Back to School!!

2 snacks to share today :)

Left to Right:

Ground Cherries, Cherry Tomatoes, Allergy-Friendly Popcorn Balls (wrapped)

Organic sandwich cookies (first day treat!) Bagel

Left to Right:

Allergy-Friendly Popcorn Balls, Ground Cherries

Hummus and Corn Chips

Strawberry Season

Grady and I picked a bunch of berries this week. I finally found a farm that doesn't spray and has *pick your own berries*. Berries are listed in the *Dirty Dozen* so it is something I tend to buy organic, but still wanted to experience picking them with the kids. Here is Ainnsley's Snack and Lunch for today;

Snack:

Organic whole grain little toasts, laughing cow cheese and little stick to spread, an Enjoy Life allergen free brownie.

Strawberries, and a presidents choice organic toddler rice crispy treat.

Lunch:

Organic apple sauce with cinnamon, organic Late July crackers with hummus

an allergy friendly Blueberry Oat Square, strawberries, and airplane shaped cheese

Laughing Cow

Ainnsley is hard to please with lunches these days. Summer can't get here soon enough. I think she is just tired of cold packed lunches. This triangle spreadable cheese has been a big hit the last few days....and she has come home in a much better mood. Ainnsley (like all kids I am sure) if she comes home just miserable, and emotional, and nothing in the world can go right, I immediately know why and check her lunch bag and sure enough, she has hardly eaten her lunch.

Left to Right:

Toasted whole grain rye sour bread, laughing cow herb and garlic cheese

Carrots and natural poppy seeds dip (in little container) Yogurt covered raisins and fruit strip

Check out what else is for lunch @ What's For Lunch Wednesday

A simple snack

This snack is packed in an oval Ecolunchbox

Round container filled with hummus, Black bean chips, raspberries and mango chunks.

Ainnsley's Snack

This snack is packed in a Lunchbot

Left to Right:

Bagel with butter, airplane cheese, natural yogurt covered raisins

Raspberries, organic sandwich cookies, 100% fruit bites

Check out what else is for lunch toay @ What's For Lunch Wednesday

For a Princess

Left to Right:

Crown shape (sunbutter and jelly) sandwich, sweet peppers and poppy seed organic dressing to dip

Berries, and Spelt Ginger Snap cookies.

Flowers

Left to Right:

Organic cereal bar, spelt ginger snap cookies, cheese

squeez 100% fruit (apple sauce that wont spill woohoo)

Check out what is for lunch today here :What's For Lunch Wednesday

Falafel Chip Snack

New Oval Eco Lunchbox filled with Hummus, GF Falafel chips, GF chocolate cookies, Berries

Eco Lunchboxes

So excited about my new find! It is the answer I have been looking for. The Eco Lunchbox has little covered containers that fit right inside! Ainnsley is so particular about food touching, or her sandwich getting soggy (who can blame her) that I end up using plastic wrap more often then I would like, and things like yogurt or apple sauce just spill in her other bentos. This thing is perfect! YEAH!

Today's Lunch

Bottom Tier Popcorn

Top Tier: Yogurt, Crackers and Cheese, Spoon, Grape Skewers, Strawberries, and Ginger Snap cookies

yogurt safe with lid on

More Easter Lunches

Left to Right:

Apple

natural yogurt covered raisins, crackers, cheese

Top to Bottom:

Quinoa Crunchies, bagel with butter, grapes, mini egg nest

Cucumber with dill, berries

Left to Right:

Crackers and chick cheese, bagel with butter

Clementines, grapes and chocolate eggs, with 2 fluffy chicks

Owen's Lunch

April is Autism Awareness Month, and my 8 year old son Owen, has Autism. I thought I would feature one of Owen’s lunches today even though it is not a *bento* lunch, and give you some information about autism.

Autism affects 1 in 110 Children, and 1 in 70 Boys

Here are some of the warning signs

• No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter

• No babbling by 12 months

• No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months

• No words by 16 months

• No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months

• Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

Owen has a number of sensory issues. This is very common in people with autism.

What are the symptoms?

Children with sensory integration dysfunction cannot properly process sensory stimulation from the outside world. Your child may:

·   Either be in constant motion or fatigue easily or go back and forth between the two.

·   Withdraw when being touched.

·   Refuse to eat certain foods because of how the foods feel when chewed.

·   Be oversensitive to odors.

·   Be hypersensitive to certain fabrics and only wear clothes that are soft or that they find pleasing.

·   Dislike getting his or her hands dirty.

·   Be uncomfortable with some movements, such as swinging, sliding, or going down ramps or other inclines. Your young child may have trouble learning to climb, go down stairs, or ride an escalator.

·   Have difficulty calming himself or herself after exercise or after becoming upset.

·   Jump, swing, and spin excessively.

·   Appear clumsy, trip easily, or have poor balance.

·   Have odd posture.

·   Have difficulty handling small objects such as buttons or snaps.

·   Be overly sensitive to sound. Vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, hair dryers, leaf blowers, or sirens may upset your child.

·   Lack creativity and variety in play. For instance, your child may play with the same toys in the same manner over and over or prefer only to watch TV or videos.

Owen is a very picky eater, and it isn’t a situation where one can just *make him eat it or he gets nothing for dinner* he would actually eat nothing A LOT, nutrition is a big concern for us. Owen doesn’t just want sweets or junk, he dislikes anything soft or wet, and refuses to eat ice cream, pudding, most desserts really unless they have some good crunch, or strong flavours.

In the near future, we are going to start to try the Gluten/Dairy Free diet with Owen. It is something we tried and failed at once before because of all his food aversions. Now though, I have built up enough *likes* from Owen that I feel confident we can make it happen and stick with it long enough to see if it makes any difference. Owen has a Drs apt next month, and we are going to do the Celiac testing, and then I will officially start. It is very important to be tested before you remove anything from a person’s diet.

Here is a typical Owen school lunch. His lunch is packed in the OOTS Lunchbox. I love this sucker for him. It is perfect for an 8 year old boy or an adult, way too big for Ainnsley. Owen has 2 snacks and a lunch time.

Top to Bottom:

Popcorn

Blackbean corn chips (Garden of Eatin)

Clementine and grapes

Amy's Organic Lentil Soup, natural yogurt covered raisins and fruit strips

Easter Nest

It is the week before Easter, so my themed lunches are in full swing! Today Ainnsley got a special treat with Cadbury mini eggs in her lunch. I don’t often pack junk in her lunch, but for Halloween and Easter, I add 1 treat each day for the week.

As a family, we are scaling back the chocolate BIG time this year. With all of Grady’s allergies, it just isn’t fair, (though I plan to hand make some chocolate for him). Giving up Chocolate at Easter has been a hard thing for me to do. It was such a tradition in my childhood. Growing up, my Dad was a floor manager at a Cadbury’s factory (the luckiest kid in the world!!!). Easter was INSANE! I mean chocolate coming out of our ears! I can remember going up to our Great Grandfathers Farm for Easter one year to make maple syrup. My Dad telling us to go get the buckets out of the giant barn, only to find it FILLED with Cadbury Mini Eggs! I mean BURSTING with them. I bet you could still find some today… only about 25 years later.

I also remember going on tours of the factory. We got to bring grocery bags, and pick anything we wanted out of the broken bins… I remember stocking up on the sponge toffee of the Crunchy Bar; my favourite! And yes, I DO know the Caramilk Secret!

Hmm starting to see a reason for my prior poor eating habits.

Ainnsley's snack today:

Left to Right:

Natural yogurt covered raisins, Carrot and Bunny Cheese, 7 grain crackers

Cucumber bites with dried dill, strawberries

Lunch:

Left to Right:

Blackberries, salmon salad Chick shaped sandwich

Grape skewers, Cadbury Mini Eggs

I added this post to What's for Lunch Wednesday be sure to check it out there, along with all the other lunches :)

Bunny sandwich

A Bunny Jam Sandwich

(whole grain bread cut with cookie cutter, carrot whiskers, carob chip nose, cheese eyes, mouth and ears)

Watermelon with Bunny fork, and grapes with bunny skewer

Check out what else is for lunch today @ What's For Lunch Wednesday

Penguins

After a weekend with a Happy Feet Birthday Theme, I continued it into Ainnsley's snack

Left to Right:

Raisins, 7 grain crackers, penguin cheese

tortilla chips and berries

Here are the cupcakes I made for my 8 year old sons birthday

You can check out more of my cakes here: Fresh4five Cake Page

and don't forget to check out what else is for lunch at What's For Lunch Wednesday

Little Chicks

Here are 2 Spring/Easter snacks Ainnsley had this week

Left to Right:

Grape and cherry tomato *eggs*

100% fruit bites behind the chick divider, bunny and chick cheese, 7 grain crackers

Left to Right:

Grape Skewers, Rice Crackers, Hummus

100% fruit bites, cheese, GF/DF oatmeal chocolate chip cookie (recipe soon)

Check out what else is for lunch today at; What's For Lunch Wednesday

Happy little Bento

Snack:

Left toRight:

Sliced apple (soaked first in apple juice)

Energy Balls, Cheese (wrapped because of apple moisture)

Lunch

Left to Right:

Hummus, Bread sticks, Energy balls, clementine sections

check out what else is for lunch @ What's For Lunch Wednesday

Dairy/soy free Chicken Waldorf Salad

Snack...yet again more hummus... lol her fav!

Left to Right:

Whole grain toast bites and hummus

Watermelon and grapes

For lunch today Ainnsley also had a Thermos full of soup :)

Watermelon

Dairy/Soy Free Chicken Waldorf Salad

February 23, 2011

A couple of Snacks

Left to Right

Carrots, container of hummus, spelt lemon snap cookies

7 grain crackers, cheese

Left to Right

Crackers, hummus

Lemon snap cookies, carrots



February 22nd, 2011

A butterfly crown for my princess

Left to Right:

Sun-butter and jam sandwich

Raspberries, cereal bar, spelt lemon snap cookies

Mango!

Easiest way to cut a mango:

Ainnsley's Lunch

Left to Right:

Mango Chunks, carrot sticks and container of hummus

Bagel with butter and cheddar cheese

February 16 2011

Left to Right:

Kiwi, spelt lemon snap cookies, starwberry friends

Grape Skewers, everything bagel with butter and cheddar cheese

Check out what else is for lunch today @ What's for Lunch Wednesday

Nacho Snack

Ainnsley LOVED this snack. I will have to find a different way to send the salsa, because she said it spilt.

Valenties Day

This is a simple kind of boring box! I couldn't find my heart cutters :( So I made do. It is pizza day today at school, and her class party with treats, so I am sure she will have enough goodies today!

Left to Right:

Melon chunks, blueberries

Hummus and bread sticks

February 11th 2011

Another Lunchbot lunch

Left to Right

Everything bagel with cheese, blueberries

Ginger snap cookies, airplane cheese, and clementine sections

February 9th

Left to Right:

carrot shaped cheese, clementine sections

Grain-free, Dairy Free, Sugar free coffee cake, blueberries

Check out what else is For lunch Wednesday

February 8th

A yummy lunch for Miss Ainnsley

Left to Right:

Star shaped Sun Butter and Jam Sandwich, container of hummus for carrots

Blueberries, Car cheese, Carrot sticks

shapes

I think I need to start numbering my bentos, because I can't come up with titles..Ainnsley's class is learning 2D shapes

Snack:

Left to Right

Hummus and bread sticks

Ginger snap cookies, clementine sections, blueberries

Lunch:

Left to Right:

Pickles, ginger snap cookies, circle/triangle/square cheese

Strawberries, bagel with butter

2011 is here

My girl was back to school for the first time last week! We have all been sick. I haven't been posting...

Here is today's lunch and snack...nothing fancy...still not feeling fancy :) but getting there!

Snack:

Black Bean Brownie, berries, raisins

hummus and toasted rye bread

lunch

Whole Wheat bagel with butter

 Black Bean brownie, ginger snap cookies, cheese

(bottom layer of this bento had orange slices)

Don't forget to check out: What's For Lunch Wednesday for more ideas