Lunches: 10.31.13 - Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

I busted out some more of the wafer paper for sandwiches today.  And temporary tattoos for the bananas.  :)

SandWITCH: 35g, cheese: 1g, banana: 28g, beans: 20g, crackers: 8g

The Boy has a sandwich with Cabot cheddar and jelly, with wafer paper on top.  He also has a cheese stick, a tattooed banana, green bean crisps (got them at the grocery store - delicious!), and cinnamon crackers.  His snack is some Dick & Jane Educational snacks (not pictured, 18g)

The Girl has a sunbutter and jelly sandwich (she is not allergic to peanut butter, but she tasted sunbutter at school and begged me to get it for her!) with wafer paper on top, with a cheese stick, banana with tattoos, beet chips (also dehydrated, from the store), with some cinnamon crackers.  Her snack is Dick & Jane Educational snacks (not pictured)

Lunches: 10.30.13

Wednesday!  I made lunches yesterday, but didn't blog them... it was that kind of day.

Rolls: 26g, Raisins: 15g, carrots: 1g, Fruit & Veggie pouch: 17g

For Wednesday lunch, The Boy has a couple pizza rolls, a squeezable fruit & veggie pouch I got from Goodies Box (and we just found out they are discontinuing their service.. so sad!), raisins, and carrots.  His snack is Dick & Jane Educational Snacks (not pictured: 18g)

The Girl has a couple pizza rolls, a squeezable fruit and yogurt pouch (also from Goodies Box), carrots, and orange slices.  Her snack is a Sunbutter & Chocolate Granola bar (not pictured, also from Goodies Box).

Family Lunches: 10.28.13

Happy Monday!  Normally, after a Halloween Party, I would be posting lunches full of party leftovers - but I managed to have no leftovers!  Anyone who throws parties should understand how thrilled this made me.. I didn't run out of food, I don't have a fridge full of leftovers.. It was just right.

So, instead, I made some crescent rolls with pepperoni and string cheese (I saw it on Pinterest, I'll try to dig up a link later), because we love Pizza Hut Pizza Rollers, and I thought it would be close.  I have a couple rollers, with mini bell pepper, orange (the peel gave itself to hard cider sangria), and some cinnamon grahams.

Rollers: 33g, crackers: 8g, grahams: 8g, oranges: 15g, carrots: 1g

The Boy has some Dick & Jane Educational snacks for snack (not pictured, 18g).  His lunch is three rollers, Scrabble Cheez-its, cinnamon grahams, mandarin oranges, and a couple carrot fingers.

The Girl also has some Dick & Jane Educational snacks for snack (not pictured).  Her lunch is three rollers, Scrabble cheez-its, cinnamon grahams, orange slices (sans skin), and a couple carrot fingers.

Halloween Party 2013: Recipe Round-up

My annual Halloween Party was last night, and we all had a great time!  Here's a round-up of the food that I made for the celebration.

Candy Corn Meringues - I saw these on Pinterest and knew that they had to happen.  They were really yummy, and quite easy.  The only thing I did differently was add a tiny bit of ginger, and to bake them, I started the oven at 300, then immediately turned it down to 200 when I put the meringues in the oven, and then let them bake until dried (about 1 hour, maybe a bit more.. I made them smallish.)  I read that this helps make the texture better, and it certainly was wonderful.

Monster Grapes - I am particularly proud of these.  I decided to dip some grapes in chocolate, but didn't want to then coat them in peanuts as I have seen on the internet, because I have a friend who is allergic and I wanted to make the party safe for her.  So - I dipped them in King Arthur Flour Mini Diced Crystallized Ginger!  Amazing - definitely will be making these again!

Ghost Strawberries

Carrot fingers, Radish eyes, and Mini Peppers

Eggplant dip - Looking in my fridge, full of CSA goodies, I decided to do something with some of them!  This was totally delicious, and the kids like it!  I think it will make a lovely sandwich spread.

Roasted Beet Tahini Dip - Ditto\

Bone Bread sticks - The Girl made these!  Delicious!

Leek Puff Pastry - I baked puff pastry cut into pumpkin shapes, then halved them and stuffed with sauteed leeks (also a CSA score!)

Corn Dip - More corn from my CSA, which I roasted in the oven, then combined with some cream cheese and Cabot Pepper Jack cheese, then baked until melty.  A hit!

White Asparagus wrapped in phyllo dough - The Girl thought they looked like fingers.  (And she wrapped them all herself!)

This is what happens when scientists party

Hard Apple Cider Sangria - Yes.

And this is what happens when scientists party, too!

Happy Halloween!

Lunches: 10.25.13

Happy Friday!

Sandwich: 25g, apple: 8g, cheez-its: 10g, oranges: 15g

The Boy has a ham and cheese sandwich, apple slices, mandarin oranges, and Scrabble Cheez-its.  His snack is some Dick & Jane Educational snacks (not pictured, 18g)

The Girl has a ham and cheese sandwich, apple slices, mixed fruit, and Pretzel thins.  Her snack is some Dick & Jane Educational snacks (not pictured)

Lunches: 10.24.13

The Boy is going back to school after being sick!  He's thrilled.

Cheez-its: 10g, apple slices: 4g, mixed fruit: 15g, radish: 1g, bagel: 26g

For lunch, he has half a pumpkin bagel with ham and cheese, mixed fruit, Scrabble Cheez-its, apple slices, and radishes.

His snack is Dick & Jane Educational snack (not pictured, 18g)

The Girl's lunch is some leftover sausage with maple and apples (my Grandma's recipe), mixed fruit, apple slices, Scrabble Cheezits, and

She has some Dick & Jane Educational snacks for snack (not pictured)

Lunch: 10.23.13

The Boy is on the mend, but still out for today.. So just one lunch again, for The Girl.

Her lunch is apple slices, a clementine, yogurt covered raisins, cheddar cracker chips, and a ham and cheese sandwich.  Her snack is Dick & Jane Educational snacks (not pictured)

Lunch: 10.22.13

The Boy is sick again today.  The Girl has a clementine, mixed fruit, apple slices, crackers, and a pumpkin cream cheese and jelly sandwich.  Her snack is some apple chips from Goodies Box.

And as for me?  Sick kid to deal with.. I'm bringing a can of soup to work.  The Boy is staying with The Hubby's mom while he's sick.  Sick kids make me sad...

Lunch: 10.21.13

The Boy is sick today, so it's just lunch for The Girl.. (I packed lunches for The Hubby and for myself, but they are just a sandwich and an apple and some crackers, so I'm not blogging them)

The Girl has grapes, a clementine, apple slices, and a ham and cheese sandwich on a sandwich thin, in an Easylunchbox.

Her snack is some Dick & Jane Educational snacks (Review and giveaway coming soon!)

Lunches: 10.17.13

Simple lunches today after yesterday's Frightful Fall Blog Hop (and I'll post the link to today's hop later!)

And, by the way, the wafer paper sandwiches went over like gangbusters!

Sandwich: 24g, apple: 8g, grapes: 5g, corn snacks: 6g

Today, The Boy has grapes, apple slices, Naturebox Barbecue corn snacks, and a ham and cheese sandwich.  For snack, he has Dick & Jane snacks (not pictured, 18g, review coming soon!)

The Girl has grapes, a clementine, apple slices, and a ham and cheese sandwich.  Her snack is also Dick & Jane snacks (not pictured)

Lunches: 10.16.13 - Frightful Fall Blog Hop!

Happy Halloween Season!

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Food is my favorite hobby.  Thus, Halloween lunches are a bit of a thrill for me.

Some of my Bento Blogger Friends decided to celebrate the season with a series of Frightful Fall Blog Hops. We will have three hops - I am part of the first one.  I hope that by hopping through our boo-tiful lunches, you will find some inspiration for your own haunted fun.

I decided to try something new for these lunches.  I picked up some Halloween wafer paper from Amazon (via FancyFlours.com).  Wafer paper is traditionally used on cookies, and sometimes cakes.  I searched the web to see if anyone had posted using it on bread before - so this could be a first!

For the sandwiches, I cut the shapes out of the wafer paper with a sharp knife, painted the back with a little corn syrup, and then placed them on top of the bread.  I pressed them for about 10 minutes by putting a cast iron pot on top of them to makes sure the wafer paper was well attached.

We'll see how the kids like the flavor... but I really love the way the sandwiches look!

Carrot fingers: 1g, grapes: 5g, sandwich: 25g, spinach: 1g, star crackers: 8g, apple: 4g

So - for The Boy's lunch, I packed some grapes, carrot fingers with cheese finger nails, a salami and Cabot cheese sandwich on a sandwich thin with wafer paper decoration on a bed of spinach, apple slices, and cinnamon star crackers, all in an Easylunchbox.  For snack, he has some Dick & Jane Baking company Educational snacks (not pictured, review coming soon - 18g)

The Girl has grapes, a clementine Jack-o-Lantern, a turkey and Cabot cheese sandwich on a sandwich thin with wafer paper decoration on a bed of spinach, with apple slices (BOO!), and some cinnamon star crackers, all in an Easylunchbox.  She also has Dick & Jane Baking company Educational snacks (not pictured) for snack.

I hope that you have enjoyed my lunches, and now, head on over to Cristi at Bentonbetterlunches to see what's hopping next!

Lunches: 10.15.13

I got a new CuteZCute Animal Palz cutter and still need to play with it some more before coming up with the best way to use it, but The Boy has my first try.

Apple: 6g, grapes: 5g, banana: 28g, sandwiches: 26g, grahams: 8g

He has grapes, apple slices, a banana, graham cracker thins, and CuteZCute panda pocket sandwiches with pumpkin cream cheese.  His snack is a granola bar (not pictured, 19g).

The Girl has grapes, a clementine, a banana, graham cracker thins, and a plain pocket sandwich with pumpkin cream cheese.  Her snack is a granola bar (not pictured)

Family Lunches: 10.14.13

Monday!

Apple: 8g, grapes: 5g, bagel and spinach: 25g, hot dog: 1g

The Boy has an apple from our own tree, grapes, a leftover hotdog, a bagel with cheese, and a bed of spinach, in an Easylunchbox.  His snack is a granola bar (not pictured, 19g).

The Girl has an apple from our own tree, a clementine, a mini bagel with cheese and salami, and a bed of spinach, with a granola bar for snack (not pictured)

The Hubby has a mini bagel with salami and cheese, an apple from our tree, grapes, and graham cracker thins.

I have a mini bagel with salami and cheese, an apple from our tree, grapes, and a clementine.

Family Lunches: 10.11.13

Last night, because of a tragic error of timing, I made these delicious corn pudding stuffed acorn squash for dinner - and had to run out to a meeting and didn't have time to eat them!  So, we are having them for lunch.

Squash: 30g, apples: 8g, watermelon: 5g, dumpling: 5g

The Boy has a corn pudding stuffed squash, apple slices, watermelon, and a leftover Chinese dumpling, in an Easylunchbox.  For snack, he has a granola bar (not pictured, 19g)

The Girl has a corn pudding stuffed acorn squash, apple slices, a clementine, and watermelon, in an Easylunchbox.  For snack, she has a granola bar (not pictured).

I have a corn pudding stuffed acorn squash, a couple dumplings, and a couple clementines, in an Easylunchbox.

Happy Friday!

Family Lunches: 10.10.13

Bagel: 23g, apple slices: 8g, grapes: 3g, watermelon: 5g

The Boy has a mini bagel with pumpkin cream cheese, apple slices, watermelon, and grapes, in an Easylunchbox.  His snack is a granola bar (not pictured, 29g)

The Girl has leftover Chinese dumplings and lomein, a clementine, and watermelon, in an Easylunchbox.  Her snack is a granola bar (not pictured)

The Hubby has leftover pizza, watermelon, and starfruit, in an Easylunchbox.

I have cold sesame noodles, and a dumpling with sauce, in an Easylunchbox.