Monday was the last day of summer vacation before my big boy started 1st grade and my little guy went back to day care so we ventured out a little farther than we normally do to visit a park with a splash pad.  I packed a picnic lunch for all of us in the big Oots Lunchbox. The Oots box worked perfectly – we all helped ourselves from the different containers and we used the internal box lids for little plates. I packed: blueberries, strawberries, leftover barbecued chicken legs (2 for me, 1 for Wyatt and one chopped up for Augie), whole wheat pretzel sticks and a little tub of edamame hummus to dip the pretzels in. The hummus is a new-ish Trader Joe’s discovery. I’ve liked it for a long time, but the kids are suddenly cuckoo-crazy for it.

Tuesday

And then Tuesday we were officially back to school!

I feel ridiculous telling you this, but Monday night I froze up when it was time to pack the lunches. I went into the kitchen and I just didn’t know where to begin. Deciding what to put in the lunch boxes is always the hardest part for me and I completely blanked. Part of it was exhaustion from a lot of activity on a really hot day, part of it was that I didn’t have as much “lunchy” food in the house as I thought I did, and part of it was that after my “Back to School, Back to Lunch” series of posts last week I felt like I really had to bring it with the first day lunches. Silly? Yes! But I still was stumped.

And then I looked at the lunch box idea list that was stuck to our fridge and I got a bunch of ideas. We eat our own dog food here at Wendolonia!

The toddler lunch had leftover wild rice from dinner, mixed veggies from the freezer, turkey meatballs and blueberries.

The 1st grader’s lunch was blueberries, a strawberry cereal bar (cut into chunks to fit) and turkey meatballs that I cut into quarters and threaded onto skewers. I also included a little container of catsup for dipping the meatballs in.

Wyatt has been crazy for dill pickles this week, so for his snack, I cut a couple into chunks and put them into a small box with some pretzel sticks. I was very careful to drain as much liquid off the pickles as I could and put them into a silicone baking cup so that they didn’t make the pretzels soggy.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, Augie’s lunch was soycatash, leftover salmon chunks from dinner, a mini whole wheat hamburger bun and some cantaloupe chunks.

Wyatt’s lunch and snack were packed into the Laptop lunchbox: a Z-Bar, whole wheat pretzel sticks, cantaloupe chunks, corn, a mini hamburger bun and ham and cheese roll-ups.

Thursday

This 1st grader lunch had strawberries, cantaloupe stars, baked tofu, a mini hamburger bun and a box of raisins.

His snack had cantaloupe, a strawberry star, a few pretzel sticks (a little hard to see) and a cheese stick. I had to cut the ends off the cheese to make it fit in the box, and although I planned to use them to fill those little gaps, I ended up eating them because they looked tasty. Oops! Also, do you see what I did here with the stars? I was planning on using both types of fruit all along, so I just used each one to decorate the other. Easy peasy!

Friday

Wyatt’s lunch was pretty simple today. I packed leftover pulled pork into the thermos, then slipped that into the OOTS Lunchbox along with containers holding a mini hamburger bun to make a sandwich with and some mixed berries. I also threw in a Z bar as a treat for his snack. I cut the package open because either they don’t help the kids with their lunches in 1st grade, or Wyatt is too shy to ask for help yet.

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After a fairly light summer, these weekly bento posts are going to start to get beefy again!

Monday

Wyatt begged and begged his dad for a Z Bar at the grocery store, so he got to take it for his snack as a special treat on Monday. He also got a few blueberries and strawberries.

Bonus Dad Snack:

My husband was working at home on Monday for the first time in several weeks and I was so happy to have another adult around that I made him this fancy snack plate (he’s usually on his own for lunch and snacks). I gave him apple slices, grapes, fake Triscuits with aged gouda (our new favorite cheese) and peppered salami slices.

Tuesday

For Tuesday’s day camp snack, Wyatt had nectarine slices, three blueberries for garnish and fake Triscuits.

Wednesday

Wednesday’s snack was a biscuit and blueberries. I drew a Batman logo on the biscuit with food markers. If you’re wondering why the bat is green, it’s because most of the markers in my set (including the black one) have dried up now. The pink still works OK, but there’s no way Wyatt is going to allow me to draw the Batman logo in pink. I think it’s time for a new set!

Thursday

On Thursday I packed a whole wheat hot dog bun and strawberries. The inside of the bun is spread with a layer of home made plum jam.

Friday

Finally, I packed this snack for Wyatt’s last day of day camp. There were blueberries and as a special treat, he got a big handful of cat cookies.

See you next week with lots of lunches!

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It’s back to school week here on Wendolonia! I’m going to be bringing you a new article focused on lunch-packing every day this week.

Today’s topic: Kid-centric Food Blogs!

Photo courtesy of Another Lunch

Another Lunch

Melissa from Another Lunch is one of my favorite bloggy buddies and her site always offers up something fun and inspirational. She puts together themed bentos and muffin tin lunches for her kiddos that are super-creative, but simple to execute (once she’s passed on her clever ideas).

Cooking with My Kid

Cooking with My Kid is one of those wonderful 365 projects — a mom cooks a new dish with her young son every day for a year. The dishes are usually pretty simple but they’re chosen to introduce her boy to new flavors and ingredients. She helpfully lists out which steps her son helped with for each recipe. The site is new to me, but I can’t wait to try some of them out with my kids.

Nurture Baby

Though Augie is well out of the baby food stage, I still check in with Nurture Baby from time to time for ideas for toddler-friendly dishes. I particularly liked the Bebe Bolognese — as did my boy — and I loved having small portions in the freezer to pop into his lunch box on day care days.

Meal Makeover Moms

I discovered the Meal Makeover Moms via their weekly podcast, but their website is a source of great family-friendly recipes too. The difference between these woman and many other food bloggers though is that they test the heck out of their original recipes before they release them out into the wild. As a result, every recipe of theirs that I’ve tried has been top-notch — and my kids have eaten (almost) all of them too!

Gourmet Mom on the Go

The Gourmet Mom on the Go isn’t a bento site per se, but it offers up some insanely cute serving ideas. A sandwich shaped like a lion with a grated carrot mane? How freaking cute is that? The recipe archive on this site is enormous, so no matter where your tastes lie, you’re bound to find something your family will enjoy.

Hungry for some more inspiration? Check out my list of favorite bento blogs!

What are your favorite blogs with ideas for feeding the kiddos?

More from this series:

• Monday: Lunch Box Ideas (with a free downloadable list for your fridge!)
• Tuesday: Lunch Packing Gear
• Wednesday: Sandwich Adventures
• Thurdsay: Kid-centric Food Blogs
  

It’s back to school week here on Wendolonia! I’m going to be bringing you a new article focused on lunch-packing every day this week.

Today’s topic: Sandwich Adventures

Sandwiches are the foundation of many packed lunches, but it’s easy to get into a rut with them. PB&J day after day can get really boring. So what can you do to make a sandwich — that convenient and easy lunch box staple — exciting? Here are a few ideas for jazzing them up:

Vary the Bread

One way to make a sandwich instantly interesting is to swap out regular sliced sandwich bread with some other kind of bread. Here are a few to try:

• Tortillas – Most kids love tortillas and they’re probably something you already have in your kitchen. Stack fillings inside and cut them into easy-to-eat wedges. Or spread fillings evenly over the tortilla and roll them up for wraps. Once your sandwich is rolled up you can take it a bit further and slice them into small rounds of “sandwich sushi”. (Don’t use the word “sushi” if it will make your kids freak out though.)
• Naan – This grilled Indian bread is soft and a little chewy. My kids are absolutely ga-ga for it and ask me to buy it nearly every week.
• Pita pockets — There’s something about stuffing sandwich fillings inside a little pocket that makes them more fun. Pita pockets are great for looser fillings like tuna, egg or chicken salad that tend to fall out of regular bread when you take a bite.
• Flatbread — My oldest son likes his flatbread layered with ketchup and salami. (Blech!) If your kid isn’t a big weirdo (and I mean that in a loving, caring sort of way), you can use more traditional ingredients.
• Biscuits – This is a new favorite at our house. I buy the tubes of biscuits from the grocery store and bake them in the morning. We eat some with our breakfast and then at lunch time, I slice them in half and put ham and cheese inside. Yum! They’re also the perfect size for a bento box.
• Cresent rolls — Another bake-in-the-morning option, also sized right for a bento.
• Mini bagels — Add cream cheese and jam to a cinnamon raisin bagel, or roast beef and cheddar to a plain bagel
• Garlic toast — Technically this is sliced sandwich bread, but it’s so much more exciting than that. I spread regular bread with butter, sprinkle on a little garlic salt and then toast it in the toaster oven until it’s golden brown. Slap in a slice of cheese (and maybe even a little tomato) and your sandwich is suddenly fresh and delectable.

Shake up the Fillings

Take some of the old stand-bys — turkey and swiss, peanut butter and jelly, chicken salad — and tweak them with some fun additions or substitutions:

Turkey and Swiss

• Swap the meat: choose smoked turkey, southwest turkey or herbed turkey instead of plain, roasted turkey
• Swap the cheese: replace swiss cheese with muenster, havarti, or cream cheese
• Add this: mashed avocado, cranberry sauce or mango chutney

Peanut Butter and Jelly

• Swap the peanut butter: try almond butter,  sunflower butter or cream cheese instead.
• Swap the jelly: replace jelly or jam with raisins or thinly sliced fruits like bananas, apples or pears.
• Add this: this is going to sound totally weird, but add a few potato chips to a PB&J — the crunch is fun and your kids will think you’re a totally awesome rebel!

Chicken Salad

• You can’t really swap the chicken in a chicken salad, I don’t think. Maybe you could use turkey, tuna or eggs? Sorry, that’s not really very original….
• Add this: chunks of apple, halved grapes, chopped celery, toasted almonds, curry powder, a spoonful of mango chutney or apricot jam.

Try Something Really Different

Or you can try subbing something that’s technically not a sandwich at all:

Deconstructed Sandwich

We’re big fans of the deconstructed sandwich around here. Roll up some deli meat, cut some sliced cheese into shapes with cookie cutters (or just into squares) and pop in a pile of crackers.

Build Your Own Pizzas

I loved this idea from Food Momiac: Buy a refrigerated pizza crust and when you have a little extra time on the weekend bake it off into several 2-3 inch wide little crusts. Then pack the crusts into your kid’s lunchbox along with some spaghetti sauce, shredded cheese and mini pepperonis (or whatever topping he likes). Let your kid assemble his pizza at the lunch table. So fun!

What do you do to shake up sandwiches in your lunches?

More from this series:

• Monday: Lunch Box Ideas (with a free downloadable list for your fridge!)
• Tuesday: Lunch Packing Gear
• Wednesday: Sandwich Adventures
• Thurdsay: Kid-centric Food Blogs

It’s back to school week here on Wendolonia! I’m going to be bringing you a new article  focused on lunch-packing every day this week.

Today’s topic:  Lunch Packing Gear

I’ve written quite a bit about the boxes I use to pack my kids’ lunches, but I thought I would highlight some newer lunch packing products that have piqued my interest:

Laptop Lunches 2.0 Bento Kit

Laptop Lunches released a new line of their Bento 2.0 kits earlier this month and I’m dying to get my hands on one. I’ve been using and loving our original Laptop Lunches kit for over a year now. I like the fun colors and the cute bags that come with these new sets but what’s really cool are the reconfigured inner boxes. Three of the boxes have lids now and you can also buy an additional set of Bento Buddies that allow you a lot more flexibility when packing lunches.

Lucky Cat Bento Box

We already have a Panda box in this shape, but my cat-loving kids would go nutso for this Lucky Cat Bento Box. Plus, it’s red! So cute!

Eco Lunchbox Three-in-One

Eco Lunchbox makes this cool stainless steel box that’s kind of a cross between a stacking style bento and a traditional tiffin. It has two layers that are the perfect size for a kid’s bento, plus a smaller box that can be used inside the box to contain wet stuff or outside the box to hold an extra snack.

Totoro Bento Box

Our whole family loves the movie My Neighbor Totoro, and I’ve had my eye on this Totoro Bento Box for quite a while now. It’s just the right size for a preschool lunch and it comes with handy removable inner cups too.

So Young Mother Lunch Box

I love, love, love this scooter lunch box from So Young Mother! In theory, I have my eye on it for my toddler who is obsessed with our neighbor’s Vespas, but honestly I’d be perfectly comfortable carrying my lunch in it too.

Star Wars Cookie Cutters

These Star Wars Cookie Cutters have been around for awhile now, but I can’t get them out of my head. They make the best looking sandwiches, and they’re sized just right for a bento box lunch. Check out this fantastic Darth Vadar lunch that Melissa from Another Lunch made with them! The red honey stick/light saber gets me every time.

Niko Niko Face Punch

I love the face punches I’ve been using for bentos, but this Niko Niko Face Punch set is somehow even cuter than the ones I have! Use the punches to decorate sandwiches, rice balls, or just about anything.

Want more ideas for bento gear?

Here are a few other places to look for bento gear:

Amazon:

Amazon has really stepped up their bento offerings in the last few months! I have assembled an Amazon store with some of my favorite bento box supplies and a few bento related books, or you can also just dig around on Amazon on your own to see what you find.

J-Box:

J-Box also has a huge collection of bento supplies at their store in a range of prices. Some of my favorite boxes are from their store.

I should probably mention that I have affiliate relationships with J-Box and Amazon. If you follow my links to those stores and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase and you will be helping to support this website. Thanks!

More from this series:

• Monday: Lunch Box Ideas (with a free downloadable list for your fridge!)
• Tuesday: Lunch Packing Gear
• Wednesday: Sandwich Adventures
• Thurdsay: Kid-centric Food Blogs

It’s back to school week here on Wendolonia! I’m going to be bringing you a new article  focused on lunch-packing every day this week.

Today’s topic: what to pack in the lunch box!

The same scene plays out every weekday morning in kitchens across the country: a tired parent leans forward with one arm holding the refrigerator door open, eyes scanning the shelves for something to pack into a lunch box. What do we have in the house? What do we have that’s healthy? What do we have that he will eat?

I’m faced with the same daily questions and after months of starting from scratch — and getting into ruts — I finally decided to write down all the foods my sons like that can be eaten cold or at room temperature. I asked friends and blog readers to send me their suggestions as well and came up with a fairly comprehensive list.

Not all kids will eat everything on here of course (my son wouldn’t touch carrot sticks if his life depended on it) but even the pickiest eaters will find some things on this list that they’ll enjoy.

Make your life easier on hectic mornings Download a printable version of this list, print it and stick it to your fridge for instant inspiration:

Wendolonia Lunch Box Idea List – PDF

Carbs/Tummy-fillers

• whole grain crackers
• pretzel sticks
• mini-muffins
• goldfish crackers, cheddar bunnies or other snack crackers
• pretzel thins
• bagel chips
• mini-rice cakes or rice crackers
• cooked ball of rice
• leftover pasta — toss with some chopped veggies and vinaigrette or a little olive oil, garlic salt and parmesan.
• granola bars
• banana bread, zucchini bread, or other quick breads
• cereal bars
• dry cereal
• mini-bagels
• hot dog buns, hamburger buns or dinner rolls
• garlic toast
• pita bread — I usually toast these so they don’t get soggy. Mini pitas are fun or you can cut a big one into wedges.
• leftover pancakes or toaster waffles — mini-waffles go over especially well.

Fruits

• apples slices or chunks (dip in pineapple juice to prevent browning)
• berries — strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• cherries
• grapes
• bananas
• melon chunks — watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe
• dried fruit — raisins, dried cranberries, dried apples, banana chips, etc.
• canned peaches or pears — drain and rinse with water to remove excess sugar.
• applesauce
• pineapple chunks
• orange or clementine wedges

Veggies

• carrot sticks
• sugar snap peas
• red bell pepper strips
• cucumber slices
• celery sticks
• grape tomatoes
• steamed green beans
• steamed broccoli spears
• frozen peas — run them quickly under warm water to start them thawing
• frozen corn

Proteins

• leftover meat from dinner cut into chunks — you can send almost anything: roast chicken, pork roast, chicken legs and carne asada leftover from tacos are all things my kids have enjoyed.
• chicken or turkey sausage with bbq sauce or catsup for dipping
• deli meats — turkey, ham, salami
• beans
• peanut butter “sandwiches” made with crackers or graham crackers
• taquitos with salsa for dipping
• baked tofu
• quesadillas
• mini-burritos
• mini-pizzas — top mini-pitas with sauce, cheese and pepperoni
• hard boiled eggs

Dairy

• yogurt
• cheese cubes
• cheese slices
• cottage cheese
• string cheese, Laughing Cow, Babybel or other small single-serving cheeses

And then there are sandwiches, of course! But we’ll talk about those more later in the week.

Don’t forget to download and print this list! I’ve made it easy for you:

Wendolonia Lunch Box Idea List – PDF

What do you send in your kid’s lunch? Do you send something with your kids that I’ve left off this list?

More from this series:

• Monday: Lunch Box Ideas (with a free downloadable list for your fridge!)
• Tuesday: Lunch Packing Gear
• Wednesday: Sandwich Adventures
• Thurdsay: Kid-centric Food Blogs

Monday

I was not feeling creative on Monday at all, so Wyatt’s day camp snack was super simple: strawberries and a crescent roll. I was going to jazz it up just a little by putting jam in for the roll, but Wyatt was adamantly opposed, so we didn’t even get that excitement.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, August had peas, steamed carrots and some chopped turkey meatballs that I pulled from the freezer and reheated in the microwave. I also included some leftover spaghetti that I tossed with a little olive oil and garlic salt after I took this photo.

Wyatt’s snack was strawberries, snap peas and some flat bread that I spread with a little butter, sprinkled with garlic salt and toasted in the toaster oven.

Wednesday

On Wednesday the toddler’s lunch had leftover corn on the cob (that I cut off the cob), leftover chicken from dinner the night before, cantaloupe chunks and garlic flatbread (like his brother’s from Tuesday.

Wyatt didn’t have a snack box on Wednesday because I pulled him out of camp to take him to Six Flags for the day. I kept it a secret until we got there by telling him we were going to “a really nice library.” When we turned the corner and he could see the park for the first time, he asked “MOM? Are we going there??” I laughed and told him that we were, and I hope he didn’t mind me tricking him so he could have a nice surprise. Still totally stunned he said, “Oh my gosh, Mom! I’ve never been to a library with roller coasters before!!” Ha! His nutritious snacks for the day included a Starburst popsicle and blue cotton candy.

Thursday

Wyatt’s day camp snack on Thursday was blueberries, and turkey and cheese roll-ups.

Friday

I broke the cardinal rule of bento box packing with this snack: I didn’t pack the box tightly with food. When Wyatt opens this up later everything will be mixed together, but you know what? He totally won’t care. So…eh…whatever. I packed a stack of fake Triscuits with cheese stars on each layer and a cup of blueberries. Everything I thought up to put in those big empty spaces was given a thumbs down by my 5yo, so I finally just gave up and put the lid on the box. Life goes on.

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Wyatt was swimming at camp on Monday so I wanted him to have an extra big snack. I packed tofu cubes, blueberries and whole wheat pretzel sticks. Gotta get that protein in him, don’t you know!

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the toddler’s lunch had turkey roll-ups, strawberries, mango chunks, shrimp fried rice (pulled from the freezer) and soy-catash (also from the freezer).

Edited to add: Donna pointed out in the comments that shrimp fried rice is not a dish that would be safe to pack in a lunch box and eaten at room temperature and she is absolutely right! It was safe for me to pack this for my little guy because his lunch is refrigerated at day care and then reheated for him at lunch time. I would not put this in a lunch box that was sitting in a backpack all morning though — with or without an ice pack!

Wyatt’s day camp snack was turkey roll-ups, pita crackers, clementine wedges and three (3) decorative blueberries.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, Augie had clementine wedges, deli turkey, a banana chocolate chip muffin (extra healthy with the addition of whole wheat flour and flax meal), grapes and soy-catash.

Wyatt was scheduled to go to a full day of camp on Wednesday, but ended up staying home sick at the last second. I packed his lunch the night before though: pita crackers, a banana chocolate chip muffin, strawberries, blueberries, snap peas and tofu with his name cut into it with cookie cutters.

Thursday and Friday

I am at the BlogHer conference in NYC right now, so I wasn’t home to pack the kids’ lunches, but my husband assures me he fed them. No pictures (though Daddy makes bentos for them too!).

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I wrote up a post about Bento Box Basics for Alphamom today. Go check it out!

For Monday’s snack, I sent Wyatt to camp with a cereal bar (cut in half and stacked), some blueberries and his beloved salami.

Tuesday

The main part of my toddler’s lunch for day care was a stuffed pepper half that was leftover from dinner the night before. I chopped the pepper up and mixed it in to the stuffing so it would be easy for him to eat. Blueberries and peas went along as the side dishes.

Wyatt’s snack was a biscuit (leftover from breakfast), some deli turkey and a yogurt tube.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, Augie had melon, strawberries, a banana chocolate chip muffin (pulled from the freezer) and leftover pasta and chicken in his lunch.

The five-year-old’s snack also had cantaloupe (his new super-favorite), a muffin and some deli turkey for protein.

Thursday

Augie had an extra day of day care this week to make up for last week when we were on vacation. His lunch had: chicken, green beans, a rice ball, blueberries and half an avocado. I dabbed the surface of the avocado with a little lemon juice and then wrapped it in plastic wrap to keep it from browning.

Wyatt (and Lego Woody) enjoyed blueberries and salami for snack. “There’s a blueberry in mah boot!” says Woody!

Friday

Seriously — this is so annoying! I took a bunch of pictures of Wyatt’s snack but I didn’t notice the memory card wasn’t in the camera. The snack today was pretzels, cantaloupe chunks and some deli turkey. You’ll have to use your imagination to visualize it, but I can assure you that it was extremely elegant in it’s graphic simplicity.

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