Monday Lunchbox

We had a decent break from the normal routine, but today it's back to business. I packed the girls some baked mozzarella rolls (in flour tortillas) with some marinara for dipping. They have a silicone cup filled with baby carrots and a pick with romaine lettuce strips rolled up for easy dipping in a separate container of ranch dressing. Isis has a bunch of red grapes on the vine wrapped up in a paper towel and tied with a pink ribbon, a rice crispy treat (sent home with them by Nana), and a mini fruit roll up. Joplin has a green apple tied up in some gingham ribbon and a pack of oreos (also a treat from Nana). I tossed a bag of pretzels into each box at the last minute, and they will both choose a drink in the cafeteria.
Tomorrow I am tagging along for the Pre K trip to the pumpkin patch, and may be accompanied by my husband. I'll be packing lunches for my daughter and us to eat instead of spending $3-$5 each on hot dogs, chips, and soda from the concession area.

Monday Lunchbox

The girls have a short week at school with fall break starting on Wednesday. So today they wanted to pack breakfast for lunch because it's one of their favorites. My oldest informed me that cold bacon is gross, and she doesn't want me to pack bacon in her lunch again. To get a little protein and iron in I packed a peanut butter and blackberry creamed honey sandwich on whole wheat. This isn't our normal breakfast fare, but it works. They also have a bag of dry cereal, a granola bar, some all natural vanilla yogurt with heart shaped sprinkles, and a banana. I added some fun stickers to the outside of the banana to make it a little more appealing. Joplin has a bag of organic trail mix including pumpkin and sunflower seeds, soy nuts, and dried cranberries, while Isis gets a mini box of raisins. 

Monday Lunchbox

Today the girls are having a turkey and cheddar slider on a homemade whole wheat bun. They chose Cheese It Party Mix in leau of chips. There is a veggie assortment with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and fresh spinach leaves in the last compartment on the bottom of the two tiered, one piece containers.  

Joplin has a snack sized zipper bag with organic trail mix. The mix has sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, soy nuts, and dried cranberries. I had her taste the mix before packing it to ensure she would eat it. She didn't like the raisins or dried dates that were included in the package, so I spent an extra minute or two picking out (and eating) those things so she wouldn't have to waste time picking through it during her short lunch period. This may seem silly, but I think it will make a huge impact on whether she actually eats it or not. We'll see. 

Isis didn't show any interest in the trail mix, so I packed honey roasted peanuts for her. She also has a small bunch of red grapes, and a fruit roll up. My dad caught us at the store yesterday and bought the roll ups as a treat for the girls. I removed the raisins from Isis's box because it seemed redundant since she has fresh grapes. Joplin gets a green apple since she doesn't like grapes, and a fruit roll up for her as well.

I started taking "after"pictures of the lunch boxes on Friday, so I'll have a post about the aftermath, and how much (or little) they are eating this Friday. I also have to pack lunches for a field trip for my 7 year old and me on Thursday, so that will include some nice grownup lunchbox tips. 

Now I'm off to spend my 30th birthday with my husband and baby before picking up my bigs from school. Have a great day everyone!

Monday Lunchbox

Today my girls both made me a proud mama! As usual, I gave them the option to eat what is being served in the cafeteria or a packed lunch. After hearing that hot dogs are on the menu at school, they both chose a lunch packed by me stating that "the hot dogs at school are gross." Even after I told them I would be packing salads they still scoffed at the processed, preservative-filled hot dogs offered in the lunch room. My heart swells with pride from the fact that my kids will choose a salad over a hot dog. It may not happen everytime, but I'll take it today!

So for lunch the girls will have a salad with spinach leaves, carrots, broccoli, and grape tomatoes. I've included some real bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese for topping the salad. They have ranch dressing in the lidded part of the reusable container. There are grapes in Isis's box,and Joplin has kiwi berries. These little green grape-sized fruit taste just like a tart kiwi. They even look like a kiwi on the inside. 

I packed some whole wheat crackers on the side, along with honey roasted peanuts in the white containers, and each kid's favorite granola bar.  

Monday Lunchbox - September 16, 2013

Today the girls lunch boxes are packed with a fun new lunch that requires no ice pack! They will be assembling their own sweets pizza using a plain rice cake for the crust, peanut butter to spread as sauce, shredded coconut acts as the cheese and each kid has a few of their favorite toppings. White chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and raisins for Isis and mini marshmallows and milk chocolate chips for Joplin.

They will also have unsweetened apple sauce and grape tomatoes on the side.  Joplin will get the last juice box and Isis is choosing milk and juice from the ccafeteria (I found out they can get BOTH if they want, yay!). I packed a plastic spoon and butter knife for the applesauce and peanut butter.

Monday Lunchbox

Today the girls will be bringing some homemade mozzarella cheese rolls seasoned with garlic and basil, and marinara  sauce for dipping. I made these a little different than usual using quartered flour tortillas because I didn't have any wonton wrappers on hand.
They have organic bunny grahams and apple slices cored with a scalloped heart cookie cutter. Joplin gets 3 Oreos for dessert and Isis has mini marshmallows. Both will have a juice box to wash it all down.