With a new school year comes a new responsibility for me: making our child lunch every day. Follow along on this new adventure and let’s see how creative I can be with this challenge!
(Check out my Instagram feed for a detailed description of what was for lunch!)
02.26.18 :: Turkey and cheese sandwich, a Milano cookie as a treat, Chex mix, diced peaches, steamed broccoli, cucumber sticks, and green beans
02.15.18 :: Puzzle shaped tuna sandwich pieces; a chocolate chip cookie bar as a treat; cucumber slices; blueberries; and edamame
02.13.18 :: Tuna sandwich on her favorite pretzel bread; steamed broccoli; chocolate dipped potato chips; sliced cucumber hearts and carrot hearts; and chickpeas
02.08.18 :: Turkey and cheese sandwich; steamed broccoli; pretzel goldfish crackers; chickpeas; and a Hershey’s kiss as a treat
02.07.08 :: Cucumber hearts, turkey hot dog, and cheese stick cubes on plastic lollipop sticks; a school safe chocolate chip cookie bar as a treat; pita chips; hummus; and edamame
02.06.18 :: A dozen rice balls; some Ritz crackers for snack time later; teriyaki chicken; steamed broccoli; edamame; cucumber slices; and ponzu sauce in a little squirt bottle
02.05.18 :: Heart shaped tuna sandwich; some Poppable chips; steamed broccoli; chickpeas; and heart shaped sliced cucumbers
01.31.18 :: Egg salad sandwich; steamed broccoli; cucumber slices; a couple of mochi rice crackers; and a Hershey’s kiss as a treat
01.29.18 :: Tuna sandwich on her favorite pretzel bread; steamed broccoli; diced peaches; mini chocolate chip cookies; edamame
01.26.18 || Turkey and cheese sandwich; Ritz crackers; heart shaped cucumber slices; chickpeas; and some M&Ms
01.25.18 || Tuna sandwich; school safe chocolate chip cookie bar as a treat; cucumber slices; steamed broccoli; and a couple of Poppable chips
01.24.18 || Rice balls; a few seaweed sheets; some ponzu sauce in a little lion squirt bottle; turkey hot dog; ketchup in an elephant squirt bottle; edamame; and steamed broccoli
01.23.18 || Egg salad sandwich on pretzel bread; a couple of dark chocolate star cookies; pirate’s booty; edamame; chickpeas; and a cut up cheese stick
01.22.18 || Turkey and cheese sandwich on pretzel bread; a Milano cookie as a treat; some Poppable chips; cucumber slices; chickpeas; and steamed broccoli
01.19.18 || Steamed broccoli; mozzarella cheese;; turkey roll-ups; cucumber slices; chickpeas; and a Hershey’s kiss as a treat
01.17.18 || Turkey and cheese snowflake sandwich; a cheese stick secured to the Yumbox with some #washitape (ha ha!); a School Safe chocolate chip cookie bar; veggie puffs; edamame; and cucumber slices
01.16.18 || Tuna sandwich; mochi rice nuggets; steamed broccoli; chickpeas; and a roll of Smarties candy as a treat
01.12.18 || Buttered pasta with cheese; steamed broccoli; turkey hot dog; a couple of dark chocolate star cookies
01.11.18 || Egg salad sandwich; sliced cucumbers with some thin carrot slivers slipped in there; steamed broccoli; cut up cheese stick; and M&Ms
01.10.18 || Tuna sandwich cut into hearts; two dark chocolate star cookies; Bearitos veggie puffs; heart cucumber slices with a couple of tiny carrot hearts; and edamame
01.09.18 || Ham and cheese sandwich; steamed broccoli; sliced cucumber; diced peaches; M&Ms
01.03.18 || Tuna sandwich snowflakes; sliced cucumber; steamed broccoli; diced peaches; chickpeas
12.19.17 || Tuna sandwich; pirate’s booty; sliced cucumbers; chickpeas; and edamame
12.18.17 || Egg salad sandwich cut into a gingerbread man with a cookie cutter; crispy pea chips; steamed broccoli; edamame; diced peaches; and some baby goldfish crackers
12.14.17 || Turkey and cheese snowflake sandwich; two dark chocolate star cookies; Ritz crackers; cucumber sticks; steamed broccoli; and some hummus for dipping
12.13.17 || Turkey and cheese roll up in a flour tortilla; dark chocolate star cookies; poppables chips; edamame; chickpeas; peaches; and pea crisps
12.08.17 || Snowflake pasta (from Trader Joes); turkey hot dog; steamed broccoli; peaches; chickpeas; and a homemade cookie from one of her classmates
12.07.17 || Tuna sandwich cut into an E shape; half a banana; edamame; pirate’s booty; and a decorated sugar cookie
12.04.17 || Turkey and cheese sandwich swimming in pool of scoop chips (which, she reported after school, got a little soggy from touching the sandwich); strawberries; steamed broccoli; and jumbo blueberries
12.01.17 || Egg sandwich; a Milano cookie for a treat; some curly lentil chips; edamame and flower cucumber slices; and a cut up cheese stick
11.29.17 || Turkey and cheese sandwich cut out with elephant cutters, an Oreo cookie treat; steamed broccoli; pretzels; crispy pea chips; and hummus for dipping
11.28.17 || Turkey hot dog sushi rolls; steamed broccoli and edamame; ponzu sauce for dipping; a couple of dark chocolate star cookies; and baby goldfish crackers
11.27.17 || Buttery elbow pasta; turkey hot dog; animal crackers; edamame; cut up cheese stick; and some dark chocolate pumpkin seed bark as a treat
11.21.17 || Ham and cheese sandwich; alphabet cookies to spell out party 6; cucumber stars; jumbo blueberries; and some chickpeas
11.20.17 || Leftover butter pasta; turkey hot dog; edamame + chickpeas; cut up cheese stick; a well of ketchup
11.17.17 || Ham and cheese sandwich; pea crisps; chickpeas and star cucumbers; and dark chocolate star cookies
11.16.17 || leftover garlic pasta; steamed broccoli; turkey hot dog; alphabet cookies that spell out “mummy” (they’re finishing up the Magical Treehouse book about mummies this week); and some edamame
11.15.17 || Pasta with butter; steamed broccoli; ham roll ups; edamame; and baby goldfish crackers
11.14.17 || Ham and cheese sandwich cut into little bears; popcorn; cucumber flowers; jumbo blueberries; and a few Guittard chocolate chips as a treat
11.09.17 || Water crackers with sliced Cabot cheese cheddar; steamed broccoli; a snickerdoodle cookie that her classmate’s mom baked during a playdate yesterday; turkey rolls; and some cucumber
11.08.17 || Tuna sandwich on pretzel bread; steamed broccoli; edamame and carrot sticks; diced Asian pear; and a couple of animal crackers
11.07.17 || Egg sandwich cut out and pressed with a cute seal tool; some crispy pea chips; diced Asian pear; steamed broccoli; cut up cheese stick; and heart cucumbers
11.03.17 || Egg salad squirrel sandwiches; ham roll spirals; cucumber flowers in a bed of steamed broccoli; cheesestick cubes; and a couple of animal cookies
11.02.17 || Ham and cheese sandwich; pretzel chips; a roll of Smarties from her Halloween stash; chickpeas and edamame; some hummus for dipping; and cucumber stars
10.31.17 || Happy Halloween! “Mummy” turkey hot dog wrapped in croissant dough (actually leftover from dinner); cheesestick ghosts; crescent cucumbers; bat and ghost veggie chips; boring chickpeas; a well of splattery ketchup and ranch dressing (she’ll mix it together – it’s own level of gross); and some alphabet cookies to spell out BOO
10.30.17 || Egg sandwich decorated by drawing a web on each half with a food marker; ghost and bat shaped veggie chips; steamed broccoli; edamame; and a couple of mini sized Kit Kat bars for a treat
10.26.17 || Continuing with the #Halloween theme today! Added some cut out seaweed circles on top of rice balls to make them look like eyeballs; turkey hot dog; edamame; super plump blueberries; and a couple cinnamon cranberry and pumpkin seed crackers broken up to fit into the container. Also put some seaweed in a bag on the side.
10.25.17 || Turkey and cheese sandwich cut into a ghost shape with eyes cut out with a cookie cutter; pretzel chips; a little “graveyard” of cucumber slices as tombstones, and chickpeas and peas; a chunk of a Fat Witch Bakery brownie; and some diced peaches
10.24.17 || Keeping it simple with a puzzle shaped turkey and cheese sandwich; ghost shaped veggie chips; steamed broccoli; chickpeas (or garbanzo beans); and a chocolate filled cookie stick cut into smaller pieces to fit inside the hole.
10.23.17 || Pulling for bits and pieces in the fridge since I couldn’t get to the grocery store yesterday! Luckily there were tortillas and cheese to make a quesadilla. I used a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter and then a small triangle cutter to make the eyes. Had a hard time trying to cut out a toothy grin (when would anyone ever complain about cheese being too gooey, eh?!) so this fella is a friendly jack o’lantern 🎃 . Cheese quesadilla; sliced cucumber; turkey hot dog; edamame; and a lot of ketchup 😄 . I just got back from a weekend trip to NYC and I put a “baby witch” sized brownie that I picked up from @fatwitchbakery in @chelseamarketny for her as a treat
10.19.17 || Going the leftovers route again with whole grain pasta and homemade basil pesto; a little bit of chicken; cucumber flowers; steamed broccoli; baby goldfish crackers; and some M&Ms as a treat
10.18.17 || Egg sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap under the Oreo cookie bat; steamed broccoli with carrot hearts; cute ghost shaped veggie chips; cut up cheese stick; and diced peaches
10.12.17 || Rice balls with a little container of ponzu sauce for dipping (don’t worry, there a separate lid for it); cucumber stars; animal crackers; crispy pea snack; shredded chicken; and sweet peas
10.11.17 || Little ditalini shaped pasta with butter and cheese; a couple of turkey rollups; steamed broccoli; heart shaped cucumber slices; and edamame . Plus some crispy peas and breadsticks for snack time in a plastic bag made to look like a butterfly
10.10.17 || A cute butterfly sandwich cutter for her egg sandwich with a carrot stick body; filled the large section of the #bentgolunchbox with scoop chips; diced Asian pear (they are so ripe and juicy right now); steamed broccoli; fresh corn grown at Verrill Farm; and a Lindt Chocolate ball as a treat
10.06.17 || (this one is actually a cute little video that you’ll have to see on Instagram!) Hiding under the piece of heart paper is an egg salad sandwich; diced peaches; steamed broccoli; cheese cubes; and sweet peas
10.04.17 || It’s all about hearts today! Heart shaped egg sandwich halves; heart cut out cucumber slices; cheese stick cubes; half of an apple cider doughnut; almost heart shaped strawberries; and edamame
10.03.17 || Turkey and cheese sandwich; sea salt chips; crispy peas; strawberries; edamame and carrots; blueberries; and a cut up chocolate baton cookie
10.02.17 || And another lunch prep for the hubby this morning: on the bottom is leftover turnip greens and onions that I sautéed, then topped with some fresh kale and lemon juice; topped it off with a couple of roasted tomatoes + carrots we got in our CSA share from Lexington Community Farm last week, peas, and broccoli. The tray fits right on top of the big container and so I put chicken nuggets in there with a container of ketchup for dipping.
10.02.17 || Pasta with butter and steamed broccoli; chicken nuggets; cut up cheese stick; sweet peas; diced peaches; and a well of ketchup + ranch dressing. Yes, she will mix it up and make her own special sauce!
09.29.17 || I found a silicone mold on the clearance rack at Michael’s last week for only $4 (!!) and decided to try making mermaid shaped rice. It’s hard to get the details to show on the rice so I made her eyes and mouth out of seaweed. I had some of this pretty plastic paper with wavy lines on it leftover from a cardmaking project, so I cut some to make it look like she was swimming. “Starfish” cucumber slices on top of some edamame; “octopus” turkey hot dogs; goldfish crackers; and ketchup (I don’t know – the Red Sea?!)
09.28.17 || Tuna sandwich with a cut out heart; some crunchy curls (it’s a lentil + potato crispy snack from Trader Joe’s); watermelon; cucumber slices with carrot stars and some chickpeas; steamed broccoli; and a few Guittard Chocolate large chocolate chips as a treat
09.28.17 || The hubby hasn’t been feeling well the past couple of days so I made sure to pack lots of fruit and veggies in his lunch today. I couldn’t help myself and stuck a pair of eyes on the sandwich – I wonder if he’ll notice! Ha!! – Tuna sandwich on marathon bread from Wegmans; cut up carrots and turnips from our Lexington Community Farm CSA share, cherry tomatoes hand picked by our daughter, chickpeas, and some raw broccoli; a gala apple; watermelon; and a bag of almonds and cashews
09.27.17 || Pasta with butter and peas; cucumber sticks with carrot hearts; cut up cheese stick; bread sticks for dipping; diced peaches; and hummus
09.22.17 || Rice shaped to look like Baymax; steamed broccoli; a “happy #Friyay!” banana; chicken nuggets; watermelon; ranch dressing and ketchup
09.20.17 || Half a mini bagel; a cheese stick cut into small squares; ham rolls; a few Maltesers for a treat; sweet peas; corn from a cob; diced Asian pear; and black eyed peas
09.19.17 || Tried the technique of rolling sliced bread into a flat sheet for roll ups and she liked them! Filled with a little bit of ranch dressing and a slice of ham. Sweet peas with carrot hearts; watermelon; a cheese stick cut into small squares; goldfish crackers; steamed broccoli; and a couple little “hello panda” chocolate creme filled cookies
09.18.17 || Egg salad sandwich cut into a heart shape; edamame; sliced cucumber; salmon; diced peaches; chickpeas; 1/2 an apple cider doughnut
09.15.17 || This was more of a supplement to the pizza lunch she wanted to get from the cafeteria, plus her snack (usually it’s bagged separately). Popcorn; 1/2 a banana; peaches; sweet peas; and some M&Ms as a treat
09.14.17 || “Octopus spaghetti” (as she likes to call it); sautéed spinach; Belgioioso cheese mozzarella pearls; steamed broccoli; watermelon; Asian pear; and a little milk chocolate mouse from Burdick Chocolate for a treat!
09.13.17 || I forgot to include a juice box in her lunch today and knew she wouldn’t be happy about it when I picked her up from school (I promised she could take one on Wednesdays). I apologized by way of chocolate penguin from Burdick’s. 🙂
09.13.17 || Egg salad sandwich puzzle; some Trader Joe’s breadstick crackers; cucumbers; animal crackers; watermelon; semisweet “super” chocolate chips from Guittard chocolate; and hummus for dipping
09.12.17 || Pearl couscous; steamed broccoli; Belgioioso mozzarella “pearl” cheese balls; a cookie from the Trader Joes “convivial” box; shredded grilled teriyaki chicken (gotta love leftovers!); diced pears
09.11.17 || Luckily, our girl enjoys leftovers! 😊 Made lunch prep for Monday a breeze! Rice balls; grilled turkey hot dog; a chocolate chip cookie bar treat from Trader Joe’s; goldfish crackers; sliced corn from a cob; cucumbers; and diced peaches.
09.08.17 || Happy FriYay, everyone! Woo hoo, first week down! The plan is for her to buy lunch at school on Fridays but her teachers encouraged bringing lunch the first week until the kids get acclimated to the lunch process, how the cafeteria works, etc. So it was another packed lunch for today: leftover spaghetti noodles with butter and cheese; Tyson panko crusted chicken nuggets; sautéed spinach; edamame; diced peaches; and ketchup.
09.07.17 || Still going with an underwater theme today: fish shaped tuna sandwich (with candy eye and lips); cheese cubes; animal crackers; cucumber slices; diced peaches; and some Sixlets.
09.06.17 || I wanted today’s #bentgolunchbox to be extra special since it’s her first day kindergarten. I made little skewers of turkey and small mozzarella cheese balls; water crackers; sliced cucumbers; peas and chickpeas; and a little pack of Sixlets. Plus a juice box and some popcorn and goldfish crackers for snack time.
09.05.17 || My husband and I joked that we should create a separate IG account showing what he eats for lunch. 😉 I went ahead and packed him a lunch today too. Turkey sandwich on marathon bread from Wegmans; carrot sticks; chickpeas; cashews; and pretzel sticks.
Practice 09.04.17 || smoked salmon sushi rolls (with a little bit of ponzu sauce in the small container for dipping); steamed broccoli; edamame with some little heart shaped carrots; diced peaches; and a Lindt chocolate ball for something sweet
I found these vinyl stickers at Michael’s with her current obsession: mermaids!! They’re only $4 per pack (or less if you have a coupon!) and there are many designs (we put a sloth on her water bottle). The stickers are water and dishwasher proof so let’s see how long they last!
Practice 09.03.17 || Pasta with butter; cucumber slices; animal crackers from Trader Joe’s; a turkey hot dog; asian pear; and ketchup for dipping
Practice 09.02.17 || Butterfly shaped egg sandwich (decorated with a breadstick from Trader Joe’s and edamames); popcorn; cheese cubes; edamame; watermelon; and Guittard semisweet chocolate chips leftover from a baking project
And the verdict on practice box #2: I’ll take it as a compliment! 👍
Practice 09.01.17 || egg salad sandwich; cucumber slices; roasted and unsalted cashews; a Milano cookie; diced peaches; frozen peas
Practice 08.29.17 || Turkey, cheese, and flour tortilla roll up; potato chips; steamed broccoli; diced peaches; M&M’s
Our kid is just as excited as I am about making lunch, and helped come up with a list of possible foods to fill each compartment.
The Bentgo kids box measures roughly 8.5″ wide x 6.5″ tall x 2″ deep so it fits into her lunch bag easily. There’s still room for a juice box and a small snack container too.
Lunch bag
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