Other Fun Stuff

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Star Student Yumbox

The little guy was so happy with his Star Student lunch on Monday that he asked me to make him another one today.  Well, you bet I will!! So, today I'm sending his Yumbox. If you missed my review of the Yumbox, you can read it HERE

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This lunch is packed in the Yumbox.









*star shaped Applegate ham
*sweet corn with carrot rounds on top ( I used an extra small star cutter to cut out the centers of the carrots. The official taste tester, our poodle, gobbled up the tiny star centers.)
*pretzel balls
*strawberries, blueberries, and a slice of starfruit
*Yoplait yogurt with a frozen blue Trix yogurt star in the middle (We love Trix yogurt because it has no artificial colors, flavors, or other yucky stuff.) I used a star shaped silicone jello mold to freeze the  Trix yogurt, and then, after frozen, I added it on top of the other yogurt. The yogurt star will thaw by
lunchtime and helps to keep the other yogurt cold.
*Craisins in the treat/dip cup
*linked to: Five Little Chefs/ Fantastic Thursday
                  Eats Amazing/ Fun Food Friday


Starfruit is not usually a fruit that Z eats with gusto. I love it, but he always says that it tastes bitter to him. I've been on a mission lately to get him to eat a wider variety of fruit and veggies. He's very agreeable to trying new foods, which is great, but fruits that are bitter or sour don't appeal to him as much. So, I sprinkled a tiny bit of all-natural Stevia sweetener on the starfruit and gave him some. His response... "I love this fruit, Mom!" Hmmmm....while I don't expect starfruit to replace the strawberries, grapes, or apples that he loves so much, I may try to add it into our fruit rotation more.


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



Monday, January 27, 2014

Star Student...

I am so proud of my little guy! Friday, Z came home from school so excited because he was chosen to be the Star Student of the Week for this week. This really is a big deal because there are only 8 star students chosen in each grade the entire school year. (Each 1st grade class chooses one star student a month for the months September- April.) Of course, there are many privileges that go along with being the Star Student. The star student gets to be the line leader all week long. They get to sit at a special table at  lunchtime. Your picture goes on the Star Student board by the office, and on Friday afternoon, all the Star Students for the week get to have a popsicle party.

So, it is only fitting that my Star Student gets a star themed lunch today. Great job, Z!! You are always my star.


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This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.
*star shaped Applegate bologna and American cheese sandwich with bologna and cheese stars on top
*cheddar cheese pretzels
*blueberries and starfruit slices
*baby carrots with ranch dressing in the star box
*all-natural applesauce with a few star sprinkles on top
*linked to: BentoLunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday
                  Sun Scholars/ For the kids Fridays


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



Friday, January 24, 2014

Pandas and Potstickers for lunch...

Ughhhhh!!!! This has definitely been one of "those" weeks. Let me see. Crazy...frustrating...insane...circus...Yeah, that about sums it up. Oh, OK. So you moms out there know exactly what type of week I'm talking about..the "Calgon take me away" every night kind of week. I haven't posted a lunch all week. Whoa there....calm down everyone! I promise I've still been sending lunch for the little guy, just not anything worth blogging about. But, hopefully I'm past all the craziness (fingers crossed). Actually, I think I've enjoyed the mini break this week. (Although, I have not enjoyed the antics of a sock-eating poodle this week. Um, yeah. Long story!) 

So, I'm going pretty easy today for Z's lunch...last night's leftovers of veggie potstickers, EZ mac (yes, I know...loaded with artificial stuff. It's been one of "those" weeks, remember?), and green beans. 

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This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.
*vegetable potstickers with a panda baran on top
*EZ Mac - macaroni and cheese
*strawberries with a panda pick and a Halo mandarin orange
*all-natural applesauce
*green beans with ranch dressing in the panda pot
*linked to: Becoming a Bentoholic/ Leftovers on Friday
                  Bento for Kidlet/ Meatless Monday


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



Monday, January 20, 2014

Mini hearts Fairy bread sandwich....

I really love fairy bread sandwiches, and I love hearts. So, why not combine the two, I say. I put a different spin on this heart fairy bread sandwich....instead of 1 big heart in the middle of the bread, I made several small hearts. I really like how the apple turned out, too.  I cut a small apple in half, carved out the center into the shape of a heart, and filled it with Craisins.....sort of an apple bowl, I guess. 

To make a "Fairy bread sandwich", cut out any shape of your choosing from the top slice of bread. A cookie cutter works great for this. Then, fill the cavity with any sprinkles you like. I used Wilton Valentine confetti sprinkles. Simple as that! 


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This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch boxes.
*almond butter and all-fruit spread heart fairy sandwich with Wilton confetti sprinkles
*pretzel snaps
*sweet peas with heart shaped carrots on top
*Fuji apple bowl filled with Craisins
*linked to:  Bentolunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday
                   Following in my Shoes/ I heart lunch
                   Polka dots on Parade/ Wow me Wednesday
                   Becoming Martha/ Creative Connection
                   Funky Polkadot Giraffe/ Too Cute Tuesday



Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



Friday, January 17, 2014

Superheroes week....

This week is superheroes week at Z's school. This entire week is devoted to all the kids' favorite superheroes. On Tuesday, the kids were invited to get up in class and tell who their favorite was, and why they like that superhero the best. I was privileged to attend this tell-all. First graders are some of the most creative and funny little people ever.Who knew that Aquaman was a superhero! And I never knew that Wonder Woman's car was made out of bubble gum. Her jet is invisible so this makes sense, right?? On Wednesday, the kids went to art class and drew pictures of their faves. Today, the kids get to dress up like their favorite superhero, and have a superhero party in the afternoon....so much fun for the kiddos. Of course, today's lunch had to be a superhero lunch. Z chose Superman as his favorite superhero, but I already had these cute Batman cupcake rings. So, Batman got the lunch honor. Z was quite happy with Batman, though.

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This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.
*bat shaped almond butter and all-fruit spread sandwich with Batman cupcake ring in the middle
*white cheddar cheese Nips
*green beans with Batman cupcake ring
*black olives
*strawberries and 1/2 a Halo orange with the word "BAM" spelled out with letter picks
*linked to: Eats Amazing/ Fun Food Friday
                  Bentos on the Bayou/ Fifteen minute Fridays
                  Sun Scholars/ For the kids Friday




Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Yumbox full of hearts

I hope that you all read my Yumbox review from a few days ago. We are really enjoying it. Today's lunch features a Yumbox full of hearts. Hearts just make you happy any time of the year, don't they?

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In this lunch:
*Natural Selects bologna cut into heart shapes
*heart shaped strawberries
*green beans with ranch dressing in the heart box
*pretzel snaps
*black olives
*Yoplait yogurt with 'LOVE' candy decoration on top
*Hershey's kiss
*linked to:
Bento Lunch


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



Monday, January 13, 2014

Four fun snowman lunches

Hi friends, winter is in full swing here, and winter just screams 'snowman' to me. So, I thought I would do a fun roundup of some of the snowman lunches that I've made. Click on the links below to see each lunch individually.

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                                         Ritz cracker snowman

                                        Mini-pancake snowman                     


                                          Uncrustables snowman
   


                                            Snowman surprise



Some things, or similar things, that I used to make these lunches:




Friday, January 10, 2014

Yumbox Review...


One of my goals this year for The Lucky Lunchbox is to do product reviews. So, to get 2014 started off with a bang, I've decided to do a review of one of my favorite products, the Yumbox. I love using the Yumbox lunchbox. It's getting increasingly more difficult each day to choose which of our lunch boxes I love the most. I love the Easy Lunch Boxes and the Munchkin Mealtime Bento, too. These lunch boxes all have their own unique features and are great for different reasons. Today, I'll be sharing with you which features of the Yumbox I love the most and which points to consider when deciding if the Yumbox is the right lunch box for your family.
                 


I purchased the Yumbox at the beginning of the school year in late August. So, I've been using it now for 3 1/2 months. The Yumbox is a colorful, bento style lunch box that was designed to encourage healthy eating habits. It is designed with the child in mind. This fun and unique approach to eating lunch is bound to capture the attention of toddlers, preschoolers, and young children. Parents will like that there are no difficult lids to remove or to keep up with, and no baggies to unzip. But even bigger kids and adults can use the Yumbox. It's dimensions are 8x6x2, and it weighs about 1.5 pounds empty. It's lightweight and holds 2 1/2 cups of food total.The Yumbox is eco-friendly in that it is made of materials safe for the environment and our kids, and it comes in 2 great colors, green and pink.



One of the stand out features of the Yumbox that I love is that it has 5 individual compartments, each labeled with fun drawings showing a different food group- fruit, vegetables, grain, dairy, and protein. (See photo above.) There is even a smaller section in the middle that is meant to hold a small treat or dip of some kind. The five compartments each hold 1/2 cup portions which is something to keep in mind if you have children that are older with bigger appetites. This design really does encourage parents to pack healthier lunches. It's great for my little guy, too, as he prefers to have all his food separated and not touching.

       
Another feature of the Yumbox that I like is that the tray is removable. Both the lunch box and the tray are dishwasher safe, and the removable tray makes dish washing simple and effective. My blogging buddy at Ladybug Lunches pointed out this great feature...having a removable tray allows the Yumbox to be used as more than just a lunch box. It can also be used as a food tray or plate.The tray is small enough that it can be tucked inside a diaper bag, tote bag, or large purse and easily be taken on-the-go to a play date, restaurant, picnic, or on vacation. 
                     
                   

Another great feature of the Yumbox is that the lid has silicone edges (see photo above) that make each of the 5 compartments leak proof, so packing foods like yogurt and applesauce are a cinch. (Both pieces of the Yumbox are dishwasher safe. However, I hand wash the outer box so as to preserve the leak proof seal.) This is great as my son would not be happy if his applesauce leaked onto his sandwich. The latch that opens and closes the lunchbox is very easy for small hands to work. My son is 6, and he has no problems opening or closing it. We have not found this to be so with some other popular lunch boxes, so this feature really works for us.

Overall, we really love using the Yumbox. Packing lunches in it is fun and simple. I can foresee many more fun and creative lunches for my son being packed in it.
Here is an overview of the features we love about the Yumbox and some of the points to keep in mind before purchasing.

Features we LOVE: 
*Environmentally friendly- BPA and Phthalates free
*Leak proof lid, mess free
*Dishwasher safe
*Removable tray
*Compact, sturdy, easy to use
*Encourages portion control and healthy eating habits
*Portable 
*Economical- no more baggies, plastic containers, or food waste
*Makes eating and packing lunch FUN!


Things to keep in mind before purchasing:
*Cost- The Yumbox sells for appx. $28. This does not include a carrying bag.
*Each of the 5 compartments only holds 1/2 cup of food, which may not be sufficient for a large appetite.
*Water tends to pool in the back of the Yumbox tray when placed in the dishwasher. The small crevices need to be wiped dry before putting the tray away. I'm not bothered by this, but some may find this to be a nuisance .
*The Yumbox is not insulated....use of an ice pack is needed.


Here are 2 Yumbox lunches that I made. Click on the link to see them.

                                     



Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make these lunches:



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Boy, it's cold outside!!!!...

Hi everyone! I hope 2014 has started out to be a great year. This is the first post of 2014 for The Lucky Lunchbox. My kids were scheduled to go back to school today, but due to the extreme cold temps, they got one more day of winter break. Yesterday was the coldest day that the M-town has seen in 30 years. Yes, you heard that right...30 years! Today is only slightly warmer. We were all quite happy to have the extra day. I had already made this lunch yesterday when we found out school was cancelled, but Z was happy to eat it today.


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This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.
*snowman shaped Natural Selects ham and Swiss cheese sandwich decorated with candy sprinkles for the nose and buttons and fruit leather for the mouth. I used an edible food marker for the eyes.
*white cheddar "snow" balls
*sunflower seeds in the little snowman box
*grapes, blueberries, and blackberries with snowman pick
*green beans, black & green olives, and carrots cut into snowman shapes
*Linked to:

Following In My Shoes Bento Lunches


Some of the things, or similar things, that I used to make this lunch:



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Welcome 2014...

Welcome 2014!! I hope the new year has started off very well for everyone. It seems like a new year always brings with it a certain excitement and anticipation of great things to come over the year. I am looking forward to an exciting year with The Lucky Lunchbox. I have many great posts planned, and I have some product reviews and giveaways planned, as well. I am currently working on a review of one of my favorite products, the Yumbox. So, I hope you will continue to visit The Lucky Lunchbox, and I would love to hear in the comments what you would like to see in future posts.

Thanks!!
Tracy