Rawr Here Come The Big Cats!
October 4, 2012
Today is World Animal Day and my bento buddies are at it again. In celebration we are having another big bento blog hop, with each lunch celebrating a different animal. So, click the button at the end of this post to check out all the wildlife (and some cute animals too!)
I selected a cheetah because I did one pre-blog last year and I’ve been itching to do another. Cora insisted that the cheetah will be lonely without a lion and a tiger to keep her company, so it evolved into a big cat lunch.
Our cheetah is a cheese sandwich with cheese and fruit leather features. I held the eyes, nose and ears on with strands of raw spaghetti. She is hanging out in a pile of cheese curls (it aint easy bein’ cheesy!)
The cheetah has a lion friend made from a hard-boiled egg with cheese, soy paper and fruit leather features.
Our watermelon tiger cubs are romping in a pile of blackberries. Yum!
To make this lunch I used:
Next up on our zoo tour is an adorable octopus by the one and only JeeJee (of AllThingsForSale and CuteZCute
CuteZCute Cat Lunch
September 26, 2012
I was so excited when my new sample of the CuteZCute kit arrived! I immediately plopped it in the dishwasher (top shelf) so I could use it the very next day. This thing is so dang cute! This morning, I couldn’t wait to dig in, but first I had to decide which cute critter I wanted; panda, frog, pig or cat. I opted for the cat – look how cute it is!
Our cute kitty has a lot of fun in store! There is a quail egg, cheese and spaghetti mouse to chase, a plum buckwheat noodle ball of yarn to dismantle and a passel of watermelon kittens to wrestle.
To learn more about the CuteZCute cutter and stamp kit, check out this fun tutorial by JeeJee from AllThingsForSale and the creator of CuteZCute, and stay tuned because I plan to use this set A LOT!
To make this lunch I used:
Goofy Bunny
September 25, 2012
Cora was digging around in my picks and found the goofy teeth pop (thanks Kendra!). I’ve always wanted to do a sandwich with one after seeing this adorable post about bunny lip pops. So now was my chance!
Our goofy bunny is a Wowbutter sandwich with a touch of chocolate hazelnut spread and decorated with cheese, raw spaghetti and fruit leather. He has a quail egg bunny and raspberry yogurt pretzels keeping him company
The lunch is finished with watermelon bunnies and apple chunks
To make this lunch I used:
Arrrr It’s A Pirate Bunny!
September 20, 2012
Yesterday was Talk Like A Pirate Day and I participated in a HUGE hope and giveaway (see below for details and to join in – it’s not too late!) Cora was not so thrilled to get a pirate lunch. But, being Ms Independent, today she woke up wanting a pirate lunch. A pirate bunny. I got so many great ideas from yesterday’s hop that I thought I would go ahead and honor her request. I managed to whip it out in less than half an hour!
Our pirate bunny is a Wowbutter and banana sandwich with cheese and fruit leather accents. He is protecting his treasure of carrot coins and pile of kiwi coins and raspberry gems (I couldn’t find my ring picks in time. I really wanted to make raspberry rings in the treasure pile. Bummer!). In the background are strawberry pirate ships setting sail on a sea of blueberries.
Avast, Thar Be Treasure!
To celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day yesterday a bunch of my bento buddies and I are having a big blog hop and GIVEAWAY that is still open!
Every blog in the hop has a piece of the map to the bento booty treasure – a big giveaway! As you go through the hop, collect the pieces and put them in the right order to find out where to enter! You’ll probably need something to write with, because there are 39 blogs to visit, which means 39 pieces to collect! 37 of the pieces will spell the URL, and 2 bonus words will be your entries to win (yes you get 2 chances to win!). You can start with my post from yesterday, Avast Me Maties, This Pirate’s A Beauty!
To make this lunch I used:
Avast Me Maties, This Pirate’s A Beauty!
September 19, 2012
To celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day a bunch of my bento buddies and I are having a big blog hop and GIVEAWAY! After you finish ogling m’ Pirate Lassy, continue on to find a scrap of map to the Pirate Booty and head off to claim yer treasure!
Our blond Pirate Girl is a Wowbutter and jelly sandwich decorated with cheese, soy paper and fruit leather. She has a nice big sword for protectin’ her treasures – a pile of Pirate Booty, black rice with an egg skull and crossbones, and fruit coins.
The skull and crossbones are made from a quail egg pressed into a skull ice mold, then adorned with picks.
Avast, Thar Be Treasure!
Every blog in the hop has a piece of the map to the bento booty treasure – a big giveaway! As you go through the hop, collect the pieces and put them in the right order to find out where to enter! You’ll probably need something to write with, because there are 39 blogs to visit, which means 39 pieces to collect! 37 of the pieces will spell the URL, and 2 bonus words will be your entries to win (yes you get 2 chances to win!)
Arrrr Here Be The Map
And Here Be A Plan
Needin’ some help organizing yer thoughts? Print this here chart to keep yer thinkin’ straight.
And Now, Away With You!
Check out Keitha’s sea-worthy wonders at Keitha’s Chaos and collect the next piece of the map!
To make this lunch I used:
Mini-Dippers from EasyLunchBoxes
September 17, 2012
Lucky me! I got to test drive a set of “Mini-Dippers” Small Dip and Sauce Containers before they were released for purchase. I couldn’t wait to get them washed so I could take them out for a spin! So, the first thing I noticed was there are a heck of a lot of containers in each set! So, I settled for washing a handful before the big day.
When I took a container out, a little lip on the lid caught my eye. It’s perfect for little fingers to open, so we get leak-proof, but still preschool friendly. Very handy!
I ended up using 4 in the large section of an ELB, one with a lid for hummus and the other three to keep the salty-cruncy (pretzels) from getting all soft and droopy by being next to the veg (carrots and cucumber). C loved having a mix and match dipping lunch and I loved that there was no mess at the end of the day. Win-win!
The other two sections of the ELB held strawberries and raspberries, and flower-shaped cheese sandwiches.
Lots Of Love Lunch
September 14, 2012
Cora has been having a tough time adjusting to the new school year. After a particularly tricky night, I wanted to send her to school with a lunch that really reminds her of our family motto – ‘I love you with all my heart, all the time, always and forever’. So, time to break out the heart cookie cutters!
Our lovely lunch has Wowbutter and jelly sandwich hearts, watermelon hearts on a large heart skewer, yogurt covered pretzels, a bunch of berries and vanilla coconut yogurt with a strawberry heart
To make this lunch I used:
Easy Lunch Boxes with Trader Joe’s
September 14, 2012
Many of you know I had the honor of contributing to a cookbook for EasyLunchBoxes and Trader Joe’s. I got a sneak peak and it turned out beautifully! The book is now available for purchase on Amazon
It was really fun pulling together designs that don’t require special cutters and seeing how they were translated for the book. Check it out!
I made:
and it turned into:
I made:
and it turned into:
This is an exciting time to be an EasyLunchBoxes fan. Not only is the book coming out, the containers will be back in stock in the next 10 days, AND they have also brought to market a new product, “Mini-Dippers” Small Dip and Sauce Containers
Big Top Lunch
September 8, 2012
Cora loooooves the new picks we bought a couple weeks ago, so when I asked her to suggest a lunch theme, she immediately answered, ‘a circus!’. So, a circus it is!
She went on to tell me I had to use the new picks AND a new box. I think I spent more time staring into my bento cupboard trying to figure out what to use than I did making the entire lunch! I finally decided on the blue Sistema Klip It
In the right half we have a dancing elephant cheese sandwich with heart strawberries and a melon big top (watermelon and Galia melon strips). My big top is a copy of the far better one by Cristi from BentOnBetterLunches. You should definitely check her’s out, the entire lunch is adorable!
In the left half we have our coterie of quail egg clowns with spinach ramen hair and carrot circle noses. I used natural food coloring to draw on their faces. I wish it hadn’t bled, they looked pretty cute when I first finished! The other little container has baby carrots and ranch dressing.
I had a fun time making this one, and Cora gobbled it up!
To make this lunch I used:
Flowerlicious Lunch
September 6, 2012
Well, I call it a girl that matches the bento box, but C thought ‘Flowerlicious’ sounded much better. It’s her lunch, so what the heck!
A few months ago, I had the honor of meeting JeeJee of AllThingsForSale and she brought us an adorable Japanese girl stacking bento box. I was so excited to finally use it!
I was intimidated by the box at first, it is so ‘real bento’ and so round. But, once I got started I really liked it. The lidded container that fits in the middle is perfect for keeping juicy fruit from spilling and I was able to add an extra cup in the top. Plenty of food fits in this thing. I can’t wait to use it again!
Our lovely lady is a cheese sandwich with cheese and fruit leather features, surrounded by pretzels. In the middle tier is a fruit salad with raspberries, blueberries and flowers cut from watermelon and galia melon. In the top cup is spinach ramen with two quail eggs molded (kinda) into little flowers.
To make this lunch I used:
