Day 4 of School

So, we were a little crazy in the spring while getting ready to move and got a puppy.  Yes, horrible timing and a lot of responsibility but he was too cute to pass up.  A great friend works at The Animal Rescue League of Pittsburgh and posted his picture on Facebook and we just couldn't resist.

I mean....could you say no to this adorable little face?  

Instantly, Dublin became part of our family.

The girls asked for a puppy themed lunch in honor of him (who is now about 4 times this size!).  Our lunch is in Laptop Lunch Boxes.  Link below.

 

Molly had a smoked gouda and ham sandwich and Bean's is pb&j.  We used our Lunch Punches to cut out our sandwiches and colored on them with food safe markers.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots for Molly and cucumbers for Bean.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions tubes.

ps - they're having a 72 hour sale!!!  

I am Thankful

I've been one of those people that has written a "I am thankful..." post every day in November to actually celebrate Thanksgiving all month.  In this, the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to let my girls know that I am so thankful for them.

Our main entree is a sandwich.  Bean's is turkey and smoked Gouda and Molly's is salami and Colby Jack.  We put a slice of smoked Gouda on the top and wrote our message with food safe markers.

Our vegetable side is cucumber slices.  We used our crinkle knife to cut them.

Our fruit side is strawberries and starfruit.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is vanilla yogurt with some fall sprinkles.

 

New Sandwich

During one of my weekly trips to Sam's Club, I purchased a new kind of lunch meat, Castle Wood Applewood Smoked Chicken Breast!  The Castlewood line is fantastic because they use real meat and don't overly process it like most lunch meats.  This particular one is just chicken breast (and you can tell by the way it looks) that has been smoked and seasoned.  Plus, it tastes REALLY good, like bacon...YUM!

Our main entree is a smokey sandwich.  We used the new Caste Wood applewood smoked chicken breast and the Castle Wood smoked Gouda cheese in between two slices of Wonder whole grain white bread.  

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  Molly has been requesting these lately and they are an easy option because they are already ready for you to toss them right into the lunch box.

Our fruit side is an apple.  We sliced up this little Empire apple because without her two front teeth, biting into an apple is a bit more complicated for Molly. ☺

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a Chobani Champions Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Greek yogurt.  Another request from our girl.  We like it too!

Brother's Birthday!!!

Monday is Molly's little brother's 3rd birthday!!!  We are so excited to watch him hit this milestone.  The year that he starts preschool on his own.  The year that he really becomes a little boy in his actions and looks.  (Yes, I had a hard time typing that since he's my baby.)

We have a lot of fun things planned for the day from homemade doughnuts (baked with our Babycakes doughnut maker) to plans for breakfast for dinner.  He LOVES breakfast.

Molly can't wait for the school day to be over so that she can participate in the celebration.  She and her sister made some beautiful birthday cards and are giddy with anticipation to give them to their little brother.  School first, then the party!

Our main entree is a turkey and smoked Gouda sandwich on 12 Grain bread.  We used some fun cookie cutters to make these shapes, then put smiley faces on the circles and a heart on the diamond with our food safe markers.
*We recently won a contest by Chef Corey at Family Fresh Meals and will be trying FunBites with one of our sandwiches in the very near future.  Thanks Chef Corey!!!  (Be sure to click on the link to check out her blog.  She has some incredible recipes and ideas.  Lots of inspiration!)

Our vegetable side is sliced cucumbers and small golden tomatoes.  Molly had some cucumbers today and requested them in her lunch.  We decided to add the tomatoes because they looked so yummy.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  The smell of these strawberries just reminds us of summer and all of the wonderful flavors that await us.  (After we get 6 inches of snow overnight.  Yep, the northeast is supposed to be blasted with a winter storm tonight.  booo!)

Our dairy side is a cheddar/mozzarella cheese stick.  This will hopefully help to keep Molly full.

Finally, our dessert is a Chobani Champions Chocolate Chunk Greek yogurt.  Some things are always perfect!

Lenten Lunch

This will be the last Friday lunch at school in this Lenten season.  As Catholics, we don't eat meat on Fridays in lent and this can cause some creative thinking for our meal planning.  Tonight was definitely one of those times.  After a great workout, Mom was very tired and my brain wasn't wanting to cooperate with any creative thought process.  Luckily, there was just enough creativity left to crank something out for Molly's lunch.

Our main entree is a cheesy pretzel sandwich.  We sliced a pretzel roll (it was kind of thin) in half and added some spicy/sweet deli mustard to it.  Then, we added a slice of smoked Gouda just to make it taste that much better.

Our fruit side is baby bananas.  You may see these in the grocery store and wonder about them.  We can tell you, they are delicious.  They are much sweeter than a regular banana but the flavor is wonderful, not like a mushy banana.  Molly couldn't wait to have these in her lunch.

Our dairy side is a Babybel Cheese (for extra protein) and a Chocolate Chunk Chobani Champions Greek yogurt.  Molly asked for the chocolate chunk variety so we went right ahead and gave her what she wanted.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is Biscoff Biscuits and Biscoff Spread.  They are all natural and taste sweet and incredible. We figured that Molly could either dip her biscuits in the spread or use her spoon to spread it on.

Half Way Wednesday

Alright, we're approaching the half way mark of the week.  Our busy family days of the week are done and now Mommy's and Daddy's busy days are ahead.

We're gearing up for a fun Easter.  We get to spend lots of time with our families.  We get to share special meals and gifts.  Finally we get to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is an amazing time of the year.

Until then, we have a few more days of school and that means a few more lunches.

Our main entree is a turkey pastrami and smoked Gouda cheese sandwich on a whole wheat bagel thin.  This is a new combination for Molly but we're pretty confident that she will enjoy it.

Our vegetable side is grape tomatoes.  We managed to toss a few of these in the container with the sandwich.

Our fruit side is strawberry slices.  We picked up these gorgeous and gigantic strawberries at Sam's Club yesterday and they are so sweet and delicious.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions Vanilla Orange Greek yogurt.  Molly requested this variety for her lunch tomorrow.

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!

A Fishy Sandwich

Sometimes something as simple as switching up the bread of a sandwich will get the kids giddy with excitement.  We found the Pepperidge Farm goldfish bread last year but we are trying the soft whole wheat variety for the first time.  Molly's siblings were the lucky recipients of the new bread in their lunch today and they both really enjoyed it.  Here's hoping that Molly feels the same.

Our main entree is an herbed turkey and smoked Gouda sandwich.  We are using the Pepperidge Farm whole wheat goldfish bread, Castle Wood herb roasted turkey breast, Castle Wood smoked Gouda and a few pea shoots to make a fun, yummy and nutritious lunch.

Our vegetable side is canned green beans.  We rinse these so that they don't have the salty flavor that the can usually gives.  Molly really likes these and would probably eat the whole can of them, just like her Mom.

Our fruit side is a red pear.  We found a great sale on pears the other day and stocked up on a few different varieties.  They are really delicious and juicy.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a Horizon Organic Tuberz Yogurt in the strawberry variety.  We picked these up at Panera Bread as part of a lunch but the kids were too full to eat them.  Leftovers win again!

All Request Lunch

Molly likes to make requests when it comes to her lunch and tomorrow's lunch is no exception.  She requested every item and knew exactly what she wanted.  You have to love the way that kids get excited about the small things in life.

Our main entree is a Buffalo chicken and smoked Gouda cheese sandwich.  Our bread is a 12 grain variety because we are trying to slowly merge into all whole grain instead of any white bread, pasta or rice.

Our vegetable is some baby carrots.  Molly saw these in the refrigerator and was quick to request them to be part of her lunch.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  These only have a few days left before they end up in the compost bin so we are trying to use them quickly.  Molly agreed that they would be a nice addition to her lunch.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions vanilla chocolate chunk.  Again, requested by Miss Molly herself.  ☺

Short Week

There was no school today so we stayed in our pajamas, danced around, watched movies and made some crafts.  A great day off.  Now, we're back to the grind.

Our main entree is a salami and smoked Gouda sandwich by request.  Molly has planned out her entire lunch and can't wait to have it tomorrow.

Our vegetable side is carrot and celery sticks.  We added a small container of peanut butter on the side for Molly to dip them in.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  Molly said that these are so sweet and really wants them to be part of her lunch.

Finally, our diary/dessert is Chobani Champions vanilla chocolate chunk yogurt.  At first, Molly wanted the vanilla orange variety but changed her mind last minute.  We were happy to oblige.