Archive for the ‘whole food’ Category
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | Foods | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | school lunch | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food
- 2 Comments
Hi ho! Hi ho! It’s back to school we go. Now you can envision the Seven Dwarfs and hear their whistling stuck in your head for the day. This isn’t a Snow White lunch though. I’m just happy that one of my kids is back to school today. I love having them over the long weekends, but they are ready to go back to their friends after the long weekend. These lunches are from last week when my laptop failed. The best news for me is that I’m headache free now after 7 days off of caffeine. Phew! Last week was a long one.
For Miss G’s 4 year old lunch I used a new mini square pocket sandwich cutter that I have. I filled them with SunButter and surrounded the bite sized lunch with mini carrots. I have found that the more bite sized the lunch is, the more my kids eat. If this were a normal sized sandwich cut in half, there would be some left when she returns from school. Instead, it was an empty lunchbox that came home Friday. In the top left compartment is an organic mini apple and in the top right of her Easy LunchBoxes container are sliced cucumbers.
Click on the photo above to find where I purchase my lunch supplies!
Miss A (2 years old) went off to school Friday with Sunbutter and jam pinwheels on Rudi’s Organic Spelt Tortillas. I stick them in the fridge or freezer to make them easier to cut before sending off. The nut and seed butters can get runny and squished so I cool them down making them easier to slice. Next to the wrap pinwheels are sugar snap peas. Also included in today’s lineup are organic raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers and locally picked strawberries packed in a LunchBots Uno.
Have a great week, and happy lunch packing!
Mini BLTs and a car bento
Posted on: January 17, 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 | school lunch | snacks | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
- 6 Comments
It’s a rainy, cooler day here in Florida today so there’s some sunshine inside the lunchbox. I made Miss G some vegan BLTs for lunch. I found these mini slider buns at Whole Foods in the bread section, and they’re they perfect size for preschool lunches. I cooked some vegan tempeh (fermented soy) bacon. I use a tiny bit of Earth Balance vegan mayo on the bun, then romaine leaves and sliced tomatoes. Above the mini sandwiches are grape tomatoes and pineapple pieces. In the top left of her Easy Lunchboxes container are honeydew melon pieces and in the top right is a sunshiny face clementine.
My girls also love sliced avocado or guacamole on their BLTs.
Miss G’s snack today is freeze dried mango pieces, a Crimson Gold organic apple and roasted cashews in her Happy Tiffin stainless bento box.
Vroom! Miss A is off with her LunchBots Quad filled with cars. From the top left are pineapple pieces with 2 honeydew melon cars on top. In the top right is chickpea hummus with a pita bread car on top. In the bottom right corner are honeydew melon pieces with dried apricot cars on top, and in the bottom left are Laurel Hill brand peace sign pretzels for dipping and mini carrots.
Happy Lunch Packing!
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | Foods | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | raw food | school lunch | snacks | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
- 7 Comments
Welcome to Wednesday. I’m on day 2 of a diet cleanse and exactly 2 days that I’ve had a headache. I cut out a number of things. By far the hardest are soy and caffeine. It’s a great way to find out how addicted to caffeine I am. My answer was VERY addicted. We’ll see how I do at the end of two weeks. Just hoping the headaches don’t last that long!
Miss G is off to school with a flowery sandwich made with a Lunch Punch Sandwich cutter on Rudi’s Whole Wheat bread. Click on the photo below to find more fun sandwich cutters. The flower in the middle is made with the heel of the bread loaf. In the top left of her Easy Lunchboxes container are kiwi and blueberries and in the top right are grape tomatoes.
Snack time for my 4 year old is in her Happy Tiffin stainless bento with raspberries, mini carrots and dried cherries.
My two year old has a LunchBots Quad with mini chickpea burger halves in the top left and bottom right compartments with mini carrots and at the opposite corners are kiwi slices and pineapple chunks.
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | raw food | school lunch | snacks | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
- 6 Comments
Happy Monday!
Fun colors make almost anything look delicious. I use a lot of silicone baking cups to entice my kids to eat. This tortilla wrap is leftovers from last night’s dinner. I used Rudi’s Organic brand whole grain wraps. Inside are romaine leaves, fresh roma tomatoes, barbeque black beans with onions and tofu. I used a recipe from Robin Roberston‘s Vegan On The Cheap cookbook. Above the wraps is a little silicone square of Go Raw brand coconut cookies.
This dinner is one I double the recipe for to save time, and the leftovers taste better the next day. I included a clementine orange in the top left compartment and in the top right of her Easy Lunchboxes container are honeydew melon pieces.
For her snack today, Miss G has a Happy Tiffin stainless bento box with cashews at the bottom, a butterfly cup with dried cherries and underneath the cup are dried apricots.
For my almost 3 year old’s lunch, I made an open faced heart sandwich on Rudi’s Organic whole wheat bread with Justin’s almond butter spread and strawberry heart halves on top. Above that in the silicone cup is a peeled clementine with a leaf pick. In the top left of her Easy Lunchboxes container are Go Raw brand Super Cookies made with all organic coconut, sprouted sesame seeds and dates for her gluten free, nut free snack. And in the top right heart silicone cup are cantaloupe hearts. Both girls have ice waters with their lunches.
Things I used to make this lunch:
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | food blog | Foods | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | school lunch | snacks | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | winter | yum
- 4 Comments
Trying new foods is my thing. Of course, these days it includes crazy seeds, fruits and things I’ve never heard of since dropping meat & dairy from our family diet.
I made my own version of vegan barbeque last night which means it becomes lunch the next day. I found a product called Soy Curls made by Butler Foods. You just soak them in warm water for 10 minutes and add the desired flavoring. Once hydrated, I added these to a skillet with about 4 tablespoons of water, 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke and about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and cooked over medium heat for about 10 minutes. I add water a tablespoon at a time as necessary to keep it moist. For this lunch I poured it over whole wheat Israeli couscous in her Easy Lunchboxes contianer. In the top left compartment are local strawberries we picked this past week from Eden Farm. The top right compartment has a chia seed pudding I made with almond milk. Chia seeds are high in Omega 3 acids (more than salmon or flax seeds), calcium, potassium, fiber and protein. Click here to read more about these amazing little seeds. Benefits of eating chia seeds
CHIA SEED PUDDING RECIPE
1 cup almond milk or other non-dairy milk
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons honey, stevia or agave nectar (depends on your preference)
Soak for 20-30 minutes until thickened like tapioca. Stir every 5 minutes to eliminate clumps out of mixture. Pudding will thicken like tapioca.
I’ve also added cinnamon and raisins as a variation on this recipe.
For her afternoon snack, my 4 year old has a serving size of Sabra hummus, Laurel Hill brand peace pretzel chips, blueberries, strawberries and dried apricots packed in a LunchBots Uno stainless lunch container.
Happy Lunch Packing!
Lunch for a New Year
Posted on: January 8, 2013
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | engine 2 diet | food blog | Foods | Holidays | kids | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | school lunch | snacks | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | winter | yum
- 6 Comments
“Why am I NEVER going back to school again? I miss my friends!”, Miss G asked over the weekend. Truthfully, I enjoyed having the whole family home for a while and doing things together. I know they were getting bored by the time the New Year arrived this week. I also enjoyed a couple of weeks without making bento lunches and blogging which is a good thing. I’m feeling like I really had a break. I hope that everyone else had a bit of a break too aside from the holiday stress.
The tummy bug hit our house so only 1 munchkin is off to school today.
My 4 year old went to preschool with a LunchBots Quad full of healthy goodies. From the top left she has pineapple pieces, blueberries, raspberries, two small sandwiches on Rudi’s Organic whole grain bread cut with Linzer cookie cutters and a small star out of the middle. In the bottom left are cashews and dried cranberries.
One of my goals for this year is to stay more organized. I found this recycled chalk board at a local store, and I use it for my weekly menu board. It hangs near the kitchen. It always has one or two quick meals for when “planned” dinners don’t pan out and the others for when I have the time to prep as usual. I also try to make enough each night to have leftovers to pack for lunches the next day. Anything to minimize time and maximize effort is what will help make things run more efficiently. It’s not a perfect system, but it does keep me from scrambling and wondering what to cook.
Wishing you all a healthy, prosperous new 2013 and happy lunch packing!
Gingerbread mom and the angel
Posted on: December 21, 2012
- In: allergy friendly | bento | birthday | casein free | Christmas | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | food blog | Holidays | kids | lunchbox | meatless | mom | mother | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | school lunch | snacks | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | winter | yum
- 6 Comments
So maybe this isn’t the most reverent representation of the manger scene, but I was limited on time this morning. I wanted Miss G to have the manger scene for her lunch…the reason for the season. Baby Jesus is made from Stretch Island fruit leather on a bed of cashews. The angel is Justin’s Almond Butter on Rudi’s Organic brand Whole Grain bread. The star is a dried apricot and next to the angel are a Christmas tree pick of grape tomatoes. At the top left are organic blueberries with a gift food pick and in the top right compartment of her Easy Lunchboxes container are organic raspberries.
And above is the elusive mom lunch. I say this because I rarely get lunch. I’m lucky if I have a protein bar or smoothie while on the run. Today I am driving down to Miss G’s school to have lunch with her so I packed myself a cute lunch too. I’m having a gingerbread girl on Rudi’s Organic whole grain bread with almond butter & blackberry jam. I stuck some raisin buttons on with almond butter. She has cinnamon candy eyes and a fruit leather mouth. I used a Hello Kitty bow for her hair pick. She is surrounded by grape tomatoes on Christmas tree picks. In the top left compartment are pineapple chunks with a candy cane food pick and the top right has organic blueberries and raspberries. Merry Christmas to you all!
I will be taking a break to spend time with my family while the kids are out of school. Hoping everyone has some time to relax and appreciate all the little things in life. I look forward to hearing from you in the new year!
Much Love, Sarah
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | Christmas | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | food blog | Foods | Holidays | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | raw food | school lunch | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | winter | yum
- Leave a Comment
Every day with my kids is a gift. So I decided to put a small gift in Miss G’s lunch today. She has an almond butter and jam sandwich shaped like a Christmas gift on Rudi’s Organic Whole Grain bread. I put a Stretch Island fruit leather bow on top. Above that are breaded soy nuggets in a star silicone cup. Wedged in between is a Hail Merry Vanilla Macaroon for a treat. Pineapple chunks and a peeled clementine are packed in next to her lunch. In the top left are organic blueberries with a peppermint swirl food pick and Christmassy cous cous in the top right with red peppers mixed in packed in her Easy Lunchboxes container
The snack bento of the day is cashews, a small organic apple and purple sweet potato chips in her Happy Tiffin stainless bento box.
My littlest munchkin has a holly lunch today in her LunchBots Quad. From the top left she has organic raspberries with a mitten ring. In between the cups are 2 dried apricots and a Hail Merry brand raw macaroon, cashews in the top right with a holly food pick, organic blueberries and three small holly sandwiches on Rudi’s Organic whole grain bread made with a small cookie cutter stamp.
I packed this fruit and grain snack box to go with my husband’s lunch. In the top compartments are festive colored cous cous and dried cranberries. In the bottom of his Easy LunchBoxes are raspberries, mixed grain and walnut salad, a local organic Florida tangerine and a mini apple.
Christmas trees and snowmen
Posted on: December 19, 2012
- In: allergy friendly | Autumn | bento | casein free | Christmas | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | food blog | Foods | gluten free | Holidays | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | school lunch | snacks | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
- 2 Comments
Miss G (4) has an Easy Lunchboxes container full of goodies today. Her entree is separate. We are loving the mini Crimson Gold organic apples this year. They’re a bit tart and quite crunchy. Best of all they are preschooler sized and fit into any lunchbox. Nothing goes to waste since even a 2 year old can finish one of these. I made gingerbread men and Christmas tree pumpkin muffins this week. In the top is a Christmas tree pumpkin muffin I made in a smaller silicone muffin tray. The gingerbread men came out without limbs (can’t say I recommend the silicone mold on those). They were all delicious but not too pretty for pictures. In the bottom compartment are a peeled clementine orange, grape tomatoes with a candy cane food pick, mini carrots and a mixture of cashews, almonds and pistachios for munching.
This LunchBots Insulated stainless container is filled with homemade vegan chili for Miss G’s main dish for lunch today. The recipe for the chili can be found here and modified depending on how you like it. Vegan Chili Recipe I fill the container with boiling water and let it sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on. I heat the chili during that time, dump the water after 10 minutes and fill the container with chili. She says it’s still warm at lunchtime 5 hours after packing it. The best part about these containers is the wide mouth opening. She can eat out of it just like a bowl without fumbling to get to the bottom or dumping things over.
My 2 year old daughter took a LunchBots Quad for lunch today. From the top left she has a dairy free pumpkin muffin in a Christmas tree shape, a peeled clementine with snowman ring, small mini snowmen sandwiches on Rudi’s organic whole wheat bread made with a small pastry cookie cutter stamp, and pineapple pieces. Both girls always have ice water with their lunches.
Happy lunch packing!
Santa with FunBites
Posted on: December 17, 2012
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | Christmas | dairy free | eating local | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | food blog | Holidays | kids | no waste lunch | obento | organic | plant based | plant strong | school lunch | snacks | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | winter | yum
- 6 Comments
A while back I put this Santa in the chimney lunch together for FunBites. I used their CubeIt cutter and some Rudi’s Organic Whole Grain bread to make the mini sandwiches. I used the crust bread scrap for the top of the chimney and some remaining bread for his face. His eyes and nose are made with Stretch Island brand fruit leather. I used some agave nectar and sprinkled some unsweetened coconut on his face for the beard. His hat is a strawberry half and the top of his hat is a tiny piece of a vegan (dairy free) marshmallow. Above the mini sandwiches are a cup of honeydew melon trees with a Santa cupcake pick and in the top right cup are strawberry stars with a candy cane food pick.
bentoriffic 