Posts Tagged ‘pineapple’
Pancakes and dental week bentos
Posted on: February 6, 2013
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | eco-friendly | egg free | engine 2 diet | food blog | kids | lunchbox | meatless | no waste lunch | nut free | obento | plant based | plant strong | school lunch | snacks | soy free | toddler food | toddler lunch | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food | yum
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Extra flossing and brushing are what’s going on in our house for some extra dental education. Thank goodness Miss A’s teacher reminded me it’s Dental Week this week at her school and all month long is Dental Health Awareness. They’re talking tooth care in the classroom which means I get to break out the molar picks and drill deep for my creative side! Miss A just came back from a dental visit about a week ago with a clean bill of health and a new toothbrush. She is starting to enjoy her visits so I like to keep it all fun for her while she doesn’t have any stress attached to the visits.
I don’t own any tooth cookie cutters so I had to think of what I could make. I went the easy (and lazy route) for pancakes and used Bisquick pancake mix, which is vegan. I didn’t say healthy, but it was quick. I also added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I used EnerG egg replacer and unsweetened almond milk in the mix in place of eggs and cow’s milk & poured it into a pancake bottle like the one below. In the top compartments of her Easy LunchBoxes containers are organic plums, blueberries and a strawberry on a “tooth” pick. Get it? I hand drew a toothpaste bottle, a molar and a small toothbrush. I accented the tooth with 2 vegan (dairy free) chocolate chips and a fruit leather mouth. Next to her lunchbox is an Easy Lunchboxes Mini Dipper container with organic maple syrup in it.
Snacktime today will be loads of fruit. From the top left in her LunchBots Quad are sliced local strawberries, d’anjou pear pieces, pinapple chunks and sliced local Minneolas which are technically tangelos but look like a small orange.
Another flirtatious lunch for my husband today with I heart you pancakes. The big stack underneath are all heart shaped pancakes and 2 small organic plums propping up the I and the U. I also included a bunch of grape tomatoes and blueberries in his Easy LunchBoxes container today. Not shown is his Mini Dippers container with maple syrup.
My other preschooler has the same lunch as above with dental themed pancakes, plums, blueberries and a strawberry on top in her Easy Lunchboxes. Happy Lunch Packing!
Things I used to make this lunch:
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I know it’s still snowing & cruddy almost everywhere else but here. We’ve had some cooler weather for Florida, but we are definitely spoiled with the sunshine and year round produce. We picked some local strawberries last week so there are still some left that I hadn’t frozen for smoothies yet.
Whenever I’m at a loss for things to make, I often turn to wraps. You can use dinner leftovers, lunch leftovers and pack it into a tortilla for a new meal. I used Rudi’s Organic Spelt Tortillas to make vegetable wraps. I used a homemade sunflower seed spread on the base, julienned carrots and cucumbers and pile on a small heap of steamed edamame and wrapped. I like to refrigerate them for a few minutes before attempting to cut them. The picks (bunnies in this lunchbox) help keep them together for little fingers. In with the mini wraps for Miss A are sugar snap peas and pineapple. At the top are organic raspberries, blueberries and strawberries in her Easy Lunchboxes container.
My favorite bento store, Bento USA by All Things For Sale carries some fabulous and very affordable ways to change up lunchtime. This new building block snack box is a favorite of ours for quick snacks. This one has pineapple, strawberries and sugar snap peas in it for a healthy, quick preschool snack.
Yes, it is possible to flirt even in a packed lunch. I’m not sure that the letters and hearts stay in place, but I’m hoping he gets the idea. My husband has the grown up version of the same sunflower spread and veggie wraps. I made a grape tomato heart on top and the letters are cut out of Stretch Island fruit leather. He has sugar snap peas and last night’s steamed lemon, shallots and slivered almond brussell sprouts in the top right compartment of his Easy LunchBoxes container.
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Please click on each photo below to find out where to purchase the same lunch supplies:
Gluten Free Pasta bentos
Posted on: January 31, 2013
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My favorite pasta place in town, Peperonata Pasta in Sarasota, FL has started making gluten free, egg free, soy based pasta, and we love the fun shapes! I buy it at the Saturday Farmer’s Market fresh. These creste shapes are made to look like a rooster’s comb, and my kids love them!
I cooked the pasta and then stirred in some seasoned black beans, steamed broccoli and topped with black olives. Included are honeydew melon and cantaloupe balls and a silicone cup of red grape tomatoes in my 4 year old’s Easy LunchBoxes container.
A simple fruity snack box went off with Miss G today too. In her LunchBots Uno, she has watermelon, strawberries, pineapple and kiwi slices.
Little Miss just turned 3 has a smaller version of the same gluten free pasta with black beans and broccoli with black olives and a rainbow of fresh fruit in her LunchBots Duo with sliced kiwi, pineapple and watermelon pieces. Both girls have ice water daily with their lunches.
Just read a great quote that I loved so I’m sharing it below. Happy Thursday!
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Happy birthday to Miss A
Posted on: January 25, 2013
- In: allergy friendly | bento | casein free | dairy free | 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 | soy free | Vegan | Vegetarian | whole food
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It was Miss A’s birthday this week. She turned 3. I think every mother sits back and asks where the time went. It certainly doesn’t feel like 3 years ago! In any case, I made her a special birthday lunch, and her Easy LunchBoxes container came back empty which is always a sign of success to me.
I used the LunchPunch birthday cake cutter on Rudi’s Whole Wheat bread. Inside is Justin’s Almond butter with a bit of agave nectar. I cut a 3 out of Stretch Island fruit leather and used a tiny heart cutter for the flames of the candles. On either side of the sandwich are heart picks of organic blueberries. In the top left compartment are 3 pineapple chunks and three candle cupcake picks and in the top right are 3 number 3 pieces of watermelon and a date and raisin ball rolled in coconut.
Her favorite present? A Stitch action figure which I found on eBay. He speaks alien, makes laser gun noises and comes with green alien drool. I know, I’m not winning mother of the year in some people’s eyes, but she LOVES her Lilo and Stitch Disney movies.
Miss G wanted to make her own lunch today so I obliged. She had a cupcake shaped sandwich with the same LunchPunch set. She filled it with chocolate almond butter and cut a fruit leather cherry for the top. She also has organic blueberries and ice cream cone shaped watermelon pieces in her Easy Lunchboxes container.
My husband is having last night’s leftovers of barbeque black eyed peas, beans and vegetables. It’s as simple as it sounds. Cook black eyed pease and your favorite beans (I used pintos) or open the can & dump into a skillet. In a separate skillet I cooked 2 carrots chopped, 1 shallot finely chopped, 1 cup of peas and 2 turnips and sauteed them in a separate skillet until cooked. I used about a 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce and coated the beans while heating them. When the vegetables were done cooking, I merged the two and coated it all with the barbeque sauce. Dinner is served! In the top left are pineapple pieces and in the right compartment are watermelon pieces in his Easy Lunchboxes container.
Please click on each photo to find out where I bought tools I used to make this lunch:
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
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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!
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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.
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
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“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
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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
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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
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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!
bentoriffic 