Koala Krazy

So, I've reached day 4 of our post-zoo animal week, and this will be the last day for a collage and links to all those better other fabulous themed lunches, too. Tomorrow's animal, turns out, is quite the unique one for a lunchbox. At least in representation, rather than actually eating one. Ewww.. You'll just have to see tomorrow. For today, though, the animal theme is the KOALA! And, I couldn't exactly pack eucalyptus for lunch, so I improvised.

Kiwi (you know, because it's an animal from 'down under' too), cucumbers, tomatoes, a koala sandwich with butter, Muenster cheese, and a wee bit of Vegemite, and for the koala's 'tree', there is pretzels and spinach leaves.

Here's some fun facts that we picked up about the Koala!
*The Koala actually has two opposable thumbs on each hand.
*Koalas are great climbers, of course, but they can also jump distances up to 8 feet and are good swimmers.
*Like the kangaroo, the koala's baby is also called a joey, and stays in the mother's pouch for 5-6 months.
*While koalas really are picky eaters, eating only eucalyptus, they are even picky about that. They sniff out their favorite eucalyptus, and may only eat 2-3 varieties of it.
*The koala is not a bear at all. It is a marsupial.

As I did with our elephant, lion, and dinosaur posts, I wanted to include some fabulous koala lunches from some awesome bento peeps. Be sure and visit them all and see their koala creations! (Numbers in the collage above correspond to the blog with the same number below)
A Boy & His Lunch *5
Bento for Kidlet *4
Bento School Lunches *2
My Epicurean Adventures *3
Zoe's Lunchbox *1

In this lunch...

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Dining with Dinosaurs

Welcome to day three of an all animal week based on our recent trip to Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. The animal of the day is the DINOSAUR! Now, don't get all crazy on me. I have been told they are extinct, but try and tell that to my daughter who just saw them 'alive' at the zoo, moving and growling, and "real"! Honestly, the dinosaur bit was nearly the best thing the zoo had to offer if you ask her. So, I had to include a dinosaur lunch in the mix, didn't I?

Almond butter & honey sandwich w/ provolone cheese on top, cucumbers, frozen yogurt dinosaurs, and dragon fruit 'eggs' in a lettuce nest.

Here's some fun facts that we picked up about the kiddo's favorite dinosaurs!
Let me first say that since our trip, dinosaur books have been the rage. We've got a pile from the library and I'm forced to recite tongue twisting dinosaur names multiple times a day. How fantastic, right?!
*Even though the Stegosaurus was over 30 feet long and 14 feet tall, it's brain was only the size of a ping pong ball.
*Scientists believe that Brachiosaurus, like mammals, was warm blooded.
*Psittacosaurus, whose name means 'parrot lizard', would have stood only about waist high to the average adult human.
*The Pteranodon is actually a relative of the dinosaurs and had no teeth.
*The Ankylosaurus (mama's favorite) was one of the last dinosaurs of any type to live.
*Tyrannosaurus rex had a head that was nearly 5 feet in length, but had arms so small, it couldn't even reach it's own mouth.

As I did with our elephant and lion posts, I wanted to include some more wonderful dinosaur themed lunches from some fellow bento blogging friends. Be sure and visit all of them to see their fabulous creations! (Numbers in the collage above correspond to the blog with the same number below)
A Boy & His Lunch
Becoming a Bentoholic
Bento Lunch
Bent on Better Lunches *1
Bento School Lunches *2
Chaos and Confections *6
Crystal's Ramblings *5
Diana Rambles *7
Eats Amazing
Eclectic Lamb
Glory's Mischief *3
Keeley McGuire
Organized Bites
What's in Our Lunchbags *4
Zoe's Lunchbox

In this lunch...

(Products above contain affiliate links)

A Lion's Share of Lunches

Welcome to day two of an all animal week thanks to our recent trip to Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. I don't know what I was thinking, though. The pressure of specific posts and deadlines? Well, let's just say we don't get along. But, we made out okay today, and the animal of the day is the LION!

Watermelon, green and orange bell peppers (from our garden finally), ranch in container, sesame sticks, Trader Joe's chewable vitamin, and a lion peanut butter sandwich with sharp cheddar.

 
Here's some fun facts that we picked up about the African Lion!
*The African Lion has the biggest brain of all the 'big' cats.
*Lions are the only big cats that live in social groups or prides.
*Lions often sleep 20 hours or more a day (what I wouldn't give to be a lion some days)
*The roar of a lion can be heard from 5 miles away!

As I did with our elephant post, I wanted to include some fabulous lion lunches from fellow bento blogging folks, too. Be sure and visit them all and see their lion creations, as well as all their other inspirational lunch packing! (Numbers in the collage above correspond to the blog with the same number below)
A Boy & His Lunch *7
Bento for Kidlet *4
Bentology *5
Bentoriffic *3
Bentos on the Bayou
Creative Food *1
Diana Rambles
Eclectic Lamb *6
Keeley McGuire
Keitha's Chaos
Lauri Fitzsimmons (via Bent on Better Lunches)
Veggie Bento *2
Zoe's Lunchbox

In this lunch...

(Products above contain affiliate links)

A Herd of Elephants

I'm finally nearly partially fully rebounded from our mini family vacation. Would you believe we're entertaining the thought of another even mini-er (is that a word?) one before Labor Day? What am I thinking? Anyways, while I'm far from going through the mounds of photos I took, I was thinking about a week dedicated to one of the major activities on our trip, The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. Why not do a week long theme of some of the animals we saw? My daughter's favorite? Well, that will have to wait until Friday, but it isn't one of the 'usuals' at the zoo, for sure.

Today's animal? The ELEPHANT! The Columbus Zoo has Asian Elephants, and there was quite a bit we learned about them, including a fun fact on our Lunchbox Love Notes, too! Keep an eye out... we'll be having a Lunchbox Love review and giveaway very soon!

Elephant sandwich with Boar's Head turkey, swiss, and spinach on a bed of more spinach, blueberry Greek yogurt (how to make yogurt 'cut-outs'), apples, grapes, Trader Joe's honey roasted peanuts, cucumbers, and tomatoes straight out of the garden.

Here's some more fun facts that we picked up about the Asian Elephant!
*The Asian Elephant is more closely related to a Mammoth than the African Elephant.
*An elephant only has a set of 4 molars (although the tusk is a modified incisor), and as they wear down, the molars are replaced in a conveyor belt fashion, but only 6 sets of molars will ever come in during an elephant's lifetime.
*The elephant actually walks on it's toes (the heel of the foot is just a pad made of fat and connective tissue), something they share in common with my tiptoe walking daughter.. sigh...
*Baby elephants are born weighing in at around 250 pounds, and adults can range from 7,000 to a whopping 16,000 pounds.
*One of the biggest difference in appearance between Asian and African elephants is their ears. In Asian elephants, they are shaped like the sub continent of India. While, African elephants much larger ears are shaped like the continent of Africa. Go figure.
*Asian elephants are endangered, and sadly, the biggest threat to them is humans.

And, since you KNOW I run in some fabulous circles of bento packing ladies and gents, I had to share some of these amazing, fantastic, super creative and yummy elephant lunches that some of my fellow bloggers have posted, too. I couldn't fit all the lunches in the collage, but be sure and visit them all by clicking on the links below! (Numbers in the collage above correspond to the blog with the same number below)
A Boy and His Lunch
Becoming a Bentoholic *2
Beneficial Bento *3
Bento Lunch *8
Bent on Better Lunches *4
Bentoriffic
Bentos on the Bayou *1
Creative Food
Eats Amazing *7
Food for Harper
Keeley McGuire *6
Organized Bites *5
What's In Our Lunchbags
Zoe's Lunchbox

In this lunch...

(Products above contain affiliate links)