Wednesday Lunchbox

The week is already half way over (almost), and I am still running behind on just about everything. I'm not going to sweat it too much in my normal control freak fashion because I might drive myself crazy if I did! October is always a busy month at our house. It kicks off most of the fall events in our community, is full of family birthdays, and is the start of a crafting frenzy for this stay at home momma.
So, once again I didn't get a picture of the girls' lunches, and it's a shame. Today they had mini turkey and cheese sandwiches on a pick. I used a small round cookie cutter to make circles out of whole wheat bread, then i stacked preservative free turkey, Monterey jack cheese, and more bread until the pick was full. They each got 5 cherry tomatoes, a whole apple, and cheese flavored multigrain chips. There is also some all natural vanilla yogurt with heart sprinkles in the air tight bowl on their plastic container, and I stuck a mini strawberry fruit roll up in there for dessert.
Now I'm off to work on a few of the many projects I have going that need to be done ASAP! Laundry, cleaning, crochet hat orders, and Halloween costume sewing are first on the list.

Wednesday Lunchbox

Today I am having lunch with my 4 year old. So instead of having her take the lunch box to school, I'll bring it when I come to her school at 10:25am (yes, that's lunch time for the pre-k students at their school). My 2nd grader is eating chicken nuggets in the cafeteria.
I made a turkey roll in a flour tortilla for her, and added some apple coleslaw to mine for a healthy wrap. She will have Pringles on the side and we will share apple and orange slices. We will both have grape juice boxes, a rice cake with peanut butter and creamed blackberry honey, and Mott's fruit snacks.
I decided to bring the entire jar of peanut butter because frankly, I just don't want to wash it out of a reusable container if I don't have to. Since I'll be there to supervise and take it home after lunch I don't see any reason not to, especially since none of the kids in her class have peanut allergies.

Wednesday Lunchbox

Today you'll all have to use your imaginations a bit. I didn't have time to snap a picture of the girls' lunch boxes. I packed each one a pick with all natural deli turkey and cheddar cheese. They have 4 baby carrots, a Cutie orange, and organic bunny grahams. As a special treat they have half a bagel to use for making a "sweet pizza" topped with peanut butter chocolate/white chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Some of you may wonder if the meals I pack ACTUALLY get eaten by my girls, or if they get full on the seemingly sparse portions, so I am going to take photos of the boxes after school for about a week to show you. I ALWAYS ask them how they liked lunch, and if they got full - everyday. I make adjustments to their meals according to the feedback I get from them. Everyday is different. Sometimes they don't enjoy what I pack, and some they just don't have time to eat it. That's why I think communication is the most important thing when packing a lunch box (or parenting in general) for a kid. I hope that our lunch banter will help them learn to make good choices when they are old enough to choose or pack lunch for themselves. More on that to come! Happy humpday friends :)

Wednesday Lunchbox

Happy hump day everyone! The girls will have a nice variety in their lunch boxes today. I got a great deal on whole wheat round crackers at Aldi ($1.69 per box), and the girls can build them up with all natural, preservative free smoked turkey and marble jack cheese, which is on a pick with a couple of dill pickle slices. They have half a banana each, and I've hidden the veggies in these great Mott's fruit snacks made with fruit and vegetable juice. They also get another treat from our weekend trip. The snack sized zipper bag has cinnamon roasted pecans.
Joplin gets a chocolate pudding pack, and Isis gets a rainbow chip granola bar gboth Aldi brand).

Wednesday Lunchbox - September 18, 2013

My dinner menu has been tossed around this week, so I had some extra bacon on hand and decided to make breakfast for lunch!
I cooked up a batch of applesauce pancakes while the girls were at school Tuesday. I wrapped 4 of the smaller ones and put them in the fridge to stick in their lunches today, and froze the rest for quick breakfasts. I threw 2 pieces of bacon in a pan, then all I had left to do was wash and cut up fruit for fruit kabobs and spoon some yogurt into the cups, then top with sprinkles. I wrapped up two pancakes for each kid in plastic wrap so they didn't get soggy, and just laid the bacon on top. Isis's kabobs have green grapes, peaches, and pears, and Joplin's are the same minus grapes. I'm skipping the messy syrup, and hoping they eat the pancakes without fussing. They will both, get plastic spoons, and choose milk and juice from the cafeteria.

Dental Check Up Day

Today the girls both had dental checks bright and early. I scheduled them early so they wouldn't miss too much school, and we managed to get them back in class by 9am. Scheduling any medical appointments right after the office opens insures you won't spend hours in the waiting room, which is really important when your trying to corral multiple children.
The chairs in our dentist's office are setup back-to-back in the middle of the room with two chairs facing out at each end of the row. This is an open invitation for my children to crawl underneath and in between them, which is NOT ok with me, even in an empty waiting room. We were only waiting a few minutes, like less than 5, and I had to threaten to take away their computer privileges a few times just to keep them in the chairs.
I am glad to report they both did well during their cleanings, and checked out cavity-free!

I won't be posting a lunchbox article today because the girls wanted to eat chicken nuggets in the cafeteria. Isis had a change of heart on the way to school, but it was too late. This will be the first time she's gone through the lunch line, so she's a little anxious, but hopefully they both eat something! It's hard for me to release control and hope they get good food, but sometimes being a good mom means letting them make choices and accepting that they will be fine even if they aren't getting the best. 

Wednesday Lunchbox

My second grader, who is reading fluently now, came home today and informed me that the juice box I packed had VEGETABLE juice in it! I have given her Fruitables juice boxes in the past (before she was reading EVERYTHING), and she liked them. So today I packed her a Fruitiful juice box and gave her Pre K sister the Fruitables. So much for sneaking in more veggies to a 7 year old with a juice box! I'll just have to make up for those extra veggies at dinnertime.
The girls' are using our one-piece containers today packed to capacity. On top is the juice box and half a ham and swiss bagel-wich. Below they have a 4-pack of cheese crackers with peanut butter, strawberry fruit snacks, and sliced fresh bartlett pears (with a squirt of lemon juice to stop them from browning).

Wednesday Lunchbox

Today's lunchbox has a colorful fruit medley as the star. Apples, strawberries, and vanilla yogurt with red sugar sprinkles are packed in our favorite lunch containers. I love these containers because they are compact, but still have plenty of room for food, plus there is an airtight lidded compartment inside! The best part is that they were only $1 each, and have lasted over a year now!
Joplin has cantaloupe instead of grapes because she won't eat grapes. 

*Mom tip: coat apples with lemon juice or lemon-lime soda to keep them from turning brown.

The other container has cream cheese and bacon pinwheels, pretzel sticks, and a lidded bowl with chopped fresh tomatoes. Both girls will be choosing milk or juice from the cafeteria today.

For a special treat, I made a marshmallow rice treat wrapped in foil to look like a Hersheys kiss for each kid. Attached is a note that says "A big KISS from Mom!" I don't have a photo, but got the idea from Pinterest. Follow my "bento lunches" board for more unique lunchbox ideas.