Yummy, Fruity School Lunch

Included in this bento style lunch is:
- watermelon cut into sticks
- animal cookies
- Strawberry & Honey Goat Cheese Skewers
- Puzzle Sandwich

Strawberry & Honey Goat Cheese Skewers:
Ingredients:
- Strawberries
- Honey Goat Cheese
- Cute food picks, like these

All you need to do to make these is cut up some strawberries and cut up some honey goat cheese and skewer them, two strawberries with a piece of honey goat cheese in the middle per food pick. Super tasty, fun and healthy to eat and they can be made in minutes.

Puzzle Sandwich:
Ingredients:
- Honey wheat bread
- SunButter
- Chocolate hazelnut spread
- Puzzle sandwich cutter, like the one that comes in this pack

I like to lightly toast the bread, assemble it like normal, and then use the cutter to make it into the fun puzzle shape.

Salad & Sandwich School Lunch

For this school lunch I packed a sandwich and a salad, as well as some pears, an apple juice and a cloth napkin.

My Daughter's Favorite Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Romaine lettuce
- Imo's cheese
- One of these 3 dressings: Imo's, raspberry vinaigrette, or honey mustard vinaigrette

When I pack a salad for a school lunch, I pack the dressing in these cute little dressing containers so my daughter can put it on herself when she's ready. This way the lettuce doesn't get soggy and it's fresh, and it's also fun for her to be a part of assembling the lunch once she goes to eat it.

Puzzle Sandwich:
Ingredients:
- Honey wheat bread
- SunButter
- Chocolate hazelnut spread
- Puzzle sandwich cutter, like the one that comes in this pack

I like to lightly toast the bread, assemble it like normal, and then use the cutter to make it into the fun puzzle shape.

For the pears, I just cut them up into bite-sized pieces and put them in a container with a little zebra food pick stuff in them for extra cuteness.

Fall Themed School Lunch #5

Here's another simple lunch idea that's easy to put together, tasty, nutritious, cute and fall themed! For more details on this lunch look below, and for my previous school lunch posts click here. 

Included in this lunch was:
- 2 pumpkin muffins, wrapped in bat liners and with jack-o-lantern picks stuck in them for Halloween cuteness!
- An orange reusable baking liner filled up with Imo's cheese. The orange pop of color adds to the fall/Halloween theme in a really nice, simple way!
- An apple that she picked herself (can't get much more fall than that!)
- Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After juice
- I also threw in a Cascadian Farms Organic granola bar in case my daughter wanted anything else
- For some extra cuteness, to make reading fun, and to make her smile I added in a "mommy loves you!" note with a jack-o-lantern drawn on it.

Fall Themed School Lunch #4

This lunch was one of those throw it together in a few minutes before you run out the door lunches, but it still qualifies as a simple, cute, and healthy fall themed school lunch. The use of simple seasonal food items, and cute holiday food picks can make any lunch festive. 

In this lunch I packed:
- Pumpkin muffins, with some jack-o-lantern food picks stuck in, and wrapped in liners that had bats on them (making it Halloweeny)
- A banana
- Some grapes with a happy little jack-o-lantern food pick
- Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After juice

This lunch took just minutes to put together (having made the muffins ahead of time, of course). You can make your own pumpkin muffins from scratch, or use a boxed mix. I used the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread/Muffins mix. They always turn out delicious! Everything else I added was to make sure my little one had enough to eat, and felt festive and excited for Halloween while she was eating! Details as simple as patterned liners and food picks can make all the difference when trying to prepare a themed lunch, and they take just seconds to add!

Fall Themed School Lunch #3

For a lot of my Fall themed lunches this month I'm trying to make them look Halloweeny. For this one I found a spooky idea on Pinterest and used it, with a few of my own ideas as well. For more details look below, and to view my other Fall themed lunches click here.

In this lunch I packed:
- sandwich squares, made Halloweeny with some jack-o-lantern food picks.
- a little container of mandarin oranges, which I tried to draw a jack-o-lantern face on but my marker wouldn't work because they had been in the fridge. So if you're wanting to put a spooky face on your mandarin oranges, leave them out of the fridge.
- Used Band Aids, the idea I got from Pinterest. I used honey graham crackers, Trader Joe's whipped cream cheese, and some strawberry jam to make them.
- A few Trader Joe's pumpkin spice cookies
- A package of pita bite crackers and hummus
- Some Trader Joe's Orange Peach Mango juice in a little container with a skeleton straw to go with it

Sandwich Squares:
Ingredients:
- Bread
- Your sandwich fillers (use whatever your kiddo likes, I used SunButter and chocolate hazelnut spread
- A FunBites cutter, you can purchase one here

Step 1: Lightly toast your bread (or not, but it's what I like to do when I'm working with spreads and cutters)
Step 2: Assemble the sandwich with whatever you've chosen
Step 3: Use your FunBites cutter and you'll have some perfect little squares in no time!
Step 4: Stick the squares on some jack-o-lantern food picks, or other Halloween food picks for added cuteness and holiday fun!

Fall Themed School Lunch #2

As I mentioned in my last school lunch post I plan on posting Fall themed lunches for the season. I talked about ways that you can make a lunch fall themed with the use of cutters, food picks, and seasonal items. You can view all of my fall themed school lunches here. For this lunch I packed a simple lunch, with a seasonal food item, some jack-o-lantern food picks, and other orange details. Nothing too extravagant but still cute for fall, tasty and healthy! For details look below!

Included in this lunch is:
- honey goat cheese, in an orange reusable baking cup with jack-o-lantern food picks stuck in
- a brown sugar cinnamon mini bagel, with some pumpkin cream cheese in an orange dip container, along with a child-safe knife for spreading
- pretzel sticks
- a banana apple sauce pouch

Fall Themed School Lunch

We are so excited that it's Fall! There's so many fun things to do with Fall themed lunches. There's lots of ways to make a Fall themed lunch due to the fact that there are holidays to celebrate, seasonal foods, changing colors, and all sorts of fun things going on. Think of those things as you make your kiddos lunch and you'll be sure to find inspiration! For extra inspiration to help you along the way I'm going to be posting the Fall themed lunches I'll be making! Here's the first one! 

In this lunch I packed:
- A ghost sandwich (recipe below)
- Pretzel sticks
- Monster Mandarins (recipe below)
- Black Forest Little Monsters fruit snacks
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (recipe below)
- A note, to encourage those developing reading skills and put a smile on my girls face. Using black or orange paper in October is a great idea to keep with the theme. I'm sure you could also find little note paper shaped like pumpkins, leafs, cats, etc. for added cuteness. I chose to call my little pumpkin in the note by drawing a pumpkin. These little details add to the Fall theme.
- To add to the Fall theme: a jack-o-lantern straw, and a jack-o-lantern fork. Luckily I had these items on hand, but they can be found at Target if you don't.
- Cloth napkin and ice packs of course. I just used ones we always use, as we don't have themed ones. I'm sure they exist though if you're interested. I've been thinking about ordering a set of holiday themed cloth napkins so we'll always have one for the holidays.

Ghost Sandwich:
Ingredients: 
- Bread
- Sandwich fillings (I used SunButter and a chocolate hazelnut spread
- A ghost shaped cutter
- A black food safe marker

Assemble your sandwich however you normally would, and use the cutter to produce a ghost shape. Once you've got that use the black food safe marker to draw on a little ghost face. Boo!

Monster Mandarins:
Ingredients:
- Mandarin oranges
- Eye food picks, which you can find here

This is a great example of how it can be super easy to make lunch adorable. I try to keep most things simple like this so they can be done by busy parents like myself. All you need to do to make Monster Mandarins is put some mandarin oranges into a container and then stick in some of the eye food picks. Viola!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie:
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin puree
- Almond milk (or whatever kind of milk you'd prefer)
- Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 a banana

Add all the above ingredients into a blender and blend it up until you have a yummy smoothie. Adding more milk or more banana as needed to adjust the thickness. I didn't measure the amount of pumpkin puree I used, or how much milk I used. I just added in what I thought I would need to make enough for my daughter's smoothie and have some left over as well, so it'll vary for everyone. Just do what you feel and you'll have a delicious seasonal drink in the lunch box in no time. I added in a jack-o-lantern straw to really up the cuteness and stick to the theme.

Get ready for lots of super cute, healthy, and fun Fall themed school lunches!

Star Student Lunch

I wanted to make my daughter a special lunch when she earned the honor of being Star Student of the Week. So I packed a star shaped sandwich, some yogurt with sprinkles, mandarin oranges, a pack of Annie's Organic fruit snacks, a string cheese, and an Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After juice.

Super simple to make! I just put everything in the appropriate cute little containers. To make the sandwich I just assembled a sandwich how I normally would and then used a star shaped cookie cutter. To view my previous school lunch posts click here.

Kindergarten School Lunch #14

I mention FunBite cutters a lot in my school lunch posts, but I normally use the one that makes sandwich squares. For this school lunch I used the one that makes sandwich triangles! You can purchase one here. 

Isn't this lunch super cute? I just love it! I included sandwich triangles, cut up strawberries, Trader Joe's Organic Mini Cheese Sandwich Crackers, and a Trader Joe's Organic Yogurt Squisher.

To make this lunch super cute I used the methods I usually do, cute food containers and accessories! Such an easy way to make lunch fun and cute without having to put in a ton of effort. I put the strawberries in heart shaped reusable baking cups. I also put in an owl patterned cloth napkin, with an owl fork to match.

Kindergarten School Lunch #13

This school lunch couldn't have been more simple, but it's still cute! Sometimes you can be in an extra hurry, like I was the morning I made this, and still make it a lunch that will put a smile on your kiddos face with the help of a simple sandwich cutter. 

Packed in this lunch:
- Elephant sandwiches (make a sandwich how you normally would, and then use a cute sandwich cutter to spruce it up a bit) You can find the elephant cutters in a 3 pack here.
- Some cut up strawberries
- A cheese stick
- Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After juice pouch
- A cloth napkin with a cute design (another way to add cuteness to a lunch, and it's practical, as well as good for the environment)

To view more of my school lunch posts click here.

Kindergarten School Lunch #12

Do your kiddos have a favorite character? If so, sometimes you can get lucky and find a sandwich cutter of that character. I found a Minnie Mouse one and used it for this lunch, making it super cute! For more details on this lunch keep on scrolling and for my previous lunch posts click here.

If you're looking for a character sandwich cutter try typing in the character you would like to find on Amazon, or looking at a store like Jo-Ann Fabrics. I found this Minnie Mouse one randomly at a grocery store, but I think you'd have better luck finding more varieties at those other stores.

Packed in this lunch was:
- A Minnie Mouse sandwich (just go ahead and make a sandwich however you normally would, and use whatever character cutter your kiddo would most like to see in their lunch)
- Some cut up strawberries, with a little monkey food pick stuck in them for added cuteness
- Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After juice pouch
- A reusable baking cup filled with some cut up grapes and another cute little monkey food pick. Adding things to the lunch like colorful reusable baking cups, and animal food picks are simple, quick ways to add cuteness.
- Some Trader Joe's Organic Mini Cheese Sandwich Crackers

Kindergarten School Lunch #11

For this school lunch I combined several of my daughters delicious and nutritious favorites. Super simple to make, and fun to eat! Look below for more details on this lunch, and click here to view my previous school lunches. 

As I said I packed delicious and nutritious favorites. Those were sandwich squares, cut up fruit (kiwis and strawberries), a cheese stick, and an Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After juice.

Sandwich Squares:
Ingredients:
- bread
- your sandwich fillers (I often use SunButter and some kind of jam or other spread along with it, you can use whatever stuff your kiddo likes)
- a FunBites cutter, you can purchase one here

Step 1: Lightly toast your bread (or not, but it's what I like to do when I'm working with spreads and cutters)
Step 2: Assemble the sandwich with whatever you've chosen.
Step 3: Use your FunBites cutter and you'll have some super cute little squares in no time.

Kindergarten School Lunch #10

This lunch includes a way to give your kiddo a kiss in the middle of their school day. So sweet and cute! Not to mention that it's tasty and healthy! For more details look below, and for my previous school lunch posts click here.  

 Packed in this lunch is:
- A lips shaped sandwich (the kiss!)
- Some mandarin oranges
- Some Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Curds
- A Honest Kid's Organic Appley Ever After juice pouch
- of course a note from me, a cloth napkin, a fork, and the ice packs to keep the food cold as well

For the Kiss Sandwich:
- Assemble a sandwich however your kiddo likes
- Use a lip shaped cookie cutter (you can usually find these in packs of Valentine's Day cookie cutters), but I'm sure you could find one online as well
- Use a pink food marker to trace around the lips shape, and add a line in the middle to divide them

Kindergarten School Lunch #9

For this school lunch I made Sandwich Squares, and Honey Goat Cheese & Strawberry Skewers. I also packed some Trader Joe's Multigrain Pita Bite Crackers and hummus for dipping. 

For the Sandwich Square Skewers:
1. Grab your sandwich fixings and assemble it! So for me, I get some honey wheat bread, SunButter and Super Fruit Jam. I lightly toast the bread and then assemble the sandwich.
2. Once you've got it all made and ready, use a FunBites sandwich cutter that makes bite sized square pieces, you can get one here.
3. Next grab some food picks and add sandwich squares onto them. I fit three per food pick. And viola you're done and lunch is super fun to eat for your kiddo!

For the Honey Goat Cheese & Strawberry Skewers:
1. Gather up the ingredients, there's just two: honey goat cheese, and strawberries!
2. Cut both the honey goat cheese and the strawberries into small enough pieces. You want them bite-sized, but not too small either.
3. Slide the pieces onto your skewers in an alternating order. I went strawberry, honey goat cheese, strawberry for each one this time.

Kindergarten School Lunch #8

This school lunch is so fun! It's super cute, and packs in lots of tasty nutrients. If you'd like more details on how to recreate this lunch scroll down. To view my other school lunch ideas click here. 

As you can see I packed a puzzle shaped sandwich, some trail mix, fruit and an apple juice.

For the sandwich all you need to do is assemble a sandwich the way you typically would for your kiddos lunch. I like to use SunButter and Super Fruit Jam for a lot of sandwiches. Once you've got your sandwich made all you need to do is use one of these sandwich cutters to make the puzzle shape.

As for the trail mix and fruit you could replace them with any sides your kiddo likes of course. Or use any type of fruit or any type of trail mix. I used strawberries and blueberries for the fruit, and I used cashews, peanuts, raisins, and chocolates for the trail mix. 

To drink I put in a Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After juice pouch. 

Kindergarten School Lunch #2

For this lunch I packed:
- sandwich squares on heart food picks. I made a sandwich with SunButter and Marionberry jam, then I used this cutter to produce the little squares and then put three each on cute little heart food picks.
- grapes in a reusable baking liner, I love using these in bento boxes to put fruit or veggies in for added cuteness. You can find some here.
- an organic apple juice
- a container of pretzels & hummus

I also packed a little heart shaped love note and some ice packs to keep the food cold.

Kindergarten School Lunch #1

School is back in session, so I'm back with lots of lunch inspo for ya! I try to make lunches that are fun and will make my little one smile during the day when she opens her lunch box. I also try to keep them healthy, with food to fuel her up for her day. And most importantly for a lot of busy moms out there, I try to keep them relatively simple to put together. Sometimes I'll do something that I prep the night before, but mostly I use a lot of sandwich cutters, and food picks to quickly add cuteness.

For this lunch I packed:
- a sandwich container with a sandwich cut into puzzle pieces. You can make a sandwich like this using this cutter. Of course make the sandwich with whatever your child likes/is allowed at their school. I used Sunbutter, and some Marionberry jam.
- watermelon, cut up into pieces
- an Uncle Matt's organic orange juice
- a simple salad (just lettuce and cheese) in one container, and some dressing (raspberry vinaigrette) for it in separate dip/dressing container. I like using the dip/dressing container with dressings for a couple reasons. For one that way the lettuce isn't just sitting with the dressing on it for hours getting soggy, and for two it gives my little girl some responsibility and fun putting her dressing on.

I also packed a cloth napkin, it's a good touch for in case they need to wipe their little fingers or mouths. It's a bonus if it's in a cute pattern or has a favorite character on it. Also packed a fork, ice packs to keep the food cold, and a little note from me to make her smile. With young kids it's great to give them something they can read or recognize most of the words in, the more practice the better and the message will make them happy!

As you can see I also like to use cute containers!

Healthy Bento Lunch

I love love love doing Bento for my daughter. Here's a simple idea for a quick healthy lunch (well the nuggets aren't as quick as everything else, but in our case they were leftovers from dinner the night before).

In the first section I have a salad of organic romaine lettuce, chia seeds, and Marzetti Simply Dressed Light Raspberry Acai Vinaigrette.

In the next section I have some organic baby carrots.

And in the last some chicken nuggets from this recipe  with some organic ketchup to dip.

Star Wars Bento

So, I'll say right away that this isn't perfect by any means. My food pen got messed up a bit with the bread for Yoda's face, but my daughter didn't care and thought it was adorable. That's how kids are! :)  

I made this Star Wars Bento for my daughter on May the 4th and told her (may the forth be with you). So this is a bento that's great for a fun way to spruce up lunch on that holiday, but many kids would love to see this in their bento box anytime of the year.

For the Yoda sandwich I lightly toasted two pieces of bread, and then put them on a chopping mat and used a sharp knife to very carefully cut out the shape of his head. Then I put some nut butter and jam on it and closed it up. I got out my green food pen and tried my best to give him his facial features to make him look more like Yoda.

I also made some light-sabers for her dessert and added them into the bento box. I put two in a compartment by themselves, but also two next to Yoda. To make the lightsabers you just need some pretzel sticks (I used Glutino Pretzels), and some vanilla icing and food coloring in the colors you'd like (I used neon pink and neon green per my daughters request). All you do is put a little bit of the icing into two small bowls and then add in a few drops of the food coloring to each, stir it in, then roll one half of the pretzels through it. And you have lightsabers. As you see I crossed them over each other. I also put the folded up paper towels and put them under the sandwich and cheese words so they'd be higher up and visible for a picture and more ascetically pleasing for my daughter.

For the cheese words that say "Star Wars" I used a piece of dutch goat cheese and these cutters 

Then I just threw in some fruit (strawberries and raspberries), could be anything.

And there you have it, it's that simple!

Spring Bento Box

Since today was the first day of Spring I put together this Spring Bento Box for my daughter. 

To make it I used her laptop lunchbox, and my PopChef.

In the first section I have two flower shaped organic pb&j sandwiches, topped with sun shaped dutch goat cheese. I also added a heart shaped dutch goat cheese, all made with the PopChef. I folded up a paper towel and put it in that section to prop up the sandwiches a little bit so they could be seen better. Also because a paper towel is needed with lunch.

The second section has a special treat in it. Annie's Organic fruit snacks. They were perfect for the theme being shaped like bunnies.

The third section has Annie's Organic bunny shaped mac and cheese.

The fourth section has raspberries and halved green grapes.