Bento: Autumn

It's officially Fall!  Even though our 90+ degree days aren't giving us reprieve, a fall color scheme and an acorn found their way into this Laptop Lunch.  I found the acorn cookie cutter at a local craft store, and I used FooDoodler markers to draw on the acorn.  

After yesterday, the dried young coconut was a requirement by the lunch owner.  He said that the coconut was even better than dried pineapple, so I paired the two so he could further investigate.

Red grape tomatoes and yellow sunburst tomatoes fill the last compartment.

The little note is a free printable from ChefSolus.  I didn't have my camera out this morning, and snapped it with my phone, so it's not as easy to read here.  It says, "Fruits taste so sweet and yummy for your tummy. Have some for lunch!  Happy Lunch Time!"

Bento: APPLES!

This Laptop Lunch is comprised of the sandwich box and two snack boxes with lids.  
The left compartment has a Pink Lady apple cut into 8ths with the final 1/8th cut again in two in order for them to all fit.  Lemon juice or a citrus-based soda works well to keep them from turning brown before lunch.  I usually pour a bit on my cutting board or in a small bowl and just dip the individual pieces.  Half of a peanut butter and honey sandwich on potato bread is adorned with an apple cookie cutter cut-out and colored with Wilton Food Writer Edible Markers.  
The top right (green) compartment is filled with organic vanilla bean yogurt and a tablespoon of strawberry preserves swirled to be used as a dip for the apples or can be eaten with the Laptop Lunch spoon (far right compartment.)
The bottom right (purple) compartment has 2 silicone mini cupcake liners.  The top one has organic dried young coconut that we recently found at Costco.  Our son LOVES it.  loves.  He wants it for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert.  The bottom liner has grape tomatoes with 1/3 of a toothpick as a "stem" to hold on fruit leather "leaves."  The leaves were made from the scraps remaining after creating the top two fruit leather apples.  I really need to find a small apple cookie cutter, because although it's not difficult to freehand an apple silhouette from fruit leather, it could be much easier.  
I realized after I sent this to school with my little guy that I forgot to include the apple eraser I had picked up for a few cents at Party City.  I guess another apple-themed lunch will be in store.

Bento: Lunch for 3

After a long couple of weeks, I made lunches last night so this morning was easier.  I used pieces of the Laptop Lunch system for all 3 lunches, some silicone cupcake liners, and a piece of silicone baran (grass.)  Sesame butter & honey sandwiches with animal crackers and fruit leather "suns" are the focal point.  Banana chips, blueberry yogurt covered raisins, and raisins finish out the remainder of the boxes.
The 3 year old twins are young enough that their entire lunch can fit in the sandwich size piece of the Laptop Lunch sets.  Our second grader will eat every bite in the full Laptop Lunchbox. 
How cute are the Stephen Joseph dinosaur and cupcake lunchboxes?  The Laptop Lunch system fits inside, which I absolutely love.  I had bought the duffel bags in the same design in a boutique in Fredericksburg, Texas, but when I realized that I could buy the lunchboxes, they became a necessity.  I bought them on Etsy from DeerPath Designs and saved myself the trouble of trying to figure out how to embroider them.

Bento: Easy Fall Fruit Leather Leaves

After 2 weeks of my husband traveling, I don't feel greatly inspired with lunches. Some fruit leather and a few cookie cutters saved my day.

Birthday Party Camp Out

What happens when your kids want a "camp out" for their birthday, and you're a family that camps?  Well, it's taken literally.  What happens when the mom is also an event planner and can't seem to get her head around "just cupcakes" or S'mores while camping (and she's incredibly busy with a large wedding the weekend before)?  She turns to PrintMagic on Etsy a couple of months in advance, a local print shop (and a pair of scissors) in the weeks prior, and a well-stocked small bag by the week of the camping trip.  With 2 adults, 3 kids, and 2 boxers on a camping trip, there really isn't room for a full spread, but a few mini-muffins, some eggless cupcakes, some homemade caramel popcorn, and S'more kits worked wonders for the wilderness.

Favors consisted of a pouch and lanyard for each child to use while hiking.  Inside the pouches were crayons, pencils, notepads, magnifying glasses, and flashlights.