FIRE!!!

On Monday, after a very long day of activities, we finally returned home after 7:30pm. Here we were, already a half hour past bedtime and I had two chics that needed baths, one chic that needed to work on her homework packet and do her daily reading, and another chic that thinks she's the Lady Gaga of preschool fashion that had not yet picked out her outfit for the next day (believe me...this is NOT a simple decision for her!). Did I mention that I hadn't even packed lunches for the next day? Well, exhausted and in a hurry, I tell big chic that she can buy lunch the next day (YAY for the dining hall!) and ask the little chic if she will just take a normal lunch (meaning undecorated) cause mommy is tired and it's late. "Mommy, no!" she says, "I want a fire lunch cause we're having a fireman for preschool." UGH!!! The hubs just laughs and says, "You created this!' and I know he's right. Sooooooo while he gets the big chic ready for bed, I try to create the quickest, fastest and easiest fire themed lunch I can. Here it is...

PB&J house with baby bell pepper fire, Crust tree trunk with parsley leaves, Carrot sticks with Twizzler fire hoses (I was desperate, okay?), Grapes

A whole lot of packaging!

Tomorrow's lunch was requested by the little chic. She remembers the banana hot dog that I made for her sister's lunch last year and has asked for it a few times since then. For some reason she thinks it's SO funny to have a banana in place of a hot dog. Fortunately for me, it's super easy to do. I take a whole wheat hot dog bun and spread peanut butter and honey on the inside. I leave the banana in the peel so that it stays fresh and she puts the banana in the bun when it's lunchtime. Here's what it looks like as a finished product (this one was on a regular white hot dog bun):

The rest of her lunch is leftover items from big chic's class. Big chic's class does community snack where parents trade off weeks when they provide snacks for the class. The verdict is still out on whether or not we will continue doing community snack. It really all depends on what other families will send when it is their turn. I'm hoping that other families will send healthy snacks and that we don't get PopTarts and "fruit" snacks. I volunteered to bring snack the first week so that I could kinda set an example and so that if I decided to opt out, I didn't feel like I owed anyone snacks. Anyway, we have to send the stuff ready to serve, so we bought lots of prepackaged snacks. I am tired of seeing the leftovers in the fridge so the chics are going to be taking some of it in their lunches.

Banana hot dog, Cheesestick, Fruit Leather, Baby Carrots

1st grade, here we come!!

Today's the big day! YAY!!! And I'm not even going to try to pretend that I was a teary eyed mommy walking my sweet little angel in to the school this morning. No, no...I was the one that slowed down just long enough for the big chic to jump out and then peeled out of the school parking lot screaming, "WOOOOHOOOO!". I'm just kidding! I walked her in, took her picture, the whole thing, BUT I admit that as I drove out of the parking lot, I might have said, in a very soft yet excited voice, "woohoo!"

Let's be real, these last few weeks of summer have been a killer. The big chic and little chic are beyond tired of being together and could be a psychological study in mood swings. One minute they are hugging each other and playing nicely together, the next minute someones crayon "accidentally" marks on someone else's paper and the screaming, crying, and whining begins. Last year, at the end of summer, I was a sobbing crying mess because my first child was starting kindergarten. This year, at the end of summer, I was a sobbing crying mess because I couldn't take one more "I'm telling mommy!" or "Then I'm not playing!". I will miss the big chic while she's in school today, but I sure as heck am not going to miss the fighting!

Back to school means back to lunches. This year will be a bit different. I'm probably going to let her buy lunch a little more. The school is keeping the same lunch provider as last year so we know enough about the menu options now to let her eat there a little more. AND the little chic will be starting preschool next week, so I'll be making two lunches a couple times a week. We are sticking with the tried and true Laptop Lunchboxes, but we've added a few pieces to the collection to make my life a little easier. Another difference is that, this year, I'm not going to promise to post every single day. I have so much going on this year that I'm a little nervous about how it's all going to work out. But, the healthy lunch issue is important to me so I'm continuing on with the blog hoping that someone somewhere is getting some inspiration.

So, after all that, here's our first lunch of first grade...

Yogurt dip with cucumber and carrots, Clementine and blueberries, Cranberry white chocolate cookies, Peanut butter and jelly flower cut outs.

White Trash Strawberry Shortcake

I know there are a lot more things in tomorrow's lunch than this one little dessert, but I just love the name of it, so that's what I'm focusing on. I'm not even going to try to deny the fact that I bought not one Twinkie, but an entire box. I was at the store last week and when I passed them on the end cap, the 10 year old in me had to have them. Now that I've eaten a couple, my craving has been satisfied. So, what do I do with all the leftover Twinkies? White Trash Strawberry Shortcake, of course. Twinkies are "cream" filled sponge cake, after all. All the work is done for you!

Peanut butter and jelly silly face sandwich with fruit leather tongue, Cucumbers and carrots, White Trash Strawberry Shortcake, Watermelon

Greek Yogurt....mmm!

Greek yogurt is awesome! Even the hubs, who's normally not a lover of yogurt, likes Greek yogurt. (likes it - still doesn't love it, but we're working on him!) It's thicker, creamier, and a lot less tangy than your usual yogurts. I like to make my own yogurt but can never get it as thick (or even close) as Greek yogurt. I used to spend way too much money on it at a specialty store, until finally the wonderful and most awesome Costco started selling it in a huge container at a great price! LOVE that Costco! Big chic loves her Greek yogurt two ways - 1. with a drizzle of honey or agave nectar and walnuts 2. with strawberries and granola. Tomorrow she's getting variety #2.

Natural Peanut Butter with Celery Sticks, Bakerella's Congo Bar, Granola, Greek Yogurt with Strawberries.

Nothing special

Big chic has been buying lunch more lately. Honestly, the dining hall has had some pretty healthy meals. Last week, I stopped in to eat lunch with her and they had roast beef and broccoli. Not even pressed, prepacked roast beef. Like REAL roast beef slices. I was impressed. So, anyway, she IS taking lunch tomorrow and told me what she wanted. Nothing special, but here it is...

PB&J on homemade white whole wheat bread, Frozen blackberries, Granola bar, Frozen green beans

I made the white whole wheat bread from King Arthur's website in my awesome pullman pan. It came out a little disappointing, but it was still good. I have to admit, though, that I didn't have any potato flakes for the recipe, and I'm a little disturbed by the thought of potato flakes anyway. So I'll live with my bread the way it is!

Elvis Roll-Up

Tomorrow's lunch is a popular item with our family...okay, everyone except the hubs who insists that peanut butter and bacon is gross. But he is so SO wrong! They compliment each other perfectly! I think it's an even better combination that peanut butter and chocolate. Seriously! When I was pregnant I went through a grilled peanut butter, bacon, and honey sandwich phase. (No wonder I gained 53 pounds!) But I still love the sandwich post-pregnancy and this is a much lighter way to enjoy the sandwich.

Elvis roll-up, banana (to add to the rollup at lunch so it doesn't brown), carrot slices, Cottage cheese with strawberry.

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Elvis Roll-up

1 tortilla

2 Tbsp natural peanut butter

1 banana, sliced lengthwise

1 slice thick cut bacon, cooked till crisp

1 Tbsp honey

Spread peanut butter on the tortilla. Lay bacon and banana on one end of tortilla. Drizzle with honey and roll up. (If you're feeling adventurous, try it on buttered bread and grill it as you would a grilled cheese. You can thank me later ;) )

The Thrown Together Lunch

Somehow today just got away from me. It seemed like I woke up with a whole day of possibilities in front of me and somehow ended up exhausted standing in the kitchen at 9 pm with no lunch made for tomorrow. I thought about letting the big chic eat hot lunch for tomorrow, but I had already promised her that she could buy hot lunch on Thursday, so I had to stick to my guns and make a lunch.

Granola and Oreos (ya, she's gonna love me!), Ants on a log, Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries.

Banana Hot Dog

I still haven't been to the grocery store and as I was complaining about our lack of food, the hubs opens the freezer and says, "do you even know what's in here?" I swear that I do, but I have to admit that between our three freezers, we have a lot of food. He swears that I come up with our best meals when I go into it without a plan, but I think he just wants me to clean out the freezers. Whatever the case, I agree to "be creative" and use the food we already have. Of course, this includes the chic's lunches. She is one tough customer, but I do love a challenge!

Little chic's banana hot dog

I know I'm probably not the first person to ever turn a banana into a hot dog, but I thought it was a pretty neat idea. I tested it on the little chic and she loved it! I left the banana whole so that it doesn't get brown and gross before tomorrow. The big chic can add it to the bun when she gets ready to eat.

Peanut butter and honey on a hot dog bun, Babybel cheese and green beans, Granola bar, Banana

Now...what can I make for dinner with frozen green beans, an Amish bread starter, and chipotle chilis...hmmm...this could be an interesting week!

Flowers and Granola

The rainbow lunch from yesterday was not such a big hit. The second that the chic got in the car she told me that she didn't like her lunch. She said that she doesn't like the veggies cut up so small. Apparently I'm supposed to make "fancy" lunches WITHOUT cutting the veggies too much. Lotsa rules involved with the whole lunch making process :)

SO, tomorrow, we get back to the types of lunches she loves...with lots of flowers and minimal cutting!

PB&J sandwiches with homemade blueberry jam, Cantaloupe flowers, Chocolate chip granola square, Cucumber and carrot cut outs

A few days ago, the chic asked me to make chocolate chip granola bars. It was perfect timing cause Smitten Kitchen has just posted a new granola bar recipe that looked awesome! I decided to try it and see how it compared to my usual recipe. The only change I made to the recipe was that I used agave nectar instead of honey or corn syrup. For my dried fruits and nuts, I used coconut, pecans, walnuts, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, wheat germ, and, of course, chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe and baked them in a 9x13 pan. I had to bake them for a few minutes more...maybe 15 minutes.

These were hands down, the best granola bars I've ever made! Not too sweet, not too dry...just a bit sticky. The only drawback to them is that I've eaten a ton of them. I ended up freezing some cause I was afraid that I would completely finish them off. I'm going to make them again and plan out my fruit/nuts mix a little more. This time I just threw in a bunch of stuff I had on hand. You should definitely try the recipe!

The Granola Roll

I can't let this week go by without doing a few heart themed lunches!

Strawberry peanut butter sandwich, Granola roll, Cheese hearts with toothpick arrows, Cucumber slices.

The sandwich is made from this huge heart cookie cutter that I have. The cookie cutter is too big for one slice of bread so I cut out two halves (from two pieces of bread) and put them together. When she's ready to eat, she can put one half on top of the other and eat it like a regular sandwich.

I have struggled all year with sending granola to school. We eat a lot of granola and it's usually in loose form not in bars. I never sent it to school by itself because I worried about how messy it was. When it's on top of yogurt or covered in milk, it's a bit more manageable, but dry, it can be a mess. Especially for a Kindergartner...seriously, come look under my dining room table. So, like I said, I've tried to think of a way to send it to school and I think I finally found a way...I think...

We're calling it a "granola roll" and here's how you do it:

First tear off a small piece of wax paper. (parchment would probably work fine also) and place the granola in the middle of the paper.

Roll up lengthwise CAREFULLY. This took a couple of tries, but the secret is that you have to roll it kinda loosely or the granola all smooshes out the ends, but still tight enough so the granola doesn't come out the sides.


Twist the ends closed...again CAREFULLY so you don't tear the paper.

When you're ready to eat, tear off one end and pour into your mouth! (No dropping your spoon, no nuts rolling off the spoon and onto the floor, no one accidentally bumping your arm and granola flying everywhere...just straight into your mouth!)

Although we've tried a few of these at home, tomorrow's the granola roll's maiden voyage to school so we'll see what happens!

Apple Flower Sandwich

Wednesday's Lunch...

Apple and pb flower sandwich, Carrots with peppercorn ranch dip, Honey graham Cliff Z Bar, Fruit bites

I accidentally grabbed a bag of Jazz apples instead of Pink Lady apples the other day and I'm not sure that these will have the same "anti-brown" qualities as the Pink Ladies do (even after tossing in lemon juice). I'm gonna check it in the morning and see what it looks like before sending it off to school. I may have to cut another apple.

It would be kinda pointless to go through all the effort of making a cute lunch if it's not even recognizable after being tossed around by a Kindergartner. This sandwich was a great example of how I "shrink wrap" the lunches with the Press N Seal. I even turned it on it's side so everyone can see how solidly it holds it in place.

Why my husband is awesome...

Yesterday the big chic was acting kinda puny so I didn't pack her a lunch for today cause I wasn't sure she would be going to school. Turns out she was just tired from a busy weekend and she woke up this morning ready to tackle the world. Since I hadn't packed her a lunch, we decided that today would be her hot lunch day for this week.

I was glad that she went to school not only because it meant she wasn't sick, but because the hubs was off work today and we had a TON of errands. By the time she got out of school, we were both worn out. I would have loved to come home and take a nap, but she had dance class this afternoon. The hubs and I agreed that I would take her to dance and he could stay home IF he made her lunch for school tomorrow. Honestly, it was a total ploy on my part to stay home and make him take her to dance. BUT, he agreed and I headed out to dance class.

I was certain that when I got home, he would be asleep in the recliner and would have "forgotten" to make lunch. So, I was surprised, when I walked in and found that not only had he made her lunch, he had made a themed lunch complete with cut outs and everything. This is his "southwestern themed" lunch.

Rodeo clown quesadilla on pb and celery (not sure how a rodeo clown fits in to a "southwestern theme" but hey, I'm not gonna complain), Mini peppers and olives, Mandarin oranges, Cactus quesadilla on "sand" (Sun Chips)

He was pretty proud of it and I was really proud of him. He even explained it, in detail, to the big chic. So glad I married a man that appreciates the creative lunch!

Pinkalicious and the Princess

Since the little chic's birthday party was this weekend, I thought the big chic would love to take a leftover cupcake in her lunch. Little chic wanted Pinkalicious cupcakes so I went with a princess theme for big chic's lunch.

Princess wand with pb roll up and cheddar cheese star, Monterey jack crowns, Grapefruit, Mini pepper and carrot rings, Pinkalicious cupcake.

I don't know why I insist on making the chics' birthday cakes. I get so frustrated when I'm making them because I never think they look good enough. I will keep messing with them and messing with them until eventually, I totally mess them up. I made the hubs help out with this batch of cupcakes though and he made me stop perfecting them before I was at the point of no return. I didn't love them when I put them in the fridge last night, maybe because my brain was pinked out! Fifty six hot pink cupcakes covered the counter tops on one side of the kitchen and the other side was covered with a huge bowl of pink frosting and piping bags filled with MORE pink frosting. It was definitely Pinkalicious in my kitchen last night!

Oh and did I mention that this was the day that I finally decided to make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon (which was freakin fantastic, btw!)? Ya...my kitchen was a mess. I'm lucky that I didn't accidentally put pearl onions on the cupcakes instead of cherries! But this morning, with rested eyes, and after placing the cherries on top, I think they turned out super cute. The little chic absolutely loved them, so I think they were a hit.

The Do It Yourselfer

I don't know about your kids, but mine love to make their own food. When the oldest chic learned to make her own pb&j, she would sneak into the kitchen before anyone woke up so that she could make herself a sandwich before I could tell her "no". She loves to eat things that she creates herself (hmmm...wonder where she gets that from?) Tomorrow's lunch will be whatever she makes of it. I included some things that she can spread peanut butter or honey onto and eat however she wishes...muffin and cheese, peanut butter and celery, celery and cheese...whatever. She can make it as she wishes. She'll love it!

Whole wheat English muffin half, Natural peanut butter, Cheddar cheese, Strawberry fruit strip, Graham crackers, Honey, Celery sticks

Winter Break is OVER!

We are halfway through Kindergarten! I can't believe that in such a short time, dropping my precious child off at school every day has become the norm. Winter Break really DID feel like a break. And it really DID feel odd the first couple days when we slept in instead of jumping up to get ready for school. The first couple of days were blissful...the chics enjoyed playing together like they did before school started, I enjoyed having the big chic around all day, and we got to do things on our schedule and not the school's. BUT, after two weeks, the chics are arguing about everything, the oldest is whining about being bored, and I'm ready to get back to our "normal" lives. It's time to get the Spring semester started! With this "back to school" day in mind, the chic's lunch is a school theme.

Clementine with shape punches, Blackberry skewer, Red pepper shapes, School girl rice mold, PB&J chalkboard with cheese letters and chalk.

If you notice something different with our Laptop Lunchbox, you are correct! My friend Amanda at Lunchbox Limbo had some drama with her son's lunchbox and ended up with more lunchboxes than kids. She knew that I wanted the 2.0 and the large inner container and she offered her extra pieces to me! (Thanks Amanda!!!)

I've always wondered about the difference in height from the original and the 2.0. Amanda and I have tried to compare them, but inevitably, the day we think about comparing, one of the kids has their lunchboxes at school. We've never really been able to do a comparison. So, for those of you that wonder about the same thing, here is a photo of the difference in the original and the 2.0.



The 2.0 containers are just a tad too tall to fit in the original container, but the 2.0 container WILL fit in the original lunchbag. I'm excited about the possibilities that the bigger container gives me. I was worried that the big chic wouldn't want to take the blue container to school, but she actually asked me if she could use her "new blue lunch" for Monday.

Two for One

As you are all aware, the week before Winter Break is a crazy one, filled with concerts, parties, dinners, gift exchanges, etc...On top of this, our beloved dog is having some serious medical problems. All these things have kept me away from the computer and away from my blog. I finally had a bit of time today to sit down and update, so I've got two lunches to post.

First is tomorrow's lunch... I have to make sugar cookies for the chic's class to decorate and looked everywhere for a huge snowflake cookie cutter. I couldn't find one. I've been complaining about it at the little chic's dance class and yesterday one of the mom's (Hi Jill!) comes walking in the dance studio with a gorgeous gigantic snowflake cookie cutter. I couldn't resist using it to make something for lunch with it, but the thing is too big for anything but a tortilla. I know I posted a quesadilla last week, but I HAD to use the cookie cutter while it's on loan!

Snowflake quesadilla on dried cranberries (the little heart is a Junior Mint), Cucumber holly leaves and bell pepper holly berries, Triscuits

The second lunch was Monday's lunch and it was a disappointment. This was supposed to be more like a reindeer (ya know those cute reindeer cookies you make with pretzels?), but it ended up looking more like a bear. Plus, I really wish I had the Laptop Lunchbox 2.0 cause it's got the bigger container option. The original Laptop Lunchbox doesn't have a larger container so sometimes I feel like I'm squishing my stuff in there (thus the funky bear ears...I mean reindeer antlers).

PB&J Reindeer/Bear, Reindeer food, Carrots, Cheese stick, Fruit Leather, Rice Krispie Angel

Gobble Gobble

A "Turkey" Sandwich is the chic's lunch tomorrow...

Oatmeal Raisin cookie, Fruit Bites, Carrot Chips, Flaxseed Cranberry and Pecan Crackers, Wallaby Organic Berry Yogurt, "Turkey" Sandwich

I say "Turkey" sandwich cause it's actually peanut butter and raspberry jam. The eye is a dry roasted pea, the beak is a carrot and the gobbler is red pepper. The feathers are strips of red pepper, carrot, celery, cucumber, and cheese.
I discovered that the Hello Kitty bento fits perfectly in the Laptop Lunchbox with a yogurt and the Laptop Lunchbox water. I've been really impressed with the Laptop Lunchbox insulated bag. I put a slim ice pack in the mesh pocket and her lunch stays cold WAY past lunchtime. The water bottle was surprising also. It doesn't look very impressive. Kinda flimsy actually. The first time I pulled it out of the box, I rolled my eyes. Here I spent all this money on a lunchbox, and THAT was the bottle included? But the thing is awesome! It hasn't leaked one time all year! Not once!

Fast Flowers for Friday

Tomorrow is Friday? Wow! This week has gone by so fast! Probably cause we've been super busy this week and today is no exception. I went up to eat lunch with the chic so I brought her Laptop Lunchbox home with me. That way I'd be able to pack tomorrow's lunch a bit early. I only have a few minutes to throw tomorrow's lunch together and get this posted so here goes...

Cheez-Its, Anise and pistachio biscotti, Swiss rose, Apple and peanut butter cut-out sandwich, Raspberries, Carrot ribbons with mini pepper hearts, Wasa crackers, Turkey rose

How We Handle Halloween Candy and a Star Lunch...

Halloween - there's candy everywhere! Grocery stores, restaurants, even at the doctor's office! And although I'd like to think that I could keep my kids (and myself) away from all the candy, it's just not realistic. We live in a great neighborhood for trick-or-treating. It reminds me of Halloween when I was little and kids were everywhere, people sat out on their porches, and it was relatively safe. But, there are pros and cons to living in a Halloween friendly neighborhood. The pros - everyone passes out candy and the girls LOVE trick-or-treating. The cons - everyone passes out candy and the girls LOVE trick-or-treating. We do something, a little bit different, though, that allows the kids to trick-or-treat and makes me feel better about the candy - The Pumpkin Fairy.

Here's how our Pumpkin Fairy works...when we get home from trick-or-treating, we dump out all of the candy on the table. The chics are able to keep any toys, stickers, and Play-doh, but the candy they must sort through. They are allowed to choose a certain amount of candy depending on their age. This year we said twenty pieces but after all the negotiation and grandparent persuasion, it was more like thirty. Then, they put the remaining candy in a bag and leave it out on the table (I weighed it this year - it was over 5 lbs!). While they are sleeping, the Pumpkin Fairy comes and takes the candy and replaces it with a toy. We usually don't spend a ton on the toy. This year it was Tinkerbell and High School Musical make-up sets.

The girls love it and don't have a problem giving up their candy at all. We've done it from the very first Halloween so now they just expect it. We told them that the Halloween Fairy must be invited to visit your house and that not everyone asks her to come. This was really just a way to explain that their friends would probably have no idea what a Pumpkin Fairy was. Honestly, I have no idea where this idea came from. Maybe I read about it in a magazine or on a website somewhere...I really don't remember. But, it's worked really well for us and thought I'd share. If your family does something like this, I would LOVE to hear about it. I've never met anyone else that does a fairy for Halloween, but I know we can't be the only ones.

So after all the Halloween festivities, I decided to clean out the Halloween bento supplies and the chic walks in and asks if I would make her a "star" lunch for Monday. She wasn't crazy about all the Halloween stuff, so I think she's ready to go back to the "pretty" lunches. What can I say? She's a girly girl!

Almond butter and raspberry jam star sandwiches, Carrot star cutouts, Havarti and cheddar star, Banana with red pepper stars