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

After bouncing between Batman, Transformers, Lego and other themes for a few weeks, he finally decided that he wanted to have a robot birthday party. We held the party at a local YMCA so all the activities were taken care of, but I still managed to apply the theme to the invitations, cake, goody bags and favors. After looking around on the internet for some general inspiration this is what I came up with:

Invitations

I did a lot of searching for robot invitations online, but I couldn’t find anything that quite fit what I was envisioning, so I bought some robot art from iStockPhoto and designed my own.  I tried to think of a good robot-y word to use for “When”, but I came up blank. Can you think of something?

Cake

The robot cake was made using this design on the Betty Crocker website. I followed their instructions pretty closely and I was thrilled with how the cake came out. Wyatt picked a yellow cake and cream cheese frosting and I decorated it with M&M’s, some nasty sour patch candy thing (which the kids were crazy for), Twizzlers and chocolate wafer cookies. The cake went over pretty well.

Favors and Goody Bags

Ahhhhh, goody bags.

Is there a parent out there who doesn’t dread bringing home the goody bag from a birthday party? They always seem to be filled with candy and plastic toys that break before we’re even back to our house. But the kids all expect them and the birthday boy wanted to give something to his friends so I needed to come up with something. (Actually, Wyatt has received many lovely party favors through the years. I’m just grumpy about goody bags.)

This is what I ended up with:

I looked high and low for robot themed stuff, but after visiting several party stores, dollar stores and toy stores, I came up empty handed. I finally realized that I’d need to get creative. I decided the big treat in the goody bags would be a bag of “nuts and bolts” (basically, just Chex party mix). If you look around on the web a bit, you’ll find that this is a robot party staple.  I used Cheerios for the “nuts” and straight pretzels for the “bolts” and then I threw in some M&M’s so I wouldn’t be like that mean mom who sends kids home from a birthday party with tofu and broccoli. I put the mix into 4×6 clear bags and then I used my robot art to make toppers that were stapled on to the bags. I also put a glow stick into each bag and a cheap plastic toy — one of those things you blow into that makes a whirrrr noise. Those both seemed kind of robot-y to me. I completely lucked out and found robot place mats in the Dollar Spot at Target a few days before the party. I set the table with those and also put out metallic party horns and let the kids take those home after the party was over. (Though, I forgot to tell people to take them until about half of the kids were already out the door.)

Here’s a photo of a goody bag all put together:

Download Printables

After all the time I took to make the invitations and the bag toppers, I thought I’d share them as a downloadable treat.

Invitations

I stripped the information for our party out and then created invitations for birthdays up to age seven. The dimensions for these invitations are 5.5×4.25 inches. This is a standard card size so you should be able to easily find envelopes to fit. The JPG’s below have two invitations on them. If you’re handy in a graphic editing program, you might be able to futz around with them and get four on a letter sized sheet of paper, but I had better luck just printing two to a page. I also recommend printing these on photo paper if possible because the image looks much sharper and is easier to read.

Invitation for 1st Birthday
Invitation for 2nd Birthday
Invitation for 3rd Birthday
Invitation for 4th Birthday
Invitation for 5th Birthday
Invitation for 6th Birthday
Invitation for 7th Birthday

Toppers

The “Nuts & Bolts” treat bag topper is 4×3 inches. The front has the text on it and the back has four little robots. This download has four toppers on it and it will easily fit onto a letter sized sheet of paper. I recommend you print these on cardstock which you can find in the scrapbook section of any craft store. After you print them and cut them out, you will need to fold each topper in half length-wise. Then you can staple them onto the top of the treat bag.

Nuts and Bolts Treat Bag Topper

The goody bag topper is 5×4 inches with four toppers in the graphic. This will fit perfectly on a letter sized sheet of paper. Like the nuts and bolts topper, you fold these in half and staple them onto the goody bags to close them.

Goodie Bag Topper

Can I just tell you how happy I am that clementines are back in the stores? And they’re delicious too! Yay, clementines!

Ahem…anywho…

On Monday, Wyatt’s snack box had a strawberry, two clementines peeled and segmented (he can’t peel them himself yet) and some honey wheat pretzels.

Tuesday:

Tuesday’s lunch had more clementines, two turkey meatballs that I cup up and threaded onto skewers and a catsup sandwich cut into the shape of a gingerbread man and decorated with food markers. There’s more catsup for dipping the meatballs in the little pink box that’s barely visible under the sandwich dude.

His snack box was really simple — grapes and more pretzel sticks.

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, I sent some ham, grapes, pita crackers, raspberries and strawberries. The ham was cut into strips and then I coiled it up in the baking cup. I love how it ended up looking kind of like a rose.

Snack that day was a half banana, some cranberries and whole wheat cinnamon sugar tortilla strips.

Thursday:

On Thursday we had some awesome leftover Spanish rice that I was going to send in a Thermos, but when I went to get it out and heat it up, Wyatt was very resistant to eating it for lunch. I was a little surprised because he scarfed it down at dinner the night before. There’s not much point in packing a lunch your kid won’t eat though, so I had to scramble to come up with some other stuff. We ended up with another ham rose, pita crackers, clementine wedges, and a few strawberries and raspberries.

His snack was a apple carrot crusher and a box of pretzels, but they were too boring to photograph. Sorry.

Friday:

Friday’s snack was a mix of Cheerios, Rice Chex, and pretzels. It looks like party mix, but it didn’t have the butter and spices on it. I always forget what a great snack cereal is — I’ll be sending more of it now that I’ve been reminded again.

Tuesday I sent sugar snap peas, baked tofu, toasted pita wedges and an apple carrot crusher. The peas are making their first appearance in this lunch. One of Wyatt’s preschool friends loves them and frequently has them in his lunch, so Wyatt asked me to pack some for him. He splits them open and eats the peas from inside, instead of eating them whole, but…you know…baby steps. I’m still very pleased that he wanted to try something new.

Yep! I went there. This is about as close to charaben as I get, folks. I cut the Batman logo out of tofu with a knife. You can see how well it turned out — not very well — but I’m still damn proud of it. Wyatt was only marginally pleased by it and he complained that there weren’t enough points on the bottom of the wings. Oh well. I also sent blueberries and garlic naan (which didn’t get eaten because I didn’t put catsup on it).

Thursday’s lunch was packed in the Jelly Belly bento box. It had a bun, half a banana, deli turkey roll-ups and some blueberries to fill in the spaces. I also sent some Cheetos as a super special treat because this is Wyatt’s last day of preschool.

Yep! You read that right — in just a little over two weeks, my boy is going to be a big kindergartener! He will be in a morning program and will be home in time for lunch, so I won’t be packing him a lunch regularly any more. I expect that I’ll still be making him bento boxes from time to time and posting photos of them, but because of this change the character of my weekly bento posts will also be changing. I have some ideas up my sleeve so stay tuned for those.

No bento post next week though — we’ll be on vacation in San Diego and I’m going to do my best to stay off the computer while I’m there!

Oooh! Bonus lunches this week! The boys and I went on an adventure to a far away playground on Monday, so I packed lunches for us all. Wyatt’s lunch was in the green box, mine was in the pink box and Augie’s was in the blue snack-sized box. They all had pretty similar contents. Wyatt’s had blueberries, tofu and  a bun. Augie’s had exactly the same stuff, just cut into smaller pieces. And mine had a tuna salad sandwich on a bun 9it got a little squished) and a side of blueberries.

Tuesday we went back to a preschooler only lunch. It had sliced baked tofu, blueberries and strawberries and a leftover piece of cornbread from Monday’s dinner.

Wednesday saw a lunch of blueberries, some salami slices and another sandwich made from garlic naan and catsup.

Thursday’s lunch was almost identical to Wednesday’s: garlic naan and catsup sandwich (he really likes these, but I’ll admit I’m embarrassed that I give them to him because they just seem gross to me), salami and an extra big helping of berries.

Friday’s lunch was super special because I sent a half cupcake for a treat. He also got some skewered pork chunks and blueberries and a thermos of garlicky buttered noodles (not pictured).

I don’t have a photo for Tuesday’s lunch because I sent garlic butter noodles in a thermos with a side car of blueberries. It was too boring for me to photograph. I just couldn’t do it. So you’ll have to use your imaginations.

Wednesday, I toasted a mini-pita, put a little bit of  butter and garlic salt on it and cut it into wedges. I also put blueberries and salami into the box.

Thursday there were more blueberries (I got a gigantic box at Costco), a turkey hot dog, a little container of catsup and a half a hambuger bun.

Friday I made a catsup sandwich with some garlic naan we had leftover from dinner the night before. The catsup sandwiches really gross me out, but it’s harmless and it’s not my lunch, so I put them in his lunch whenever he asks. He also got some strawberries and a few deli ham roll-ups.

Tuesday’s lunch consisted of blueberry mini-bagel (cut in half and stacked in the box) orange chunks, baked tofu, and blueberries.

This lunch was packed in yet another new “bento” box that I picked up a week or so ago at Dollar Tree. They had Strawberry Shortcake ones too. These weren’t marketed as bento boxes, but they’re sized perfectly. The one concern I have about this box is the quality of the plastic. It was made in China and I’m sure it’s chock full o’ BPAs, which we generally try to avoid. You can see that I’m still using it though, so obviously I’m not that concerned.

Wednesday’s lunch had a gigundo strawberry, blueberries, a turkey hot dog, catsup for the hot dog and some cheez-its.

Thursday’s lunch had leftover noodles from dinner the night before tossed with a little butter, some garlic salt and a healthy sprinkle of parmesan cheese.See them up there? Ha, just kidding — they were in the thermos. This side car had some peas, blueberries and strawberries.

You know how some days all your kid wants to eat are beige foods? Well, Friday was one of those days. The best I could do to brighten up the bun, banana, and tofu packed into Wyatt’s lunch was to decorate the bun with food safe markers.

It’s back to school week here on Wendolonia and I’m going to focus on lunch-packing (of course!).

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?