Freeze Dried Green Beans are A-OK...

WooHoo! New veggie like for the little guy....well, sort of! Green beans are probably one of Z's favorite vegetables. I found these Brothers-all-Natural freeze dried green beans the other day and decided to give them a try. WOWZERS!! These things are delicious. Z couldn't get enough of them. They are very crunchy, and the drying process strangely makes them slightly sweet. They have no additives or preservatives and are 100% veggie. These can be rehydrated and used in regular cooking, too. We love all of the Brothers-All-Natural products. Their freeze dried fruit is one of our favorite things to snack on, and we recently tried the new fruit clusters. Yummo!!! Added bonus....the official taste tester of The Lucky Lunchbox (our standard poodle) loves them, too. So, these are a great doggie treat, as well. Win-Win all around!

This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.
*Natural Selects bologna rolls with frog pick
*Ritz peanut butter crackers
*white cheddar Babybel cheese
*strawberries and peaches
*Brothers-All-Natural freeze dried green beans and red cherry tomatoes


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

Bologna, Blueberries, and Brownie Brittle

Well, Mamas!! Today's the day!! Are you doing the happy dance yet? The kiddos are back in school. I can hear the sighs of relief now. I know most of you are like me and really do enjoy having your kids home for summer. But, there's just something about being able to go the grocery store without having to threaten your kids fifty-two times for saying, "Mom, I want this! Mom, I want that!" Am I right? So, now it's time to start on that To-Do list that you made back at the beginning of summer and promised yourself  that you were gonna do while the kids were home for summer break. All together now....Yay for back-to-school!!

My kids have been back to school now for a month. We've gotten into our school groove, and things are going pretty well. We've made it through Labor Day, so now it's time to start looking ahead to the cooler weather and fall break. I am soooooo ready for the cool!! Come on fall!!

This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes

• Natural Selects bologna rolls
• Monterrey Jack cheese cubes
• Ritz crackers
• baby carrots
• strawberries
• Yoplait yogurt with a blueberry smiley face
• A small piece of brownie brittle is tucked in beside the yogurt.

Linked to: Bentolunch.net/ What's for lunch Wednesday
                 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:

Lunch in a Pencil Box..... Part 1

Hi Friends! I have a really fun post for you today. As a busy stay-at-home mom, I'm always looking for ways to save money, especially when it comes to stuff for my kidlets. I'm sure you are, too. Did you know that the average cost to raise a child today to the age of 18 is $241,000. WHAT!!!! That's insane!!!!! And I have 2 kids to raise! Hard to imagine, huh? I try to take advantage of any sale I can find, and the back-to-school sales are no exception. Yep!! Just call me Frugal Fanny!

Back-to-school sales are in full swing here in the M-town, and I love them. I like to stock up on Crayola crayons (I can find the 24 pack for $.25 here), markers, and scissors (I have no idea what happens to all our scissors). My local Walmart had the Sterilite pencil boxes marked down to $.59, normally $.99. My first thought with them, of course, was that these would be great boxes to store lunch supplies. My wheels of creativity are always spinning when it come to Z's lunches, so upon closer inspection, I noticed that these pencil boxes were the perfect size for a bento lunchbox. A lunchbox for $.59.....definitely a Win-Win!! Score one for Frugal Fanny! Four of these little jewels came home with me.

Now, I do love some of the more (MUCH more) expensive lunchbox systems on the market today like the Yumbox, the Yubo, and the Planetbox. And I do have a Yumbox (we love it). However, I choose to use Easy Lunch Boxes (these are awesome) and the Munchkin Mealtime Bento Box as they fit into Frugal Fanny's budget much better. And now, I have a $.59 lunchbox to add to my lunchbox collection.

I have made 2 lunches with the Sterilite pencil box, and I can honestly say that I love it. Again, it's the perfect size for a bento lunchbox (it's about 8"x5"). It has the hinged lid, which is something that I personally like in a lunchbox. It's deep enough that just about any silicone cup or plastic cup will fit in it.....even the jumbo 4" silicone cups fit. I like lunch bags that will carry the lunchbox flat or horizontally, and this pencil box fits in all of the bags that I have. These boxes come in a multitude of colors, and at $1.00 per box (average when not on sale), you can have a whole rainbow of colors. If this box accidentally gets lost at school or damaged somehow, Mama won't be crying a river of tears like she would be if this was a very expensive lunchbox. Ummm...been there, done that!! And, did I mention that these boxes are about a buck?!! 

Just a side note, Friends. Since the pencil boxes are not labeled food grade, I would be cautious and always use a silicone cup or some other container for the food so that it doesn't touch the plastic. In my second lunch, I placed a white napkin under the pretzels and baby carrots just to be on the safe side.

Below is the first lunch that I made in the Sterilite pencil box. My goal this year for Z's lunchbox is to pack more sandwich-free lunches. Both of these lunches are sandwich-free. I also used minimal supplies. Adding a few silicone baking cups to your pencil box lunch will make it super cute. The lidded cup with the applesauce actually came from Rite Aid. I found it in their dollar section...4 cups for $1.

Lunch #1

*Natural Selects bologna rolls

*cheddar cheese Ritz Bitz

*Kraft string cheese chunks

*natural applesauce

*Sunburst cherry tomatoes with Ranch dressing in the rainbow box

*blackberries

Lunch #2-

*Natural Selects hotdog slices

*Rold Gold honey wheat pretzel sticks

*green seedless grapes

*Monterey Jack cheese chunks 

*green olives 

*half of a Lucky Charms treat bar

*baby carrots

Again, I used minimal supplies with this lunch. Silicone baking cups add so much color and cuteness to a lunch, and they are very inexpensive. The long yellow container is a piece that I had in my lunch supplies drawer. So, you Frugal Fannies out there, grab a pencil box, a few silicone baking cups, and a $10 box of cookie cutters, and you will have some great and CHEAP supplies to make cute lunches for your kidlets. 

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

 

That's A Wrap: Turkey Tortilla Pinwheels

Well, my kidlets have been in school now almost 3 weeks. I am still in disbelief that it's already back-to-school time again. We're finally getting back into the swing of things, though. I keep reminding myself that fall is just around the corner (although you wouldn't know it by today's weather....95* for the high....WOWZERS!!) I'm determined this year to not fall into the "sandwich, pretzels, fruit" rut. Z usually will eat just about anything I pack in his lunch, so I can be more creative foodwise with what I pack. One of the foods that he really likes is tortilla pinwheels (a.k.a. Wraps or Roll-Ups). Pinwheels, wraps, and roll-ups are a tasty and fun alternative to the traditional sandwich. And they’re also a fun and frugal way to repurpose dinner leftovers! They make a great lunch/lunchbox option and a delicious, nutritious snack. In fact, my kids have eaten foods they normally turn down, when I roll it up in a tortilla! Apparently, the cute little roll-up makes everything look and taste yummier! The best thing about them, though, is that they are super easy to make and can be changed up a bazillion ways. I've listed some yummy roll-up ideas below along with a few wrapping tips at the bottom of the post. 

 Delicious wrap ideas...
*Turkey and Cheese: Spread tortilla with herb cream cheese, turkey, lettuce, and cheese. (Any type lunch meat or cheese would be delicious.) These can be sliced to make the cute pinwheels like in today's lunch.
*BLAT: Spread tortilla with mayo and add bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato.
*Philly Cheese Steak: Spread tortilla with mayo or spicy mustard and add thinly sliced steak, sautéed onion and some shredded (or thinly sliced) raw cheese.
*Crunchy Veggie: Spread tortilla with mayo or cream cheese and add your favorite raw veggies like shredded carrot, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, cucumber, etc.
*Taco Salad: Spread tortilla with refried beans and/or guacamole; then add chopped lettuce, cheese, olives, and taco meat.
*Peanut Butter and Jelly: Spread tortilla with peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice) and jelly (or fruit spread or Nutella). These can be sliced to make cute PB&J "sushi". 

This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.

*tortilla pinwheels with herb cream cheese, Natural Selects turkey, cheddar and provolone cheeses, and lettuce 

*Rold Gold mini pretzels
*green seedless grapes
*baby carrots with Ranch dip in the small rainbow box
*natural applesauce
*Hershey's chocolate square


Wrapping tips …
---A warm tortilla is generally easier to roll-up than a cold one, and is less likely to break or tear. So once you’ve got the ingredients ready for your wrap, heat a skillet over medium heat and slightly warm the tortilla on both sides. Or, place the tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds. Then add your wrap ingredients and roll, following additional tips below.
---To help “seal” the tortilla, include some form of spread as a base layer (like mayo, cream cheese, nut butter, etc.). Then add your wrap ingredients making sure to leave about one inch of one side of your tortilla free of heavy ingredients. Start rolling on the side with ingredients, so you end the roll-up on the side with spread-only in order to help seal it.
---Once you’ve finished rolling-up your wrap, gently squeeze it with cupped hands, like a sushi chef does with a sushi roll.
--- I recommend wrapping up the rolled tortilla in plastic wrap and refrigerating for several hours if you are making pinwheels or sushi to make cutting easier. If you are doing this last minute and don’t have the time, don’t worry…it will still work.
 ---I didn’t specify amounts of meats or cheeses because it all depends on your taste. I used one layer of meat and two different cheeses, but if you like more meat, you can add more. It all depends on what you like your meat-to-cheese ratio to be.


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

Mini Meat Kabobs...

My kids love food on a stick. And why not?! Food on a stick is so much more fun to eat, right? I love the 5 inch long heart skewers that I have, but short food picks or cupcake picks make great mini skewers. I found these cute swirl picks at Party City on the clearance rack about a year ago, and they make super cute mini kabobs, huh? Any 2 inch (or a bit longer) food picks or cupcake picks will work as a mini skewer. Cupcake picks are really just blinged out toothpicks, right? Lunch kabobs are a cool (and easy) way to make lunch fun. Today, I made all meat mini kabobs. But, you could change them up everyday.....ham, cheese, and veggies one day and grapes, strawberries, and blueberries the next. The options are endless. So, why not give lunchbox mini kabobs a try, Friends!

This lunch is packed in Easy Lunch Boxes.
*mini kabobs with honey roasted turkey chunks, mini pepperoni pieces, and Natural Selects hotdog slices
*cheddar cheese Ritz Bitz
*Kraft string cheese chunks
*sunburst cherry tomatoes
*red and green seedless grapes
*Yoplait vanilla yogurt- I added a spoonful of strawberry purée.
*Hershey's chocolate square
*linked to: Following in my Shoes/ I Heart Lunch
                Eats Amazing/Fun Food Friday


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