108 & Grub for the Hub

108

Monkey has been very enthusiastic about her lunches lately and now that I am making lunches for Dad she's pretty interested in those too. The sad part, we're getting to the end of the month so we are starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel on lunch fixins. Usually I plan out lunches for the whole month, but this month with her birthday party well, things went a bit off course and I never got around to it! But, hopefully these lunches will be up to par.

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Apple Slices
• Mini Ravioli (tomato sauce in green container)
• Halved Tomatoes
• Turkey Pepperoni
• String Cheese (cut into rounds)

Initially, I wanted these to be skewers...but the string cheeses weren't cooperating! So I gave up and she got all the pieces I had ready for the skewers. Hooray for lunch fails! 

Grub for the Hub

So my bento blog friends all helped me come up with this segment name and my husband liked it too, so all the posts with lunches for my husband will have the Grub for the Hub title. :) I hope this will make finding them easier when you search. 

IN THIS LUNCH:

• Garlic Hummas
• Carrots & Pepper Strips
• Parmesan Cous Cous
• Chicken Tenderloins

Color wise this lunch IS a bit drab, but it's full of flavor and I think he'll enjoy it. He LOVES chicken so that's always an easy go to when thinking about what to cook for him. 

Happy Packing!

.098

I know that there are many of us that hear the same thing when we go down the refrigerated aisle at the grocery store, "Mom, can I have a Lunchable?". They have done some fantastic marketing over the years where even kids that have had barely any (like Monkey) still ask for them. Everytime Monkey sees one, she asks. She knows the answer will be no and she's only had maybe 6 in her lifetime. Since I know many lunchboxes in her cafeteria have a Lunchable, I like to make sure that Monkey gets to feel on the 'in'. So today's lunch is a Pizza "Lunchable".

IN THIS LUNCH:

• Pita Flatbread Triangles (4 triangles = 1/2 Pita)
• Tomato Sauce
• Turkey Pepperoni
• Shredded Cheese
• Olives
• Sliced Kiwi
• Flavored Water (not pictured)

Do your kids like Lunchables? Is is something you buy for them or that you prefer to make? 

Happy Packing!

March 31 - April 4: Round Up

Life certainly has gotten hectic lately! We've begun homeschooling and have added a new baby to the family which has been keeping us all busy and tired! However the lunches must go on. It is one of the things I truly enjoy doing and gives me something to look forward to. If you'd like to see the lunches daily, make sure to like us on Facebook. You can catch the weekly lunch round ups here :)

3/31

IN THIS LUNCH: 

Leftover Enchiladas

Corn on the Cob

Orange

2 Fig Cookies

4/1

IN THIS LUNCH:

Salad w/ Catalina Dressing

Annie's Organic Mac n Cheese

Shrimp

Blueberries

4/2

IN THIS LUNCH:

Chicken Nuggets w/ BBQ Sauce

Cottage Cheese

Orange

Banana

Hello Panda Cookies

4/3

IN THIS LUNCH:

French Bread Sandwich

Leftover Peas

Frozen Raspberries (from last summer)

Strawberries

4/4

IN THIS LUNCH:

Seafood Salad (was on a fantastic sale) w/ Crackers

Lima Beans

Blueberries

Orange

Cheddar Cheese

Happy Packing!

2014 -- 030

A Bear-y Good Lunch!

So this lunch was a completely happy accident that I am really in love with! I asked my husband to put on an egg to boil for me this morning and next thing I know he asks if he could try to use the bear mold on it. I have had nothing but trouble with those molds but decided, what they hey, let's go for it! I think he did a pretty good job getting that little bear mold to work (better than any of my attempts!) and from there we decided we wanted a bear lunch! 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Bear Shaped Sunflower Butter and Jelly Sandwich
• Bear Shaped Hardboiled Egg
• Carrots
• StrawBEARies. :P 
• Yogurt Parfait (Greek yogurt, cut grapes, slivered almonds, and some sprinkles!).

I'm not sure why but this lunch just makes me sort of happy. Not sure if it's the shapes or the colors, but I really ended up loving this one! I guess I owe my hubby a thanks for wanting to use that egg mold! :) 

Happy Packing! 

2014 -- 028

Happy Valentine's Day! I will be totally honest I did think about what kind of lunch to make for several days. I thought about all the cute hearts, x's, o's, envelopes, conversation hearts, roses, and anything else I could pin to this holiday. I came up with some ideas but truly just couldn't figure out how to make them happen (that happens a lot, I get grand visions and lack the tools or skills to create them LOL). So, instead Monkey got a lunch made with lots of love that really isn't all that festive. I think she's still going to really enjoy it though. 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Bagel sandwich with cream cheese and blackberry jam,
• Brussels Sprouts (leftover from dinner) sprinkled with dried cranberries (there are some throughout, promise it's not just 5 little cranberries!), 
• Almonds mixed with white chocolate chips for a treat, 
• An orange and;
• A juice box. 

Luckily, thanks to pinterest and other fantastic bloggers I will get to oogle all the creative and cute lunches that I didn't make and will wish I had thought of myself! Are you packing your kiddos any fun treats for the v-day lunches? 

Happy Packing! 

2014 -- 015

The Quick and Easy "Classic"

By the time lunch making rolled around last night, I was exhausted. Gotten up at 2:30 for work, went to my full day there, then rushed to an ultrasound appointment, spent way too long at the bank, and of course nabbed monkey from school, and went to game night which I have been missing. Was a nice day but oh so tiring! My awesome husband stepped up to make a lunch for me since I was so tired so he decided to ''go with the classic'' sandwich. :-P All I did was tell him what to put with it. He even took the picture. :-)

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Whole Wheat Bread with Sunflower Butter & Blackberry Jelly, 
• Tillamook Pomegranate Blackberry Yogurt w/ sliced almonds,
• Raisins and one prune
• 100% Juice Box (not pictured)

This lunch is part of the 15 minute Friday link up. Make sure you check out all the other fantastic lunches.

Happy Packing! 

First New Year Lunch!

Back to the Lunch Making Routine

So, I've been slow about updating the Facebook but even less so here, things in life got crazy as they often do. Of course lunches were still being packed and devoured but time to update, take pictures, etc... just didn't seem to present itself. Small update for those that follow my blog, I'm nearly 32 weeks pregnant with my 2nd little monkey! In October (about when the posts stopped) I had to pick up a job which has me getting up at 2:30 a.m. and honestly, the sleep deprivation and illness has been getting to me (not pregnancy illness, I just keep getting colds etc). With the new year, one of the things I wanted to do was try to get back into the blogging habit with making lunches. I really enjoy it so what's an hour out of the day? Haha. 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Sunflower Butter/Jelly Puzzle Sandwich,
• Grape Tomatoes
• Chobani Champions Yogurt Tube
• Banana
• Organic Chocolate Milk

This lunch is part of the Meatless Monday Link up! Make sure to check it out and see all the other Meat Free options. 

Treat Day!

.022

We are still going through training week and I am finding that I am super tired and definitely needing to make a trip to the store! So today we have another improvised lunch featuring whatever I could find in my pantry and fridge. I think in general it came out alright!! It also features a monkey made treat for treat day! 

IN THIS LUNCH:

• Mini Bagel Sandwich
• Mixed Greens Salad w/ tomatoes & Pomegranate Blueberry Vinaigrette
• Unsweetened Applesauce with Cinnamon
• Small piece of cake (made by monkey!!)
• Kefir Smoothie

This box came home almost empty! There was just a little bit of salad left after school and you know, I am okay with that. She at a good 85% of her salad. She was thrilled to see that her treat had made it into a box. Overall this is a lunch I would even pack for myself! I think it looks and sounds delicious.

This lunch is part of the ''What's for Lunch Wednesday" Link up. Be sure to check out all the fabulous lunches by clicking the button below.

What are your favorite treats to toss into a box? 

Happy Packing!

Bottom of the barrel

.020

Okay, so I don't know about you, but I don't get to go grocery shopping till this weekend. That means figuring out what I have left, figuring out what's about to spoil, and making the most of what I have left! Today's lunch does just that! 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Mini bagel Sandwich w/ cream cheese and pepperoni [not much cream cheese left so wanted to use it up! There's still a few mini bagels but gotta get them used before they mold, and the little pepperoni slices will be dating in about a week or so]. 
• Strawberries [actually JUST broke down and bought these yesterday and already they're squishing]
• Organic Vanilla Yogurt w/ Fall Sprinkles [The yogurt will be dating in a few days]
• 2 pickles [Monkey just wanted some pickles]
• 100% Juice Pouch [not pictured] 

How do lunches workout for you when you're ''getting to the bottom of the barrel''? Do they live up to the normal lunch standards or do they get a bit like this one? Haha, it's still a great lunch full of flavor and good stuff, but it's definitely not as well planned out as my normal lunches. 

Happy Packing!

Halloween Lunches are Here!!

.019

So one of my absolute favorite things about October is that we get to start doing fun Halloween themed lunches! They don't all get crazy, like today's lunch, but they do get to have a little Halloween flair! The holidays are my absolute favorite time of year in general, but I also think that's when the creativity starts coming out too!! Here's what monkey had for lunch... 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Thick cut ham skull & cross bones w/ medium cheddar cut outs
• Crackers
• Strawberries & Bananas
• 2 whole wheat fig cookies
• Organic Chocolate Milk

I'm also loving the adorable Dollar Tree napkins I picked up for this month! Monkey has actually enjoyed the napkins being packed in the lunch. Last year I never packed napkins and apparently there were several times she could have used one. I have contemplated making my own fabric napkins in different themed fabrics so that we're not wasting so much...but I'm not sure where to start on that... Not sure what fabric would be best to use...and furthermore how many I would actually need to include a napkin everyday! Anyone that has insight on this I would definitely appreciate some tips! I don't want to buy already made napkins, I'd like to make them myself. Thanks. 

Happy Packing!! 

Hello October!

.018

So you might have noticed we're missing lunch 17. Well, I didn't get a picture of it yesterday. It was a last minute lunch, we were getting out the door, it was super busy. Haha. She had meat and cheese roll ups, peas and carrots, a yogurt, and...well... a couple other things that are escaping my foggy brain! At any rate, I have a bad picture of her lunch today!

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• In the funtainer: a big helping of oatmeal w/ 2 teaspoons of blackberry jam, almond slivers, and blueberries. 
• 2 breakfast sausage links
• Chobani Champions Yogurt Tube (not pictured)
• A hard boiled egg
• 100% Juice Box

So yes, this is what we in the ''biz'' call a Breakfast Lunch. I don't know what ''biz'' that is, but it's at least what we call it at our house! She was super excited for it and said that it was delicious. What are your favorite breakfast lunches? 

Happy Packing!

Last September Lunch

.016

So, it's the end of the month and we are getting to the ''cabinet creative'' time of month I like to call it. We all go through it I think. When you're at the bottom of the month's groceries and you're suddenly a culinary MacGyver. Tonight we had noodles, leftover frozen turkey meatballs, and cream of mushroom soup. It looked a lot like stroganoff but tasted nothing like it haha. Monday lunch is just as MacGyvered as dinner was, but a little food time creativity will be continuing on till we go grocery shopping again on the 6th. :-P

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Sunflower Butter/Apple Butter Bagel Sandwich
• Organic Apple Slices
• Babybel Cheese
• Raisin/Almond 'trail' mix. 
• Organic Vanilla Milk (not pictured). 

She was still up when I made this one and she was pretty excited about it! There was a few apple slices leftover and some more raisin/almond mix so I decided since tomorrow I would be heading to class I'd salvage these leftovers from her lunch and make my own little snack for class (no one likes a grumpy hungry preggo!)

IN THIS MOMMY MUNCHABLE:

• Leftover Apple Slices from Monkey's Lunch
• Raisin/Almond 'trail' mix. 
• Medium Cheddar pieces
• Popcorn and;
• A tiny bag of mini gummy bears

I was actually looking forward to my snack tomorrow! I even washed my metal reusable water bottle, got it filled, and chilling in the fridge. I have been very bad about eating so far this pregnancy. I mostly snack and even that isn't very often...I blame my sensitive nose and the nausea but this snack looks appetizing even to me! I'm looking forward to eating it. 

This lunch will also be part of the Meatless Monday link-up party. Make sure to check out all the fantastic lunches. :) 

Happy Packing!

Hot Lunch for a Chilly Day

.014

So we are up for another warm lunch. I think that I am a big fan of packing warm lunches but there is one thing that I didn't take into consideration when I started planning hot lunches. The sides that I serve with them have to be things that don't need to be kept cold. While I've seen a tutorial on how to pack both in one box, I don't have the same kind of box they have so if I pack a hot lunch, I have to have sides that can be warm too. So far not a problem but I think this could lead to repetitive sides down the road. 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Annie's Organic Macaroni & Cheese w/ leftover ham (cut into chunks), and some peas. 
• Apple Sauce with Cinnamon 
• Juice Pouch

I L-O-V-E cinnamon. It smells fantastic, it brings memories of holiday foods, and it's a natural way to help prevent spiked in blood sugar. I love that about it. It's a fantastic spice and I have always been a fan of warm applesauce with cinnamon. Our Mac N Cheese is packed in our Funtainer and the applesauce is in our Nude Food Mover. The sad thing, Monkey said that this lunch wasn't very warm when she got it at lunch in spite of  the fact that I had preheated the container with boiling water and that I had just made the food in the morning and heated it till it was steaming piping hot before putting it in the container. Blegh. Oh well. Maybe I didn't preheat with water long enough. 

Look, Grab, Pack

.013

So I'm calling today's lunch, ''Look, grab, pack'' because I didn't pack it last night! I got tired, went to bed, and this morning remembered that I didn't pack a lunch for Monkey! Instead of throwing in the towel and letting her have school lunch today (who know's what they're having and what kind of gunk it's made with) I did a ''look, grab, pack''. So simply, you look at what you got in the fridge, try to cover all your food groups, and run with it. No pre-plan (the pre-planned lunch I didn't feel like making). So here is what Monkey got today!

IN THIS LUNCH:

• Fruit: Cut Apples, Sunburst Tomatoes
• Dairy: Vanilla Yogurt (also protein) w/ fall sprinkles, String Cheese (also has protein), Milk (not pictured)
• Veggies: Baby Corn
• Grain: Butterfly Crackers
• Protein: Sunflower Butter (not pictured for dipping apples and crackers). 

As I started I was thinking about fall and how I am a bit sad to see summer go. So accidentally, we've got a goodbye summer (the single purple butterfly silicon cup) and hello fall (all the colors and the sprinkles). The sprinkles by the way are green, orange, and have little brown pumpkins which I picked up in my Target's dollar area! I think in general we covered all our bases and it's a lunch that should come home empty.

Don't forget to check out ''What's for Lunch Wednesday" to see a bunch of fantastic lunches!

Have you ever made a look, grab, pack lunch? What was it? :) 

Happy Packing!

Polka Dot Sandwich

.011

Is it just me or does the weekend never feel long enough? This lunch came due long before I was ready for it to be time for school again! I'll admit this lunch was not on the schedule so this is a ''quick and easy'' lunch that was thrown together really quickly (I'm sure you can tell). 

IN THIS LUNCH:

• Mini Bagel Sandwich w/ cream cheese and mini pepperoni
• Baby Carrots w/ side of ranch
• Sunburst Tomatoes
• 100% Juice Pouch [not pictured]

What is it that you all do when you're just not in the lunch packing mood? Leftovers? The standby sandwich? I'm all for quick, easy, and covering my food groups! Thanks for sharing!

Happy Packing!

Wrapped Up To Go -- Love, Mom

.010

So Monkey LOVED the pirate themed lunch. When I picked her up from school she actually thanked me for packing her lunch and asked if she could have one of the chocolate gold coins that she had saved for after school. Well, after a compliment like that...and the self control to save a chocolate for later, who could say no? I'm just glad she liked it. Today's lunch was a bit thrown together. I've been feeling a bit green around the gills. I suspect the little sea monkey is to blame! Lol. Smells of the food in the kitchen is killing me so yeah...luckily my fiance really helped me out by making most of it while I directed. :) 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Pizza Wrap (in foil w/ [eye][heart][u] pictogram and some stickers)
• Sliced Plum
• Baby Corn (w/ pepper) and;
• Organic Chocolate Milk

Some of the originally planned items got scratched due to queasy tummy! The Pizza Wrap was made with tortilla, tomato paste, mini pepperoni, cheese, and sliced olives. They were put on a baking sheet at 400 until the cheese melted. Then rolled it up and wrapped it in tin foil. Decided to write a little pictogram on her wrapper since she's recently figured out how to read simple ones.

This lunch is part of the 15 minute Friday link-up. Make sure to check out some of the other great lunches by clicking the button below.

What do you all pack when you're just not feeling up to making a lunch? 

Happy Packing!

Arrgh! Talk Like a Pirate Day!

.009

Yarr! It be ''Talk Like a Pirate Day'' for all ye land lubbers who didn't know! Welcome aboard the blog hop ship, The Flying Lunchman!!  Alright, that's the extent of my pirate but it was a good effort yeah? Today is my very first blog hop with the Bento Bloggers & Friends and I am super excited to participate! I grappled with whether or not to ''pirate-ify'' (yeah, my new word!) my already planned lunch...or come up with a totally new idea! Well, even though I couldn't find all the materials I wanted, I decided to stick with the plan and just pirate it up a little!

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Mini Pitas w/ Krab Salad & Lettuce ''boats''. 
• Orange Segments (to prevent scurvy)
• Gold Dubloons!
• Cheese water and a goldfish :P

This was my first attempt at using my food markers and while I am not happy with the cheese I think in general the effect of the two blog hop ships came out alright. Monkey saw the lunch and immediately knew what they were and was super excited about it. So it made me feel a little better. 

Be sure to check out the next lunch on me ship the Flying Lunchman by clicking the pirate flag below! It's my shipmate Amanda from Food Family Fun! Yo ho! Next lunch ahoy! Once ye return from your trip at sea, click here for the second flag, tharr the 16 lunches of Black Bread's Revenge be!

What's your little Pirate eating today? 

Happy Packing! YAR!

Shaken Salad

.008

So, initially I had a whole other salad in mind. But since I was mysteriously missing a couple items and forgot to cook the chicken for it, I decided to run with something else! While my Monkey will eat salad I don't like to push it, I know she can get sick of them quickly if I make too many. However I like their versatility. 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Salad: Mixed Baby Greens, Peas, Cucumbers, Turkey ribbons.
• Sunburst Tomatoes
• Pineapple Skewers
• Babybel Cheese
• Not Pictured: Side of Ranch and Capri Sun 100% Juice Pouch

With this salad I simply took a container and put in a handful of mixed baby greens, cut up cucumbers, cut some turkey lunch meat ribbons (by rolling up the lunch meat and cutting across) and tossed in the leftover peas from dinner. Put on the lid and gave it a shake! I personally hate when all my salad mix-ins are on the top and by the time you get to the middle there's nothing left but lettuce. 

I know that Monkey will be a bit bummed that we were all out of her favorite dressing, Catalina. However, I know that she'll eat ranch and we threw a cute little sticker of a bunny on top of her dressing cup. She won't get it, but it was a joke at the fact most people call this sort of lunch ''rabbit food''. On the side is her napkin with her fork wrapped inside. 

This post is also park of the ''What's for Lunch Wednesday'' link up. Feel free to check out the other awesome lunches by clicking the button! 

What kind of salads do your kids like to eat? :)

Happy Packing!

Breakfast Lunch

.007

If there is one thing my Monkey loves, it's breakfast. Whether it's at actual breakfast time, lunch, dinner, or snack, she doesn't care. Today will feature the first breakfast lunch of the 2013-2014 school year! I don't know about your kids, but pancakes are ALWAYS a good thing in my house. Now that we're getting so close to fall I have been chomping at the bit to start working with pumpkin again, a family favorite around here. Usually the standby pumpkin recipe in this house is Honey Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins. If you click the name of them it'll take you right to our recipe! They're delicious, made from scratch, aren't made with granulated sugar, and typically don't last long in this house! If you haven't tried them I would STRONGLY recommend them. Today however we tried something different! 

These might look like the Honey Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins you see on the recipe page but they aren't!

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• MOMables Mini Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe (I made them into mini muffins!) w/ syrup
• Orange Segments (1 small orange)
• Cottage Cheese w/ pepper (approximately 1/4 cup)
• Organic White Milk

So while making this lunch it made my house smell AMAZING. I didn't follow the recipe EXACTLY. It just says ''milk''. I assume that means conventional cows milk which we don't drink anymore. I used my unsweetened vanilla almond milk and they still turned out great. Also, instead of making cute little pancakes out of them, I sprayed my mini muffin pan, added approximately 1/8 cup of batter to each spot, and baked at 350 for about 12-15 minutes. I simply used the toothpick method to assess them. They're delicious and if you are looking for a new pancake recipe I think this one is a winner! 

What's your favorite ''breakfast lunch''? 

Happy Packing!

Goodbyn Strikes Again!

.006

So, with some help from the fiance the Goodbyn managed to make it into another lunch! The weekend totally flew by and it was surprising to me! I want this time to slow down, I'm already feeling wicked tired (probably from being 15 weeks pregnant) and I am not wanting school, for me, to start back up just yet...but it is rushing this way. I'm toying with starting a section for my lunches/snacks again since on some days I will need to be taking them. Well, I hope everyone had a good weekend and that they are getting their lunches packed for tomorrow morning! I can't believe week 2 of school is starting for my little Kindergartner. Additionally, I've started the rough draft for my post about gluten-free/dairy-free lunches (don't think I have flaked or forgotten people!). 

IN THIS LUNCH: 

• Apple Sandwich w/ Sunflower butter and Organic Shredded Coconut. 
• Butterfly Crackers
• Medium Cheddar Stars
• Green Beans
• Organic Strawberry Milk

Monkey actually really loves these apple sandwiches and I wish I could take credit for them. I actually got the ideas from one of my favorite food-making mamas to follow, Lisa over at 100 Days of Real Food. They also have a 100 Days of Real Food Facebook that I subscribe to both on my personal page and on my Monkey Munchables page. I love seeing all the great food, recipes, and finds she has. I'd suggest checking out what it's all about. 

Otherwise I am very excited about this lunch but worry slightly that it might be a little light for Monkey. Oh well, if we have to have an after school snack I saved some of the extra apple bits for her to eat! :-)

I'm also looking forward to my first blog hop as a Bento Blogger Friend which will be coming up on THIS Thursday, so keep a watch out!

Also, this lunch is part of the Meatless Monday Link-Up. Feel free to check out other great Meatless meal options by clicking the button below. :)

What is everyone else packing for tomorrow? 

Happy Packing!