Odd Request

3 words.... Beef Teriyaki Nuggets

Um, yeah, I really don't know what to say about this one.  We give her the option to choose one lunch a week from the calendar and this is what she chose.  It doesn't sound all that appetizing to me but if I think of it as a stir fry with beef, vegetables and rice...it's much better.  It also comes with an egg roll, fruit and a fortune cookie.  Chinese food is one of Molly's favorites so I really shouldn't be all that surprised.

I honestly hope that it is super delicious and that Molly really enjoys it. ☺

Post Party Lunch

Today, we celebrated Molly's 1st Holy Communion.  She was aglow in her beautiful white dress and veil and had a smile about a mile wide.  She was so proud to be receiving this sacrament and sharing it with her family and friends.

After mass, we had a whole slew of people at our house for a party with lots of yummy food and great conversation.  Luckily, there were a couple of leftovers and that made Molly's lunch very easy for us.  The other great thing about having a party at home, my house is still relatively clean.  Bonus!

Our main entree is linguini salad.  Molly's Nana makes the yummiest linguini salad and we were very excited when she offered to bring some to the party.  Molly requested that there be only olives and cucumbers and not any of the tomatoes or onions that were in the salad.  That was not a problem since Nana put in whole grape tomatoes and larger chunks of onion.  Thanks, Nana!

Our vegetable side is ants on a log.  We used some of the leftover celery from our veggie tray and added natural peanut butter and some dried currants that we got from our NatureBox.  Such a delicious and wonderful way to enjoy new and healthy snacks delivered to your door every month.  Enter the code NATURE to get 25% off of your first order.

Our fruit side is a clementine.  We were going to give Molly some leftover pineapple and strawberries but she asked for this instead.  It works for us!

Our dairy side is a Babybel cheese.  We weren't sure if there was quite enough protein in Molly's lunch and one of these is always a great source.

Finally, our dessert is a Chobani Champions Verry Berry Greek yogurt, by request.  Molly just loves her Cho!

PJ Day!

Molly's school has been having these "Funky Friday$" to raise money for their new playground.  On these days, the students can wear something funky on the specified Friday for a $1 donation.  Molly wore her Cat in the Hat outfit for the Dr. Seuss day.  She had very poofy and tall hair for crazy hair day.

Tomorrow is PJ day.  Molly will be wearing her favorite fuzzy pink Hello Kitty pajama pants and a fun pink top.  Plus, we will be putting a few pink foam rollers in her hair just for fun.  PJ Day calls for breakfast for lunch.  We decided to go a little crazy with this one.  Pancakes can be very versatile. ☺

Our main entree is pancakes.  We put the batter into a squeeze bottle and created fun shapes.  We attempted to make some Hello Kitty pancakes (to match her PJs) and wrote Molly's name too.  Writing in cursive backwards with a squeeze bottle is more complicated than it seems.  We added a small container of Biscoff Spread (after we took the picture) in case Molly wants to spread it on any of the pancakes.

Our fruit side is cantaloupe and strawberries.  These are a nice accompaniment to the pancakes.

Our dairy/dessert is a Chobani Verry Berry Greek yogurt.  These were on sale at the store yesterday so we scarfed some up.  This will serve as a great source of protein too.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is two mini candy bars from Easter.  One is a Krackle Bar and one is a Mr. Goodbar.  Nothing like a little chocolate to complete a yummy lunch.

Bring Your Child To Work Day

Molly is overjoyed with anticipation for a fantastic day tomorrow because her Daddy is bringing her to work with him.  She has waited patiently for the last few years to be old enough to go to work with him and finally, tomorrow is her day.

Daddy's company has an entire day planned with fun activities, a special lunch and even an ice cream social at the end of the work day.  Molly has no idea about any of the fun things planned but I'm sure her imagination is going wild with anticipation.  She even went to bed early tonight so that she can get up early with Daddy.

I can't wait to hear how incredible her day went.  It's days like these that make being a parent so exciting!

Orange-you Glad It's Wednesday?

Our crazy day went really well.  All things on the "to-do" list were checked off and completed nicely.  Molly had a great visit at the dentist and we all had a lot of fun today.

We were inspired by our lunch today when making our lunch for tomorrow.  Our orange inspired lunch.

Our main entree is a yummy pasta salad.  The pasta is Barilla Piccolini Mini Farfalle with tomatoes and carrots.  We had this for lunch today and it was a huge hit.  The flavors of the vegetables comes through but it isn't too overpowering.  We added a bit of light Italian dressing and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  Molly and her sister had these with their lunch today (along with a few other vegetables) and both really enjoyed them.

Our fruit side is chunks of cantaloupe.  We were going to give Molly oranges but decided that they would be too obvious.  We added a cute little orange pic of a starfish to this container too.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions Vanilla Orange Greek yogurt.  Here's our orange!  We flipped the container over so that you can see the orange ring to keep with our theme.

Election Day

Tomorrow is the primary election in Pennsylvania, thus, there is no school. We use a lot of the schools as polling arenas so there would be mass chaos, not to mention security issues, if there were classes going on at the same time. We have grand plans of staying in our pajamas and watching movies for the first part if the day. Then we will begin a big cleaning of the house because Molly will be celebrating her 1st Holy Communion this weekend and we will be having guests here. Next, we will be signing little sister up for Kindergarten (gasp!) and finally, Molly has a dentist appointment in the evening. A pretty busy day to say the least. Oh, and Mom and Dad have to go vote and both get a training run in there somewhere. Sigh, someday these will be the good old days!

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!

Pantry Raid Lunch

It was a late night for us so we did a sweep of the refrigerator for Molly's lunch tomorrow.  Sometimes, leftovers and those pantry/fridge staples are all you need to make a yummy lunch.

Our main entree is pasta salad.  We used some leftover whole grain thin spaghetti, turkey pepperoni, black olives, mozzarella cheese and some light Italian dressing to make one of Molly's favorite lunches.

Our vegetable side is a green salad with a couple of small yellow tomatoes.  We added a small side of light Italian dressing to keep with the flavors of the spaghetti salad.

Our fruit side is a clementine.  We like to keep these on hand at our house since they are such a big hit with all five of us.

Our dairy side is a cheddar/mozzarella cheese stick.  Since there isn't a lot of protein in the spaghetti salad, we added this so that Molly won't get too hungry by the time the final bell rings.

Finally, our dessert is a Chobani Champions Chocolate Chunk Greek Yogurt.  Another favorite because it tastes SO good!

Chicken...again

Yep, they are having a breaded chicken lunch tomorrow so Molly was quick to pick that one for her buy-lunch this week.  Chicken fries are on the menu and even though we don't find it to be the most nutritious, we're pretty sure that they are better than some of the other options that are given during the rest of the week...maybe?  We don't really consider corn to be a vegetable but the school does so we need to make sure that we have something with lots of vegetables for dinner. ☺

New Breakfast

We like to have breakfast for dinner about once a week.  It's one of the easier meals to make yet usually creates the most dishes since several pans are involved.  We also like to have breakfast for one of Molly's lunches because it's easy for us and she loves it.

Our main entree is a whole grain waffle sandwich.  We used freshly ground peanut butter on one side and Biscoff Spread (this is the new thing) on the other.  Holy delicious, Batman!  We added a few crayon picks in Molly's favorite colors for fun.

Our fruit side is fresh kiwi slices.  We think that the tangy taste will be a nice contrast to the peanut butter.

Our fun side is a little homemade trail mix.  We combined lightly salted mixed nuts with Plum Amazins.  

Finally, our dairy/dessert is vanilla yogurt with Trader Joe's Elegant Cocoa Pears.

Spring-like Monday

We're finally having nice weather again here in Pittsburgh.  The sun was shining and the temperature actually reached 80 degrees today.  I think that the flowers and the grass were very happy to be warm again after surviving a decent number of frosts last week.  We hope that it this beautiful weather stays for a while.  Playing outside is so much more fun than being stuck indoors.

Our main entree is turkey pepperoni, cheese and crackers.  Molly requested this as we were finishing our dinner tonight since she "hasn't had it in a really long time."  We cut a small flower out of a piece of pepperoni and put it on the cheese to match the cracker.  (It's kind of hard to see from the photo but there is a flower on the cracker.)  The crackers are Ritz spring crackers and each of them have a flower or butterfly on them.  So cute!

Our vegetable side is a few baby carrots.  Molly said that she'd be fine with them but not too many since she is missing a some teeth and it's hard to bite them.  We were just fine with keeping it to a small portion for her. ☺

Our fruit side is strawberries.  We sliced a few of them and then made a couple of mice with two others.  Just a couple of sliced almonds for ears, Trader Joe's cocoa pearls for the eyes and nose and a small piece of licorice for the tail.  Gotta keep Monday fun!

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a Chobani Champions Chocolate Chunk Greek yogurt.  Molly requested this as well.  She just loves the fact that she gets chocolate and it's good for her.

Pizza Friday!

When I was growing up, one of our traditions was to have pizza on Friday for dinner.  I don't know if it was payday or if it was just the easiest thing to do at the end of a long week, but we really enjoyed it.  We figured, why not give it a try for Molly's lunch?  Here you go...

Our main entree is turkey pepperoni pizza.  We purchased a pre-made crust and added sauce, cheese and turkey pepperoni.  We're so excited to hear Molly's reaction.

Our vegetable side is a garden salad.  Another one of our traditions was to have a big salad with our pizza nights.  It makes sense because that way, there was always a vegetable on the table.  We also added a side of light Italian dressing.  It looks like a lot from this angle, but it is less than a tablespoon.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  They are on sale at the store right now and the sweetness and flavor keep getting better and better.  We can't wait to go pick our own this summer!

Our dairy side is a Babybel cheese.  We figured that Molly might need a little something extra and this is a perfect fit.

Finally, our Fun Friday Treat is a small package of M&M's and some Smarties.  Molly's Nana was the candy giver this year for Easter.  We were happy add some of these sweet confections for a special treat.

Chicken Sandwich

What is it with kids and breaded chicken?  My kids just love most any type of breaded chicken.  They go crazy for the chicken nuggets that we make or put on a salad, even a sandwich.  All three of them are funny about it though.  They don't really like fried fast food chicken but when it's baked, they're all about it.

Molly is keeping with her lunch buying trend and going for the breaded chicken meal of the week.  Not popcorn chicken, not chicken nuggets but the baked chicken patty on a whole grain bun.  I give the school props for trying to make it more nutritious.  Compared to what we were served when I was a kid, this is leaps and bounds better.

Back After Break

We had a fantastic Easter break.  Great traditions with our families and fun with friends.  We did our best to instill the real reason for Easter in our children.  They know that Jesus died for us.  They know that He Is Risen on Easter and that is why we celebrate.

All of the fun and celebrating has now become another chapter in our memory books and we are getting back to our routine.  This means we're heading back to school for the first time in five days.  YAHOO!

Our main entree is an alphabet pasta salad.  We figured that after five days off, a great reminder of Molly's ABC's would be alphabet pasta.  We added mini turkey pepperoni, black olives, mozzarella cheese and some light Italian dressing.

Our vegetable side is grape tomatoes.  Molly was never big on tomatoes but recently, she's starting to ask for them.  We're thrilled that her palate is changing enough to enjoy new things.

Our fruit side is cantaloupe chunks.  Molly keeps requesting this yummy melon.  We can't blame her.  The cantaloupes have been very sweet and delicious recently.

Our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions Vanilla Orange Greek Yogurt.  This will also help to add protein to round out Molly's meal.

Easter Week Lunch 3

Tomorrow is the last day of school before Easter vacation.  Molly is so excited to have a few days off and enjoy some family time and traditions.  We have a lot of plans to celebrate the sacrifice that God made for us and the miracle of Jesus' resurrection.

We'll be back next Tuesday night for another installment of Molly's Lunch Box.  We're pretty sure that the rest of the year is going to fly from then on.

Happy Easter, Indeed He is Risen!!!

Our main entree is a salami and cheese basket.  We used our mini cookie cutters to cut out eggs and a "Peep" chick out of provolone and salami.  We also used our food safe markers to make our basket more fun.

Our fruit side is strawberry flowers.  We used more cookie cutters to cut out these cute flowers and added a few plastic stems.  We also have a few bunnies hiding in this container too.

Our fun side is Annie's Organic Pizza Snack Mix (shaped like bunnies).  We usually add crackers to any meat and cheese entree but this mix will work just fine.  Plus, it's really yummy!

Finally, our Easter dessert is a bed of Annie's Homegrown Bunny Graham Friends topped with a chocolate covered marshmallow Peep.  Molly remembered the Peep from last year and requested one this year too.  How could we not?  They are so cute and delicious!

Easter Week Lunch 2

We've cooked up something fun for lunch tomorrow.  We were reminiscing about last year's Easter lunch and decided to use it for our inspiration.

Our main entree is a bunny pizza.  We used Pillsbury Simply Biscuits for our crust.  It is a very simple biscuit recipe without any added anything.  We like that idea.  We added a mozzarella/provolone shredded mix, olives for eyes and turkey pepperoni for a nose and mouth.

Our vegetable side is a cucumber that we cut with a flower cookie cutter.  We think that Molly will really enjoy the new shape.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  We added an Easter Bunny pick to keep with our theme.

Our dairy side is a Babybel cheese.  We used our star shaped micro cookie cutter to cut a star shape out of the wax.

Finally, our dessert is vanilla yogurt with some Easter egg sprinkles on top.

Taco Tuesday

I mentioned yesterday that Molly will be buying lunch tomorrow. We can't blame her. Tacos are a big favorite at our house. Speaking of Taco Tuesday, we are considering trying something like that at our house, creating a theme for our dinners each night. Meatless or meatloaf Monday, Taco or turkey Tuesday, Wildcard Wednesday, etc. Does anyone else do this? I think it would really help with our menu planning and keep us from hitting the drive thru due to lack of ideas. It would also be helpful when the summer starts and we are in the pool all day and don't want to think about dinner. Thoughts and suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Easter Week Lunch 1

This is a short week at Molly's school because of the Easter break coming up.  Also, she has already decided that she would like to buy lunch on Tuesday (Taco Tuesday) so that only gives us three lunches for the week.  We like to go a little bit theme-y (word?) here at Molly's Lunch Box so this will be the first of three Easter lunches.

Our main entree is a salami and smoked pepper jack cheese sandwich on 12 grain bread.  We used some fun little cookie cutters to cut the sandwich into Easter themed shapes.  Then, we used our food safe markers to make them come to life.  (ps - the red one in the right upper corner is a tulip....looks kind of like Darth Maul to us though.  LOL!)

Our vegetable side is cucumber slices.  Molly requested these after having a few on her salad at dinner this evening.

Our fruit side is cantaloupe pieces.  Molly asked us to get a cantaloupe last week and we picked a winner.  This is so sweet and juicy.  We also added a cross pick so that she doesn't forget what we will be celebrating this weekend, the fact that Jesus gave his life for us.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a Chobani Champions Vanilla Orange Greek yogurt.  This flavor reminds us of creamsicles.  Molly usually likes to put mini chocolate chips in it but we just didn't have room for them today.  She likes it just he way it is too.

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.

Breakfast Lunch

Last night, Molly's Daddy made breakfast for dinner.  The kids were so hungry that there weren't any pancakes left for Molly's lunch today, so we decided to make a run to the store tonight to grab a few things for a breakfast lunch tomorrow.

Our main entree is a whole wheat waffle sandwich.  We spread natural peanut butter on one waffle and Nutella on the other, then sandwiched them together.  This combination is a huge hit in our house.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  We usually don't have a veggie with our breakfast lunches but these looked like they would fit in just perfectly.

Our fruit side is half of a banana.  We used a knife to lightly pierce a message to Molly on it.  It had a chance to oxidize while we were toasting the waffles.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is a Chocolate Chunk Chobani Champions Greek yogurt.  (Say that three times fast!) Molly requested this one because she thought it would go nicely with the Nutella.  Smart girl.  ☺

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!

Educational Trip

If you are a regular reader of Molly's Lunch Box, you may have noticed that we didn't have a lunch post last Friday.  Well, it was because we decided to let Molly join us on an educational trip instead of going to school.  (GASP!)  I won tickets to the Farm to Table convention that was going on in Pittsburgh this past Friday and Saturday.  Our tickets were for Friday so Molly's Daddy decided to take the day off and we were going to take Molly's siblings with us while Molly was in school.  Then, we were doing a little research into what to expect and decided that Molly would benefit greatly from this experience....and we were right. ☺

We learned so much about organic gardening, raw dairy, cheeses, things to do with bee's wax, healthy eating, co-ops, CSAs, rain water, recycling, conservation and many other things.  We were very excited to try samples of several yummy treats including raw milk, pasteurized milk, cheeses, health drinks, honey, a banana dessert, health bars and much more.

We met farmers and artisans that were eager to share their craft with us and explain why the way that animals were raised help to make a better product.  It was such a delight to hear the questions that were answered and to see the eagerness of Molly and her sister as they were just soaking in the information.  (Their brother was just happy to be enjoying a honey stick.)

It was a fantastic experience for our whole family, not to mention the great exercise we got walking to and from the parking lot to the convention center and walking around the convention itself.

We don't usually advocate "skipping" school, but this was definitely a wonderful educational experience and we now have so many more ideas for field trips this summer to continue the education.  Special thanks to Whirl Magazine for creating a contest that helped us win our tickets!

On to Monday's lunch.  Easy enough, Molly is buying pizza.  It is the only good looking option for the week so we were fine with her choice.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! ☺

Busy Week, Yummy Lunch

Our busy week continues.  Well, Mom's busy week, that is.  Between training for the half marathon, cross training and the consignment sale, this week is flying by.  Molly's lunch was thrown together quickly so that Mom can get to sleep.

Our main entree is a pasta salad.  We figured that this would be a nice cool lunch for a warm day.  We added turkey pepperoni, a little mozzarella and some light Italian dressing to precooked radiator pasta.

Our vegetable side is baby carrots.  We added a small container of roasted red pepper hummus so that Molly could dip her carrots into it.

Our fruit side is green grapes.  We picked up a bunch of produce at Aldi today and these were part of it.  They are firm, juicy and were inexpensive.  Win/Win!

Our dairy side is a string cheese.  There isn't a lot of protein in Molly's lunch so we added this so that she won't be starving by the time she gets home.

Finally, our dessert is plain vanilla yogurt.  A simple and sweet way to end a yummy lunch.

Buying Lunch

Molly has decided to buy her chicken sandwich lunch tomorrow.  Mom is pretty happy about that because it is that busy time when we are preparing for the children's consignment sale at the preschool that Molly's siblings attend.  Mom isn't home a few nights this week so any extra help from the cafeteria helpers is welcome, especially when they are doing their best to make these lunches a bit more nutritious.

Repeat!

Molly was so happy with her lunch today that she requested the sandwich in her lunch tomorrow.  Luckily, we had enough left over that we were able to fulfill her wishes.

Our main entree is an Irish Soda Bread sandwich with whipped cream cheese.  This bread is a generations old recipe and we've added our own little touches to it to make it our own.  As I've said before, this generation is making it whole wheat.  Grammy's generation added golden raisins and Nana's generation added regular raisins instead of just currents.  No matter what generation, it's delicious!

Our vegetable side is a romaine lettuce salad with a small amount of light Italian dressing on the side.  We also added a Babybel Cheese as per Molly's request.  We cut a small heart out to show her how much we love her.

Our fruit side is a sliced kiwi.  Molly said that the Kiwi Leprechaun tasted so yummy that she was craving a kiwi again.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is vanilla yogurt with a sprinkle of Trader Joe's Elegant Cocoa Pearls for a special touch.

Irish Soda Bread Sandwiches

One of the best parts about having St. Patrick's Day on a weekend is the opportunity to celebrate it with family.  We celebrated Nana's birthday on St. Patrick's Day (Happy Birthday, Nana) and we were so happy to have Grammy and Papa out for our traditional Irish dinner tonight.  The girls stayed at their house this weekend so that Daddy could run his first half marathon (WAY TO GO, DADDY!) and Mommy could go to her athletic training on Saturday morning.

Grammy and Papa contributed dessert (chocolate Guinness cake...YUM!), some smoked salmon and Irish Soda Bread that the girls helped to make.  We contributed the corned beef and cabbage, carrots and potatoes.  It was quite a feast.  We were lucky enough to even have some leftovers.

Our main entree is an Irish Soda Bread and cream cheese sandwich.  Molly and her sister did a fantastic job making this.  I had suggested that they use whole wheat flour and we all agreed that it turned out better than the original white flour that the recipe called for.

Our vegetable side is canned green beans.  Molly has been asking for these so we were happy to add them.  Also, our other option was carrots and with a few missing teeth in the front, we were confident that the green beans would work much better.

Our fruit side is fresh strawberries.  This pack had some gigantic strawberries in it.  Molly's little brother had one today that was bigger than his hand.  He was loving it!

Finally, our dairy/dessert is plain old vanilla yogurt.  It will be a nice compliment to the rest of Molly's lunch.

♣Irish You A Happy St. Patrick's Day!!♣

Our favorite time of year!!!  St. Patrick's Day!!!  We have a great Irish heritage and are proud to celebrate it.  We read stories about how St. Patrick taught the Irish about the holy trinity with a shamrock, we do the traditional corned beef and cabbage, we bake Irish soda bread, we wear our green and watch out for sneaky leprechauns.  We just love it!

Our main entree is green pasta.  It's actually mini shells with pesto on them.  We topped it with some Gouda cheese cut into shamrocks and embellished them with our food safe markers.

Our fruit/veggie side is a Kiwi Leprechaun.  Yep, we thought back to the Frankenkiwi and the Kiwi Elf and went a little wild.  His hair is all shredded carrots, his eyes are mini chocolate chips, his mouth and nose are sprinkles and his hat is plastic from our favorite cake decorating store.  

Our dairy side is Irish emerald moss.  Vanilla yogurt with green food coloring and some mini shamrock sprinkles.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is a few Irish Soda Bread Scones.  Molly goes nuts over these.  Its a great combination of whole wheat flour, dried currants and just a sprinkle of sugar.  YUM!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! ♣

Beannachtam na Femle Padraig!

Lunch?

Molly asked if she could buy her lunch tomorrow.  I don't know what it is about popcorn chicken that makes our girl outrageously happy.  (Her Daddy had the same reaction to Chicken Patty sandwiches.)  Since I chose to have her buy lunch on Tuesday (in case she didn't go to school), we decided that her choice of buying tomorrow would be fine.

Tomorrow is the last day of preschool for the week for Molly's little sister.  This means that they will have their "wearing of the green" and St. Patrick's Day celebration.  Since we are a bit Irish (well, a bit more than a bit), we are sending in a special little something for the teachers.

Green tea and Irish Soda Bread Scones!  The recipe came from my great-grandmother and has been a favorite of our family forever.  I decided to switch it up a little bit and use a healthier whole wheat flour instead of white flour.  I must say, they are pretty tasty and I might just have to make it a permanent switch.

We will do the same for Molly's teacher on Friday.  Just a little something to let the teachers know how much we appreciate the work that they do. ☺

All Better!

Molly is feeling much better.  She made it to school today, had a great day and lived to tell about it.  No call from the school nurse made me a very happy Mom.  Molly was pretty happy too and even had a fantastic night because she finally lost one of her top teeth.  We've been waiting on it for weeks and finally, the tooth fairy will be stopping at our house. ☺

Our main entree is a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich on whole grain bread.  Our cupboards are a bit bare because Mom hasn't had time to run to the store with two sick kids.  This is a great standby sandwich when there isn't much left in the pantry.

Our vegetable side is canned green beans.  Again, not much left on the fresh vegetable front aside from salad.  Besides, canned green beans are so yummy.

Our fruit side is a Macintosh apple that has been sectioned and sliced.  We've had several questions about how to keep the apples from browning.  The long and short of it is the type of apple.  We usually choose Macintosh and Empire apples because they naturally don't brown as much.  There may be a small bit of browning but nothing like a Red Delicious.  If you aren't a fan of these types, try fresh squeezed orange or lemon juice to prevent browning.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is plain vanilla yogurt.  We have no Cho!  We definitely have to make it to the store very soon to stock back up on Chobani Champions.

Plan B

Well, Molly ended up staying home again today. Her belly still hurts and she is hacking up a lung. My poor girl! We have decided that if Molly feels MUCH better in the morning, she will buy lunch at school. She will actually buy the alternative lunch of peanut butter and jelly. If she is still icky, then off to the doctor we will go. She just looks and sounds horrible. My heart breaks for her. Also, Molly's little brother seems to have caught it. We're hoping that their sister and we, parents, don't get it. Keep your fingers crossed.

Giving it a Try

Molly still isn't quite 100% but she is MUCH better than she was last week.  Thank you all for the well wishes. ☺

She has decided that she only wants a few things and they are pretty bland.  We are just happy to see that she is eating again and actually requesting certain things.  Here's hoping that it is enjoyable for her.

Our main entree is baked macaroni and cheese.  We made some choo choo wheels a few days ago and Mommy used the leftovers to make baked mac and cheese.  Molly requested this because it tasted really good to her when she first started to feel better.

Our fruit side is a ToGo Squeeze in Apple Strawberry.  These are basically an applesauce blend put into a tube so that it is less messy for the kids to eat.  They are very healthy and very tasty.  We picked up a large box of them at Target.

Our simple side is a few pretzel Goldfish Crackers.  We figured that if the mac and cheese isn't appealing, the Goldfish Crackers might do the trick.

Our dairy is a small amount of plain vanilla yogurt.  We're hoping that it would be a gentle protein for Molly's upset tummy.

Finally, our dessert is a couple of cookies and cream Goldfish Crackers.  Again, something nice and simple to keep our girl happy.

Sick Day

Poor Molly stayed home from school today because she has some sort of stomach bug.  She looked sick from the moment she woke up and we knew right away that school was not an option today.  She is still not feeling well this evening so we are keeping her home tomorrow too.  It just breaks my heart when any of the kids are sick. Hopefully, this will be short lived and not shared with her siblings or us.  ☺

On the bright side.  Molly's little sister was the lucky recipient of Molly's Lunch Box lunch today.  She was like the Queen of Sheba sitting there and eating from the Laptop Lunch Box.  She's getting ready because next year, she'll be using her very own at Kindergarten. YAY!

Leftover Lunch

We are utilizing little leftovers for Molly's lunch.  We made the tortellini yesterday for her brother and sister's lunch.  The carrots were the very last in the container in the fridge and the strawberries were the final ones in their container.  Our refrigerator looks so much cleaner, which makes Mommy very happy.

Our main entree is a tortellini salad.  We added mini turkey pepperoni and light Italian dressing to Trader Joe's fresh cheese tortellini.

Our vegetable side is carrot sticks.  We keep carrots and celery sticks in a container filled with water in the refrigerator.  It keeps them so fresh and crispy.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  Molly's Daddy was nice enough to cut these into perfect little pieces for our girl.

Finally, our dairy side is a string cheese.  There wasn't a lot of room for a dessert so we decided that a little extra protein would work just fine.  We'll make sure that she gets something sweet at dinner. ☺

School Lunch

Molly has not bought lunch in two weeks but saw the meatball hoagie on the menu and her mind was made up. We are glad to let her choose the things that she would like to eat, but we may be swaying her toward other things in the very near future.

I recently posted a few links on our Molly's Lunch Box Facebook page about the "pink slime" that was used in fast food hamburgers.  Unfortunately, this slime has been sold to schools for school lunches.  We may or may not be one of the schools that uses it but it sure does make me reconsider the lunches that my kids will be allowed to purchase at school.

Just a little food for thought.

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!

Cold Pizza!

If you follow our blog, you know that Molly's school always serves pizza on the first day of the week.  What kid would want anything but pizza on pizza day?  We've found the easy way around that.  Cold pizza.  As we continue through the Lenten season and keep our Lenten promise (no fast food), we had homemade pizzas for dinner on Saturday night.  Molly and her siblings enjoyed a mini turkey pepperoni pizza with light cheese while Mommy and Daddy had fresh peppers, turkey pepperoni and light cheese on a whole wheat crust.  The whole family was very pleased.  We were also very lucky to have leftovers that Molly can have in her lunch.

Our main entree is leftover homemade pizza.  We bought the crust at the store, added Trader Joe's pizza sauce, some light cheese and mini turkey pepperoni.

Our vegetable side is a spinach salad.  We tossed in a few matchstick carrots and added a small container of light Italian dressing.

Our fruit side is a kiwi.  We skinned it, cut it in half and sliced it so that Molly can manage those slippery but yummy little bites.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  We are running low on our Chobani so we'll have to pick up more soon.  We might even create our own mixes with the plain Chobani that Mommy eats.  hmmmm....

*Molly's actual lunch box is a Laptop Lunch Box.

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.

To Buy or Not to Buy?

We allow Molly to choose one day a week if she would like to buy school lunch.  Today, Molly realized that she hadn't chosen to buy at all this week.  She looked at what is on the menu for tomorrow and wasn't interested and she can't wait for her Dr. Seuss themed lunch on Friday.  This means that we have a full packing lunch week.  We are so proud that Molly chose to pick the healthy homemade lunches.  I guess that she is really learning the importance of good, healthy food.

Our main entree is a cold cheese tortellini salad.  We picked up these tortellini at Trader Joe's last week. We added some light Italian dressing and kept it simple.

Our vegetable side is celery.  Molly requested these because she wants to dip them in the peanut butter that we put in the apple container.

Our fruit side is an apple.  We sliced it so that Molly can dip them in a small container of natural peanut butter.

Finally, dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  This will help Molly with her sweet tooth and to get her protein too.

Leap Year Lunch

Today was National Pancake Day and tomorrow is Leap Day, put them both together and we have a super fun, yummy and filling treat for Molly's lunch.  We love it when things work out so nicely and we can play with a theme.  Speaking of themes, keep an eye out for Friday's lunch.  Molly's school is celebrating Dr. Seuss Day and we have a few ideas brewing. ☺

Our main entree is chocolate chip pancakes.  Molly and her siblings always ask for seconds and sometimes thirds when we make these.  Luckily, we usually make a double batch so that we have leftovers for lunch the next day.  All of the kids will eat them cold for lunch. (Who would've thought?)  We added a little frog pick to the pancakes to represent Leap Year.  Super fun!

Our protein side is a hard boiled egg.  Molly's Daddy and I usually have eggs with our "brinner" (breakfast for dinner) and the kids ask for them sometimes.  When we offered hard boiled eggs tonight, we had some very happy kids.

Our fruit side is red grapes.  They are very firm and juicy.  These served as our dessert after dinner tonight.  Molly's little brother decided to dump his out of his bowl and create a Mickey Mouse with several of them.  Oh, the imagination of a 2 year old.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  We added a small container of mini chocolate chips in our main container so that Molly can mix them into the yogurt.  This is one of her favorite things ever.

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.  ☺

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.

Lenten Lunch 1

The season of Lent started yesterday and as Catholics, we restrict certain things during this season.  Every Friday, we abstain from eating meat.  I am not someone who eats a lot of meat but for whatever reason, I crave a hamburger every Friday during Lent.  I guess it is something about not being able to have something that makes you crave it because when Saturday rolls around, I'm no longer craving the hamburger.  Funny how the brain works.

Hopefully Molly will not have the same cravings as her Mommy and be excited to have a Fun Friday lunch.

Our main entree is leftover cheese pizza.  This was part of our take out extravaganza earlier this week.  Dominos delivered and now Molly reaps the benefit of another leftover.

Our vegetable side is a green salad with light ranch dressing on the side.  We added a little extra dressing so that Molly could use it to dip her pizza crust in.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  These strawberries are from Plant City, Florida.  I, Mommy, lived in Florida for a few years and I have to say that the strawberry festival in Plant City is one of the most awesome things I've ever experienced.  From the smell to the sights and finally the taste of those sun ripened, sweet and juicy delicious beauties.  INCREDIBLE!!

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is courtesy of a few Valentine's Day goodies that Molly's classmates gave to her.  There is a small pack of Bottle Caps and a small Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

Fridge Clean Out Lunch

We're feeling a lot better today, thank goodness!  Our goal is to make sure that we eat what is in the refrigerator since there were a few days of take out.  The less we throw out, the more money we save and the less waste we create.

Our main entree is a peanut and butter sandwich.  We are out of some things so we decided that an old fashioned pb&j would work just fine.

Our vegetable entree is canned green beans.  These were part of our dinner so it was easy to just toss them in Molly's lunch.  She will eat these warm, cold or just out of the can.  (Just like her mother!)

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  These only have a few days left so we needed to use them before they were a lost cause and sent to the compost bin.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  We also added a small container of mini chocolate chips in the strawberry box.  Molly really enjoys mixing these into her yogurt.

Mom and Dad Are BOTH Sick!

Seriously, Mom and Dad are both sick. It doesn't happen often but when it does, the whole house is in chaos mode. We are not big on take out, fast food or delivery but today has been the exception. This means that Molly will be buying lunch tomorrow because neither of us are feeling well enough to even think about preparing food. We hope that everyone else out in blog-land is doing well and doesn't catch this crazy cold.

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.  

Fun Friday

We have had a fun week this week.  Valentine's Day was awesome with special treats for the whole family.  Today was silly day at Molly's little sister's preschool so we were all acting silly all day.  Now, we're ready for our long weekend to be here.  We're hoping to get in some play time with the neighbors and maybe make some crafts.  Who knows?  We try to make the most of any extra days off of school, even if it just becomes a pajama day and we veg out and watch movies all day.  Family time is always fun.

Our main entree is a Buffalo chicken sandwich.  We stacked our Castle Wood Buffalo style chicken breast on our bread and added a slice of smoked Gouda cheese.  YUMMY!

Our vegetable side is cucumber slices.  We used a star shaped micro cookie cutter to take the seeds out of the center.  Molly will get a kick out of that.

Our fruit side is sliced strawberries.  Our kids can't seem to get enough of these lately.  They are very sweet and absolutely huge.  There are only two strawberries in that container.  Crazy!

Our dairy side is Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.  We put a small container of mini chocolate chips in the strawberry container for Molly to add to her yogurt.  She loved it when we did that last time.

Finally, our fun Friday treat is a Lindt white chocolate truffle.  We got all of the kids their favorite chocolates for Valentine's Day and this is Molly's.  

School Lunch

Molly has chosen to buy her lunch tomorrow. The good thing about this is that she is realizing that the school lunch isn't that great so she is cutting her buying from once a week to only 3 times a month. Little by little the kids are realizing that not all food is good for you. Even her little sister has a tummy ache after a sugary snack at preschool and is now looking toward healthier options. A small victory in our world.

Easy Lunch

After a very full and fun Valentine's Day, we were looking for something easy to make for Molly's lunch tomorrow.  Sure, a classic pb&j is always a nice and easy option but we decided to mix it up a bit.  Then we threw in some other classics.

Our main entree is a Nutella and peanut butter sandwich.  We use a 12 grain bread for this because we think that it tastes awesome with any nut butter and since Nutella is a nut butter and so is peanut butter...no brainer!

Our vegetable side is cucumbers slices.  We used our crinkle knife to cut these into fun shapes.  Molly said that she really likes them this way because they are more fun to eat.

Our fruit side is a banana.  We cut a small chunk off of the top and then used cookie cutters to press in our special message to Molly.  It will be more visible when she sees it at lunch but it browned up pretty nicely while we were fixing her lunch.  ♥ U, Molly!

Our dairy side is a string cheese.  This is a great option for a little extra protein or a little extra something in case she is still hungry.

Our dessert is vanilla yogurt with mini chocolate chips.  Molly really enjoyed the mini chocolate chips the other day so we thought she'd enjoy them tomorrow.

Valentine's Day Lunch

We had a few fun things in mind when deciding what to make for Molly's Valentine's Day lunch.  A little known fact is that Molly's Daddy makes the best chocolate chip pancakes in the world.  This was our stepping off point.  Molly's Daddy surprised the kids with some chocolate chip pancakes and turkey bacon for breakfast yesterday morning.  It was then and there that breakfast for lunch with a Valentine's Day twist was the way to go.

Our main entree is Daddy's Famous Chocolate Chip Pancakes!  We cut them out with two different sizes of heart shaped cookie cutters.  We also added a few "hugs and kisses" for our valentine.

Our protein is turkey bacon and a heart shaped hard boiled egg.  We found the directions on how to make a heart shaped hard boiled egg on the internet.  Our yolk didn't quite look as nice as the one on the internet but we'll take what when can get on our first shot.  If you are interested in trying it for yourself, click here. We added a heart shaped pick to the bacon because we LOVE bacon at our house. (and we LOVE Molly!)

Our fruit side is strawberries that have been cut out using two small heart shaped cookie cutters.  We added a heart shaped pick to this box too.

Our dairy side is Chobani Champions Chocolate Chunk Greek Yogurt (out of the normal container).  We sprinkled it with a mix of Valentine sprinkles.

Finally, our mini-dessert is two Hershey's kisses because everyone needs kisses on Valentine's Day!  One is pink and one is silver, just perfect for our little valentine, Molly.

And the Winners Are...

We are so excited that we have had the chance to have our first giveaway sponsored by Chobani Champions!  There were so many nice comments about Molly's Lunch Box and Molly loved reading each of them.  Thanks to all who have entered.

We're going to channel American Idol and reveal our winners...."after the" lunch part of our blog post.

Our main entree is a heart shaped sandwich.  We're getting ready for a great Valentine's Day on Tuesday so we figured that we'd get started early.  We have salami and smoked Gouda for tomorrow's selection.  We also added a small ring decoration so that Molly has something fun to remind her of home for the rest of the day.

Our vegetable side is a variety of tomatoes.  There are orange, yellow, your regular red and these brown with green striped ones.  These are all very mild and low on acidity.  Molly usually doesn't like tomatoes that much but she sure likes these.

Our fruit side is a clementine.  We peeled and sectioned it for Molly so that she has more time to eat instead of prep her lunch.  We added a little heart pick to this box too.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is our favorite Chobani Champions Greek Yogurt in the orange vanilla variety.  Molly said that she liked the chocolate chunk variety more but when we offered to put a few mini chocolate chips in her lunch to mix in, she was all for it.  Orange and chocolate is a fantastic combination.

Now, on to the winners!!!

Envelope please.....

We wrote the names or tags of every person that commented on our special blog post and Molly herself picked our winners.

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Dana Hune and Lee Fandray!!!!  Congratulations Dana and Lee!!!  Please e-mail your address and e-mail address to us at mollyslunchbox@yahoo.com and we will send them to Chobani Champions.  You should expect and super fun box of awesome deliciousness in about a week or so.  We hope that you enjoy Chobani Champions as much as we do.

100th Day of School

Tomorrow is the 100th day of school for Molly.  It is such a milestone for these kids because even though school seems to drag on at this time of year because it's a reminder that summer is just around the corner.  They really don't celebrate it much as the kids get older but I've heard some fun things that some of the teachers are doing. My friend told me that her daughter's kindergarten class is dressing up like they are 100 years old.  I begged for pictures.  Molly had to bring in 100 of something when she was in Kindergarten.  She chose fun little glow in the dark beads because she was very into making bracelets with them at that point in time. 

Happy 100th Day of School, Everyone!

Our main entree is a pita pocket sandwich.  We used a new whole wheat half pita and stuffed it with salami and provolone.  We then used one of our food safe markers and wrote a little message for Molly on it.

Our vegetable side is green pepper.  We cut out several 100's with a small cookie cutter.  Molly just loves peppers and we thought it would be a nice compliment to her sandwich.

Our fruit side is natural (no sugar added) applesauce.  Molly has a loose tooth so she asked to have things that wouldn't hurt her tooth.  We added a 100 that we cut out of a whole fruit leather.  We're not sure if this will be swimming in the applesauce by the time Molly gets to lunch, but that might be fun to find too. 

Our dairy side is a cheese stick.  Just in case Molly is still hungry after eating the rest of her lunch.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat and 100th day of School treat is strawberry Jell-O Jigglers cut into a 100 with our trusty cookie cutters. ☺

School Lunch

Molly was torn over which day to buy her lunch this week because she liked several of them.  We helped her to decide to buy tomorrow since Friday is the 100th day of school so we'll be doing a fun lunch for that.  She will be dining on quesadillas, which is something that we make a lot here at home.  She's very excited. ☺

Soup, Salad and Facebook

Today, we started our own Facebook Page so that you, our readers, don't miss a single blog post. I am trying to figure out how to put the "like" box on the blog. HTML can be pretty confusing sometimes. For now, please search for Molly's Lunch Box on Facebook and like our page. ☺

Also, don't forget to comment on yesterday's post in order to be entered into our first giveaway, sponsored by Chobani Champions.  We will choose our winners this weekend and announce them in Sunday's blog post and also on our new Facebook Page.

On to Molly's lunch.  It's getting a bit chilly here in Pittsburgh so we figured that some yummy soup was in order.

Our main entree is Progresso Italian Wedding Soup.  Molly really likes this soup because of the pasta and meatballs.  We like it for the vegetables that she doesn't even notice.  We also added a few mini Club Crackers on the side because Molly likes to dip them in her soup.

Our vegetable side is a green salad with a little bit of French dressing on the side.  We gave Molly the option of another spinach salad but she chose the green salad to mix it up a little bit.

Our fruit side is half of a blood orange.  Our friends at Chobani have a new flavor called blood orange and Molly really liked the taste that I gave her from mine.  We decided to pick up a few extra blood oranges (Molly's Daddy's favorite) so that she could enjoy the real orange too.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is the awesome Chobani Champions Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Greek Yogurt.  Molly requested this variety again because she likes it SO much.  We can't blame her.  It is really delicious.  If you want to try it, join our giveaway by commenting on yesterday's post.  ☺