Little Different

As I was sitting in a meeting tonight, I was pondering what to make for Molly's lunch.  I wanted to do something different since we all know that she'd eat a pimento cheese sandwich every day if possible.  I was thinking back to her Easter Lunch and what a hit the bunnies were.  So, I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up some refrigerated biscuits.  From there, the pepperoni pockets were born!

Our main entrée is pepperoni pockets.  We made these using refrigerated biscuit dough, added shredded cheddar and turkey pepperoni, sealed the top like a dumpling and baked.  A few of them unfolded but most of them stayed together.  This could be a go-to dinner for us in the future.

Our vegetable side is sliced multi-colored peppers.  They are small peppers so they look really neat when you cut them up.  Plus, the different colors add to the fun of it.

Our fruit side is strawberries and red grapes.  We found these grapes at Aldi during our grocery store run.  They have some great prices on very good produce.

Finally, our dairy/dessert side is our good old Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt...BUT, we added a few white chocolate chips, just for fun. ☺