Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Let's Talk Turkey

Okay, so it just seems natural that turkey should be a popular theme given the upcoming holiday, but let it be known out there that I've never cooked turkey in my life. Ever. This holiday will be no different. I do all the baking and usually some sort of side, and that is plenty enough for me. So, we're celebrating the turkey through fun bento-style lunches instead. That is a turkey that I can handle preparing! Enjoy!

turkey bento lunchbots Grilled cheese 'turkey' with colby jack, cucumber, orange bell pepper, ranch veggie dip, Naturebox ranch peas, and maple pecan granola chips.

croissant easylunchboxes
Salami and chive cream cheese croissant, cashews, dried cranberries, cheddar mozzarella stick, candy corn in the container, kiwi, mango, cucumber, tomato, and sugar snap peas.

turkey gobble lunch
Schwan's toaster waffles with Gala and Granny Smith apples. This guy was inspired by the sandwich version over at Creative Food. You could use this design for sandwiches, pancakes, bagels, and more. Super cute!

In addition to fun lunches, we also did some fun turkey worksheets and projects. Thanks to 1+1+1=1, MakingLearningFun, 3 Dinosaurs, Homeschool creations, and Creative Learning Fun for all the fantastic printables and idea inspiration.
handprint turkey
turkey thanksgiving worksheets

In these lunches...


Dyno-mite!

Seemed like a good day to go for the dinosaurs again with some fun picks this time!

dinosaur bento
Couscous, salami and provolone cheese 'mushrooms', dinosaur shaped rye crouton, cucumbers, red bell pepper, and American cheese.

In this lunch...

Friday, November 16, 2012

Friday Lunch Lineup

Today is just about the lunches, really. It's been a busy day, but a nice one. The weather was mild. I got lots of errands run, and had tons of 'help' with those errands thanks to the kiddo! It didn't hurt that Starbucks has buy 1 get 1 right now on holiday drinks, either.

For kiddo (in a Sassy box) - Turkey pepperoni, smoked turkey, mozzarella/cheddar cheesestick, ranch veggie dip, Goldfish crackers, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, grapes, and a strawberry. This lunch may have been followed by a Starbucks cake pop!

For mama - Chicken salad, melba toasts, The Laughing Cow Swiss cheese, dry roasted peanuts, cranberries, and a butterscotch haystack.

Super Simple Chicken Salad
Ingredients - 1-12.5oz can chicken, 1/2 c mayo (the real stuff), 1/2 c red grapes, halved, 1 green onion, diced, 1/4 c diced Granny Smith apple, 1 stalk celery, diced fine, salt and pepper to taste, and optionally, you can add finely chopped pecans to taste (I prefer to leave them out).
Quite literally, all you do is mix all of these things together. Serve with crackers, in lettuce wraps or on a green salad, on bread or croissants, or just on it's own. It is so yummy and super versatile!
Another nice thing about this chicken salad is how easy it is to make your own. Use more or less fruit, add nuts, use bell pepper instead of celery, and of course, use fresh chopped or shredded, cooked chicken.

For daddy in an EasyLunchBoxes - Chicken salad w/ Muenster cheese on potato bread, cocoa roast almonds, homemade pumpkin seeds in the container, Super Salad w/ kale, tomatoes, carrots, blueberries, edamame, and sunflower seeds, mango, dragonfruit, and Swiss cheese accents.

In these lunches...

Thursday, November 15, 2012

"I Am Thankful For..." Blog Hop

The BBF's are at it again with a fun blog hop. This time, it is all about what we are thankful for in honor of the upcoming holiday. I figure I can go about this a couple of ways. I can go practical and funny. I mean, right? Of course, I'm thankful for toilet paper and the Internet. I could go the serious route. I'm thankful for a roof over my head, running water, decent food.. But, the truth is that when someone asks me what I'm thankful for, cheesy or not, my mind goes without hesitation to my daughter. Period. But, more than that, is being thankful for family in general. How do I portray such intensity into a lunch? I don't. But, I can still achieve a simple lunch about 'family', so that is what I did! I hope you all have wonderful things to be thankful for. Laugh at some of them, perhaps shed a tear at others, but remember to put into perspective the things that you are most thankful for and embrace each and every one!

Kiddo's lunch - PB&J Mama and baby, Swiss cheese letters, red and green grapes, strawberry hearts, cucumber, and carrots.

Daddy's lunch - strawberry hearts, Super Salad with kale, cucumber, blueberries, edamame, sunflower seeds, and carrots, mama, daddy, and baby sammies with smoked turkey and Swiss cheese.

Now, hop along to the next fantastic bento blogger, JDaniel4's Mom, to see what she is thankful for, and how she created a lunch all about it! Be sure and continue through the hop for lots of wonderful ideas. And, THANK YOU for stopping by! Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

bento blog hop


In these lunches...