Bite Size Lunch & Tips



This little lunch is for my three year old.  She loves using chopsticks!  Here she can use them to pick up little peanut butter and jelly sandwich squares.  I used a FunBites sandwich cutter to make the perfect little squares.  It is one of my favorite tools. 

I cut an apple into bite size chunks.  The fastest way to do this is to use an apple slicer first, then cut up the slices.  I also sliced up baby carrots to finish off this bite size lunch.

 

Here is a tip for cutting pb&j sandwiches to keep the jelly from squirting through the bread.  Spread the peanut butter (or peanut butter substitute like SunButter) on BOTH slices of bread first.  Then put a layer of Jelly in the middle.  The peanut butter helps keep the jelly safe inside and keeps the bread from getting soggy.  There still may be some minor jelly squirts (ha ha jelly squirts), but it helps. :)

 

This is what I used to make today's lunch:

 



Pita Lunch

Yum!  I stuffed pita pockets for a meal at home and made extras to pack in lunches the next day.  I firmly believe you should cook once and eat twice.  It saves so much time!  Today's pockets are stuffed with turkey, cheese, tomato, and avocado.  When I make them, I place them on a cookie sheet and toast them up in the oven a little bit so the cheese melts. Leftovers are served cold in lunches the following day. 

 I also packed veggies and pear sauce.  Ranch is packed in an EasyLunchboxes Dipper.  The broccoli, carrots, and pita would taste great with with a little Ranch!

This is what I used to make today's lunch:

Blue Penguin

It was snowing outside while I was packing this healthy lunch.  I was inspired to go penguin style.  The little silicone penguin cup is filled with chopped celery and is hanging out next to some peanut butter in the little dip container.  I packed a little spoon in case my daughter was in the mood to spread peanut butter instead of dip.  The bottom tier has meat, cheese, and crackers along with clementine slices. 

 

This is what I used to make today's lunch:
 

Holiday Ho Ho Hop

Ho Ho Ho! It is week two out of three of the Bento Bloggers and Friends Holiday Ho Ho Hop!  I know I haven't posted a lunch in FOREVER.  I swear to you my children are indeed still being fed :)  I just haven't been great about blogging about their lunches this school year.  I miss it and I miss all of my readers.  I most definitely will get back on the horse! 

Okay, enough about me whining about being busy. What mama isn't? Here is today's lunch. I made a Christmas lunch, but kept it really simple so recreating it yourself will be a breeze.

 

 

I used a Lunchbots Trio for my bento box today.  Inside is a snow covered tree forest (broccoli and dip).  Come on, use your imagination :)  I used red and green picks to keep things festive.  Yogurt with red sprinkles is in the silicone muffin liner.  Finally, I made a circle ornament sandwich.  On top I just cut out a decal that was on some scrap wrapping paper and placed it on top.  How simple is that trick.  The options are endless and FREE.  Don't stop with upcycling wrapping paper.  You could cut out cute decorations on cards too!

 

 Don't stop now!  Feeling A Little Lunchy is spreading the holiday cheer next!

 

 

Here is what I used to make today's lunch:

Halloween Hop

I have a cute Halloweeny lunch packed in Laptop Lunches.  I love this box because the colors really step up the holiday theme.  I love the green, purple, and orange.  Add  jack-o-lantern and ghost cupcake topper rings and Voilà! instant Halloween. 

 

This lunch includes a sandwich punched into a scary cat shape with a cookie cutter, kiwi with Halloween colored sprinkles, cucumber, carrots, and ranch.  Finally, staying with the theme I packed a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. 

 

My friends and I are having a Halloween blog hop.  Up next is my buddy Jee Jee at CuteZCute.  Click along for all the fun Halloween Fun!

 

 

This is what I used to make today's lunch:

 





Happy Egg Salad

I love putting faces on food.  Here I used cucumbers to make a happy face egg salad
sandwich.

 

It is apple season!  I alternated Honeycrisp an Granny Smith.  I love Honeycrisp apples.  They are my hands down favorite.  This time of year I get my fill because the rest of the year they are so hard to find.  Flat pretzel crisps are also packed in this lunch.

 

This is the tool I used to make the eyeballs.  I got it from a friend.  Super slick!  If you don't have one, no worries.  A straw works well too!

 

This is what I used to make today's lunch:

Whales

This lunch is a whale and shrimp re-do in honor of World Animal day! My friends and I are having a blog hop.  Each bento blog features a different animal. 

I could eat this kind of lunch everyday. Grilled shrimp is so nom nom nom. I toss my shrimp in extra virgin olive oil with a little bit of salt, pepper, and garlic. I pop the little guys on skewers and throw them on the grill for a couple of minutes. TOO SIMPLE!

This lunch also has whales with water spouts made out of watermelon and cantaloupe. I used sweet little cutters on slices of melon. It was quick work for a big bang.

 

The veggies are spinach, cucumber, and avocado. To keep the under the sea theme going I put yogurt in a little silicone fish cup.

 

Next up is Rina with the butterfly at Bento School Lunches.

This is what I used to make this lunch: 

Witch Legs

It is October.  I'm excited because I have some fun fall and Halloween lunch packing items I can finally pull out and use.  I love these witch legs!  They are attached to a long pick so they work great for 'kabob' style lunches.  Here I used them with pepperoni, salami, and cheese.

The witches pet toad is sitting in the grapes.  Some crackers and carrots finish off this witchy lunch in EasyLunchboxes.

 

This is what I used to make today's lunch:

Pirate Lunch

Arrrg!  It is talk like a pirate day! To celebrate I made my three little shipmates some pirate bento grub.  I used cupcake topper rings to accessorize my very simple lunches.  I made them up two ways, one in Laptop Lunches and one is EasyLunchboxes. 

Each has rolled up turkey and string cheese with a pirate ring around it.  Big black grapes have been skewered through palm tree picks.  If you have never tried black grapes go for it.  They are yummy just like their green, red, and purple friends.  A banana muffin and carrots have pirate hat rings decorating them.  I bake tons of muffins at a time and freeze them.  In the morning pop them in a lunchbox and they are ready to eat by lunchtime. 

Here it is Laptop Lunches style:

Here is the EasyLunchboxes pirate lunch:

Me Bento Bloggin Mateys and I are having a Bento Booty Treasure Blog Hop.  Every Blogger Buccaneer in this here Hop has a piece of the treasure map! You'll need to "collect" each piece and put them together in the right order to find the treasure! You'll want some parchment and a quill, to keep a log with each clue and each number, because there are 39 scurvy pirates running amok with 39 pieces o' the map to collect! 37 pieces will guide you to the hidden treasure (by spelling out the URL where you can enter to win!) and there are 2 bonus pieces with the "secret passwords" to get two chances to win some pirate booty!

This here's my piece o' the map! Good luck, Mateys!
UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

 

Click the pirate flag button and it will take you to the next blog, Family Fresh Meals, where you can collect the next piece of your treasure code.

                                       

This is what I used to make today's lunch:

Waffle Bento

 



Left over freezer waffles are packed in Laptop Lunches today.  When I make waffles I make tons of them.  I freeze the extras so they can be popped in the toaster Eggo style in the mornings for a fast breakfast.  They also pack well in lunches.  I toast them and then pack them up.  The waffles do not stay warm but my kids love them anyway.  There is syrup in the little pink sauce container.

 



 

 

A fruit salad of green and purple grapes, kiwi, and strawberries is in the green box.  Yogurt with sprinkles is packed inside too.  I made a bunny shaped hard boiled egg with an egg mold.  It is hard to see the bunny face with the lighting I used but trust me it is there.  My youngest calls them Max and Ruby eggs.  We eat a lot of hard boiled eggs in my house. I purchased an egg cooker and I love it!  I can make 7 eggs at a time.  I just stick the eggs in and it beeps at me when they are ready. 

 

To make molded eggs, peel them when they are still hot.  Rinse off the molds and pop in the peeled egg.  Let it cool off in a bowl of cool water and you are done!  

 

 

This is what I used to make today's lunch: