A Little Apple Crisp

Last night I made a batch of little Maple Apple Crisps. They turned out delicious, and Ainnsley was excited to get one in her lunch today. you can find the recipe here: Fresh4five

Snack:

 

Left to Right:

Mini Maple Apple Crisp, Raisins

Cheese, clementine sections

Lunch:

Left to Right:

Carrots and little container of hummus, Egg salad whole wheat wrap

Energy balls

Another Frog

Ainnsley asked me when she got home from school yesterday if she could have another frog sandwich in her Princess and the Frog box for today. I was happy to accommodate :)

Yesterday the mail man also delivered some of the new things for Bento making that I ordered off Ebay. YEAH! like the new frog mini fork seen in her lunch, and the bow pick, used in her "mini shaped energy balls".

The energy balls are a big hit around here with everyone. I found the recipe here on; The Whole Life Nutrition I also have them featured here on my healthy recipe blog; Fresh4five

Snack:

Left to Right:

flower shaped cheese and 7 grain crackers

Strawberries, Energy Ball Mini, Clementine sections

Lunch:

Left to Right

Frog shaped Sunflower butter and jam sandwich,

Cut up Strawberries and new froggy fork :), 3 small Energy Balls

A simple snack

Today Ainnsley took a thermus of soup for lunch, so just a picture of her snack for today.

Left to Right:

clementine/strawberry blossom, Carrot sticks and Hummus

Carrot shaped cheese and crackers, Strawberries

Another Monday

snack:

Left to Right

Strawberries and hummus

Toast for humus, Granola Bar

Lunch:

Left to Right:

Sunflower seed butter and Jelly sandwich

Cucumber, Cheese, clementine sections

Packed Full!

Today *A* had a Huge lunch! I didn't want her to come home hungry today, and I made sure nothing would spill over. I also made a first attempt at a clean and healthy granola bar recipe, it is very edible, but I think I can tweek it a bit more before sharing.

Snack:

Left to Right:

Homemade Granola Bar, cheese and crackers

sliced apple dipped in juice so it doesn't brown

Lunch:

Top to Bottom:

Cucumber stars, raspberries, raisins, salmon salad wrap

Carrots, and hummus, raspberries, and Granola Bar

She requested hummus from now on, saying she doesn't like dip (salad dressing) even better!

Hearts

So, I have learned a few things so far in this bento packing adventure; things that don’t work and things *A* will not eat. For instance, the cucumber really sweats, and loses a lot of water, which has made her sandwich soggy one day (so she didn’t eat it) and then today she told me her cucumber and cherries were melting, so she didn’t eat them *hehe*. This wasn’t an issue the first couple times I packed the cucumber, and I am thinking the difference is that I started to add some sea salt to them. So, I am going to stop doing that, and see if it helps.  On another note, her yogurt has spilled all over her stuff the last 2 days! What a pain! That was not an issue with the apple sauce, and I am not sure what the difference is, except that I put a “fruit leather” shape on top of the apple sauce. Can that really make a difference? I also started to put her lunch bag in her backpack instead of attached on the outside as it is designed, because it looks more comfortable for her to carry, but maybe that is bouncing things around more…either way, there will not be any more yogurt sent without a lid until I test it.

So here is today’s snack with the *melting* cucumber

Left to Right:

Heart shaped cucumber, ground cherries

Raisins, heart shaped cheese and 7 grain crackers

Lunch:

Top to Bottom:

Heart shaped Sunflowers seed butter and jelly sandwich, carrots and hummus

Yogurt, 1/4 of an apple, Sweets and Beets chips

Pickles and Chips

Feeling a little uninspired last night, but she was still happy :)

Snack

Left to Right:

Grape and Ground Cherry Skewers, Pickles

7 Grain crackers and Cream cheese, Raisins

Lunch

 

Left to Right:

Sweet potato & Beet chips

Yogurt, clementine sections, and a sunflower seed butter and jelly sandwich

On the hunt for some lunch items at the store this weekend, I came across these chips.

You wont find a lot of prepackaged food in the bento's I make, but these have an ingredient list that is hard to pass up!

I then of course think; " these would be easy enough to make!" but it will be nice to have something in the cupboard as a quick box filler, and still be good for her!

Fiesta Lunch

Today I sent Ainnsley in with a bento snack, and then some left over Chili for lunch Mmmm Mmmm...

Snack:

Left ot Right:

Water Melon cut into Flowers

Salsa and Cream Cheese Roll ups, Raisins

Lunch:

Homemade Chili and Toast

I had to wrap the toast in plastic wrap, a reminder I need to buy some of those cloth sandwich wraps

Stars and Ducks

Lunch items were getting slim for today. I guess that means I will be spending some time at the grocery store this weekend!

Snack:

Left to Right:

Toasted 7 grain bread (out of crackers) Hummus

Babybel cheese, Raisins, Ground Cherries (found in this weeks CSA share again that arrived yesterday)

Lunch:

Left to Right:

Stacked  duck shaped Cucumber and Cheese, Ground Cherries

Carrot sticks with little blue container of dip, Clementine sections, sun flower seed butter and sugar free jam sandwiches cut into a star.

Flowers

Today's snack;

Left to Right:

cucumbers cut into flower shapes, strawberries.

Nikki's Healthy cookie, left over cheese too small to make a shape.

Lunch:

Left to Right:

Pasta Salad

clementine sections, babybel cheese , sunflower seed butter and sugar free jam sandwiches

Cars and Planes

Today I tried out my plane and car cutters. They are really cute! I also made a batch of "Nikki's Healthy Cookies" from the blog 101 cookbooks, I used carob chips and I also switched the almond flour for brown rice flour since our school is nut free. If you tolerate Gluten, you could switch for whole wheat pastry flour instead.

I also baked them right in my new Wilton silicone cups, as seen here on Another Lunch with her Granola Bars. I am going to try and come up with a granola bar recipe myself next week. These look great except for the brown sugar, as we are sugar free. 

            Snack:

Left to Right

Nikki's Healthy cookie, Strawberries

Plane shaped cheese and 7 grain crackers, and more strawberries

Top to Bottom

Tomato and hummus sandwich, apple sauce and fruit leather

Pasta salad, grapes and car fruit leather skewers, carrot sticks

This is my tomato monsters favourite sandwich:

I had a friend ask me about ice packs, so today I took some pics of her lunch packed up. This lunch is in a 2 tier bento box:

They have to stay upright, so they look the same when she opens them at school, and these narrow boxes fit perfectly into her Jessie Lunch bag with icepack

The lunch bag then attaches to the outside of her Jessie Backpack upright

Tinkerbell and Disney Princess

Today *A* requested her Tinkerbell and Princess box. So we are officially through all her boxes! I wonder which will be her favourite :)

Snack

Left to Right:

Cheese cut into stars, and 100% fruit straws (magic wand?), 7 Grain Crackers

Grapes and Raspberries

Lunch

Top to Bottom

Carrot Sticks, Apple Sauce and fruit leather

Sunflower Seed Butter and Sugar Free Jelly Sandwich cut into a crown, Cherry Tomatoes from our garden!

full day of JK

Today is the first full day of JK for my little girl. It is so quiet around here!


Her school has what they call a *balanced day*. The kids get two nutritional breaks a day that are 40minutes long; 20 minutes to eat, and 20 minutes to play at 10am and 1pm. I have to pack a snack for 10am, and a lunch for 1pm.

*A* requested her Bunny box and Princess and the Frog box. For now I am trying to make the lunch theme fit the box.


Here is her Bunny Snack :

Left to Right:

Carrots and hummus

7 grain crackers and carrot cut out cheddar cheese

Skewered grapes and ground cherries

Her Princess and the Frog lunch:

Top to Bottom:

Frog shaped Sunflower Seed Butter and Sugar Free Jam sandwich on whole wheat bread (fruit lether face)

Strawberries, and Kale Chips

First Day of JK

Today was my little girls first day of JK. It is only a half day today, but she will attend full time 5 days a week starting Monday. She is so excited; I however barely held it together. They just grow up too fast.

Today I just had to pack 1 snack, and *A* requested her Mini Mouse box. I really planned to do my school lunch shopping this weekend, so we just worked with what we had in the house.

My very FIRST JK Bento

From left to Right:

Clementine and Grape Flower Blossom, raisins, Sugar/Dairy/Gluten Free Zucchini Bread cut into circles with a bow food pick to look like Mini, Ground Cherries.

Ground Cherries are so delicious; I had them for the first time last year when we received them in our weekly CSA (Community Shared Agriculture). My kids love them, as do I. They are juicy and sweet, and they travel well, popping right out of the husk.

They are in the tomato family, and like a goose berry (so I hear, I haven't eaten a goose berry before)
Delicious!