more lunchbox ideas

whole wheat mini bagel with Trader Joe's pumpkin cream cheese + cherry tomatoes + carrots + ants on a log (and "beetles on a log" - aka cranberries in lieu of raisins) + a juice box as a treat

ham & cheese + fruit salad + assorted crackers + cookies and a fruit leather as treats (must not have had enough coffee when I packed this one)

lunchbox ideas

dried cranberries + homemade applesauce (but you can certainly use store bought if you didn't go apple picking and cook with apples for a week straight!) + cream cheese & jam sandwich + carrots and cucumbers + a Chobani Greek yogurt cup

cream cheese and jam on a mini whole wheat bagel + a banana that I thought I'd get all cute with (which he then wouldn't eat b/c he thought the ink was on the actual banana...oh well, so much for being all crafty) + Earth's Best Kidz Pear Raspberry granola bar as a treat + an organic yogurt cup + cut up fruit (leftover from when I made fruit skewers for class school snack that week)

Back-to-Nature Crispy Wheat crackers + lemonade as a treat + a carrot + provolone cheese cut into the shape of ghosts (I didn't give up on being cute apparently...but if you really want to see over the top ideas, check out this link that a friend sent me this week. whoa. crazy, hmm?!) + a slice of homemade apple pie (remember all of those apples?) + Greek yogurt cup

meatballs + Crispy Wheat crackers + chunks of mozzarella cheese + shredded carrots + roasted acorn squash (from dinner...I'm not whipping these things up in the morning, thank you very much) + a ClifKid Fruit Rope as a treat

more lunchbox ideas

Trader Joe's probiotic yogurt smoothie + a little local apple + mini whole wheat bagel with Trader Joe's pumpkin cream cheese (decadent-- basically cream cheese frosting, found in the dairy case....) + chunks of cheddar cheese + grapes + a pear-raspberry Earth's Best Whole Grain bar as a treat (as if the pumpkin cream cheese wasn't enough!!)

whole wheat tortilla "pinwheels" stuffed with plain cream cheese and jam + cucumbers + Applegate brand salami + a cup of apple sauce + "rainbow" carrots (check your local market to see if you have this seasonal version of carrots)

two lunchboxes from last week

ham & cheese quesadilla in a whole wheat tortilla (cooled to room temp before packing so it didn't get soggy) + slices of red pepper (aka "swords) + whole wheat rotini (leftover from the night before, a favorite finger food of his) + organic applesauce cup (and spoon) + a bag of Annie's organic bunny fruit snacks, as a special treat for the first day of lunch bunch

cream cheese & jam sandwich on whole wheat bread (cut with a large cookie cutter) + steamed broccoli and slices of red pepper + fresh strawberries + a Chobani Champions Greek yogurt cup + a squeeze cinnamon applesauce + a ClifKid "ZFruit Rope" as a treat

want more? click here for more lunchbox ideas!

thursday's lunchbox

This is what was going on yesterday

while I was packing lunches.

So, today I suggested they get in on the action. I'm not really in the mood for any broken bones this week. My little one was thrilled with the idea that he could not only choose-- but make-- his lunch. Why didn't I think of this sooner?! I laid out an assortment of sandwich fillings...stuff to make cream cheese & jam or a ham sandwich. Or so I thought.

First went the jam. Then plain cream cheese.

Then the little bit of leftover strawberry cream cheese I'd made for the roll-ups on Tuesday. And then ham. Ham?! "Torn into little bitty pieces!" "Wow." I bit my tongue. "It's going to be the best sandwich ever!" he proudly announced. Mmm, I bet. "Now, all it needs is cheese!" he said inspecting his creation. And on went a slice of sharp cheddar. Never mind the quarter inch thick layer of both regular and strawberry cream cheese, which apparently don't count as "cheese"....

"But then I need to cut it into shapes like you do..."

"because a plain old sandwich is boring." "Mmm hmm, I'll say."

Here is his self-made feast as we enter the home stretch of lunch packing:

his cream cheese-jam-strawberry cream cheese-ham sandwich + sweet potato chips + lemonade + strawberries + carrots (hidden under the chips)

wednesday's lunchbox

I'm packing the final few lunchboxes of the summer (woo hoo!), so I let the kids choose their lunch today. (Truth be told, I had my mind on my last tennis match of the season and my long to-do list, not the lunchboxes this morning...) They were excited to be in charge. I reminded them they just had to have a fruit, a veggie and some texture/color present then let them go nuts. Miraculously, this is what went into the lunchbox today:

Annie's Mac & Cheese (with added mozzarella to make it exceptionally gooey) + orange pepper slices + lemonade AND Sha Sha Gingersnaps for treats + applesauce.

tuesday's lunchbox

The final stretch of day camp lunchboxes! Today's includes: strawberry wraps (whole wheat tortilla + cream cheese whipped with strawberries (or you can just buy strawberry cream cheese and save yourself that step) and fresh strawberries rolled up and then sliced) + jicama and tomatoes + applesauce + 2 of last night's homemade cookies and lemonade for treats.

monday's lunchbox

I stayed up way too late reading and am moving blurry eyed through the off-to-camp routine this morning. Breakfast (Saturday's reheated French toast + fresh berries) and lunchboxes were made in minutes (clearly). But the kids will probably be thrilled with the contents of today's lunchbox after several weeks of cream cheese and jam sandwiches...

Pizza (theirs-- plain cheese-- from last night's dinner outside after staying at the pool well past dinnertime and bedtime) + cucumber "coins" + apple sauce (don't forget the spoon) + lemonade as a treat

last week's lunchboxes

I'm gearing up for one more week of day camp lunches. Most of our little reusable containers have migrated out to the yard to become vessels for "science projects", but we're kind of in a groove now.

Above: whole wheat bagel with cream cheese + Clif Kids Twisted Fruit roll as a treat + squeeze apple sauce + milk + carrots + cheese crackers as a snack (that was the only thing that got the thumbs down in this lunchbox).

Chicken-apple sausages (grilled extra at dinner the night before) + lemonade as a treat + "ladybugs on a log" (celery/cream cheese/dried cranberries) + Cascadian multi-grain squares cereal for a snack + cantaloupe and strawberries.

summer lunchboxes

So, not having packed lunches all school year, I'm finding this summer task a bit of a, well, task. Anyway, I've got a few more weeks of this, so I thought I would pop a few photos of what's made the lunchboxes recently...it's definitely not my most creative culinary adventure, but the lunchboxes come home relatively empty, and the kids are happy, so it's all good.

Above: squeeze applesauce + crispy wheat crackers + grapes + salami + yogurt pretzels for a treat (and I hadn't taken the milk box out of the freezer yet)

cream cheese & jam sandwich + juice + a banana + pepper swords + a hard boiled egg

lemonade + applesauce + apples + alphabet cookies + a cream cheese & jam sandwich

ham & cheese sandwich + pasta & peas + (soy) pudding for a treat (which came back home in the lunchbox....) + pepper & carrot swords + chunks of cantaloupe

frozen tube of yogurt + water + cream cheese & jam sandwich + pepper swords + animal crackers for a treat

This week in lunches...

This photo pretty much sums up mornings here. Granted, this was taken minutes before we all pile into the car to go to camp (or Camp Mom as the case may be with my little one). They've been awake for hours at this point, and have enjoyed the peace and quiet of the morning and are ready to head out. I have sucked down a cup of coffee, made breakfast, made lunch, checked my email and maybe run a brush through my hair. Maybe. Anyway, I have lunch packing down to a few minutes, but the contents within are still packed with care. This week was not nearly as "gourmet" or adventuresome as some weeks, but since many of you emailed saying you liked to see what I was packing, here's what was in the lunchbox this week:

Monday: a small container of crunchy dried fruit (that's the full bag in the photo, but one bag can be split between two lunches), some carrot sticks, a slice of watermelon, (leftover, no I am not up grilling in the morning thank you very much) chicken apple sausage, a lemonade, Yo Kids yogurt tube, and the mini Fig Newtons I caved and bought while we were at the market together.

Tuesday: (which for the life of me I cannot figure out why it keeps flipping on its' side when I load the photo that is right side up on my computer?!) featured cream cheese & jelly on whole wheat (cut with a star cookie cutter), organic bell pepper slices, carrot sticks, a tub of apple sauce, lemonade and those dark things up top (or on the right as the sideways case may be) are Trader Joe's Oreo O cookies (hey, I pick my battles when shopping with my three-year-old...).

Wednesday: today's lunch was meant to be easy on the wiggly teeth-- Boursin cheese spread on a a whole wheat wrap then cut into bite-sized pinwheels, lemonade, 2 yogurt squeeze tubes, a banana, bite-sized cheese crackers and bite-sized pieces of red pepper.

Thursday: the wiggly teeth are hanging in there and making biting difficult-- apple sauce, animal crackers (which came home untouched b/c he couldn't open the package), tiny carrot "pennies", a yogurt tube, raisins, and pretzels (also untouched) along with cream cheese & jelly on whole wheat (I know I am really pushing the limit sending in heart-shaped sandwiches).

Friday: lemonade, Trader Joe's fruity flakes (which I think I like more than my kids), another Yo Kids squeeze tube of yogurt, chunks of watermelon, goldfish, a whole wheat wrap with Boursin cut into pinwheels, and some chickepa salad that is high protein and I know that he likes.

Last camp lunchbox of the week

It should be fairly obvious who hasn't gone to the supermarket the past couple of days. The only fresh fruit or veggie in today's lunchbox is the apricot (which I packaged in a little tub today after scraping a smushed one off the lunchbox last night. I thought my packing was foolproof yesterday but those lunchboxes must fly through the air then get kicked from boy to boy a few times before the children sit down to lunch?!).

Anyhow, here's what's in the lunchbox today: hummus and whole wheat pita chips for dipping, a fruit leather, raisins, a cheese stick (two for my older child), freeze-dried strawberries, and a very well protected apricot.

For those who wondered about the packaging (which my little one's counselors agreed is totally kid-friendly, as he can lift the lids off and on himself), here's that original post. My friend, Shiva, was mildly horrified that I sent snack in the first day in those plastic baggies since my handy dandy tubs wouldn't fit in the front pocket of the lunchbox, so she turned me on to Lunchskins, which look both fabulous and functional.

What's in the lunchbox today...

Only needed to pack one lunch today: my older child requested the last of the black bean salad (I know he likes it a lot, but over a sandwich? He won't say it but I wonder if I should go back to stars...), "ants on a log", a cheese stick, an apricot and a box of raisins for snack.

Here is the recipe for the black bean salad, for those looking for a quick, healthy side dish at your weekend BBQ, and a lunch option that travels well. (Don't forget to pack a spoon or fork!)

What's in the lunchbox today...

Same lunch for both kids today: organic red & yellow pepper "swords", Snap Pea Crisps, cream cheese & jam on whole wheat (cut into hearts today...since there's probably a limited window when my sons will let me cut their sandwiches into hearts without being mortified), strawberries, and a few cinnamon graham crackers. Then my older son also has a bag of Crispy Wheats tucked in the front of his bag for a snack today.

For those who want a few more ideas, here's what I packed the first two days.

What I packed for lunch the first two days of camp...

While I'd gladly send my kids in with that pea dip filled pita and call it something cool like "slime stuffing"in their camp lunches, because I made it with pine nuts it's a no go on the "nut free policy". A few of you have asked me what I am putting in their lunches, so I'm trying to remember to photograph the lunchboxes before zipping them up. Here's what's in them this week:

My older son's lunch (pictured above) included: (leftover from Sunday's BBQ) black bean-corn-jicama salad, a cheese stick, a squeeze yogurt, and water. Then, there's a container of cinnamon graham crackers tucked in the top pocket you cannot see. Since he liked the black bean salad a lot on Sunday, I excitedly told him I was going to put it into his lunch on Monday...and yes, it was polished off.

His camp also asked us to pack a snack separately, so I tucked a baggie of cucumbers and Newman's fig newtons in the front pocket of his lunchbox...but the newtons came back untouched as a smushed mess. So, apparently there's little time for snack or he wasn't hungry yet.

My little one's Monday lunch included: (also leftover from Sunday night's BBQ) grilled chicken, a few slices of jicama and some cherry tomatoes, strawberries, a cheese stick and water. At his camp, they give the kids a crunchy snack of some sort.

You'll note that one child got the chicken he really liked the night before, the other got the protein-rich side dish he liked a lot. I packed something different for both kids, but both lunches took me minutes to prepare since I was using food I'd already prepared. Aside from making a sandwich, I really try to keep packing lunches simple, based upon what I have in the fridge ready to go.


On Tuesday, both kids have the same lunch for camp: a container of jicama and cherry tomatoes (already washed and cut stored in the fridge), edamame (again, cooked and ready to eat...you can usually buy them this way too in the produce section if you're short on time), a squeeze yogurt, and cream cheese and strawberry jam on whole wheat bread (cut into stars, I know, how very Martha of me).

Then for my older one's snack I sent in a bag of these yummy dried bananas I recently discovered. (In Lower Fairfield County, I know they carry them at Walter Stewart's and Whole Foods in Darien and Westport.)