Lunchbox look - April 21 - 25, 2014

Here's a peek inside this week's lunches. I try to link our lunches to holidays but don't always plan ahead (sorry, Earth Day!) and miss a few sometimes.

Bee! PBH sandwich with cheese toppers (I didn't think my daughter would eat that much nori and she did, in fact, pick it all off). Snap peas, strawberry hearts, ham and a few black grapes.

Totoro! Gluing all those sprinkles to the cheese background using a toothpick and peanut butter wasn't easy, but this little guy is so cute, I'd say it was worth it! Sandwich Thin PBJ is resting on fancy newsprint wax paper, so it's easier to remove from the container. The other tier holds a checkered cucumber, strawberries and a few jelly beans.

Sealed with a kiss! Giant lips cookie cutter gets another kiss with a lips ring stuck in the middle. There's also snap peas (they look so much prettier when they're cut in half), cucumber, strawberry hearts, cheese cubes and a little container of Pirate Booty.

Squirm! My daughter's school play is about all things gross, so we've got bats, a worm and a giant spider - there's a lot going on here! Bat sandwich with a peekaboo bat on the front. Box of raisins, cheese cubes and pretzel things. The worm is carved into the cucumber with a paring knife. Snap peas, Pirate's Booty and a giant spider silicone cup of strawberries.

Lightbulb! I have wanted to do this one for a while. It was good luck that the sun reflected off my camera and made a shiny spot on the sandwich when I took this picture. I made the lightbulb using a circle cutter and a knife, wrapping a bit of foil around the bottom of the bulb. There's also cucumbers, snap peas, a box of raisins, a container of fresh pineapple and a strawberry heart, a hidden little gummy and a few peanut butter pretzels.

Lunchbox look - April 14-18, 2014

In addition to some of the Easter lunches you see above, I also packed the following boxes this week.

Kite! This would have been a lot cuter if I'd made it a balloon instead of a kite. PBJ topped with fruit leather and sprinkle kite, with a strip of cheese for the string. Black grapes, gummies, a hidden tomato plus carrots, grapes and steamed broccoli.

Fried egg! Ham sandwich topped with a free-form slice of Swiss and a circle of apricot fruit leather, plus a nori happy face. Carrot slices plus strawberry hearts, checkered apple and a few leftover mini meatballs.

Flower pots! These muffin cups fit perfectly in this deep Lego box, which means this little lunch was thrown together quickly. Bunny PBH sandwiches, snap peas with a container of ranch, carrots and a gigantic strawberry.

Easter inspiration

Here's a little Easter lunch-making inspiration from my archives. Also, now is a good time to stock up on egg-shaped sprinkles - the white ones are perfect for eyes.

Peep! I love this little guy peeking out from the ham & cheese egg. His feather sprouting from the top of the sandwich is actually a pick. There's also cheese cubes, a strawberry and a chick container with a few mint chips. Black grapes, steamed broccoli and a carrot flower.

Eggs! I really like this one. An egg-shaped cookie cutter and another one that's just a straight zigzag made it really easy, though hand cutting the zigzags wouldn't take long. Two PBH sandwiches plus blueberries, kiwi, strawberry and snap peas. The little chick container holds a few mini M&Ms.

His and hers bunnies! These teensy little PBH sandwich rabbits are in a snap pea garden with carrot and cilantro sprouting up. There's also strawberry hearts and a few peanut butter pretzels.

Cheesy carrots! My favorite part here are cheddar cheese sticks cut down to carrot size. Stacked rabbit sandwiches, baby carrots, table grapes, tomatoes, strawberries and a few graham bunnies. Hiding under the silicone rabbit are a few bunny gummies.

Pizza chick! Two leftover mini pizzas are the base for a simple chick. The cucumber grass is my favorite. There's also black grapes, apple slices, carrot flowers and a few carrot slices, too.

Lunchbox look - April 7-11, 2014

This was a short week, so only four lunches this time around.

Tooth! My daughter lost another tooth, so here's the commemorative lunch. Puzzle PBJ topped with cheese, Wilton eyes and smile, and a bowtie pick. I used an index card to create the tooth template. There's also carrots, a bluejeans muffin cup filled with cantaloupe, a few cherry tomatoes and a tiny Lego box holding an itsy bitsy cookie.

Hello Kitty! PBJ sandwich with sprinkle details (her nose is an Easter egg sprinkle). Baby carrots, cheese cubes, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, spinach leaves and a few mint chips. This box is quite small, so I also sent a small side container of watermelon.

Aristocats! This Marie sandwich is made from a fondant cutter and is quite small, so there are actually two stacked sandwiches. PBJ, tomatoes, snap peas, peanut butter pretzels, a container of cheese cubes, checkered cucumber and a few pink mushroom cookies.

Shark! The shark is made from a large egg-shaped cookie cutter, with a smaller egg shape used for the cheese mouth. The teeth are inverted heart sprinkles. Grapes on giant fish picks. Rainbow baby carrots kept in place by a little plastic surfboard. Snap peas, tomatoes and a tiny star cookie. I also included a side container of strawberries.

Welcome

Hi! Lunch is the cutest meal of the day at my house. You're here, so you must like cute food, too. Thanks for not thinking I'm crazy. And yes, it is nice to have this much time on my hands.

I've been making and photographing fun lunches for a few years now. I've learned a lot! Namely, buy all the sprinkles, my kitchen is too small (see #1) and even the cutest meals do not always get eaten.

The whole point is to have a playful interaction with my big girl when she's at school. I want her to open up her lunch box in that crowded cafeteria and get a whimsical (and healthy) reminder of home.

I've tortured my friends and family with my lunch photos for long enough -- time to release them into the wild! How about we start with last week?

Queeny! Triple decker PBJ in a gigantic crown muffin cup. Strawberry hearts. Quick-steamed broccoli (cool completely before packing otherwise the sandwich is a soggy mess). Raisins. Ham and cheese cubes. The box looks like a giant Lego and is from Legoland.

April Fool's! Peanut butter and honey (PBH) on plastic nail picks. Lego box of pudding -- I forgot the spoon, how's that for a joke? Giant muffin cup of cantaloupe. Cheese and Triscuits. This Lego box is from The Container Store.

Pineapples! PBH on a criss-cross scored Hawaiian roll with snap pea leaves up top. Hidden cheese chunks. Fresh pineapple. Ham and tomatoes. This is packed in an unused Crayola crayon box.

Leaves! Peek-a-boo PBJ - the deli paper makes it easier to remove from the box. Strawberry hearts, Spinach leaves, carrot slices, cheese chunks and a few chewies. The spinach keeps food from touching and usually gets eaten.

Birdhouse! Chocolate PBJ. Spinach and snap peas. PB pretzels, strawberry and raisins. Half a mango. This was my child's favorite of the week.


Thanks for stopping by!