Archive for the ‘salad’ Category
Birdies and stars lunches
Posted on: January 23, 2013
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | Foods | gluten free | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | raw food | salad | school lunch | snacks | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food
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Birds make me happy. I don’t have a specific reason. They just cheer me up so I’m hoping that my kids find the same joy in them that I do. All the lunches today are vegan (meatless and dairy free), soy-free, gluten-free and all ingredients are organic.
Miss G’s lunch (4 years old) is spinach rice noodles with a small bit of Earth Balance coconut spread mixed in and Field Roast sundried tomato (meatless) deli slices on top shaped into stars and a bird. In her Easy Lunchboxes container at the top are heart shaped strawberries and watermelon birds.
Along with lunch is her preschool snack in a LunchBots Duo stainless container. In the left compartment are carrot sticks, blueberries and dried apricot stars, and in the right are sugar snap peas, a Crimson Gold apple and a “snow ball” made of dates and raisins rolled in coconut.
In our fancy matryoshka bento box is little sister’s lunch. On the left side she has raisins in the flower cup with star shaped dried apricots. Below that is jasmine rice with carrot mini stars and sugar snap peas. On the right side are watermelon stars and below are bird-shaped sundried tomato deli slices and cucumbers.
Above is the elusive mom lunch. I am usually on the run, but decided to make a salad today. I had a giant pile of organic spinach, about a cup of black beans, bird shaped cucumbers and some daikon I found at my local Whole Foods. I have to say that the daikon wasn’t a good match with the salad. I read later that its taste softens with cooking which is what I’ll do with the rest. It was a little bitter to eat raw. On the sides are avocado slices. For my dressing I topped with a bit of red wine vinegar.
Things I used to make this lunch:
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Counting down…8 more days until Halloween! Included in the link below are quick photos and simple ideas of how to fill little tummies before the sugarfest! Click the link below for my post from last year’s kids’ party.
2011 Halloween Party Ideas For Kids
Miss G (4 years old) is having a batty bento. She has a larger bat and smaller bat sandwich on top. They’re pumpkin butter and almond butter sandwiches made from Rudi’s Whole Grain bread and cookie cutters. Above them are a seckel pear with bat sticker and red seedless grapes. At the top left are mini carrots and grape tomatoes and at the top right is cannellini bean bruschetta with multi colored heirloom tomatoes packed in her Easy LunchBoxes container.
Miss G’s snack today is Sabra hummus with pretzel sticks, dried apricots and the heart shaped container with a bat has a few cinnamon apple almonds in it as a treat.
My husband had something far less organized for lunch. I grabbed an Easy LunchBoxes container and threw in a rainbow of fruits & veggies. In the main compartment are snow peas, carrots, grape tomatoes, a seckel pear and a mandarin orange. At the top left he has quinoa lentil tabouleh from Whole Foods and at the top right is my homemade cannellini bean bruschetta.
The quickest, simplest way to get your kids to eat their fruits and vegetables is to make it fun! If it has a peel that they’re not going to eat like a banana or an orange, color on it or put a sticker on it! This was a simple Sharpie marker on a clementine orange that took about 1 minute to make.
- In: allergy friendly | Autumn | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | engine 2 diet | Foods | Halloween | Holidays | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | salad | snacks | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
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My new friend Michelle bought me a cookie cutter, and as slim as the chances were it was one I did not have yet! These cute little ghouls are made with my new ghost cutter. Thank you, Michelle! The sandwiches are made on Rudi’s brand whole grain bread with pumpkin pecan butter filling. The ghost picks just above are filled with grape tomatoes and a seckel pear is inbetween them. At the top left are cantaloupe chunks with a kiwi ghost on top and kiwi slices to the right with a happy ghost ring on top packed in Easy LunchBoxes.
The Eat Wholly company who makes Wholly Guacamole sent me a variety of their awesome products to try. We were already fans of theirs. What makes their guacamole (and other products) even better is that there are no artificial preservatives or junk in their foods. Just freshly packed goodness. I love to freeze ours the night before since it’s thawed for the kids just in time for their lunch. My 4 year old today had a Frankenstein snack with black olives for the face and chips for dipping in her snack bento.
Little Miss 2 year old has an army of friendly ghosts in her LunchBots Quad. From the top left are black seedless grapes, cantaloupe ghost pieces, a seckel pear at the bottom right and mini ghost sandwiches made with a small cookie press. The sandwiches are Rudi’s brand whole grain bread with pumpkin butter filling.
For her snack, Miss A had a similar frozen guacamole spidery witch with black olive features. I really meant for it to be a happy witch with the chips for a hat, but it looks more like a cutesy spider to me now. Either way, I know it will get eaten.
My husband’s lunch is far less festive, but I managed to sneak a ghost ring into his Easy LunchBoxes container today. He had the Happy Herbivore’s Eggless Salad today. You can find her recipe for Eggless Salad here.
It’s made with tofu, packed full of flavor, calcium and protein, and I actually think it’s better than any egg salad I’ve ever had.I packed the salad on top of the lettuce and sent the bread separately so it didn’t get soggy before he ate it.
Please click the button below to see what Astrid did for her family at Lunches Fit For A Kid
Sunshiny Day
Posted on: October 5, 2012
- In: Autumn | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | engine 2 diet | food blog | Foods | kids | lunchbox | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | salad | snacks | Summer | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
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I can see clearly now. The rain is gone. It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day! Now that you have that classic Johnny Nash song stuck in your head I made a lunch about it!
From the top left are black seedless grapes and watermelon suns. At the top right is barley, white beans and carrot pennies from dinner the night before. In the bottom compartment is a smiley sunshine sandwich on Rudi’s Honey Wheat bread. Above the sun are pineapple pieces with a honeydew bird. To the right are honeydew pieces with a cantaloupe sun and the bottom right pink cup are cantaloupe pieces with a honeydew palm tree and some fun face picks for decoration. Her lunch is packed in Easy LunchBoxes container.
For her snack, my 4 year old has a matching smiling sun d’anjou pear surrounded by dried cranberries and raisins. In the orange blossom cup are carrot bread circles.
Little Miss 2 year old has a veterinarian visiting her class today so I made her a dog. We actually have a long haired dachshund so this looks a lot like him, without the raisin eye and nose, of course. I used the leftover crust for his ear. She also has carrot bread circles in the tiny green bucket above the dog. In the Stitch container is trail mix of mixed nuts, dried fruits and seeds. At the top left are pineapple pieces with a watermelon sun and the top right are black seedless grapes packed in her LunchBots Uno stainless container.
And packed in his Easy LunchBoxes container are leftovers for my husband. The last night we had barley with white beans, carrots, onions and a bit of celery seasoned with cinnamon and oranges from one of my new plant based cookbooks. Yum! I made a smiley face with the carrots. At the top left are honeydew and cantaloupe pieces and at the top right, a clementine.
Happy Friday!
Taco face bentos
Posted on: September 26, 2012
- In: Autumn | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | engine 2 diet | Foods | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | salad | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
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When my kitchen’s full of leftovers, I always try to turn it into lunch for the next day. Last night’s was enough to make 3 lunches!
At the top left Miss G has seasoned soy crumbles with black olive eyes, lashes and a grape tomato mouth. Above are mini corn chips for dipping. At the top right are grape tomatoes and black olives. In the middle of her Goodbyn bynto is her leakproof water bottle. In the bottom compartment are plums and mango pieces.
And snacktime for Miss G has d’anjou pears and a happy apple in her Happy Tiffin stainless bento. The round container has So Delicious brand raspberry coconut milk yogurt in it.
Miss 2 year old is still picking at her lunches like most 2 year olds. I have been limiting her breads since I find that’s all she eats. She has a mini version of the leftovers in her LunchBots Quad.
My husband has the adult version. He has Lightlife brand soy chicken strips with taco seasoning on a bed of romaine and red, leafy kale topped with black olives and grape tomatoes. At the top left are the same mini corn chips and at the top right are organic figs packed in his Easy LunchBoxes container.
Things I used to make this lunch:
Lunes, spiders & a green salad
Posted on: September 10, 2012
- In: Autumn | bento | casein free | dairy free | eco-friendly | food blog | Foods | Halloween | Holidays | kids | lunchbox | mom | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | raw food | salad | snacks | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
- 4 Comments
Miss G has days of the week lessons in spanish this week so I made her a Lunes lunch today. In the top yellow flowers are raspberries with a blackberry in the middle and a sectioned plum on the right. In the middle is her ice water and the bottom compartment are almond butter and jam sandwiches with LUNES cut out in Stretch Island fruit leather letters packed in her raspberry Goodbyn Bynto box.
For her snack today, nectarines, blueberry picks and strawberry hearts are packed in her Happy Tiffin stainless bento.
Little Miss A, 2, is having an insect filled lunch today. They are studying bugs this week so I’m playing along. She has Wholly Guacamole frozen in a spider cup. The spider’s 8 eyes and mouth are made from kalamata olives. Underneath are pretzel chips for dipping. At the top right are organic raspberries on spider picks. Below that are strawberries and blueberries on ladybug picks. And at the bottom left are plum sections with a bee pick packed in her LunchBots Quad.
My husband has a green salad today to go with his lunch. He has mixed baby greens, organic green zebra stripe heirloom tomatoes, scallions and sugar snap peas. At the top are mini carrots and strawberries packed in his Easy LunchBox container.
Leftover love bentos
Posted on: August 30, 2012
- In: bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | Foods | kids | lunchbox | mom | plant based | raw food | salad | snacks | Valentine | Vegan | Vegetarian
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Lots of love in these lunches today. Some leftover love too. I don’t like to waste food so Miss G has leftover spelt pasta with marinara today. At the top right is forbidden rice with sweet potatoes and a baked potato heart on top from last night’s dinner. In the main compartment are mini almond butter heart sandwiches on Rudi’s Whole Grain bread, strawberry and watermelon hearts and green seedless grapes packed in her Easy LunchBoxes container.
Miss G started a new preschool this fall, and she’s not allowed to have any characters on her lunchboxes, water bottles, etc. Luckily we get a ton of use out of our Easy Lunchboxes and LunchBots containers. I did scour the internet for new bento boxes to have on hand, and I found a company called Happy Tiffin. They make old school tin lunchbox containers, stackable stainless containers, and they have an adorable line for kids that is perfect for us. The one we chose is called “Lunch Time”. They’re a bit more expensive, but from experience my stainless bento boxes stand the test of time. Since these are going to be passed down to Miss A (2), I decided it was worth it.
I packed the Lunch Time tiffin for snack with strawberry hearts, large green grapes and coconut milk peach yogurt in the stainless container for dipping.
My husband had leftovers today too with a giant bento of leftover pasta (not shown). He has a mixed green salad with purple cabbage and carrot hearts. At the top left are seedless green grapes and top right are jicama slices sprinkled with chili powder and lime for squeezing on top packed in his Easy LunchBoxes container.
Things I used to make this lunch:
Bean dip nachos and butterflies
Posted on: August 29, 2012
- In: Autumn | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | Foods | kids | mom | mother | plant based | raw food | salad | Summer | Vegan | Vegetarian
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Anything that gives me a few more minutes is something I can buy into. As a busy mom with 2 toddlers, I don’t want to sacrifice the important stuff like healthy ingredients. I’ve been trying to make more foods that are healthy, with variety and less effort on my part. Lazy? I hope not. My kids wanted a snack. I thought I’d see what I could make that could normally be cooked but could also be eaten as is in a situation like a tropical storm where you lose power in your house.
I rinsed a package of cannellini beans and smashed them with a fork in a bowl. I added 2 tablespoons of mild salsa and 1 tablespoon of Tofutti sour cream and mixed them into the beans. I put a dollop of each on pita chips that I had, sprinkled them with a few Daiya (dairy-free) cheese shreds and topped with an olive slice. I broiled mine for a few minutes until the cheese melted. They were yummy! My chips were very thin to begin with and got a bit mushy. I would recommend toasted bread slices or thicker pita chips. They were all gone quickly! Protein packed and fast to fix.
Nacho served with puzzle piece sandwiches and orange slices.
Little Miss 4 year old is off to school again today. She has a butterfly bowl of vegetable bean soup with a piece of vegan butterfly cheese on top for decoration.
And to go with her soup is a LunchBots Uno with grape tomatoes, homemade butterfly shaped vegan cornbread muffins, blackberries and blueberries with a papaya butterfly on top, cashews, dried cranberries and dried mango strips.
Rainbow after the storm
Posted on: August 28, 2012
- In: bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | Foods | kids | lunchbox | plant based | raw food | salad | snacks | Vegan | Vegetarian
- 4 Comments
Live music thumping on the streets, gorgeous old architecture, cobblestone streets and lots of interesting people. What’s not to love about New Orleans? I spent a long weekend there for a blogging conference. I met some wonderful people, left with many pearls or wisdom and a large to do list and had a bunch of fun too. I thought that hurricane Isaac would be hitting my house in Florida when I got home. Luckily all we’ve seen is a bunch of rain and now the sun peeking out. Just hoping for my New Orleans friends that they escape the worst. Sometimes we need a little reminder of how lucky we are to have each day, and that our true needs are few.
A rainbow lunch is what I decided on for Miss G’s school lunch today. A rainbow after the storm. We have a new LunchBots Quad stainless container for the new school year. At the top left are flower sandwiches on Rudi’s Whole Grain bread, top right are mini carrots underneath sugar snap peas and yellow bell pepper strips. At the bottom right underneath are lots of pineapple pieces, and papaya and strawberry flowers on top. And at the bottom left are picks of blueberries and blackberries.
For her snack today she had Sabra hummus with Sesmark brand Ancient Grain crackers made of amaranth, millet, sorghum and quinoa. She also has sugar snap peas and pistachios mixed with dried cranberries packed in her sistema brand bento. Not shown is her Kleen Kanteen water bottle.
And I sent my husband off to work with some leftovers (not shown) and a mixed green salad with sugar snap peas and mini carrots. At the top left are organic blueberries and at top right are organic plums and nectarines packed in his Easy LunchBox container.
The Big Easy & some bento friends
Posted on: August 23, 2012
- In: Autumn | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | Foods | kids | lunchbox | plant based | raw food | salad | snacks | Vegan | Vegetarian
- 2 Comments
I’m outta here! It was a last minute decision, but I think it will prove to be a great one. I was invited last minute to the Niche Mommy conference in New Orleans this week. I’ve never been to New Orleans so I’m really looking forward to checking the French Quarter out. My high school symbol was the fleur de lis (goes with my French loving theme well) so I decided to do a Fleur De Lis salad for my husband. After all, he has to take care of the kids while I learn all kinds of new blogging techniques, social media tricks, hopefully improve my photographic skills and maybe have some good old fashioned girl fun while I’m away. The salad is baby spinach and lettuce from the local organic farm. On top is a heart of tempeh (fermented soybeans) which reminds me of a heavy barley. Sliced mushrooms and fleur de lis cucumbers are also on the salad. At the top left is quinoa salad with scallions, italian parsley, red and green peppers. And at the top right are peach sections packed in his Easy LunchBox container. Not shown is his ginger salad dressing.
I packed myself an Easy LunchBox for the trip today. From the top left are dried mango pieces, pretzels and crackers for dipping. In the small blue silicone cup is Eggless Salad by one of my favorite vegan chefs, Lindsay Nixon, better known as the Happy Herbivore. Lindsay’s recipes are simple enough to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes, and yummy enough that they will become weekly staples in your house. If you’re looking for meatless and/or dairy free recipes, I highly recommend purchasing her cookbooks. I have 2 and a third pre-ordered from Amazon I like them so much! Organic strawberry hearts mini almond butter sammies and Sabra hummus make up the rest of my lunch.
Hoping everyone has a fabulous weekend!
bentoriffic 