Ladybug Goodbyn Bynto

Eeeeeeek!! Isn't this a super cute lunchbox?! This is a Goodbyn Bynto. I have looked at this lunchbox a dozen times at my local Target and passed it up. I love my Easy Lunch Boxes and the Yumbox, but I have been looking for a lunchbox with a different interior design. So, on a whim, I decided to pick one up. WOW!! I love this lunchbox! As you can tell, it is very roomy, and I like having the 3 different sized compartments. There's a lot of room for creativity with the Goodbyn Bynto, too. At first, I thought it would be too big to fit flat in the lunchbags that I use for Z's lunches. But, to my surprise, it fits in every bag that I have for him. It fits well in the EasyLunchboxes Cooler Bag. I also have the Target Embark Personal lunchbag, and it fits great in this bag. The lid snaps on very easily, too, which is great for little hands. And, it comes in several fun colors...red, blue, green, and pink. Best of all, it can go in the dishwasher...and I LOVE that! So, I'm looking forward to making some super cute Goodbyn Bynto lunches.

This lunch is packed in the Goodbyn Bynto .

• Natural Selects ham sandwich cut into the shape of a ladybug- I cut a slice of cheddar cheese in the ladybug shape and placed it on top of the sandwich and added candy icing eyes.
• white cheddar cheese Nips
• baby carrots with ranch dressing in the green oval cup- I added a cute ladybug pick.
• red seedless grapes and strawberries in the ladybug cup
• rainbow popcorn- We picked this up when we were in Gatlinburg last week. It is delish! Each color is a different flavor. Not the healthiest choice, but oh, so gooood!

Linked to: Bentolunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday
                Beneficial Bento/ Fancy Sandwich Friday
                Eats Amazing/ Fun Food Friday



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

DIY Mini Pocket Sandwiches

Aren't these the cutest little pocket sandwiches? I pack sandwiches in Z's lunch pretty often, so I'm always trying to think up new fun and creative sandwich ideas. I love using cookie cutters or sandwich cutters, but I don't always want to make a sandwich that's shaped like an animal or something specific. These mini pocket sandwiches were a big hit. They're kind of like a mini version of the frozen Uncrustables pocket sandwiches that you can find at the grocery. Z is not a fan of bread crusts, so a pocket sandwich is ideal for him. They are also mess-free, easy for little hands to eat, and just plain fun. I have one of those Pampered Chef sealed sandwich gadget thingies, and it works great to make big round sammies. But all you need to make these mini pocket sandwiches are a round cutter and a fork. My only issue with these little sammies is that there is a lot of bread waste. Not a problem for me because every little scrap of bread, meat, cheese, fruit, or veggie gets reused in another fashion.....nothing goes to waste in my kitchen! So, go ahead and make some mini pocket sandwiches, and store your bread scraps in the freezer. Reuse them later in meatloaf or meatballs, or make bread scrap French toast muffins. Yummo!!

To make these mini pocket sandwiches, cut out 6 circles from your bread of choice (very fresh bread works best) using a small round cookie cutter (I used a round 2 1/2" cutter). Then, spread peanut butter on all 6 bread circles being careful to leave a thin edge of bread without peanut butter (this will allow the edges to seal). Then, place a small dollop (I love that word) of strawberry all-fruit spread (or spread of choice) in the center of the peanut butter ("small" being the key word here, or you will have filling squishing out the sides). Top this with the other 6 bread circles. Slowly crimp the edges of each sandwich with the tines of a fork (see below) to seal the bread.

Easy peasy lemon squeezey, huh? We love the mini pocket sammies, but you could also use the above technique on one large round sandwich...or square sandwich, or heart sandwich, or any shaped sandwich, really.

The filling possibilities are endless for these pocket sandwiches, too. Peanut butter and fruit spread are the fave in our house. But, imagine how delicious these would be with homemade preserves. Here are some other scrumptiously yummy filling ideas:

• almond, peanut, or cashew butter and honey
• egg, tuna, ham, or chicken salads
• deli meat and cheese
• pimento cheese and bacon
• Nutella and bananas or strawberries
• cucumber cream cheese

This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.

*peanut butter and strawberry all-fruit spread mini pocket sandwiches

*Rold Gold mini pretzels

*Honeycrisp apple wedges

*green beans and Sunburst cherry tomatoes with Ranch dressing in the orange cup

*Yoplait vanilla yogurt with blueberries

*linked to: Beneficial Bento/ Fancy Sandwich Friday
                BentoLunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday


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

Go RED for heart health...

Hi Friends! I hope you all are having a great first week of February. I am so excited to share today's lunch with you. Most of you know that February is the American Heart Association's Heart Month. The AHA promotes Heart Month to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can prevent it. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths is caused by heart disease. Today, February 7th, is set aside as National Go RED day where the AHA urges people to support the fight against heart disease by wearing (or promoting) the color red.

This month has very special meaning to me for a couple reasons. A few months ago, my older brother had an episode with his heart which resulted in his being diagnosed with heart disease and several blocked arteries. He also had an arterial clot in his heart which very well could have ended his life.These 2 issues resulted in his having a double bypass operation.While a double bypass alone is terrifying, my dear brother took a stand for his faith and chose to do a bloodless double bypass operation. I am happy to say that he has recovered well from this and is taking his heart health seriously now (um, yeah, he better be!!). I am so proud of my brother for his courage and conviction during this time. He is a very wonderful awe-inspiring man.

I also support Go RED day for another wonderful man that sadly succumbed to heart failure over 12 years ago. This man happened to be the father of my very best bestie in the world. I spent many fabulously fun days at my bestie's house as a kid, and I have very fond memories of him. I will forever miss his dry sense of humor and his terrific penmanship.

So, in keeping with the Go RED theme, today's lunch features all red foods (well, minus the pretzels). Today's lunch also honors 2 very great men....my brother Tony Howell, and my bestie's father Keith Arps.

The Lucky Lunchbox encourages all of my readers to "know your numbers". The five key markers below are good indicators of your heart health. By keeping these numbers within a healthy range, you can greatly improve your heart health and reduce your risk of heart disease.

1. Blood pressure

2. Blood sugar

3. Cholesterol
4. BMI
5. Weight

Now, on to the lunch!
This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.
* heart shaped peanut butter and all-fruit spread sandwich with cheddar cheese 'know your numbers' (I used a light spray of Wilton Color Mist in red on the sandwich.)
* pretzel balls
* heart shaped red bell peppers with homemade 'Healthy Heart Healthy You' pick
* heart shaped red delicious apple with mini heart cutout in center
* red Hershey's kiss
* linked to: Beneficial Bento/ Fancy sandwich Friday

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