Santa Lunch

Last bento before Christmas break.  I saved Santa, of course, for the final Christmas bento.  We have chicken soup in the thermos, Santa ham and provolone sandwich, red and green apple slices, carrots and a cherry tomato.

Snow Buddies

A couple of cute snowman buddies for lunch today.  Here's hoping for a white Christmas!  Ham and cheese snowmen, cucumber slices and a large cherry tomato, grapes and couple of Christmas tree pretzels.

Preparation notes: The snowmen are homemade ham and cheese "hot pockets" made with Pillsbury Crescent Dough.  I just cut circles for the dough, smaller ones for the head and slightly larger ones for the bodies, and filled them with diced ham and cheese and formed them into balls.  I brushed a little food and color and water on the scarves before baking them and added the buttons and face details with food color markers after they cooled.  The hats are cute cupcake picks.  These are really yummy.  I make them the night before and in the morning, I pop them into the toaster oven to warm up and crisp the dough, and let them cool back to room temperature before putting them in her lunchbox.  I make little balls with the extras and we either munch on them right away or eat them for breakfast at some point so the extra doesn't get wasted.

A Giveaway...

A lovely bento blog I follow is having a giveaway of some super cute Disney picks.  Here's the link:  http://www.bentomonsters.com/2012/12/2012-christmas-giveaway.html

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Christmas Lunchable Style

Anna asked for ham and cheese lunchable today.  So I cut up some ham and cheese in Christmas shapes to go along with some veggie Ritz crackers, carrots and snap peas, a couple of ham and cheese pinwheels and some applesauce.  Just for fun I stuck in a few peppermint marshmallows.

Christmas Stockings

N'Anna wanted macaroni and cheese and a hot dog for lunch today.  So we have mac-n-cheese in her thermos, Christmas stocking hot dogs, sugar snap peas, a clementine and a few almond bark pretzel trees.

The hot dog I just cut in half, then cut about 1/3 of the half at an angle and hold the pieces together with a long bow pick.  There's a piece of string cheese at the top where the fur should be.  I also stuck in a couple of animal picks to look like toys sticking out the top.

Candy Canes

Really simple lunch today, candy cane grilled cheese sandwiches, along with chicken soup, carrots, grapes, and a three pretzel trees.

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Gingerbread Men

Spaghetti-O's and meatballs with some garlic toast gingerbread men.  Asparagus, cherry tomatoes, pears and a few vanilla yogurt covered cranberries.

Rudolph and Friends

Rudolph and Friends chicken nuggets today.  She's got some chicken rice and vegetables in her thermos, grapes and some ketchup for dipping in the little green container.

Snowmen

Snowmen today.  A little snowman cheese sandwich, cherry tomatoes, celery with cheese, a radish "ornament", and couple of mini chocolate chip cookies to go along with the chicken soup in her thermos.

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Christmas Pasta

One of N'Anna's favorites, garlic butter pasta in cute Christmas shapes.  Hard to see, but there are Santas, presents and stockings in there.  Rounded out lunch with some green beans, a little container of parmesan, garlic toasted christmas trees in the back and some pears.

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Christmas Pizza

First Christmas bento this year, by request.  We were making Christmas sugar cookies for a cookie/winter fair fundraiser event at her school this weekend, and while we were decorating cookies, I asked what she wanted for lunch.  She didn't really know, but when I suggested pizza, she said she wanted it shaped like a Christmas tree.

Along with the pepperoni pizza we have some fresh veggies, grapes and vanilla yogurt covered cranberries.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I didn't realize the picture was so awful when I took it this morning.

Preparation notes:  I just cut the crust from a multi-grain sandwich thin with a large cookie cutter.  I toss that in the toaster oven to get somewhat crisp, then I add the pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni and put it back on the oven long enough to melt the cheese.  If you don't toast the bread just a bit by itself, you end up with a real soft crust that doesn't seem much like pizza.  Just let it cool to room temperature before you put it in the lunchbox and close it up.

Tiny Teddy Croutons

I had to prepare something that required very little morning prep as I had to leave early in the morning for an appointment, so a very simple lunch today.  Beef-a-Roni in her thermos, tossed salad with ranch in the little orange container, applesauce and some tiny teddy garlic croutons.

Preparation notes: In the evening I prepared the salad and dressing, put the applesauce in the little container, and threw that in the fridge, just need to toss it in the lunchbox in the morning with an ice pack.  I made the croutons, let them cool and put them in a container straight into the lunchbox.  Just preheat some water in the microwave and pour into the thermos to preheat it while I'm getting ready .  Then 1 minute for the pasta and into the thermos.  About 3 minutes in the morning and lunch is ready to go.

Snow White and Dopey

Snow White and Dopey roast beef and provolone sandwiches today.  I also put in half an apple (can't have a Snow White lunch without an apple).  Sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and a couple of brownie bites fill it out.  I had to put Snow White on top of the Dopey to fit it in her lunch box and lay the tomatoes down.

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Little Dogs

I ran across a blog post on a bento site that made the cutest little sleeping dogs and knew I had to make them (link below to the wonderful site where I saw them).  Mine don't really look like they are sleeping, but they are still cute I think.

N'Anna has two little dogs (half a hot dog inside crescent dough), macaroni and cheese with broccoli in her thermos (not pictured), a clementine and two mini chocolate chip cookies.

Blog where I saw the tutorial for making the sleeping dogs:
http://motheringcorner.com/2012/11/19/sleeping-doggie-hotdog-buns/

Hello Kitty

We have friends who travel to Asia often, and they were so nice as to bring us these cute little Hello Kitty biscuits.  I just had to use them today.  So some chicken soup in her thermos, mini Hello Kitty grilled cheese sandwiches, sugar snap peas and grapes along with the biscuits.

Bears

It's bears today.  Spaghetti-O's and meatballs in her thermos, grapes in the bear cup, half a piece of string cheese, cherry tomato with a little bear pick, and a piece of bear shaped garlic toast.  The toast is hard to see, I had to tuck it in a bit.  There's also a tiny chocolate chip cookie hiding in the corner.

Chicken Nuggets

Really simple lunch today.  Chicken nuggets, green and yellow beans, ketchup for dipping, some chicken rice in her thermos, cinnamon applesauce and few chocolate chip teddy grahams.

Strawberry Stuff

Got a strawberry theme going on today.  I got some new bento gear, and chose today to use this cute little strawberry box.  So N'Anna has some chicken soup in her thermos, a couple of mini strawberry jelly and cream cheese sandwiches, fresh veggies and ranch in the little orange container, and some strawberry yogurt.

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Thanksgiving Pasta Lunch

A Thanksgiving themed pasta lunch today.  Turkey shaped garlic butter pasta, some parmesan in the little yellow container to sprinkle on top, meatballs (one decorated with cheese to look like a turkey), green beans and a clementine.

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Thanksgiving - Lunchable Style

Only three days of school this week since it's Thanksgiving, and I haven't really had any time to give any thought to what I might do for some Thanksgiving themed bentos yet!  Today I did a simple Autumn/Thanksgiving lunchable style lunch.  Ham and cheese leaves and acorns with some vegetable ritz crackers, cucumber, pumpkin shaped carrots, applesauce and a leaf shaped brownie bite.

Spelling Word - BUG

The spelling word BUG today.  Little ladybug, bee and other miscellaneous picks to make it cute.  She has macaroni and cheese in her thermos (not pictured), hot dog, green beans and red and green grapes.

Cookie Monster

Cookie monster roast beef sandwich with fresh veggies, apple slices, cherry yogurt and, of course, some mini chocolate chip cookies.

Chip 'n Dale

Chip 'n Dale are along for lunch today.  Mini cheese sandwiches along with a clementine and a red grape, asparagus, and chicken soup in her thermos (not pictured).

Preparation note:  N'Anna loves asparagus.  I just cut up a couple of pieces, drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil, sea salt, and parmesan and throw in the toaster oven on the toast setting for a bit.  I let it cool to room temperature and toss it in the lunch box.  Quite yummy even at room temp.

Zoo Animals

Another really simple bento today.  N'Anna wanted tomato soup and crackers (soup in her thermos, not pictured).  Miniature saltine crackers, two turkey and cheese roll-ups in the back, and strawberries again (by request).  Added the cute zoo animal picks, and a few chocolate chip teddy grahams.

Dora and Boots to the Rescue

Super simple lunch today, and didn't really have any cute ideas.  So, Dora and Boots to the Rescue.  ABC spaghetti and meatballs in her thermos.  Put a the cupcake picks in the cherry tomatoes.  To go along with the Dora theme, went with star shaped carrot and cucumber cutouts for her salad, and strawberries for her yogurt.  The small round container has some salad dressing.

Minnie Mouse Sandwich

Minnie Mouse ham and cheese sandwich, yellow and orange carrots, two little cherry tomato flowers, strawberries with cute flower picks, and four little strawberry creme filled cookies.

It's supposed to be a little warmer today, so I thought it would be nice to squeeze in another cold lunch.  N'An is not too fond of sandwiches, but she agree to eat one.  While we were discussing what veggies to put in lunch, she asked for more yellow and orange carrots even though she had them yesterday.  I didn't want to argue since she agreed to the sandwich.  I used a bread crust for Minnie's ears, and the bow and face details are provolone cheese that I colored with food color markers.

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Spelling Word - SUN

I was running really late this morning, and didn't really have anything in mind.  So I threw together a really quick spelling word bento today.  Vegetable beef soup in the thermos, along with a SUN cheese sandwich, some grapes, and orange and sunny yellow carrots.  Threw in a couple of cute bee picks to try to dress it up a little.  After I took the picture, I decided it needed a llittle something else, so I dropped in a few mini Lorna Doone's in the corner next to the grapes.

Turtle Lunch

Turtle lunch today.  Hot dog in the turtle cup, cucumber fries and cherry tomatoes on the side, checkerboard apple slices, and mac-n-cheese in her thermos (not pictured).

Butterflies

Back to the girly bentos.  Butterflies today.  She's got chicken soup in her thermos (not pictured), a butterfly cream cheese and grape jelly sandwich, grapes in a butterfly cup, carrot butterflies and a couple of yogurt covered pretzels.

Spaghetti-O's

No school Thursday and Friday, so today is the first "after-Halloween" lunch.  Must say, it was really glad I didn't have to come up with another Halloween theme!  Also had a couple of days off there.  Back to an old staple today, Spaghetti-O's and Meatballs in her thermos today.  She also has some garlic toasts, cherry tomatoes, string cheese, a clementine and a few chocolate chip teddy grahams.

Mummy Dog

Happy Halloween!  Mummy dog today along with some veggies, grapes, a black cat cupcake pick, a jack-o-lantern carved clementine, and some mac and cheese in a pumpkin cup.

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Monster Lunch

It's a three-eyed monster lunch today.  Some garlic butter Halloween pasta, three eyes (meatballs, cheese and black olives), a snap pea mouth, and the nose is a little container of parmesan to sprinkle on her pasta.  Some fresh veggies on top, and some grapes with a little vampire pick on the side.

Just for giggles, I etched a little vampire and some bats onto a mini banana with a toothpick for breakfast.

Ghost Grilled Cheese

Today is a ghost grilled cheese sandwich, chicken and noodles with peas and carrots in her thermos, some mixed fruit, and a pumpkin shaped brownie bite.

Haunted Veggies

N'Anna wanted Beefaroni in her lunch today, in the thermos (not pictured).  So, I went with a haunted house mini cheese sandwich, and some haunted veggies.  Carrot slices cut into cute shapes with some Halloween linzer cookie cutters, some cherry tomatoes, and little yellow moon is cut from an egg sheet.  Mandarin oranges on the side and some green apple licorice pieces to fill it out.

Creepy Spider Pizza

Creepy spider pizza today.  Pizza is turkey pepperoni and cheese on a multigrain sandwich thin.  The spider is cut from grapes.  Half a jack-o-lantern apple, salad, ranch in the little container, and a few chocolate chip teddy grahams fill out her super creepy lunch today.

Halloween Pasta - Take 2

Halloween Pasta again.  This time with tomato basil sauce and some meatballs.  She also has some pumpkin shaped garlic toasts, half a plumcot, and some fudge pretzels.

Jack-O-Lantern Stromboli

Today N'Anna has a turkey and cheese stromboli jack-o-lantern, apple slices, peas, and some strawberry yogurt with tiny fall leaf sprinkles.

Preparation tip: While our dinner was cooking last night, I used a Pillsbury Crescent Sheet to make the stromboli.  I cut out two pumpkins with a large cookie cutter, cut the eyes and mouth from one, filled it with sliced turkey and cheese, and pressed the edges together tight.  The rest of the crescent sheet I used to make a regular turkey and cheese stromboli to cut up for Mommy and Daddy's lunches.  I try to get a variety into her lunch, still make it cute, and not waste too much of anything.  Here's a picture of both after they came out of the oven.


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Halloween Lunchable Style

Halloween Style Lunchable Style (ham and cheese and crackers), fresh veggies, including some of the last of the cherry tomatoes from our garden, diced peaches and a few brownie bites.