First Lunches Of The New Year!

Hello there! I trust you all had a wonderful holiday and winter break! We did but I am so ready for the troops to head back to school. Our oldest daughter still has two weeks left before her second semester begins. She's looking forward to peace and quiet so she can catch up on some reading. I am looking forward to getting things organized around here, and of course the peace and quiet. So let's talk lunch and today I have a recipe for you also.

I made three lunches for today. The first is for my youngest girl. I thought she could us a bit of whimsy. She has a mermaid princess lunch today.

She has a ham sandwich, cashews, grapes, oranges, cucumbers, peppers, and carrots.

This is my moms favorite lunch. She asked me a few months ago to come up with a chicken salad recipe because she didn't like the store bought versions anymore.

This is lunch for my daughters boyfriend. He has croissants with chicken salad, grapes, an orange, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers. He also has a bag of plain chips, a cheese stick, and a water.

This is lunch for my mom. She has croissants, chicken salad, cucumbers, carrots, grapes and an orange.

Now here is my recipe for chicken salad.

Chicken Salad

1 large can of chicken breast or rotisserie chicken pulled from bone
20 or so grapes, halved
1/4 cup almond slivers, pecans or walnuts ( I used almond slivers)
2-3 tablespoons of mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Drain chicken and place in bowl, shred chicken. Place the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and mix well. Pile high on your favorite bread or wrap. You can even use lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

It's such a simple and yummy recipe. It only takes minutes to make.

Summer Lunches!

We only have a little under two weeks before we go back to school here. I decided to make the kids a cute bento to get back into the swing of things. I made two really quick lunches today for my youngest two kiddos. Here are our Summer lunches.

The boy has a Star Wars lunch today. He has P.B.&J. sammies, low salt chips and a clementine orange. I also gave him a cute Star Wars napkin I made myself!

This was what was left after lunch!

 

This is lunch for the youngest girl. She has a turtle peanut butter sandwich. I also used up the bread that was left by making these tiny flower sandwiches. She also as fresh cherries, apple slices and low salt chips. I also gave her a cute little turtle napkin that I made!                                               

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!            

EasyLunchbox Review!

Hey there! Summer is in full swing. I can't believe it is the middle of July already! If you are anything like me when the Back To School signs start going up and the stores start putting out the school supplies you start planning for the new school year. I want to give you a little something to help you out in your decisions on which lunch containers you can purchase. I think you will find this review most helpful. Today I am reviewing the complete EasyLunchbox system. That's right the entire system. The EasyLunchbox, Mini Dippers and the EasyLunchbox Lunch Bag! Let's get started with the EasyLunchbox.

 

Here you have the two different sets of EasyLunchboxes! They come in sets of four. On your left are the Brights and on your right you have the Classic colors. In the middle are the Mini Dippers.

 

 

This EasyLunchbox is from the Classics set. I put in a couple of the Mini Dippers so you could see how easily they fit inside. The EasyLunchbox is great for portion control. You can fit just the right amount of food in these. They are great for anyone at any age. They are also microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe. The EasyLunchbox is FDA approved, BPA free, PVC and Phthalate free. They are however not leak proof. But that's okay because this is where the Mini Dippers come in!                  

                 

 

The Mini Dippers are so versatile. I use them for everything! I even put milk money in them and just pop it into the lunchbox. No more lost milk money! Here are a few examples of what I pack in them.                                                                                                                                                    

 

These little boxes are leak free so you can feel confident when you pack one that everything will stay safely inside. The lids are super easy to remove so little hands will have no problem managing them. They also fit perfectly in the EasyLunchbox. They are dishwasher and freezer safe. However they are not microwave safe. They do not  contain any BPA or Phthalates. These are an awesome addition to your EasyLunchboxes ! 

 

                                                                                                                          
                                   Here is a recently packed lunch. Doesn't it look yummy?

 

Last but definitely not least. The EasyLunchbox lunch bag. I got this one for my boy. Orange is a great color! These bags come in seven different color choices. Something for everyone. They also hold up to three EasyLunchboxes at a time and are great for outings! They are non-vinyl, FDA approved and the liner is PEVA. They are lead free, PVC free and non-toxic. When these babies come home dirty you can just throw it in the wash and it comes out clean and fresh. We own seven of them and love them!                                                                                                                                  

Now that you have the facts lets talk about why I like them! Okay LOVE them. I have owned most of my EasyLunchboxes for around eight months. They still look brand new. I can't say that about every container. My family also request their meals in them which is fine by me because clean up is a breeze. When I pack lunch they are my go to box. I know anything I pack will be well received and delicious. They are just great all the way around and affordable. I highly recommend them to anyone who packs lunch.  I hope this was helpful. I know I like to be an informed consumer. I bet you do too. See you round next time!                                                                                                       

 

You can order yours by clicking on the images above.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                    

                  * The post reflects solely my views. I was not compensated in any way. The opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

 

                                     

 

 

 

Cuddle Palz Review!

It's my very first review and I have an awesome product to share with you! Last weekend I received the brand spankin new Cuddle Palz cutter by CuteZCute. I will tell you that this cutter is so adorable. Get one of these and you will be making the cutest sammies in town. Your kiddos will be the envy of the lunchroom. Today I put this little gem to the test and made three different sandwiches for my youngest kids. We used our EasyLunchboxes for the lunches.

This little cutie is for my ten year old. I used the bear head cutter and made a simple little sandwich. I added a pretty red bow, Just because. To use up the leftover bread I also made three mini bear sandwiches. She had ham on the sandwiches, cucumbers, cashews, grapes and a few chips.

In this lunch I made a tiger ham sandwich for my youngest girl. She also has sweet peppers, cucumbers, a cheese stick, grapes and chips.

 

I made this cute little hamster pocket sammie for the boy. I added a top hat food pick for flare. I can totally get away with the cuteness when he is at home. Ha! Ha! He also has grapes and chips.         

 

The Cuddle Pals Sandwich cutter did not dissapoint. This simple sandwich cutter is the most versatile yet and has the same great quality that CuteZCute is known for. It has over 40 different ways to create a unique sandwich. You can also use the cutter for cheese, lunchmeat, rice,fruit and veggies. Not to mention you can also use the cutter to make cookies and shape fondant! It is a great value! Don't just take my word for it! Get your own and try out your own combinations. Believe me you will glad you did!     

                                                                                                                                    

Want your own CuteZCute Cuddle Palz Sandwich Cutter? Simply go to the All Things For Sale link in the top corner of this blog or by clicking on the picture below and get your own!

 

Products I used in this post:

 

  

 

-This post contains affiliate links. I did not receive compensation for this review. The opinions of the product are my own.-

 

 

 

Winner! Winner! Chicken Sliders For Dinner!

Sunday night it was just me and the younger three kids so I decided to make a fun dinner. I made chicken fillets and put them on slider rolls. I put all the contents in our trusty EasyLunchboxes. Boy that dinner was a total hit. Here is what they looked like.

This was dinner for the girls. The youngest had a chicken slider, cantaloupe, watermelon, blueberries and two heart shaped cups of peas. The middle girl had chicken sliders, watermelon, grapes and peas.

 

This was dinner for the boy. He has two chicken sliders, apples and bananas.

Dinner was a huge hit. I love nights when the kids want to eat dinner. So this really was a winner.

Mr. Monkey and DIY Lunchables!

Yesterday I got a request for DIY lunchables. My oldest had a couple of friends over and they were very excited to get a bento. My mom also asked me to pack her a lunch for work. So my mom took Mr. Monkey for lunch.

She has two bologna sandwiches, goldfish grahams, bunny crackers, pretzels, grapes and a Babybell.

 

Five lunchables. The kids have bologna, crackers, bunny grahams, grapes and veggies by request.

 

They all enjoyed the lunchables. All five kids brought back an empty box. A yummy lunch and happy kiddos is always a plus.                                                                                                                            

Hotdog People!

Do you ever recall a memory from your childhood of something special that your parents did for you? I remembered today a treat my mama used to make for me when I was a little girl while heating leftovers from yesterdays cookout. She used to make hotdog men for me. I loved it when she would make them. It really made me feel special. So going on the fondness of that memory I decided to resurrect the hotdog man and put my own little spin on it. Here is my version of a childhood favorite.

 

Yes this was dinner and yes I used my Easy Lunchboxes. The kids had spent the day in the pool and Easy Lunchboxes were the perfect way to serve up this delicious treat. They made it easy for them to slip out of the pool and have dinner on the patio. In this dinner box they had hotdogs, Annie's macaroni and cheese, corn, grapes and mandarin oranges. YUM! They all enjoyed dinner, even my 16 year old and her friend. I hope you enjoyed my version of one of my childhood favorites. Think back to a special treat you had when little and recreate it with your own personal touch.               

Chicken Wraps!

Hey there. We only have a few days left of school now. This week has gone by so fast and time has really gotten away from me. Here are a few lunches from this week. We used leftovers from taco night. The kids really enjoyed these lunches!

 

The oldest used the Planetbox for lunch. She has a chicken wrap, peppers, carrots, sugar snap peas, grapes, sunflower seeds and Annie's gummy bunnies.

 

This s lunch for my littlest. She used our large Lunchbot Trio. She has a chicken wrap, lettuce, pistachios, sugar snap peas, grapes, carrots and peppers.

 

This is lunch for the middle girl. She used one of our Easy Lunchboxes so she could heat her food up. She has a beef soft taco, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce. grapes, shredded cheese and Annie's gummy bunnies.                                                                                                                                                             

Lunch For Five!

Hey there. Hope you had a fabulous holiday weekend. We hung out by the pool and grilled out all weekend long. The kiddos are still recovering from all the swimming and mom is trying to pull the house back together after a long weekend of doing almost nothing. Ha ha! We all need a break sometimes! The kids went back to school yesterday and I can tell they are so ready for summer vacation. Am I ready? Well, heck no! I have mixed feeling about summer. I have what you would call a love hate relationship with it. I love the aspect of not being on a schedule or tied down to anything. But I also hate the fact that this too small house is overflowing with people. Now don't get me wrong I love the kids being here, Why else would I have had them? But when the whining starts I begin to count down the days until the new school year begins.  Now that I have all that off my chest lets check out todays lunch.

Today I packed five lunches. In this first picture I packed flatbread ham and swiss sandwiches for three. They are all tailored to suit each persons taste.

 

The two youngest girls wanted leftover hot dogs from the grill so that is what they got. Waste not want not I say. Each lunch has fruits and veggies of their choice. The boy wanted to buy lunch today so he has a school lunch today.
These super simple meals took little time to throw together. Have a great day and I will see you around real soon!

DIY Lunchables!

Hey there! I know I have been MIA lately with my post but we have been super busy. The kids are still packing but lunches have not been as cute as normal. We packed DIY Lunchables this week. A kiddo favorite!

All the kids took pretty much the same lunchable. The veggies and fruit are different and suited to each kid.

 

They really enjoy these lunches. They take just a little time to make so they are a favorite of mine also. Anything to save time is a plus in my book.                                                                              

Spaghetti, Sandwiches and Salad!

Last night I made seven lunches for my family in about thirty minutes. I made spaghetti  for the boy.

                                                   He also took grapes and pretzels.

I made fun sandwiches for the girls. These were so easy to make and took little time.

 

All four girls had ham sandwiches and lots of yummy veggies and fruit.

 

I made this salad for my sisters lunch.

 

 

 

Isn't it cute! What could be easier than a salad with all the fixings on the side.

I also made my mom a lunch. She took a ham sandwich and pretzels.

 

Lunch doesn't have to be time consuming to be cute and nutritious.

The Simple Sandwich!

Hello there! It has been a little over a week since I wrote up a post. The kids have been eating. Ha Ha!!! I have been battling a horrible sinus infection that just keeps hanging on and doesn't want to let go. I am feeling better today so I thought I would say hello! As most of you know I like to keep Sundays simple when it comes to packing lunch for Monday. So here are simple sandwiches for my girlies.

 

I threw in some Lunchbox love today with quirky fun facts.

Top lunches: Ham sandwich, pretzels, sunflower seeds, grapes, sugar snap peas and sweet peppers.

The littlest had carrots also. Bottom: Ham sandwich, pretzels, sunflower seeds, grapes, carrots and celery.                                                                                                                                                  

 

It's Time For A Star Wars Blog Hop!

Hello there and happy Sunday to you all. Today some friends of mine are doing a Star Wars blog hop. I am so honored to be a part of this. My family are what a lot of people would call geeks. It doesn't bother us one bit. We are happy to be nerds!I made two very different lunches for this hop. One for The Dark Side ( the Sith) and one for The Light Side ( Jedi). I hope you enjoy them and don't forget to hop all the way through. I have some amazingly talented friends.

This is my Dark Side lunch. I used my Planetbox Rover because it just went with my theme and allowed for extra space. Here you have a Darth Vader hard boiled egg, The Death Star and a fighter ship ham sandwiches, sugar snap peas, peppers, cucumbers, grapes and honey roasted sunflower seeds.

 

Here is my Light Side lunch. I used a Easy Lunchbox for this lunch. I made two Ewok Nutella and peanut butter sandwiches, broccoli, peppers, carrots, sugar snap peas, cashews and grapes with Ewok ears. I also used a ELB Mini Dipper for the cashews.                                                                            

 

Two very different lunches with the same theme. I can't wait to hop on through to check out all the other lunches. Take a few and check out our Star Wars Hop. Just click on the image below and it will get you to the next lunch. My friend Ming from Bento, Monsters.                                                          

 

Lunchables!

I can't believe it is Thursday already! Before you know it  school will be over with for the Summer and I will be ready to pull my hair out! I love these kiddos but I also love school. The end of the year brings new challenges and keeping the kids busy. Well enough of that kind of talk. Lets get to lunch.

 

It is DIY Lunchable day at our house. These are my favorite type of lunch because they are so easy to throw together. They are perfect for "The I'm running low and need to get to the store but just don't have the time or cash to get that done." You can throw these babies together in the blink of an eye and use all those last bits of snacks left in the bag or box. They are so easy and the kids LOVE THEM!!!                                                                                                                                       

 

Top left: Pretzels, turkey roll-ups, cashews, Wheat Thin air crisp crackers, Babybell, cumbers, carrots, grapes and a half of a clementine orange. Now that was using what was left!               

Top right: Turkey roll-ups, pretzels, Wheat Thins, cashews, carrots, cucumbers, grapes and a clementine half.                                                                                                                          

Bottom: Pretzels, peanut butter, turkey, grapes and a clementine. The boy helped pack this lunch!

 

Don't forget to stop by this Sunday for a Star Wars Blog Hop! May the force be with you until then.

Easy Lunchtime Fun!

Hello again. Tuesday is here and halfway done. The kiddos took really easy lunches today. Lately I am all about easy lunches. I used our frog princess Lunch Punch and my CuteZcute. I added a few food picks and silicone cups and called it lunch!

 

The boy took peanut butter pretzels, pepperonis, peanuts, pineapple and grapes.

 

 

The middle girl has a ham sandwich, pretzels, cucumbers, carrots and grapes.

 

 

The oldest took a ham sandwich, pretzels, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, peppers and grapes.

Boys And Girls It's Time for Lunch!

Sundays are for making a simple lunch for Monday! I always say this. Mondays bring in the work and school week so why stress over lunch? You can make simple lunches for the kids and they still be cute! I used my Fred & Friends Jack and Jill bread heads today. Two little girls with bows on opposite sides and one cute little boy. My girls used to look so much alike when they were small that I couldn't tell the difference between the two when their backs were to me. But I could always tell by which way their hair parted. Ha ha! One to the left and one to the right.

 

Cute right!

Top left: Ham sandwich, pretzels, grapes, cucumbers and carrots.

Top right: Ham sandwich, pretzels, grapes, peppers, cucumbers and sugar snap peas.

Bottom: Pepperoni sandwich, pretzels, grapes and a clementine orange.

 

Remember to join me Friday for a Star Wars Blog Hop!

Travel Bento For Baby And Me!

I am one of those moms who like to be prepared for most situations. I have to take the hubby to an oral surgeon tomorrow. I had to think back to my baby days on what I would need for baby. It has been so long since we had a little one in the house that I feel completely lost sometimes. I had to figure out how to open the stroller and playpen, try not to run into things with the stroller and I have even found myself stuck between my car and the stroller. Whew! It has only been three days! lol So I knew I needed to put on the old thinking cap when it came to an outing that did not have the exact time for coming home. So I just decided to pack a bento for baby and myself. That way we are both covered. No body like a hangry baby and a frustrated sitter. Here are the bentos I packed us.

 

With my new dietary restrictions I knew that it would be hard to find food suitable on the fly so I made sure I had some healthy options for a quick snack or meal. My lunch has. Strawberries, grapes, pecans, applesauce and a sun butter Enjoy Life bar. Baby has a Gerber oatmeal cereal cup, baby bananas, yogurt bites and blueberry cereal bites. I also threw in a pacifier for safe keeping. Of course baby has bottles also. I am not looking forward to a long day but at least we have good food!

In this lunch I use Easy Lunch Boxes and the Mini Dippers from ELB's. Don't forget to save and wash your empty baby food plastic containers. They make excellent containers for packing a disposable lunch or storing small objects in. Reduce, Reuse and recycle! 

I got the idea for the baby bento from Green Lunches, Green Kids

Three Little Pigs!

    Yesterday I made up these cute little pig lunches for my girls. I used a sweet little pig sandwich cutter that one of my friends sent me in the mail. It was just a little cutter from Target but my store was out so she found one and sent me a envelope of goodies. She is a sweetie pie! I also used the pig face press from my Cute Z Cute to give him a face.
    The kids are falling back into the school routine even though they were sad to see break end and this mama has a new babysitting job. I also found out last week that I am allergic to wheat and soybeans. I also have several seasonal allergies and have an allergy that causes me to need to omit yeast, fermented foods and cut my sugar intake back. Whew, I have had a lot going on! I thought it might be nice to share some of my wheat, soy and yeast free lunches. So from time to time I will show you what this mama is eating.

 

    These are lunches for the kids.(These lunches are not gluten free, yeast free or soy free. This is a normal diet with NO restrictions)
Top right: Ham sandwich, strawberries, peppers, broccoli, bunny gummies and sunflower seeds.
Bottom right: Ham sandwich, side salad, grapes, cucumbers, sunflower seeds and on top I put a pack of bunny gummies to hold the seeds in place.
Top left: Ham, pepperonis, an orange, grapes, goldfish and bunny gummies.
Bottom left: Ham sandwich, broccoli, peppers, strawberries, sunflower seeds and bunny gummies to hold the seeds in place.

This is my lunch which is Gluten free, soy free and yeast free. My hubby made steaks for Easter and cooked mine separate from the others to conform to my new dietary restrictions. He was so careful not to cross contaminate. It was mighty sweet to do that for me. I think he wanted to give me a little present because this year I couldn't sneak candy from the kids.
I had a salad with red leaf lettuce, baby spinach, tomatoes and cucumbers. On the side I have my steak and some organic strawberries.

Bagels Sandwiches!

We were on Spring break last week so I took some time off from blogging to unwind a bit. The kids ate lunch of course. I just didn't photo or blog them. We got back off to school this morning with a very easy lunch.

 

All four of the kids took bagels for lunch today. The three girls all had ham bagels and the boy took a plain bagel with ham on the side. As you can see there are lots of fresh fruit and veggies.

 

                   Top right: Ham bagel, goldfish, organic strawberries, grapes, carrots, sugar snap peas and peppers.

Top left: Ham rolls, plain bagel, goldfish, a clementine orange and grapes.

Bottom right: Ham bagel, goldfish, organic strawberries, grapes, peppers and sugar snap peas.

Bottom left: Ham bagel, goldfish, a clementine, carrots, cucumbers and grapes.

 

I threw this lunch together in about twenty minutes and it sure looks good to me!

Chicken Nugget Men and Easter Lunches!

Happy Tuesday all! Today I made the girls a Easer themed lunch and for the boy chicken nugget men. I know, I know. Chicken nugget men. Ha ha! I try to make the boy laugh as much as possible because living in the house with three sisters can be overwhelming.

This is lunch for the oldest girl. She has chocolate hazelnut spread sandwiches, sweet pepper rings, sugar snap peas, broccoli, oranges and grapes. She also has Annie's gummy bunnies in the bunny egg, Annie's graham crackers and sunflower seeds in the little container.

This is lunch for the youngest. She has chocolate hazelnut spread sandwiches, sweet peppers, sugar snap peas, carrots, grapes and oranges. She also has Annie's graham crackers, bunny gummies in the Hello Kitty egg and sunflower seeds in the little cup.

 

This is lunch for the boy. He has chicken nugget men, oranges and grapes. He also has Annie's graham crackers and peanuts. These are so funny. Sometimes I laugh at my silly lunch creations!