9/29

Todays lunches make me giggle. I know it is way too early to be doing Halloween stuff but I just couldn't help myself. It must be because I took my teenagers out shopping this evening for Halloween costume ideas and Halloween is one of my most favorite Holidays ever!

For my 17 yo- Pumpkin shaped rice onigiri. Nori faces cut by my husband. Grapes, pepperoni and cheese, orange slices, greek yogurt with local raw honey and dark chocolate swirls, home made trail mix.

 For my 7 yo- Pumpkin shaped rice onigiri. Nori faces cut by my husband. Grapes, pepperoni and cheese, orange slices. In the cat container she has homemade trail mix, in the monkey container she has greek yogurt with local raw honey and dark chocolate swirls, and a baby banana. She will choose one or two (depending on how hungry she is) of the side dishes for her afternoon snack.

The rice is colored with food coloring. I know it isn't natural or healthy but I was standing there cooking the rice and trying to figure out what shapes to make when I saw my pumpkin cookie cutters and inspiration hit me. If I had thought of this in advance I probably would have attempted a more natural coloring choice, but for now this will have to do. To make them I used two pumpkin shaped cutters, one of those solid ones with the lines and a thicker one thats just pumpkin shaped. I lined everything with saran wrap and pressed the rice through the thick cutter and onto the solid lined one. Then I gently removed the rice from the plastic wrap. I was SO giddy at how well these turned out! The smaller ones were made the same way but with my mini pumpkin cutter.
I ended up with enough rice to make 4 more mini pumpkins so I put those in the fridge for my 3yr old to have later.

You'll notice my 15yr old son does not have rice onigiri. He doesn't like "sticky rice" and prefers that I not send it in his lunch. So I whipped up a batch of chicken salad for him tonight.
Chicken salad, GF rice crackers for scooping, pepperoni and cheese, carrot sticks and a small container of hummus. Grapes. Homemade trail mix, greek yogurt with local raw honey and dark chocolate swirls.

9/28

15 yo- He requested ham and salami again. I also included jack-o-carrots (a big hit, he thought they were hilarious!) some cheese, half a pear, dried date. Olives and a bowl of greek yogurt with honey and chocolate swirls.

17yo- Spaghetti squash with home made sauce. Some cheese sprinkled on top. Half a pear, acorn shaped carrots and greek yogurt with honey and chocolate swirls.

7 yo- Cubed chicken breast, jack-o-carrots and carrot kittys. Flower and leaf cheese (found a new leaf cutter I didn't know I had!) olives, home made trail mix. greek yogurt with honey and chocolate swirls and a small apple for afternoon snack.

I also included an apple with the teenagers lunches but forgot to photo those.

My 3 yr old just finished his lunch "snack tray" as he calls it. He had-

Pepperoni and cheese on sticks, a kiwi fruit, grapes. Gluten free cookies, black olives, a dill pickle and some homemade trail mix.

9/27

I had something different planned for todays lunches, left overs from dinner. (Mini taco salads) But there was some miscommunication and the teenagers polished off the leftovers. So I had to come up with something else.

For my 15 yr old DS -

Ham and salami. Jack-o-carrots. Pepperoni and cheese circles. Bell pepper slices. GF muffin and some lemon bumble bar. Apple.

For my 17yo DD-

Ham and Salami flower (I tried to make it look like a flower anyway, I need more practice!) green bell pepper leaves. Pepperoni and cheese center. GF muffin, lemon bumble bar, bell pepper slices, heart and flower carrots. Apple.

For my 7yo DD-

Exactly the same as her big sister. Except she gets a pear for afternoon snack.

I know my leaves are more tree leaves than flower leaves, but its the only leaf cookie cutter I have. I need to wait for some after Holiday clearance sales to stock up on more themed cutters :)

9/26

Oh dear, I skipped a few days of lunches there huh? I promise that I fed my kids! LOL! I even took pictures, but I forgot to post them. I just finished prepping lunches for tomorrow so its on my mind right this moment to post these. I'll get around to uploading the 2 days I missed, maybe tomorrow.

For my 7yo (above)
Gluten free chicken nuggets. Locally made GF BBQ sauce (purchased at our farmers market), pear slices. Baby dill pickles, tomato, cheese and basil sticks. Cucumber flowers and some adorable tiny carrots that my DD picked from the ground herself :) Tiny banana for afternoon snack.

For my 17yo (above)
Grilled chicken breast, GF Locally made BBQ sauce, baby dill pickles, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, cherry flavored bumble bar and cheese. Apple.

For my 15 yo (above)
All the same things as my 17yo except he gets a pear.

Often times my meals will repeat. Because we don't do grains I am having to think outside of the "bread box". Also my kids will request repeats. I don't always like to prepare the same meal in a week but if they want something again I will oblige if its easier for me :) For example the other day my 15yo requested that I make egg salad for him. The other two don't like egg salad, so one got a deviled egg and the other got something totally different because she thinks HB eggs are "gross, ew!" heh. (One of the meals I need to upload later!)

9/20

The first two lunches today are packed into our Easy Lunch Boxes  The one for my 7yo is packed into her little bento box she picked out.

17yo DD-
Ham rolls, cheese squares, red bell pepper, small plum.
Homemade trail mix, bumblebee bar, black olives, dark chocolate square. Apple.

 

15 yo DS-

Egg salad, rice crackers to dip, cheese squares, small plum, bumblebee bar, homemade trail mix, black olives, dark chocolate square. Nectarine.

7 yo DD-
2 hard boiled egg flowers, small golden plum, red bell pepper slices, 3 purple tomatoes, bumblebee bar, black olives, cheese, trail mix. greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey and some dark chocolate flakes, pear.

8/29

7 yo DD- Ham rolls, flower shaped cheese, cherry tomatoes and black olives on sticks, strawberries and kiwi, and a small Gluten free cookie.
 Not pictured is a bowl of full fat yogurt and sliced apples for afternoon snack.

8/25

For my 15 yo DS-

Ham rolls, black olives and cheese on fish shaped stick, cheese cut into the shape of a fish and some cheese "bubbles?" I dunno. I needed to use up the last bit of cheese, heh. Celery with cream cheese with baby tomatoes under, fresh fruit mix of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. Extra not pictured was an orange.

This is for my 17yo DD.
Ham rolls, butterfly shaped cheese made from heart cookie cutters, kiwi slices, celery with cream cheese and some black olives under. A mix of berries with a flower fork. Extra not pictured an orange.

Finally we have lunch for the 7yo DD.
Ham rolls with a butterfly shaped cheese, black olives and cheese on flower sticks and a sliced strawberry. Cream cheese on celery and cherry tomatoes under. Fruit mix of blackberry, raspberry and kiwi. Extra not pictured is full fat yogurt for afternoon snack.

8/23

Lunch for 7yo DD.
Blueberries,cheese on animal sticks,carrot flowers,broccoli,hard boiled egg,half of a plum,"fancy" cucumber slices

and oranges for afternoon snack.

On the same day we had playgroup with my local Moms group. My 3yo DS also got a bento lunch.

Hard boiled egg, plum slices, celery with peanut butter and tiny chocolate chips, carrot flowers on fishy sticks. Cheese slices on animal sticks and a mixture of peaches and blueberries with a flower fork. He ate everything except the egg yolk.

8/22

Lunch for 7yo DD.

On the left we have cucumber slices, red bell pepper, cantaloupe flowers and plantain slices.
On the right we have teddy bear cheese, broccoli, carrot flowers and thin sliced pork chops (left over from dinner the night before)
In a separate container she also had  full fat organic yogurt with peach slices. And a cheese stick and clementine orange for afternoon snack.

Blue box is a cheap "bento" box I bought from our local Asian Marketplace. Flower sticks and veggie cutters were also purchased there.

8/19

This is for my 7yo DD.

Ham rolls, teddy bear cheese, small plum, cantaloupe, red bell peppers. Yogurt with raw coconut and for afternoon snack a small orange and plum.
This lunch included a lot of fruit. Normally it would not contain so much, but we had an abundance of fruit that needed to get eaten soon and  my 7yo helped to pack.

Notes- I lay most food stuff on either a Kale leaf or Lettuce leaf. I think it just adds a little something. Sometimes my 7yo will actually eat the lettuce, she loves salad. Cookie cutters are used for making shapes in cheeses. And my yogurt is always organic full fat.