Elmo and Crayons



Super quick bento today.  Some leftover mac-n-cheese in her thermos, a cut up hot dog with some crayon cupcake picks, peas and grapes with an Elmo cupcake pick.

Preparation notes:
If you're new to bento lunches, you can find lots of cute bento supplies in the cake decorating section of some craft and hardware stores.  The white divider is just a silicone cupcake cup.  The orange one I purchased from a website that sells bento lunch supplies.

A Flowery Bento

Lots of little flowers today.  Chicken noodle soup in her thermos.  Flower shaped mini-grilled cheese sandwiches, sugar snap peas, and flower yellow apple bites.  Dressed it up a tiny bit with ladybug and bee picks.

A little note on preparation - I cut out the little cheese sandwiches in the evening and place them in her lunch box.  In the morning, I use a tiny egg skillet and grill up the sandwiches with some no fat butter spray.  I let them cool completely on a cooling rack before I put them back in the container.  When I'm cutting up the apple the night before, I drop the pieces into a bowl of half water, half lemon juice.  They always still look nice by lunch.  I usually keep the extra cut apple pieces for me to snack on or throw into a spinach salad.

Tigger, Pooh and Piglet

N'Anna wanted some beef and noodle soup (not pictured, in her thermos).  I gave her a few choices, and she decided on the rest of lunch herself, and helped me make it.  She chose Tigger, Pooh and Piglet mini cream cheese and strawberry jelly sandwiches.  Then we filled it up with corn on the cob, diced peaches and some mini Lorna Doone's.

It's A Hoot (Owl)

Sticking with the Fall theme today.  I've seen so many cute owl sandwiches, I have been wanting to make one for a while.  Tuna salad owl sandwich with cheese details (and several pieces of lettuce inside), carrots and snap peas, grapes and a few brownie bites.  N'Anna calls these "crunchy sandwiches" because of the lettuce.  Of course, I picked the crunchiest pieces of lettuce.

Also shared at:

First Fall Bento

In honor of the first day of Fall over the weekend, here's N'Anna's first Fall bento.  Turkey and cheese sushi-style sandwich rolls, green beans, gold fish, and leaf shaped red and yellow apple pieces.

Spelling Word - H A T

I wasn't feeling well yesterday, and Daddy took N'Anna to her gymnastics class so I could stay home and rest.  Afterwards, they went to Olive Garden because she said she wanted spaghetti.  Apparently, she only ate salad and bread, because all of the spaghetti came home.  She told me as she handed me the box that she wanted the spaghetti in her lunch, and oranges.  She just had oranges, but I if that's what she wants, ok.  I was out of regular oranges, so a mandarin orange cup will have to do.

I decided to toss together a salad to go with, and we haven't done a spelling word this week - so, Kindergarten spelling word H A T.  Lettuce salad with carrot shreds, cherry tomatoes, and cheese H A T.  Threw a cute hat pick on a little Babybel cheese girl and lunch was done.  Just need to warm up the spaghetti and put it in the thermos in the morning.

Kinda' like it when she knows exactly what she wants!  A welcome relief since I'm not feeling the best.

Pizza

Today we have mini-pizza squares, veggies and ranch, orange wedges and a few mini Chips Ahoy cookies.

These mini pizzas on multigrain sandwich thins are a favorite of hers.  I just use some squeeze pizza sauce, pizza cheese, mini-turkey pepperoni and sliced cherry tomotoes.  Then I throw it in the toaster oven on 400 degrees right on the rack for a bit.  When it's all melted and the "crust" is crisp, I let it cool on a cooling rack to room temperature before I put it in her lunchbox.

I plan and pre-pack as much as I can in lunches always the night before.  Everything is laid out, partially packed, etc. to make getting lunch ready as easy as possible.  I'm not really a morning person.  As I was packing up veggies last night, the little one came in and told me to take out the cherry tomatoes and cucumber that I had in there.  She likes them, but not together.  Per her request, three sugar snap peas in each container, and then I could put in some carrots if I want to.

Note to self - less variety on the vegetables in a single lunch box.  Glad she came in - I'll try to remember to ask for input more often while packing instead of after she eats it.