Literacy Day!

Today was Literacy Day at Lynden's school and they celebrated by inviting parents to come participate in some fun games and reading activities....Of course, in true form, her lunch had to match!  This is what I came up with last minute...

A bologna sandwich made into a book (using fruit leathers cut into shapes for on the book), and of course I think of book worms when I think of reading, but sadly I had no gummy worms so I just had to settle with making a BabyBel apple (by using the red BabyBel and putting a cute leaf pic into the top).  Then of course we had to have fun with letters so I cut the alphabet out of cucumber slices (with a cute lion pic) and put a cute little rabbit cup with Alpha-Bits :D  In her snack container I included some fresh orange slices (cut off the skins for it to be easier to eat), some red and yellow peppers, some homemade banana chocolate chip loaf and a cute little egg shaped like a teddy bear (darn pic doesn't show how cute it is).

Read any good books lately to recommend for literacy week?  Children's or Adult books?

Our Bento Adventures this week

Our week in Bento Boxes......

Monday: I used the CuteZCute cutter for the sandwich (using a regular slice for the actual face and then cutting out the eyes, ears and mouth from the crust end so that I got a different colour), a few carrots and peas with a cute little bear pic, a homemade choc chip cookie we made together the night before.  Then for her other box I sliced up some strawberries using my strawberry cutter (all about cute presentation!), a Babybel with star cut out, and then a boiled egg.  For the boiled egg I used my cute little egg molds, this one was a rabbit.  Basically all you do is make your regular boiled egg, peel when still hot, then place into the greased mold while hot and then into the fridge as normal.  The next morning or probably a few hours later the molded egg is all cute and ready to use!

Tuesday: Another CuteZCute Bento day today, they are too much fun!  She got a cute little piggy sandwich today, with a teddy bear cup filled with Dora fruit snacks, a fishy up filled with pretzel sticks, and some cucumber stars, red peppers and snap peas with a cute little leaf pic making the cucumber into a star flower :D  Her snack box had adorable heart shaped strawberries (starting to brainstorm for Valentine's day!), a heart cut out of her BabyBel cheese and some cheddar cheese mini rice cakes.

Wednesday: Today I was just winging it, I wasn't sure a complete plan so I just started and this is what I came up with.  I sliced bread into 4 squares to make it fun and kind of a snack size.  But then I ended up piecing the squares together to get the square face.  Plopped a blueberry for the nose, some decorating edible eyes (Wilton) and a cute red pepper smile....it just wasn't complete though so I went into the fridge and grabbed a string cheese.  I cut the string into 2 pieces and then started peeling the two pieces to make some crazy hair to complete the face!  On the side is some cut up yellow and red peppers (my kid just LOVES peppers so I run with it!)  The other box has some more heart strawberries and blueberries, with a cup of alphabits (Received free to test and review from www.bzzagent.com) and a cute little teddy bear pic peeking out of the letters, then a little cookie for her treat that day.

Thursday's box was posted in a previous post, it was a winter/spring theme.

Its finally Friday!!  Might as well make a cute and fun Bento to liven up spirits during this very cold -30 winter weather we are having (poor kids didn't even get recess yesterday because it was too cold).  So I cut out a couple flowers and made peanut butter flower sandwiches, complete with cucumber grass, leaves and stems and a red pepper center.  Above is a variety of flower veggies (Yellow and red peppers, cucumbers, and carrots) and of course some cute leaf pics to make the flowers complete.  The other box has a mix of snacks (alphabits, goldfish, craisins and an apricot), a flower BabyBel, a few cherry tomatoes and a flower cup of blueberries with a little bear peeking out......please come soon spring!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  Happy creating......

Baby its cold out there...

So, living in Northwestern Ontario, Canada we see some pretty rigid temperatures in winter time.  Many from the South wonder just HOW we survive.  Well, this year it has been VERY unseasonably mild and SO nice to enjoy.....but, we knew that mother nature was peeking around the corner laughing at us and that Jack Frost WOULD catch us sooner or later......well, he has hit!  It was -30 last night when I got home from my soccer game (indoor people, I'm not nuts!), I thought it was appropriate to have a winter themed lunch for my girl to eat.  But, had to throw in some hope for warmth at the same time.  So, I came up with one box depicting winter time and then one box is foreshadowing to Spring time (which we hope is right around the corner!).

Spring box: Ants on a log with celery and cheese with raisins, a Babybel ladybug, and of course some spring cucumber and pepper flowers.

Winter box: Snowflake ham sandwich, a blueberry nutrigrain cereal bar, mixed fruit.  The little snowflakes are actually cupcake toppers and are completely edible in vanilla and blueberry flavor. You can find them in the baking section for the more specialized stores 

Hope the winter weather isn't too harsh where you are, and that you can find some fun and warmth in some fun lunches for the kids!

Bento Supplies Giveaway!

Bento, Monsters is having a GREAT Giveaway to celebrate their 400th Blog post.....check it out!




To enter go to their blog: Giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

What's in the Box tomorrow?

So, I took a weekend off this weekend, that never happens!  I didn't really do a lot of housecleaning and didn't even run for groceries!  So, today's Bento is all about using up what is left in the fridge because I need to grocery shop tomorrow for the week ahead....been there done that?

So, for her main lunch box I had some leftover ham to use up quick so I made some muffin tin omelettes (explained below), then tossed in a fresh bun (with a cute little heart ring stuck in the middle for fun).  I sliced up a few strawberries (I did make a little run the other day for fresh fruit for the weekend thankfully) in my cute little strawberry cutter.

For her nutrition break (10:40 break) I put in a few crackers and cheese, and then cut up some mixed veggies (snap peas, carrots and her fav red peppers).  Did you know that red peppers actually have more vitamin C in them than Oranges?  I was shocked when I found that out, eat up!

Muffin Tin Omelettes

- Grease muffin tin

- put a slice or two (your preference depending on the thickness) of ham in the muffin tin just like you would a muffin liner

- Put 1 egg (or 2 egg whites) into the ham cup

- add any yummy extras you want in your omelette (mushrooms, peppers, spinach, asparagus, etc.)

- top with cheese of your choice

- bake at 350 for about 20 minutes

Stuck for lunch ideas?

If you are like any other parent packing a lunch daily, you find you get "stuck in a rut" so quick when it comes to lunch packing.  In order to beat that "rut" I compiled a quick listing of some ideas of things to pack in my daughter's lunch.  If am stuck, then I can go to the list and maybe get an idea that is fresh and I had forgotten about it.  Thought I would share my list with you all for those "rut" days :D

LUNCH IDEAS

Snacks

Carbs/Tummy Fillers
Goldfish
Ritz Crackers
Animal Crackers
Triscuits
Pretzels
Dry Cereal
Muffins/Cupcakes
Banana/Zucchini Bread
Granola Bar
Popcorn
Chips
Rice Cakes
Cookies
Garlic Bread sticks/buns
Mini bagels

Fruit

Apples (sliced, with peanut butter to dip if you want) Great idea for keeping fresh and not browned is to use elastic

 

Oranges
Peaches (fresh or canned but if canned look for light or no syrup)
Fruit salad
Cherries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Pineapple
Watermelon (cubed, sliced or melon balled)
Grapes
Dried Fruit: Craisins/raisins/apricots (great to have on hand in case you have no fresh fruit one day)
Apple sauce (homemade is so easy: tart apples mixed with just water and cinnamon)
Apple chips (just dehydrate apple slices in dehydrator or oven, sprinkle on cinnamon for more flavor)
Starfruit (so fun)
Kiwi

Proteins
Leftover meat from suppers
Deli meat
Kolbassa
Boiled egg


Soup
Peanut Better Sandwich (if allowed)
Hot Dog (cut up, whole, made into octopus with noodles stuck through and cooked, spiders at Halloween)

Dairy
Cheese strings, Babybel, cheese curds
Cheese and crackers
Cottage cheese (I've been known to add food coloring to make fun too)
Yogurt (with fruit, granola, nuts on top)


Veggies
Carrot sticks with dip (ranch, hummus)
Celery with cheese and raisins
Cucumbers with dip
Red/orange/yellow peppers
Beans (my daughter loves them fresh from garden)
Snap Peas

Snacks
Jello Jigglers (shapes, squares etc...use Knox Gelatin to make)

 

Gummy Bears/works
Skittles
Smarties/M&Ms
Nuts (if you can send to school)
Chocolate chips
Trail mix
Marshmallows
Pickles
Fruit snacks, fruit rollups (can make homemade using apple sauce and then dehydrating)
Chips
Cookies

Main Dish
- Hot dogs (cut up into little octopus animals with noodles through middle: stick spaghetti noodles through small pieces of hot dogs, cook and serve)

  

- Sandwiches:

• Cheese
• Bologna
• Ham/Turkey
• Cucumber
• Turkey and Cheese
• Peanut Butter/or soy butter if nut free school

- Mac and Cheese (use thermos or send cold if your child will eat it that way)

- scrambled eggs or omelette

- cooked noodles with a bit of butter and parm cheese

- Tortillas with peanut butter and banana in it (rolled up and sliced like pinwheels)

- Pizza (homemade or leftovers, cut into pizza bites is fun too)

- Leftovers (chicken, pork chops, steak etc)

- Soup (put hot dog octopus on top for fun)

- Croissant/crackers, cheese, meat for snacky meal

- Cold pacakes/waffles/french toast (with a little container of dip.  Cute if cut up in pieces and served on skewers)

- Oatmeal (in thermos) with berries, granola, brown sugar on top

- Spaghetti or pasta noodles with sauce

It's All In The Details:

- Write a cute note with dry erase marker on the Tupperware containers

- Add little animals/dollarstore rings/decorations into snacks for a smile

- Add sprinkles on top of fruit or yogurt for surprise

- Use plastic dip/pill containers to keep dip separate

- Pack a wet wipe to wipe hands easier then just a napkin

- Freezer bag: buy cheap sponge, put water in bag, add sponge, squish and squeeze down, seal, freeze

I   * When packing a lunch I try to have a veggie, fruit, cheese product, bread product and snack everyday so that I hit all areas.  Seems to work well for us.

     Anyone have others to add to the list for all to share?

Fun Giveaway!!

Saw this online and I thought you might be interested in entering the contest too!

Good Luck!

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/blog/pink-purple-yellow-teal-container-lids-and-giveaway/

Roooaar! The Dinosaurs are here!

Today I was issued a challenge....well, I don't think the teacher's realized it, but they sent home a challenge for me! In Lynden's monthly newsletter they let the parents know what they will be studying and learning about this month......DINOSAURS.  Perfect!! Now, how will I pull off a Dinosaur Bento box, with no dinosaur anything in my house?.......How will I do this? with a little dash of fun and a sprig of creativeness of course!

First I started off by (hold your breathe for the geek in me coming out) tracing how big my slices of bread were on a blank piece of paper!  I then continued on to draw out a dinosaur (to the best of my abilities anyway) on the paper.  I cut it out as a stencil and then went to work on cutting my bread, meat and cheese to match......voila, just that easy and we have a sandwich!

A dinosaur has to have trees of course, so add in the snap peas with the tree holder picks I have.  Then with some creative searching online, I found another cute idea.....A dinosaur mama and her little blue dino egg of course! I boiled the eggs then while still hot I cracked the shell and then put it in food coloring for a bit (could have stayed in there longer though, the coloring on the egg is really faint, but it leaks through where the shell is cracked and makes a cute little cracking pattern on the egg).  A dinosaur mama and her little blue dino egg of course! This is too fun and really coming together easily (at first I was kicking myself for not buying the dinosaur cutter I saw in the store about a week ago!)

For her first nutrition break box I put in a few mixed veggies (carrots, snap peas, red peppers and cucumbers), a few blueberries and the banana-chocolate chip loaves she helped me make the other night (recipe below).

So here you have it...Bento-a-la-dinosaur:

Here's to her learning all about the dinosaur land this month!  Thought I might as well kick it off with some fun for her (and her class I am sure, as they laugh at how crazy I am).

Banana Bread

2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 2/3 sugar (or any sugar substitute of your choice)

2/3 cup margarine (I used coconut oil substituted 1:1 instead)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup mashed bananas (about 3-4 bananas)

2/3 cup sour milk (put a bit of vinegar into your regular milk to sour it a bit)

- Cream sugar, marg/coconut oil, eggs and vanilla together in one bowl

-  Mix your flour, soda, salt and sugar into another bowl.

- Add bananas to the wet ingredients and mix well.

- Add dry ingredients alternately with sour milk until well blended

- Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes for large loaf, 25 minutes for muffins, and 35 minutes for mini loaves

- use toothpick to check that center's are cooked completely through

* you can add yummy nuts or chocolate chips in the mix before you bake, or sprinkle just on top instead, and I also sprinkle cinnamon on the top before baking too, YUM!

ENJOY!