Honey Bee

My mom got me a set of Williams Sonoma spring-themed cookie cutter/stamps last year for Christmas.  In the middle of December, I wasn't thinking bug and flower themed lunches so they got pushed to the back of my bento closet.  I recently rediscovered them and I LOVE them.  The detail that I can get with the stamps is amazing.  I honestly don't think they need the food marker detail but my daughter loves helping me by coloring her lunches with the markers.

• 2 bee-shaped sandwiches (stacked), decorated with food safe markers
• Babybel Cheese with "B-E-E" letter picks
• Raspberries in blueberries in a bee-shaped silicone cup
• Build-Your-Own Ants on a Log (i.e. celery sticks, peanut butter and raisins), decorated with a bee and flower pick
• York Peppermint candy

In addition to the product links above, here are some of the other items, or similiar items, I used when creating this lunch:



This post contains affiliate links.

School Days

Sometimes I am really thankful that my daughters don't follow bento blogs.  Because if they did, they would not be nearly as impressed with today's lunch.   Today's lunch was completely inspired by this lunch made by my friend Rina at Bento School Lunches.  I didn't even change the math equation!!  I want to make sure to give her credit for her adorable lunch...but I'm not going to share it with my girls ;-)

• PB and honey sandwich made on whole wheat bread, decorated with food safe markers to look like a piece of notebook paper.  I used strawberry fruit leather and Wilton's number cutters to make the math equation
• Strawberries with a school-themed pick
• Carrots and celery with ranch
• Cheese stick decorated with markers (I know I have seen this idea somewhere but can't find where to give credit.  If you know, please leave a comment)
• Hershey kisses

Here are some of the items, or similar items I used when creating this lunch:

This post contains affiliate links.

First Day of School!

After taking the summer off, we are back in business as today was the first day of school!  I now have a middle schooler (ACK!) and a 4th grader.  The middle schooler has requested "no more cute lunches" but we are going to continue to pack "bento style" because it's environmentally friendly.

My 4th grader specifically requested a "pencil lunch" for the first day:

For my 6th grader, we kept it more simple:

Both lunches contained:

• PB&J Sandwich.   For the pencil, I just used food-safe markers to decorate it.
• Carrots or Broccoli with ranch
• Raspberries
• Oreos 

Plus, I included a Lunchbox Love Note to let them know I was thinking of them!

Listed below are the items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch:

This post contains affiliate links.

Lunchbox Love Notes Valentine's Giveaway!

The wonderful people at Say Please, Inc have offered me another opportunity to giveaway their adorable Lunchbox Love Notes to one of my readers.  This giveaway is just in time for Valentine's Day!  

The first prize for this giveaway will be the two volume back of Lunchbox Love for Valentine's Day.  These notes are a fun, thoughtful way for your child to share the celebration with friends. The pack comes 24 special Valentine's cards and each card in the pack has the same heartfelt message on the front and a unique animal fun fact on the back. The notes are fun to include in lunches but can also be attached as a Valentine's Day card on a pack of stickers, added to a gift bag, or given on its own--the recipient will sure to feel Loved and have fun at the same time!   In addition to the Valentine's cards,  Say Please is also going to send the winner Lunchbox Love Notes for Loved Ones, volume 3 .  With these special notes you can show your love and appreciation for your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other. Each pack contains 12 cards with heartfelt sentiments on the front and fun, interesting trivia facts on the back.  But wait!  There's more!!   The winner of this giveaway will also get Lunchbox Love Notes for Kids, volumes 1 and 2 so everyday can be Valentine's Day!

To take part in this giveaway, simply enter below.   This giveaway is open to United States and Canadian residents only.   I will randomly select a winner on January 29th and the winner will have 48 hours to respond.  If I don't hear back within 48 hours, I will select an alternative winner.   All entries must be active and will be verified at the time of the drawing in order to be valid.

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Turkey Bento

I saw this post on Pinterest and it inspired me to make a turkey bento to celebrate Thanksgiving.

•   Turkey sandwich made with 2 circle cookie cutters, icing eyes, a carrot nose and tomato skin.   You may wonder why he's wearing a bow tie (which you can barely see in the picture) and a party hat?   Because they are helping keep his head in place.
• Cucumber slices with a turkey cupcake ring
• Red grapes with a "Give Thanks" cupcake pick
• Candy corn (turkey feathers)
• Lunchbox Love Note from the Thanksgiving Series

Here are some of the items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch:


Click below to see a bunch of other fun lunches:

First Fall Lunch

Can you believe it's fall already?  

 

• Acorn and leaf mini sandwiches cut out using pie crust cutters
• Red and green grapes
• Broccoli and carrots with ranch
• Cheese stick
• Hershey's chocolate nugget

Here are some of the items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch:

 

This post contains affiliate links.

Check out other lunches at:

:*~*~* Lunchbox Love Notes Giveaway! *~*~*

For those of you who are regular readers, you know that my family loves Lunchbox Love Notes.  My daughters have asked me to send them even when they are buying lunch at school!  So, I was very excited when the wonderful people at Say Please offered to giveaway a set of their newest cards (Kids volumes 49-52 PLUS 1 set each from their Halloween and Thanksgiving collections!) to one of my lucky readers.

For those of you who are not familiar with Lunchbox Love Notes, they are an easy yet meaningful way to let someone know you are thinking of them. A positive message on the front of the card reminds them how much they are loved while the "Did You Know" trivia or joke on the back will entertain. My daughters' classmates always want to hear the trivia or joke, which encourages lunchtime conversation.  Each volume contains 12 cards --10 with different phrases and fun facts or jokes and 2 blanks so you can add a personal message.

 

The "Did you know?" trivia facts are lots of fun.   Can't you just see all the kids at the lunch table trying to hum while holding their nose?:

 

I also love when the message ties to the theme of the lunch: 

They also have Lunchbox Love Notes specific to the holidays!  Here are Thanksgiving and Halloween lunches!

 

There is a Lunchbox Love Notes perfect for every occasion!

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite thing is about Lunchbox Love Notes.  This will open up additional entry options.   This giveaway is open to United States and Canadian residents only.   I will randomly select a winner on October 2nd and the winner will have 48 hours to respond.  If I don't hear back within 48 hours, I will select an alternative winner.   All entries must be active and will be verified at the time of the drawing in order to be valid.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you want even more chances to win?   Click over to Bentos on the Bayou and enter her Lunchbox Love Notes giveaway!

Back to School Bus

The inspiration train continues...Today's lunch was inspired by Rina from Bento School Lunches, who was inspired by Jill from Kitchenfunwithmy3sons.

Even though we're finishing up our third week of school already (time flies when you're having fun?!) there are still kiddos just starting back.  So, today's lunch was a back-to-school bus theme.  The first thing both my daughters noticed was that all the passengers were girls!  That really wasn't intentional...I was just going with the picks that I had ;-)

 

• School bus shaped sandwich decorated with cheddar cheese, cucumber peel, black olives and people picks
• Sugar snap peas and carrots with ranch
• Blueberries and strawberry slices with a school themed cupcake pick
• Hershey kisses

I always include a Lunchbox Love Note in with the girls' lunches.  As I've mentioned before, they LOVE them and love sharing the trivia fact that's on the back of each card with their friends at the lunch table.   I don't always remember to include the note in the picture when I photograph the lunch but this one was too perfect, I just had to make sure I included it!

 

Here are some of the items I used when creating this lunch:

 

This post contains affiliate links.

Summer Salad at School

My daughters have requested that I pack a salad for them at least once a week this school year.   So, today was their first of the year!  I went with a heart theme to remind them that I love them.

 

• Salad made with romaine lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and a hard boiled egg, for added protein.   I used an egg mold to shape the egg into a heart and decorated it with heart picks.   The salad dressing is in a Mini Dipper container.
• Vanilla yogurt with a strawberry heart, stored in a Mini Dipper container
• Fresh pineapple and blueberries and a heart pick
• 2 Dove chocolates

I enclosed a Lunchbox Love Note to give them a sweet message and some trivia to enjoy while they eat.   Guess what!... Say Please Inc, the makers of Lunchbox Love Notes has offered me the opportunity to do a giveaway for Lunchbox Love Notes so stay tuned!!

 

Here are some of the items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch:

 

This post contains affiliate links.

I Love You to the Moon and Back

This lunch was fun for me for 2 reasons.  Firstly, it was designed around the Lunchbox Love Note that reads "I love you up to the moon and back again a million times".  This is a saying that holds a special place in my heart because it's something my daughter and I say to each other all the time.   I know that it will have special meaning to her as well.  The second reason why this lunch was fun is because it's a good excuse to share a sweet story about a wonderful company!   Lunchbox Love from Say Please pinned this card on Pinterest one day.   Thinking it was a long shot, I posted a comment asking if they could tell me what series this particular card was in, because I knew I wanted to have it for my daughter.  Jump forward a few days (maybe a week or 2), I got a mysterious package in the mail and low and behold, it was the set of Lunchbox Love Notes that contained this card!!  Isn't that super cool?!?!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this company and my daughters love having these special cards in their lunches!

 

• Moon-shaped sandwich decorated with icing eyes and a food safe marker
• Strawberry hearts and a star cupcake pick
• Broccoli with orange pepper stars and ranch
• Vanilla yogurt with edible heart glitter
• Lunchbox Love Note (in case your curious, this card is in Volume 22)

Here are some of the items, or similar items, that I used when creating this lunch:

 

This post contains affiliate links.

You Are My Angel

•  Morning Star Farms Veggie Corn Dog decorated with food pick halo and wings and food safe markers
• Ketchup and mustard for dipping
• Peas
• Kiwi and blueberries

This post contains affiliate links.

 

In addition to the product links above, here are some of the other items I used when creating this lunch:

 

Mini Corn Muffins

Inspired by a recent post from my bento buddy, Keeley McQuire, I decided to make mini corn dog muffins for the girls' lunches.

Today my daughter had both violin lessons and music class so I made her a music themed lunch.

• Corn dog  mini muffins with music note picks and ketchup/mustard for dipping
• Red grapes with music note picks
• Cucumber and tomato slices

In addition to the product links above, here are some of the other products I used when creating this lunch:

Spring Time Salad

We're still feeling the sandwich rut so the girls had a salad as an alternative:

 

• Salad made with romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumber and cherry tomatoes and Italian dressing
• Hard boiled egg, shaped like a flower with bug picks
• Peanut butter on "spring" Ritz crackers
• Fresh pineapple with a flower pick

In addition to the product links above, here are some of the other items I used when creating this lunch:

 

Lucky To Have You!

I pulled one of the pizza rolls out of the freezer again.  Easy peasy!

• Pepperoni roll (with a St. Patrick's Day cupcake pick) with pizza sauce for dipping
• Salad with Italian dressing
• Green grapes with a shamrock cupcake pick
• Hershey's miniature candy bar

In addition to the product links I've included above, here are some of the other items I used to create this lunch:

Sweet Treat

Can I admit something?  When I first heard about Easy Lunch Boxes, I didn't understand what all the hub-bub was about.  I figured they looked just like the Ziplock boxes, we're more expensive and wouldn't fit in the girls' normal lunch boxes.  It wasn't until I won some in a giveaway that I truly understand why everyone loves these boxes so much!!  There is NO comparison in the quality of the ELBs compared to the Ziplock or Gladware counterparts and they are so easy to use (they take less brain power to figure out how to pack in them).  Granted, they don't fit in their normal lunch bags, but the girls don't seem to mind carrying the ELB insulated lunch bags so I worried about that for nothing. 

 

• 2 ice cream cone-shaped sandwiches
• Multi-grain tortilla chips with homemade salsa
• Celery and peanut butter
• Blueberries with ice cream cupcake picks
• Hershey's miniature candy bar

Here are some of the items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch:

 

Click on the BentoUSA ad to the right to find the sauce cup, large silicone cup and the ice cream picks!

Top of the Mornin' to Ya!

This lunch literally took less than 5 minutes to make.  When I made the pizza roll-ups last week, I froze most of them.  I just popped one out of the freezer last night and by this morning, it was thawed and ready to go.   Add some sauce, a veggie, a fruit and some cupcake picks to "cute it up"  and BAM! - That's lunch!  Easy, easy!

• Pizza Roll (Click here for the directions on how I made these) with pizza sauce for dipping and decorated with a shamrock cupcake pick
• Red and green grapes with a leprechaun cupcake ring
• Carrots with ranch
• Hershey's Miniature candy bar

Here are some of the items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch:

Dapper Dog and Lovebox Love Notes Giveaway

I wish I could take credit for this lunch but ever since my friend Jenn (over at Bento for Kidlet) made her son a cute corn dog man, I've been dying to recreate it.  So, since we are doing a "no sandwich" week and trying out lots other lunch options, it seemed like a great time to do it!

• Morning Star Farms Veggie Corn Dog (seriously, if you haven't tried them, you should.  They are so good!), decorated with a top hat cupcake topper, a bow tie pick, icing eyes and a cucumber mouth.  Served with ketchup and mustard for dipping.
• Carrots and celery with ranch
• Grapes with "SMILE" letter picks
• 2 Thin Mints
• Lunchbox Love Note

Now for the super exciting part...FREE STUFF!!!   I had been eyeing Lunchbox Love notes from Say Please for quite some time but it took me awhile to bite the bullet to buy some because, quite frankly, I figured I can write little love notes to my girls.  However, I finally broke down and bought some and I am SO glad that I did.  Not only are they adorable, they are so sweet and fun!  Each card has a positive note on one side and then a interesting piece of trivia on the other.   As I mentioned a few days ago, my youngest daughter even asked me to pack her one on a day she was buying the school's lunch!   My daughters said that their classmates ask what the "Did You Know" says before they even get a chance to read it!


Say Please has graciously offer to send one of my lucky readers some Lunchbox Love Notes of their own!  Just enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fine Print:  The giveaway will end on Wednesday, March 6th.   The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize.   If I do not hear from the winner within that time, I will select a new winner.   The winner must currently "like" Lunchbox Love Notes and Bento-logy on Facebook in order to win.

Here are some of the items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch:

Click on the BentoUSA ad on the right side of my blog to find the bow tie pick, sauce cup and silicone cup.

I Love You To Pieces

My friend Cristi from BentOnBetterLunches sent me this adorable puzzle cookie cutter and I couldn't wait to use it!  Thank you Cristi!

• Puzzle sandwich with cheddar letters to spell out "LOVE"
• Lettuce and tomato (to put on the sandwich)
• Kiwi hearts with blueberries
• Carrots and broccoli with ranch
• Peanut Butter/Pretzel chocolate balls

All packed in our PlanetBox lunch box with a LunchBox Love note.  I actually have a cute story to share about the LunchBox Love Notes... I have recently been putting LunchBox Love notes in my daughters' lunches (I just never remember to include them in the picture!). Today, my younger daughter was buying the school's lunch. She said "Does that mean I don't get a love note?!" So, she asked me to pack her one in her snack instead...Which I did, of course!!  I LOVE this product.  What an adorable way to make your little one feel extra special and remind them how much they are loved during their school day.  Plus, the trivia on the pack of each card is great for lunch table conversation starters!

Stay tuned...I'll be having a LunchBox Love giveaway soon!!

Love You!

Getting new bento boxes is fun. Heaven knows we didn't NEED any new boxes.  But, I have really been enjoying experimenting with our new PlanetBox.

 

• Sandwich decorated with a "Toast Stamper" and red food coloring.  I added lettuce and tomato separately so it won't make her sandwich soggy.  She can add them to her sandwich when it's time to eat.
• Purple cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber and carrot sticks (a.k.a. leftovers from our Super Bowl veggie tray) and ranch
• Watermelon hearts and blueberries
• Hershey Kisses
• Lunchbox Love Note (I have been recently including these with the girls' lunches but always forget to photograph them with the lunch.  They really get a kick out of getting a little note with their lunch.)

The Toast Stamper was from the Target Dollar Spot.   Here are some of the other items, or similar items, I used when creating this lunch: