As we roll into April........where did March go?

Wow, I just can't believe how fast time is flying by, how is it April already?  I find myself having to brainstorm thoughts and ideas for year end teacher presents already and I am in shock!  Any good ideas for something cute, but not too expensive, but something they will actually use and not just throw to the side with all the other knick knacks?

Anyway, as the year continues on, so do the fun Bento lunches for little missy.  I haven't posted since Easter so here are quite a few to fill in that void.  Life just gets so crazy that I find I have limited computer time more and more, but I try to pop in when I can to update, and I ALWAYS take pics so I can post later at least....better late then never right?

Let's start out with St. Patrick's Day.....it landed on a weekend but we still had fun the day after at school :D She had a peanut butter clover sandwich (made using small heart cutters and then putting together, with a little green pepper in the middle), some cut up cold asparagus sprigs with a cute little green leaf in them, some chopped up cucumbers with skin on and a cute chocolate loonie for the pot of gold.  Then in her other box she got a couple red and green gummy lifesavers, some green cottage cheese and her favorite green grapes.

Today was just a goofy lunch for her:  strawberries thinly sliced with green grapes, oatmeal bear paws for her treat, a Babybel cheese with "Hi", a sealed peanut butter (nut free WowButter) sanwish with cute little face accessories and two bear paws for feet, then come diced red peppers and cucumbers

Today called for some more diced red peppers and cucumbers, with some cute kabob sandwiches (ham and cheese), some swiss cheese crackers, dried apricots, a container with some alphabits, and some strawberries and grapes.

The Giraffe is roaming in the long cucumber spears, a few cut up strawberries and some peak frean cookies. Then we have some oranges (and a hope that summer is coming with the ice cream cone pic), some Swiss Cheese crackers, some heart shaped cheese slices and leftover bbq'd ham steaks.

I got an ADORABLE new lunch container at Ikea for only $2.99!!! LOVE IT! I plan to use this on days she has a hot lunch served at school and only needs snacks packed.

Hot Lunch day at school, so we have a few diced cucumbers, diced strawberries and some cheese and crackers to finish off the bunch.  She is getting chicken boodle soup and a bun for hot lunch today.

Today we have some mandarin orange slices (tend to use those as backup if I haven't had time to get fresh fruit), real fruit fruit snacks, carrot and celery sticks with a little container of ranch dip.  Then for her lunch she has a sliced hard boiled egg, some goldfish on the side, cheese chunks and some crackers.

She wanted pancakes for her lunch today, so pancakes/breakfast it was!  I cut up some leftover ham, then cut up some chocolate chip pancakes into little squares to skewer onto swords, with a little container of syrup to dip into, and a mixed fruit cocktail to finish off the lunch portion.  The snack portion has celery and cucumber sticks, with a container of ranch dressing, some cottage cheese and a few bits n bites to finish everything off.

I started out with a flower Babybel, some bits n bites, and green grapes with a cute little grape couple in the middle.  My local grocery store made some fun rainbow bread!!! I HAD to snag a loaf to catch Lynden by surprise!  So I did a closed peanut butter sandwich with "LOVE" written on top with pics (she is really catching on to reading a lot of words), some real fruit fruit snacks, and some cucumbers and snap peas with a cute little monkey peeking through from the peas.

She had strawberry slices and purple grapes for her fruit today, a cute ham puzzle sandwich, some red peppers and cucumbers, a star Babybel and a chocolate chip cookie that her and dad made the night before for her lunch today!

The menu today consisted of some goldfish, red peppers, celery and snap pea sticks, heart shaped Babybel, then I had to use more rainbow bread with a cute little cupcake shaped sandwich, some real fruit fruit snacks and strawberries with grapes to round out the meal today

Hope some of these cute, easy, healthy options make it into your little one's lunch or at least gives you some inspiration to go that extra mile!  Only takes a bit of extra thought and its so east to do :D  Enjoy!

Hoppy Easter Everyone...

HOPPY EASTER TO ALL!! 

Hope you have a fantastic long weekend celebrating with all your loved ones.....

We have swiss cheese crackers to start things off, a little container of cottage cheese, and some cut up oranges with a cute little lamb peeking out.  Then in her main lunch she has tulip cucumbers, some carrot sticks (for Easter bunny of course!), and of course the Easter Bunny had to make an appearance!  I used a hamburger bun for the sandwich, cut out little slits for the nose and whiskers, then I used the cucumber skins to make the nose and whiskers and finished off with some long slices of cucumbers for the ears.  The eyes are edible eye candies made by Wilton :D  Enjoy!

This one was a spring fun theme as our snow beings to melt here!!  We have mixed strawberries and oranges, swiss cheese crackers and butterfly shaped cheese slices.  For her main lunch she has a butterfly sandwish with cute little heart sprinkles as the spots and a slice of cucumber peel for the middle stripe.  Then she has some cute little cucumber and carrot flowers to top it all off.

Catch up week #2.....

Still catching up from my hiatus of sickness I had.....

Week 2....I got the monthly news letter from school yesterday and they announced that this month's theme is going to be Medieval times!  So, naturally I saw this as a challenge :D

Monday:  My first attempt at a castle for the Medieval Times....I cut out a castle sandwich freehand and then added a cheddar cheese topping, with a cute little princess at the top of the castle peak and some marshmallow clouds for effect.  Then some green grapes and raspberries to top off the lunch box.  Then for the snack box I put celery and cheese (I find the cheese only stays nice until first break, if left too long it gets runny and turns into a mess so I always put in her snack box for her 10:40 break), some cottage cheese and a few swiss cheese crackers to finish it all off.

Tuesday:  Her snack box had a Babybel with my best shot at free-handing a princess crown into it, swiss cheese crackers, green grapes and raspberries and the lost princess mixed into the fruit.  Another castle in the lunch box, but this time I spelled "Castle" for her to have fun learning and seeing new words that go along with her school theme and also the lunch I made.  I free-handed the castle, had ham in the sandwich and used cucumber peels for the entry doors to the castle.  Finished that box off with some cucumbers and red peppers on skewers that were swords to keep with the theme as well.

So excited, I got Bento mail today!  I ordered these ADORABLE cutters from Zulily and got them today!!  Great household products, clothing for kids and adults, and decorating goodies too. Did I mention cheap too?..worth a look!  

Wednesday:  Today brought Lynden raspberries, a Babybel cheese, some mixed bits n Bites snack.  For her lunch I got to play with my new cutters and I must say I LOVE them!  I made the cute little sun and moon sandwiches, with a chocolate chip cookie (and don't forget a cute little puppy pic on the middle), and her favorite fan sliced strawberries with a new word spelled out for her "DOG" to go with the puppy pic.  Too much fun to make the lunches educational AND fun so easily!

Thursday:  Her lunch box today was all about crackers and cheese snack food.  I gave her some skewered ham, soda crackers with cheddar cheese slices in them, a few pieces of beef jerky, sliced cucumbers and red peppers.  Her snack box is ranges, raspberries, dried apricots and come cute goldfish crackers to finish off the mix of snack foods today.

Friday: Started out with some celery and cheese, sliced boiled egg and some cute letter shaped "Fruit Krisps" cracker/cookies (they have dried fruit in them and are pretty yummy, with a letter stamped into top of each too for bonus fun).  In her lunch I had fun with the new cutters again!  A sun and moon, with the star Babybel to match.  Then some cute crinkle cut carrots and cucumber slices to top it all off...

Voila....there is the week in review for my munchkin!

I'm baaaack.....

Wow, have I been sick lately...hence the lack of posting.  I started a new job, then on second day at the job I got Pink eye severely, then it spread to my other eye....and if that wasn't enough, I then got a horrible dry dry cough and it has lasted 3 weeks and counting now...phewf!  I am on the mend hopefully!

But, the Bento boxes still had to be made, just didn't get around to posting them (this proves that even when extremely sick and sleep deprived, fun lunches are still easy to make)....so drum roll please........

Week one in review....

Monday:  We start out with a cute little piggy sandwich with a cheddar cheese open face, then some fan sliced strawberries, raspberries and a homemade chocolate chip cookie.  The nutrition break box has some sliced cucumbers, and fun zigzag cut carrots, a boiled egg sliced nice and thin, and to finish off there is a cup of cottage cheese.

Tuesday:  We started with cottage cheese, sliced cucumbers and fanned strawberries.  Then for the main lunch we had a de-crusted peanut butter sandwich with a cute flower pattern stamped into top and a hippo sticking out, then some sliced peppers.  To finish off there is a few pieces of beef jerky and some raspberries.

Wednesday:  My girl is LOVING spelling and seeing how words are spelled lately, she is on the verge of reading so I thought I would help out with that in her lunch to have some fun.  We have a homemade chocolate chip cookie, some raspberries and a cute little kitty cat pic peeking out.  Then we have some peppers and celery slices with a container of ranch dip and of course "CAT" spelled out for her to read.  For the main lunch I sliced some apples and soaked them in lemon juice to keep them from browning, added sliced strawberries, a cute heart cut out of the babybel cheese and a heart shaped sandwich with the cut out heart on top to finish it off.

Thursday:  We started with some raspberries and strawberries, a few Peek Frean cookies, and sliced peppers.  The main lunch is a ham puzzle sandwich with some cute critters sticking out. Then a few beef jerky pieces and a Babybel cheese to finish it off.

I can't count the times I get comments about "how do you have time to do those lunches", "those must take forever", "you must have only 1 child, that explains it" etc...but honestly, these lunches are SO easy to do and so much fun for the kids.  It is just a matter of putting a little bit of flair into the lunch, that's all.  I always try to include into each day a veggie, fruit, cheese, some carb fillers and perhaps a little treat so that it is well balanced.  But if you notice, I pretty much use the same things all week long, but just display them in fun different ways to spice things up but keep it budget friendly as well......hopefully this is helping you to get inspired!

Other Half Of Valentines.

Just wanted to finish off the Valentine lunches that came out of our house for Valentine week :D

Cupid was at work today in Lynden's lunch....marble cheese arrows for Cupids bow (ham sandwich with a red tortillas top to make red), then some cute strawberry hearts and raspberries with a cute little critter pic.  Then in her snack box she got heart carrots and cucumbers with her cute gummy heart dude hanging out, chocolate pudding we made together finished off with heart sprinkles and a cute little dollar store container with some strawberry pink Pez candies for a treat

Valentine's Day has come...time to spread the love with my cute little heart birdie.  A Heart ham sandwich with cute embellishments cut out of fruit leathers and marble cheese, then some little song bubbles (marshmallows) as he sings his love tune.  Then we have heart jello jiggler cutouts (which she helped me make), a cute little critter in the jello and some raspberries to finish off that box.  In her snack box we have heart shaped red peppers, carrots and cucumbers with cute "LOVE" pics.  Then some heart strawberries and another container with a treat of pink and brown smarties inside :D

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, I know my adorable 4 year old Valentine and I sure had a great day together!

Kicking off Valentine's week!

So, Im breaking my regular routine and thought I would post a few periodical posts this week leading up to Valentine's day so perhaps you can steal some of the ideas and include in your child's Valentine's Day lunch! I hope my simple ideas inspire you to have a little fun and surprise your child with a little dose of love in the lunch box to bring a smile and giggle to their face when they open...

We started out with the cute little containers I found at the dollar store (always keep my eyes open for lunch box cuteness potential) that says "hugs", it had a couple pink princess graham cookies in it, then I put some heart shaped cucumbers and strawberries to finish off her nutrition break breakfast.  Then for lunch she has a cute heart shaped ham sandwich with a cute heart shaped strawberry on top, some of our famous pink cottage cheese (she LOVED that we tint the colour pink and asks for it all the time.  when I first thought of it I made sure I made it WITH her so that she wouldn't open and frown at it thinking its gross, then it was cool instead!), and a few red and orange peppers to finish off the meal, voila!

Today started out with a heart shaped Babybel cheese, some heart shaped cucumbers and red peppers to match, and then some heart shaped jello jigglers we made last night together (and don't forget the cute little pink kitty cat pic in the jello).  In the lunch portion I put some raspberries and heartshaped strawberries, then some cut up pink wafer cookies, a cute pink/red tortilla topped bear sandwich (to go along with them learning about bears and their teddy bear picnic this week) and another cute box from the dollar store set saying "Love U" and there is cut up twizzlers in there for a treat to surprise her!

Any fun things you are doing for Valentine's Day?

Our week in Bento Box land...

Just wanted to share what was in the Bento Boxes this week at our house......

Monday:  We started out with some raspberries and blueberries, with some cut up marble cheese and Jicama sticks (yummy fresh veggie that packs a refreshing taste and strangely taste like peas).  Then for her main lunch she has peanut butter and bananas rolled in a whole wheat tortilla, with come cheddar rice cakes and a few dried apricots to finish things off.

Tuesday:  Cute strawberries sliced and fanned out pretty with some green grapes to mix, a container of cottage cheese and a blueberry to jazz up a bit, and then a few Jicama sticks and split peas.  For her lunch it was all about leftover fresh fish we caught ice fishing!  She got the fish, along with fish crackers in a cute little silicone fish cup, and a fresh homemade bun to finish off the meal (don't forget the lemon juice on the fish of course!).  Love my new little letter pics too, going to be fun to use for various occasions, just wish they came with multiple letters in the set for popular letters, might have to order another pack.

Wednesday:  Puzzle piece sandwich with a cute little Koala bear peeking out, then a few Jicama flowers with red pepper centers.  For her snack she had mixed fruit with green grapes, raspberries and blueberries to enjoy, a cup of cottage cheese and a yummy homemade Gingersnap cookie that we made together :D

Thursday:  We have a mixed assortment of veggies (red peppers, carrot sticks, Jicama flowers leftover from yesterday's cut outs, and snap peas), a sliced heart shaped boiled egg and a few Swiss Cheese crackers.  For her lunch she has strawberries sliced and fanned out with grapes and a cute teddy bear peeking out, then a few Jicama flowers with carrot centers and an adorable Teddy Bean sandwich (they are studying bears at school this month, including a teddy bear's picnic coming up next week too).

Friday:  She had a little lead in to Valentine's week with a heart cut out on her Babybel cheese, then her strawberries were cut into hearts, with a few grapes on top, and a little container of smores goldfish for a treat.  Then for lunch she had some meat roll ups, with cheese and swiss cheese crackers (with a cute little gummy heart guy hanging out in the cheese), then some mixed veggies (orange peppers, carrots, snap peas)

I hope I have given you a few ideas on cute things you can do to jazz up your child's lunches. As you can see its nothing too out of the ordinary, cute and easy and the kids get a smile every time they open their lunch kits to find your creations!  Enjoy!