The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School - a Literary Lunch

Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man.

Oh wait...
That is how the original story of the Gingerbread Man goes but in the new book from Laura Murray, the Gingerbread Man is actually loose in the school and trying to catch up to the kids at recess after they forgot him in the classroom.

This is such a fun book with a new twist on the Gingerbread Man story!

The Gingerbread Man is even trying to escape our Lunchbots lunchbox! So, before he escapes...we packed:

• a half an apple
• a gingerbread man peanutbutter sandwich on a seaweed black board with cheese decorations
• strawberries and
• a berry cereal bar with fruit leather letters

Please head over to The Little Crooked Cottage to see an exclusive interview with the Gingerbread Man - and find out if he does have a belly button - and see my lunch there!

Panda Onigiri Lunch

My son asked for onigiri and strawberries so I decided to make him a fun Panda themed lunch in our
Goodbyn Bynto:

Today's lunch is very simple:

• a Squooshi Panda pouch filled with applesauce
• a Cocoa Loco bar (not pictured - it's under the applesauce pouch)
• strawberries
• two onigiri on spinach leaves

Things I used to make lunch (contains affiliate links):

BLTs {4 ways}

B(acon) L(ettuce) T(omato) sandwiches are great for school! You can cook the bacon the night or day before and they are assembled fast in the morning. We packed them this morning and I was able to pack all four lunches in under 20 minutes!

My second grader loves Spiderman, so his Spiderman BLT is packed in our Easylunchboxes with a few strawberries and Cheddar bunny crackers. He also packed ice water and a cereal bar.

My third grader loves jokes so I added a few funny picks to his BLT. Lunch is packed in Easylunchboxes as well with strawberries and cheese crackers. Ice water and a cereal bar was also packed in his cooler bag.

This lunch is packed in our Goodbyn Bynto and for my four year old. She wanted lots of strawberry hearts with her BLT on a stick and I packed her cucumbers and carrots as well as a few cheese crackers. 

My middle schooler packed his BLT in Laptop Lunches and we added:

• strawberries
• half an apple
• cheese crackers
• cinnamon almonds
• mini pickles and
• a cereal bar.

Things I used to make lunch (contains affiliate links):

We love Strawberries for lunch

Today's lunches only have one (or two) thing in common: Strawberries and bad lighting.
Strawberries remind us of summer and currently they are juicy, red, delicious and a big treat.
So, naturally all the kids asked for them for lunch - yum! And the bad lighting is due to a tired
Mamabelly who is still adjusting to Back to School ;)

Packed in our Easylunchboxes are:

• left over chicken tenders
• strawberries
• a nut butter sandwich with jelly
• and a Cocoa Loco cereal bar

In our Planetbox Shuttle are:

• strawberries
• two different kids of cereal bars
• Annie's cheddar bunnies and 
• Naturebox Cranberry Almond Bites

And last but not least, this Laptop Lunches bento box is packed with:

• strawberries - of course
• Annie's cheddar bunnies and
• two Naturebox Pistachio Clusters
• a roll with liver pate 
• pickles and
• a cereal bar

Things I used to make our lunches (contain affiliate links):

First Day of School 2013/2014

Yesterday was our first day back to school for everyone. Thankfully everybody had a wonderful day. I had to wipe away a tear or two and cannot believe how fast they grow up.

Here are our First Day of School Lunches:

My second grader was happy to take a school themed lunch in his Good Lunch Box:

• garden cucumbers and baby carrots
• strawberry hearts
• two peanut butter sandwiches and
• a Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco bar

I also added a sweet Lunchbox Love Card to make sure he knows how much I'll miss him!

My third grader wanted his Laptop Lunches bento box filled with all his favorites:

• apples and strawberry hearts
• Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• a cute Snoopy container filled with dark mini chocolate chips for the vanilla yogurt
• Snoopy peanut butter sandwiches
• vanilla yogurt and a
• cereal bar

I also packed a Lunchbox Love Card in his lunch. It was very quiet here without him.

For my oldest son it was the first day of Middle School and nothing cute was allowed. We packed his Laptop Lunches bento box with:

• apples and strawberries
• Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• a Woodstock container with dark mini chocolate chips for the yogurt
• two left over chicken pieces from the day before
• Vanilla yogurt and 
• a cereal bar

His Lunchbox Love Card is turned around to just show the trivia. All grown up!

Our after school snack

Things I used to make our lunches (contain affiliate links):

"Joe and Sparky Go to School" - The perfect Back to School book!

Today's lunch is all about Joe and Sparky! My kids love the "Joe and Sparky" book series by Jamie Michalak. Her books are always funny and sweet. Her new book "Joe and Sparky Go to School" is funny, creative and a great read for all ages! And - of course- the perfect book to read before school starts or even during the year. Absolutely hilarious!

If you haven't read this amazing book yet, here is the description from Amazon:

Sparky the turtle may be cautious, but when the strange vehicle full of noisy short people pulls away from Safari World, he finds himself stuck on the bus’s roof just the same. Luckily his giraffe friend, Joe, is adventurous enough to take a running jump, too! When they arrive at school, they discover that there’s a lot to learn, like the fact that the restroom is full of little magic "ponds," that you’re supposed to count the peas, not eat them, and that the goal of the day seems to be to get a star. But just when Joe fears that he may have to go home starless, Sparky reminds him of all the ways that his loyal friend already shines. Readers will roll over laughing — and find lots to relate to — in this hilarious new adventure.

We packed our Easylunchboxes with a fun Joe and Sparky lunch:

• strawberry hearts because we love Joe and Sparky
• a cheese star on cheese crackers to make sure we get that star
• and of course Joe and Sparky looking out through the broccoli trees. Joe is made out of rice, cheese and nori and Sparky is a turtle pick. The broccoli trees also have a few carrot flowers.

Happy Birthday, Eric Carle!

Today is Eric Carle's Birthday and we are celebrating with a "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" lunch!

 This is our well loved copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar..

This book has been a longstanding favorite - first my favorite book when I was little - and now my kids' favorite! They can never hear enough of the little caterpillar eating through all this food until he had a stomachache.

We packed our Innobaby Keepin' Fresh bento box with:

• a watermelon caterpillar
• an eaten apple slice
• and eaten strawberry
• an eaten watermelon
• an eaten cheese stick
• an eaten hot dog and 
• an eaten piece of pie made out of a peanut butter sandwich

Happy Birthday, Eric Carle!

Check out the Linky hosted by Creative Food for more Eric Carle Lunches!

Muffin Tin Monday

Today's Muffin Tin Monday theme is summer! Sand, sun and the beach is what I first thought of:

Our Muffin Tin is filled with:

• a home made Almond Streusel Banana Bread beach
• a chocolate spread sun
• a wild blueberry ocean 
• kiwi fruit
• a yogurt butterfly decorated with apple and chocolate chips and 
• strawberries

Enjoy this beautiful summer day!

Things I used to make this lunch:

Mama and Me Brunch

It has been a hectic week filled with doctor's appointments, errands and many meals on the go.
We woke up to a rainy, cloudy, dark day and I felt we needed a good long hearty breakfast today before we are headed back out to finish up our weekly errands and even seeing one of my sons in a school play.

I decided to make a German breakfast with plain yogurt, Swiss muesli and Kaiserschmarrn. Kaiserschmarrn is comparable to a thick pancake and a popular dessert in Austria and Bavaria. It was exactly what I needed today.

My daughter's Din Din Platter Brunch:

• an apple umbrella
• plain yogurt with a mini chocolate chips rain drop
• Naturebox Vanilla Macroon Granola
• Kaiserschmarrn with powdered sugar
• strawberries

My plate has also Kaiserschmarrn with powdered sugar, strawberries and a small bowl of plain yogurt with swiss muesli and apple bits.

Have a sunny day!