Hinamatsuri Pizza Craft and Toast

Girls Day Pizza

This year for Hinamatsuri (Girls Day) I made pizza, toast and mason jars filled with candy. Even if you can’t get traditional sweets you can make your own cute gift. My Girl’s Day label template is at the end of this post.

I made these Emperor and Empress Pizzas with my 16 year old niece. Actually I was the mean Aunt who came up with the idea but gave my niece an almost impossible task of making it. But I think that she did a great job and they turned out cute.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Emperor (pizza crust, mozzarella and orange cheddar cheese, spinach, carrot [baton]), Empress (pizza crust, mozzarella, tomato sauce, spinach, carrot [fan])

Top Right: Strawberries

Bottom Right: Popcorn, mint M&M’s

Girls Day Toast

I made this Hinamatsuri themed toast by writing with chocolate. I was inspired by this.

Hinamatsuri Candy Gift

I made these little snacks for my two Japanese language students (both girls are in high school). Since I am in the United States and do not have easy access to Hinamatsuri candy, I used mini mint candy in three colors. Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day) colors are pink, white and green but I used pink, yellow and green. I put a layer of green candy on the bottom, yellow in the middle and pink on top. The label has the date of Hinamatsuri (March 3) and Hinamatsuri written in Japanese. It also includes clip art of the emperor and empresses.

hinamatsuri treat label

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Easy Lion and Lamb Themed Food

Lamb Lion Easy Shaped Food

If you are making macaroni and cheese for lunch or dinner, why not decorate it to look like a lamb or lion. Just be careful because if you put the decorations on hot pasta they will melt (but it could be part of the fun).

Since I like lambs I make a lot of lamb themed food and crafts. Of course I had to make a lion and lamb themed meal to celebrate the beginning of March. I know that these are not the best but they were easy, fast, and fun. Cut out shapes from thin sliced cheese (I used cheddar and cookie cutters but you could use a knife), and decorate with food safe markers or food coloring and a toothpick.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Melon with Lamb and Lion picks

Bottom Left: Sugar Snap Peas

Right Side: Lion – (Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, thinly sliced cheddar cheese, food safe marker) Lamb – Wegmans Shells and White Cheddarthinly sliced cheddar cheese, food safe marker) broccoli

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | Comments Off on Easy Lion and Lamb Themed Food

Make Ahead Dinners

Make Ahead Dinner ideas

My husband works long hours and often comes home late. For those days I like to have dinner in the refrigerator for him to heat up. Here are five make ahead meals. These can also be leftover for lunch meals.

Twice Baked Potato Dinner

Twice baked potatoes are a frequent request when I ask my husband for meal ideas. I made this meal so the potato could be taken out and heated in the microwave.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Orange

Bottom Left: Peppermint candy

Right Side: Salad with lettuce, radish, carrot, twice baked potato with cheddar cheese

Salad Dinner

This meal includes several of my husband’s favorites: salad, tapioca pudding, and citrus with mint sugar. This entire meal is meant to be eaten cold.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, hard boiled egg, carrot, mozzarella cheese

Top Right: Tapioca pudding (after I made it, I put it in my EasyLunchBox to cool).

Bottom Right: Grapefruit and orange with mint sugar

Pasta and Broccoli Dinner

This falls under not his favorite but food he will eat category. Anyway, I think that he appreciates my having made something for him.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Penne pasta with butter, Parmesan cheese, cooked broccoli

Top Right: Grapefruit

Bottom Right: Garlic bread

Potato Gratin Dinner

Potatoes and cheese are two popular ingredients here. I also added fruit and vegetable. This entire meal can be heated in the microwave. Applesauce is great warm!

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Potato and cheese gratin

Top Right: Cooked broccoli

Bottom Right: Applesauce with cinnamon

Pasta Beans Corn Tomato Cheese Dinner

This one was actually for me as my husband won’t eat black beans. I love having a healthy meal prepared ahead of time.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Penne pasta with chopped tomatoes, black beans, corn, and Cheddar cheese (I did not use this recipe but it was my inspiration)

Top Right: Strawberries

Bottom Right: Broccoli and carrots

I hope that this gave you some ideas. What do you like to make ahead for dinner and have waiting in your refrigerator?

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | 1 Comment

Cheesy Fox Bento Lunch

Fox head lunch

I love this cookie cutter I received from my sister for my birthday last summer. I used it to make a fun garnish for this meal.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Fox – Gouda, white Cheddar, food safe marker, quinoa with broccoli and cheese (see recipe below)

Top Right: Coriander carrots (see recipe below)

Bottom Right: Green grapes

Quinoa, Broccoli and Cheese Casserole (6 servings)

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed in a fine sieve
2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Bring 3 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skilled. Add the onion and saute until golden. Add the broccoli and about 1/4 cup water. Cover and steam until the broccoli is just a little more than tender-crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the broccoli mixture and half the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled, shallow 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese. Bake until the top is golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Coriander Carrots (4 servings / serving size 1/2 cup)

1 lb carrots,sliced
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground coriander
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water

Saute carrots in oil in nonstick pan until golden.

Add coriander, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are tender-crisp. Watch this carefully; carrots burn easily if the heat is too high.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 2 Comments

Pisces Bento Lunch

Pisces Pizza

Continuing in my yearly series of Zodiac symbol lunches, here is Pisces.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Homemade pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and cooked spinach Pisces symbol.

Top Right: Green grapes

Bottom Right: Mini sweet peppers

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 1 Comment

Flower Bread Lunch

Flower Bread Lunch

I had some leftover dough when making other shaped bread so I made this flower.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Flower shaped bread with food marker details, lettuce with mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, cherry tomato on flower stem pick

Top Right: Holiday Skittles

Bottom Right: Orange with flower and ladybug picks

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | Comments Off on Flower Bread Lunch

Year of the Sheep Bread Lunch

Sheep bread lunch

2015 is the Year of the Sheep. Of course I had to make sheep shaped bread. I was surprised that I have not done it before but I did make sheep shaped cinnamon rolls.

If you are interested in making sheep shaped food (sweet and savory) I have a Pinterest board.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top: Sheep shaped bread with food marker details, cheddar cheese stick, spinach

Bottom Left: Cherry tomatoes with sheep pick

Bottom Right: Kiwi

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

4 Valentine Themed Lunches

Valentine's Day Meals Collage

This year I have four new heart / Valentine themed meals. My niece made one of them. I have a large collection of heart and Valentine cookie cutters and enjoy using them.

Heart Onigiri Lunch

After I made the heart shaped rice, the rest of this meal came together with food I had in the house. I had defrosted frozen sour cherries because I used some for individual sour cherry cobblers (my husband’s favorite).

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Heart shaped rice balls, sour cherry juice and sour cherries, baby romaine

Top Right: Sour cherries and ricotta

Bottom Right: Tomatoes and feta

Captured Heart Valentine Lunch

My 16 year old niece made this lunch. She cut the lettering out of carrot and dyed the spaghetti brown. She was inspired by a sculpture one of her Uncles made for her Aunt.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pasta with a little butter, carrot, red bell pepper, dyed spaghetti

Top Right: Hershey kisses

Bottom Right: Red grapes on skewers

Cupid Heart Lunch

I have a Cupid cookie cutter that I wanted to use so I made a Cupid quesadilla.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cupid – cheese quesadilla with food marker details, lettuce with shredded carrot and sliced almonds

Top Right: Heart shaped York Peppermint Patties

Bottom Right: Apple slices cut and stamped with this cutter (dipped in lemon juice and water)

Hearts lunch

I had fun using my collection of heart cookie cutters to make this snack type meal for my husband.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cucumber, Cheddar cheese, peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread, radish

Top Right: Strawberry yogurt with heart sprinkles

Bottom Right: Heart shaped York Peppermint Patties

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 1 Comment

Two Savory Chocolate Lunches

Choco dusted breadstick beet hummus

I wanted to try to use chocolate in savory dishes instead of sweet. Today I have two lunches that include savory chocolate.

In the first meal I used a cocoa chili rub on top of homemade bread. It had a subtle taste. I also made beet hummus for the first time. I am not sure if I will make it again. It tasted alright but I could not get over the color. I am accustomed to hummus not being red. But the fresh vegetables with dip for lunch was refreshing so I need to revisit this idea.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Breadstick with Cocoa Chili Rub, broccoli, celery, snow peas, radish

Top Right: Beet hummus with beet garnish

Bottom Right: Grapefruit

Rice with Mole Sauce

I made a chocolate mole sauce and served it with rice, cheese, and cooked frozen vegetables. The garnish is carrots cut into heart shapes.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Basmati rice with cheddar, vegetables (green beans, rainbow carrots, and red pepper), and a mole sauce to taste (see recipe below).

Top Right: Kiwi

Bottom Right: Snow peas

Mole Sauce (adapted from a Cooking Light recipe for Cheesy Rice and Bean Strata)

2 tsp olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 (25 ounce) jar marinara sauce
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, chili powder, and oregano. Saute 2 minutes. Add marinara sauce; cook over low heat for 30 minutes; stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa.

Store remaining sauce in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months Serve with any Mexican meal.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | Comments Off on Two Savory Chocolate Lunches

Setsubun Oni Pizza

Oni Setsubun Pizza Lunch

In honor of Setsubun (bean throwing day) in Japan, I made this Oni Shaped Pizza lunch.

Setsubun is generally celebrated on February 2 or 3. It is a custom for a family member to wear an Oni mask and other family members throw beans at him. They say, “Demons out! Luck in!”.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Oni pizza with tomato sauce, mozzeralla cheese, spinach (nose and mouth), orange and white cheddar details, food safe marker for eye

Top Right: Red grapes

Bottom Right: Edamame (soybeans in the pod)

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | Comments Off on Setsubun Oni Pizza

Happy Groundhog Day

Groundhog Bento Lunch

Happy Groundhog Day!

I made this meal for my husband to heat up (in the microwave) for dinner on a night that he came home late. He loves sauteed mushrooms. I choose applesauce as the fruit because he likes it warm.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Groundhog – Nishiki rice shaped in plastic wrap, brushed with soy sauce, eyes and nose (dried blueberries), teeth (cheddar cheese), mushrooms sauteed in butter

Top Right: Applesauce with cinnamon

Bottom Right: Boiled zucchini with toasted pine nuts

Another Groundhog Day meal

Linking to:

Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 3 Comments

Aquarius Bento Lunch

Aquarius lunch

This year I am planning to make each of the Zodiac symbols into a lunch somehow. Since it is January I am starting with Aquarius. I made a paper stencil and sprinkled hot paprika over my quinoa that is mixed with a little butter and Parmesan cheese.

For each month’s Zodiac symbol I plan to make the symbols in different ways. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Quinoa with a little butter and parmesan cheese, hot paprika

Top Right: Red grapes

Bottom Right: Edamame (soybeans in the pod)

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | Comments Off on Aquarius Bento Lunch

Penguin Awareness Day Pizza Lunch

Penguin olive paste pizza

Today I have penguin pizza in honor of Penguin Awareness Day. Over a year ago I tried to make penguin pizza with sliced olives but I did not like how it turned out. The olives shrunk and slipped. This time I made olive paste. I am happy with how it looked and although I don’t normally eat olives on pizza it was a nice change.

Last summer I made a traditional penguin pizza for a day at the zoo. I enjoy using cookie cutters to shape pizza dough into cute shapes. If you try this make sure to use enough flour so the cookie cutters do not stick to the dough.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Penguin shaped white pizza (cookie cutter) with olive paste and mozzarella cheese

Top Right: Fish (cookie cutter) shaped carrots, penguin (cookie cutter) cucumber

Bottom Right: Blueberry yogurt with snowflake sprinkles

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Mermaid Bento Lunch with Templates

Mermaid Bento Lunch

I considered making a mermaid bento for a long time. Today I finally have one to share. I made her out of Cheddar cheese. She is a bit strange looking but I like her. I am sharing templates in-case you want to cut your own similar mermaid out of cheese. But for a better looking mermaid please see this link.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Quinoa with black beans, (I used more bell pepper than the recipe called for), I cut the mermaid pieces from white and yellow Cheddar and used small dots of cream cheese to hold on her head and shells. I dipped toothpicks in gel food coloring for her face and belly button.

Top Right: Green and red grapes

Bottom Right: Plain Greek yogurt with blue sprinkles

Mermaid template  I used a heart cookie cutter for her face and the shells are a cutter from this set.

Linking to:

Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 10 Comments

Deer in Snow Covered Woods Bento Lunch

Deer Snow Covered Tree Bento Lunch

I love using these deer cookie cutters I bought in Japan last year. The cookie cutters and the idea of snow covered trees was the inspiration for this lunch.

Container: LunchBots Trio

Top Left: Tortilla deer browned in a frying pan with cooking spray, lettuce blend

Top Right: White Nishiki rice with broccoli and Parmesan cheese (snow covered tree)

Bottom: Cherry tomatoes, green olives, feta

Condiment Container: Ranch dressing

 

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Bagel Doughnut Lunch

Bagel Doughnut Lunch

My 10 year old nephew loves bagels and chocolate so he requested this bagel lunch that looks like a doughnut. I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave and spread it on top of the bagel. He helped by adding some sprinkles.

This was my nephews idea but I did see something similar before at Mamabelly.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Peanut butter sandwich on a bagel with melted chocolate chips on top and some sprinkles

Top Right: Carrots

Bottom Right: Clementines

Linking to:

Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 5 Comments

350 Calorie Meal Ideas

350 Calorie Meals Collage

These meals can be enjoyed for breakfast or anytime. Most of these were packed for a meal on the go and many are easy to put together. (The calories in these meals range from 240 calories to 373.5 calories). The Fruit & Nut Bar and Raspberry Muffins can be made ahead and stored in your freezer.

Fruit and Nut Bar Breakfast

Fruit and Nut Bar Breakfast

The Fruit & Nut bar in this meal requires time to make and bake but it freezes well. I freeze it in individual portions.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bar with dried apricot, cherry, and blueberries (230 calories)

Breakstone’s Individual 4 ounce Cottage Cheese (90 calories)

Apple (26 calories)

Total: 346 calories

Fruit & Nut Breakfast Bar (8 servings)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 oz mixed dried fruit, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 large egg
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate
2 Tbsp canola oil
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Add dried fruit and walnuts.

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, egg, apple juice concentrate, and oil.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gently mix in the wet ingredients until blended.

Coat a 9 x 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread batter in pan.

Bake 45 – 50 minutes until browned and toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Slice into 8 equal servings. Individual portions freeze well.

Potato and Cheese Breakfast

Potato and Cheese Breakfast

This meal is easy to make with an extra baked potato from dinner. I put the sliced potatoes and cheese in silicone cups so I can heat it in the microwave but keep the other items in this meal cold.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

6 oz baked potato, sliced (165 calories)

1 oz shredded mozzeralla cheese (80 calories)

Plain Green yogurt (90 calories)

Strawberries (20 calories)

Total: 355 calories

Egg Muffin Walnuts Breakfast

Hard Boiled Egg, Raspberry Muffin, and Walnuts Breakfast

My husband loves fruit muffins so this breakfast was for him. Muffins can be baked and stored in the freezer for a fast breakfast.

Container: ECO Lunchboxes

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffin (142 calories)

Hard boiled egg (78 calories)

0.7 ounce Walnuts (130 calories)

Total: 350 calories

Ricotta Tomato Italian Bread Raspberries Breakfast

Ricotta, Tomatoes, Italian Bread, and Raspberries Breakfast

This red and white meal has a lot of cherry tomatoes and raspberries and was filling.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

60 grams Italian Bread (162 calories)

123 grams Cherry Tomatoes (22 calories)

1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese (108 calories)

1 cup Raspberries (65 calories)

Total: 357 calories

Hummus Pita Clementine Breakfast

Hummus, Pita, and Clementine Breakfast

I like to keep mini pita in my freezer for a quick meal.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

2 Mini Mini Pitas (140 calories)

Individual Hummus (130 calories)

Clementines (70 calories)

Total: 340 calories

Apples Cheddar walnuts breakfast

Apples, Cheddar, and Walnuts breakfast

I find fruit, nuts, and cheese to be a satisfying meal.

Container: LunchBots Trio

182 g Apple (95 calories)

1oz Cheddar cheese stick (100 calories)

25 grams Walnuts (164 calories)

Total: 359 calories

avocado tomato bread

Avocado, Tomato, and French Bread Breakfast

I like avocado but do not buy it very often. This was a different breakfast for me but sometimes I like to mix it up.

Container: LunchBots Trio

1 cup diced Avocado (234 calories)

Tomato (22 calories)

30 grams French bread (81 calories)

Total: 337 calories

Quaker Real Medleys breakfast

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal Breakfast

This oatmeal was a fast breakfast that could be stored in my pantry. It was easy to cook in my microwave.

Quaker Real Medleys – Blueberry Hazelnut Oatmeal (270 calories)

10 Hazelnuts (90 calories)

Total: 360 calories

Cream Cheese Berries Tortilla

Cream Cheese, and Berries Wrap

This may have been my first time eating a wrap for breakfast. I ate this with the berries still slightly frozen. It was fun to eat.

Large tortilla (200 calories)

1 cup mixed frozen berries (80 calories)

1 ounce 1/3 less fat cream cheese (70 calories)

Spread cream cheese on a large tortilla, add berries, roll up, and cut.

Total: 350 calories

Polenta with Beans Breakfast

Polenta with Beans Breakfast

I love polenta but usually make it myself. For this meal I used prepared and packaged polenta that I bought in my grocery store.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

1 serving Polenta with tomato and white beans (188.5 calories)

Breakstone’s Individual 4 ounce Cottage Cheese with paprika (90 calories)

Apple (95 calories)

Total: 373.5

Polenta with Tomatoes and Beans (makes 4 servings)

1 pound prepared polenta (80 per serving)
14.5 Can of Diced Tomatoes (18.5 per serving)
15 ounce can white beans (90 per serving)
Nonstick cooking spray
Seasonings (optional)

Slice polenta into 1/2 inch slices. Put on a cookie sheet with cooking spray and aluminum foil and broil until lightly browned.

Heat tomatoes and white beans (and seasonings if desired).

Serve on top of broiled polenta.

Disclaimer:

I am not a nutritionist. I planned these meals based on previous knowledge and internet research. Since many sources have varying nutritional information for the same item, I do not guarantee the calorie counts.

For many of the recipes I used my food scale to weigh items. If you care about calorie counts I recommend buying a food scale. If you do not have a food scale, you can make the meal in the same container I used. You can then reference my photos for food quantities when making your meal.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 7 Comments

Christmas Breakfast 2014

Christmas Breakfast Table Dad

My family often makes fun of me and says that I never make the same thing twice. But over the years our Christmas breakfast menu has held constant. Yes, this year I wanted to swap out the Pig Scones for a different Christmas themed bread but my family protested so I made the scones. I am not sure how Pig Scones became a Christmas tradition for my family but I guess it is here to stay.

Our Christmas breakfast 2014 was enjoyed by my Mom, Dad, brother, husband, and myself.

Menu:

Pig Scones – see recipe below

Shaped butter –  soften butter and spread in candy mold, freeze, remove from mold when firm and store in the refrigerator

Roasted Potatoes with a Dijon Dip – see recipe below

Citrus with Mint Sugar – I used pink grapefruit and clementines and omitted the pomegranate

Coffee, Juice

Christmas Breakfast 2014

I am an early riser. I have been a morning person since I was a small child. This breakfast takes a little bit of work but I enjoy spending quite time in the kitchen on Christmas morning. The citrus does take time to peel and remove the membranes. You could do this the night before but I prefer doing it in the morning so it is fresh. This year my husband asked me to make twice as much of the mint sugar so I made a huge bowl of citrus.

Pig Scones

Pig Scones

Pig Scones (I am not exactly sure of the original source but Holiday Cooking 1992)

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
8 ounces sour cream
1 egg yolk

Stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Make a well in the center.

Mix sour cream and egg yolk, add all at once to dry mixture. With fork stir until moistened.

Turn dough onto floured surface. Kneed gently. Pat dough into 1/2 inch thickness. Cut 10 circles with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter for the heads. Shape extra dough for ears and make small circles for the snouts. Pinch to attach ears and snouts to heads. Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Make jowls with a knife or spoon.  Add dried blueberries or dried cranberries for eyes.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or lightly browned.

Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Potatoes with Dijon Dip

Peel and dice russet potatoes. I do enough for my pan. While I am working I keep the diced potatoes in a bowl of water. It ends up being a lot but these disappear. Melt 1 stick of butter and mix with potatoes (drain the water if they were soaking in water) in oven safe pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour or until fork tender and brown. You may need more or less butter depending on how many potatoes you roast. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Dijon Dip

Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with Dijon mustard to taste.

Christmas Breakfast Plate

Christmas Breakfast Plate

I took this photo of my filled breakfast plate outside on my side porch.

Santa Candle Holder

Santa Candle Holder

I am guessing that most families don’t have Pig Scones and Santa on the same table but my family does. It was a delicious breakfast enjoyed by all and we look forward to it every year.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 7 Comments

Happy New Year 2015 Lunch

2015 Quesadilla Lunch

Happy New Year! Today I have a simple cheese quesadilla meal.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cheese quesadilla with 2015 cut out with small cookie cutters

Top Right: Green olives with pimentos on frilly toothpicks

Bottom Right: Celery with bourbon blue cheese (I used less bourbon)

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 3 Comments

Top 14 Bento of 2014

Top 14 Bento 2014

Keeping with tradition I am happy to share my favorite bento from the year. It was difficult picking only 14.

Momotaro (Peach Boy) story

peach boy bento lunch

I made this lunch as part of a series of Japan travel photos and bento I made at home after the trip. The meals were inspired by my photos and memories.

Buddha Quesadilla

Buddha lunch

This is another lunch inspired by my trip to Japan in 2014. I made this Buddha quesadilla lunch for my niece. I smile every time I see this photo.

Miyajima

Miyajima Bento

This is the third bento inspired by my trip to Japan to make this list. I love the simplicity of this lunch.

Canada Goose

Canada Goose Lunch

I made this lunch for a hike with my nephews at a nearby nature preserve. It stands out for me as one of my better bento from the year.

Dragonfly

Dragonfly Lunch

This is another lunch I made for the hike at the nature preserve. It was incredibly simple – made with a cookie cutter but I thought it was beautiful.

Snow Globe

Snowglobe Bento Lunch

I was delighted when I found this cookie cutter and knew that I needed to use it to make lunch. It is another simple cookie cutter lunch but I loved it.

Taco Salad Flag

Taco Salad Flag Lunch

I made this for my 17 year old nephew as part of 14 Fourth of July themed meals.

Fireworks

July 4 Fireworks

My niece came up with the idea for this meal. Maybe you did not know it was fireworks until I told you but I love how this turned out.

Babar

Babar Lunch

After making this Babar out of mashed potatoes I was so delighted I had to share it immediately with my Mom and husband. If I had to pick one favorite from the year it is this one.

Fox in the Snow

Fox in Snow Bento Lunch

Another simple cookie cutter lunch but it was a delight to make and eat.

Pumpkin Calzone

Jack-o-lantern calzone lunch

This was another one that made me smile a lot. Why eat a regular calzone when it can be cute like this?

Onigiri Faces

Onigiri Face Bento

I made this simple more traditional Japanese bento for my niece.

Bunny Sandwiches

Bunny Sandwiches Bento

Sprouts make perfect grass for these sandwich bunnies. Also this year I had fun decorating pistachios.

Lily of the Valley

ELB Lily of the Valley

This lunch was part of a series of flower themed lunches. I actually had a negative comment on this one on Pinterest. A person assumed that cute lunches were only for kids and that if we teach kids not to eat toxic plants we should not make lunches that look like them. I made this lunch for myself not a kid and I was pleased that she thought it looked so good. It is cream cheese and chives.

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my favorite bento from the year. Please be sure to subscribe to my blog by email if you want to see what I make in 2015.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 3 Comments

Christmas Cookies 2014

Christmas Cookies 2014

I like to make many different types of Christmas cookies it but does take a lot of time including cleaning up the kitchen afterwards. Many years ago I started making cookies that did well in the freezer so I could make batches over a few weeks but serve many different types at once. I frost before serving.

I assembled this cookie tray to send to my husband’s business. I still have more in my freezer for the next time I want to make a cookie tray.

  • Reindeer Spice Cookies (I made my own frosting with confectionery sugar, butter, and milk) I frost them before serving.
  • Peanut Butter Munchies These cookies take a little bit of effort but it is worth it! I put the cookie dough and filling on separate sheets of waxed paper to divide each into the 32 portions.
  • Coconut Macaroons This is my first year making this recipe. I ended up making them the day before assembling this tray. The leftovers are in the freezer but I have not tested how they freeze yet.
  • Pumpkin Pecan Tassies My husband loves these and requests them every year.
  • Sugar cookies I frost these before serving.

What types of holiday cookies do you make?

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 4 Comments

Reindeer Hash Brown Potatoes

Reindeer Hash Browns

I made these Reindeer Hash Browns because one of my friends is hosting a cute reindeer snacks party (round-up) and I am not one to miss out on cute food parties.

The first time I tried making these I used reindeer shaped metal cookie cutters that had narrow legs. It was very difficult to pack in the potatoes and it was a mess. Luckily I found a reindeer cookie cutter in my grocery store that had fat legs. I tried making the hash browns again with this cookie cutter and it worked out great. It would have been easier if my cookie cutter did not have a handle but you could probably cut it off with tin snips if you were going to make a lot of these.

Reindeer Cookie Cutter

I only made one reindeer hash brown with this cutter. I was pressed for time and decided not to stay up all night testing different ways to make reindeer shaped hash brown potatoes. Although it would have been delicious and memorable. So if you try this and have advice please share them in the comments.

Instructions:

Peel and shred potato (I used a box grater). You could also try buying frozen hash brown shredded potatoes.

Heat a small frying pan with oil. I sprayed my cookie cutter with cooking spray but I don’t know it it is necessary.

Pack enough shredded hash brown potatoes into the cookie cutter so it holds it shape but not too much that it is difficult to get the potatoes in the middle cooked. You will need to experiment and get the feel for it if you are not accustomed to making hash browns. I removed the cookie cutter after packing it with shredded potatoes.

I cooked the hash brown at medium heat and did not move it until I could tell that it was browning. I also pressed down with a spatula because I was afraid it would fall apart when flipped. It did just fine! Cook until both sides are brown and the middle is cooked. You may need to reduce the heat to give the middle enough time to cook.

If you want it to look like Rudolph put a dot of ketchup for the red nose.

So whether you are making these for Christmas breakfast or for a Frozen themed breakfast, let me know if you try these.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 5 Comments

Ho Ho Ho Holiday Bento Blog Hop

Snowman Quesadilla food for lunch

Today I am joining some Bento Bloggers and Friends on a Holiday themed bento blog hop. Since we already had quite a bit of snow this year, I ended up with a Frosty themed lunch and snack.

My 10 year old nephew did all of the amazing drawing (food safe markers) on the snowman shaped cheese quesadilla and he ate this lunch.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cheese quesadillas with food safe marker details

Top Right: Snowmen shaped apples dipped in water with a splash of lemon to prevent browning

Bottom Right: Snowman doughnut – purchased mini powdered doughnut, added mini chocolate chips and carrot for nose

Snowman Bagel

I wanted to make something else in the snowman theme so I made this fun snack. Thomas bagel thin with cream cheese, dried blueberries, and a dried apricot.

Please click on the button below to see what Jackie of Loving Lunches made to share with you.

BBF-BeMerry-Mint

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged | 12 Comments

Hanukkah Shield Lunch

Hanukkah Shield Food Lunch

I am not Jewish but I have an appreciation and interest in world cultures and religions. I made these Hanukkah lunches last year. This year I wanted to do something different so I looked at my Hanukkah cookie cutters for inspiration. It was not immediately apparent to me why there was a shield cookie cutter in my cookie cutter set. After researching it for awhile I found this activity and explanation. Hanukkah is the celebration of the Maccabees winning battles. They returned to Jerusalem and brought the Temple back to its Jewish roots of worship. My shield and Star of David represent this.

My 10 year old nephew ate this quesadilla lunch for lunch at home.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cheese quesadillas, shield –  blue food coloring and water applied with a dedicated paint brush, lettering – food safe marker

Top Right: Dreidel shaped green bell pepper

Bottom Right: Clementines, pistachios

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | Comments Off on Hanukkah Shield Lunch

Poinsettia Lunch

Poinsettia Lunch

Today is Poinsettia Day so I made this simple Poinsettia themed lunch. It was easy to make and delicious.

Question: What are the second and third most popular Poinsettia colors? (answer is at the end of this post)

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Toasted Thomas’ English Muffins with cream cheese, mint leaves, and strawberries

Top Right: Cauliflower and Red Bell Pepper

Bottom Right: Air popped popcorn and Jolly Ranchers candy

Answer: white and pink

Poinsettia facts

Linking to:

Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Gingerbread Man Bread

Gingerbread Man Bread Lunch

I don’t know why I made a Gingerbread man without a face. Looking at this photo afterwards I almost did not publish it.

This was a very simple but well received meal. My shaped bread meals tend to be popular with the people who eat them.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Gingerbread Man shaped homemade bread (french bread dough) with cinnamon

Top Right: Gingerbread Men shaped yellow bell pepper

Bottom Right: Red grapes

Not Pictured: Mini Dippers with cream cheese

Gingerbread Man Face Bread Lunch

This is not the dried blueberries I probably would have used but I think it looks better.

Face or no face? Which version do you prefer?

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Christmas Ornament Lunch

Christmas Ornament Lunch

I am starting to decorate my house for Christmas so I made an ornament themed meal. Today I will probably start decorating my miniature trees. I have collected the Hallmark Miniature Ornaments since I was a kid.

I make a lot of lunches with cheese quesadillas. They are a popular food with everyone I make lunches for, the ingredients keep for awhile in my refrigerator, and they are versatile for making cute shapes.

This was my first time using a plunger stamp cookie cutter with apple slices. It worked great. I dipped the apple slices in water with a splash of lemon juice to prevent browning.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Christmas ornament cheese quesadilla with food marker details, spinach salad, toasted slivered almonds

Top Right: Christmas tree apples (made with a tree similar to this).

Bottom Right: Carrots with ranch dip (in small container)

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Holly Themed Lunch

Holly Themed Lunch

Caution: While it is safe and fun to eat holly shaped food, actual holly leaves and berries can be toxic.

This week my garden club worked with holly and other fresh greens to make holiday table arrangements. We sell arrangements and wreaths at our annual fundraiser. I only have one holly bush in my yard. It does not have berries. I am not sure if it is a female or male holly bush but I would need both in my yard to get berries.

You can make simple holly shaped food using cookie cutters. (Cookies cutters are not only good for cookies!) I used two different sizes for this light lunch. It would also make a fun snack.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Holly shaped cheese quesadillas with food safe marker details

Top Right: Pomegranate seeds

Bottom Right: Cucumber cut into holly shapes

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Snow Globe Bento Lunch

Snowglobe Bento Lunch

Recently I found Holiday Double Sided snow globe and snowflake cookie cutters at Target. I knew that I needed to make lunch with the snow globe. Since I thought that my readers would be just as excited I searched for a link but I could not find one on Target’s website. But the snow globe is included in this set.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Snowglobe almond butter sandwich on wheat bread, raw broccoli

Top Right: Clementines

Bottom Right: Plain Greek yogurt with colorful sprinkles

Linking to:
Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 13 Comments

Gingerbread Houses and Bento Lunch

A-frame Gingerbread House Candy Cane Roof Front

This year my 10 year old nephew and I each made Gingerbread houses for a contest in my town. Rules: they need to incorporate a candy cane, they can’t be larger than 12 inches by 12 inches, only the base can be non-edible, and it can’t be a purchased kit. The 10 years and younger category is the only category that can have adult help with making the dough, baking and assembly. My Dad cut two bases out of plywood for us. We covered them with heavy duty aluminum foil. They are very sturdy. Today I will bring them to the library for display and judging. I am a little nervous about transporting them.

Gingerbread Recipe: I used this recipe because it uses butter. Originally I thought about using Crisco Shortening but I read that it does not work the same since becoming healthier so I opted to take the safer path and use butter. I had used this recipe in the past and it is very easy to work with. I made the dough two days before and baked and assembled the houses one day before we decorated them.

Frosting Recipe: I did not want to deal with cracking and separating eggs so I used this recipe which uses Meringue Powder. It hardens fast and in general holds well (except for the regular sized candy canes on the roof line).

Candy Cane Theme Gingerbread House Front

This is my nephews house. He drew a sketch of what he wanted it to look like and what materials I would need to buy. He did a great job and was happy when it was done!  We used the Wilton Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter Set to cut the pieces. We did need to change one part of his design because the regular sized candy canes with a round peppermint candy on top of them would not stick to the house. They kept on falling off several hours later. So we used miniature candy canes and attached the round peppermint candy behind it.

Gingerbread House Another View

My nephew used spearmint leaves candy as foliage around the house. The roof is frosted and has miniature M&M’s on the top.

Gingerbread House Candy Cane Back

We were not sure how these will be displayed and if people will look at the back. My nephew chose to keep the back of his house simple. I like it! His hands got a little tired but he did a great job piping the door and windows on the house.

Gingerbread House Gingerbread Man Sleigh Close

He made a gingerbread sleigh out of gingerbread scraps that he cut to size. He used a small gingerbread man cookie cutter for the man. He glued miniature M&M’s for mittens. Miniature candy canes are the sleigh runners. Square gum became the front walkway.

Gingerbread House Front Fence Close

I purchased bags of the large peppermint sticks at the Dollar Tree. He used them with gumdrops for a fence, to trim the house and walk, and to make the large front doors. Miniature M&M’s are the door knobs.

A-frame Gingerbread House Back

This is my entry for the 19 and older category (the first photo in this post shows another view of my house). I decided on an A-frame style house because I never tried this type before and I liked the large roof. Also when I was growing up my Grandparents had an A-frame house as their summer home. I used the roof pieces from the Wilton Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter Set and created two triangular pieces. I was a little off with my templates so one side is raised up with some gumdrops (my husband’s idea) and a lot of frosting is on the roof so you can’t see the gap between the two pieces. I crushed candy canes and added them to the roof. This photo actually shows the back of my house.

A-Frame Candy Cane Roof Front Side

This is the front of my house. I made a balcony out of gingerbread scraps and lined it with PEZ candy. I did not know if the judges wanted a literal interpretation of the candy cane theme so in addition to crushed candy canes on my roof, I used them as little fences in the back and front of my house. I used red, green, and white rock shaped candy for my front and back walks. Small red candy lines my front and back doors. I used two peppermint candies for the chimney.

A-Frame Gingerbread Back Close

This close-up of the back of my house, shows the gumdrops I used as foliage and the sugar ice cream cones I used for trees. I tinted some frosting green and it was very easy to make these cute trees.

Gingerbread House Candy Cane Roof

My nephew had fun crushing the candy canes for me. We put them in a large Ziplock bag and he used my marble rolling pin to crush the candy canes. It made a lot of noise but it smelled great and he had a good time. I made a mess while putting the crushed candy canes on the freshly frosted roof (I had wax paper underneath and tilted my house but candy cane pieces went everywhere including on my floor). But I am very pleased with the look.

Gingerbread House Lunch

I know, this is very simple and not the best looking gingerbread house lunch since it is monochromatic and not colorful and fun. But we left the color and creativity to our gingerbread houses. Also on a busy day of decorating, it was a easy lunch to make. I actually made two versions of this (mine had a lot of scraps).

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Gingerbread house Cheddar cheese quesadilla with food marker details, candy canes. I used a cookie cutter similar to this but you could easily cut the quesadilla to your desired shape.

Top Right: Carrots and green bell pepper cut into candy cane shapes with a mini cutter

Bottom Right: Gingerbread men shaped apples cut with a mini gingerbread man cutter, I dipped them in water with some lemon juice to prevent browning

We had a fantastic time making our gingerbread houses and I look forward to seeing the other entries in the contest. We already are winners for spending time and creating edible art together.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Crafts, Food | Tagged | 9 Comments

Snoopy Lunch for Schulz Birthday

Snoopy Heart Bento Lunch

In honor of Charles Schulz birthday, I have a Snoopy themed bento. I made this for my 12 year old nephew for dinner at home. I am thankful that my nieces and nephews of any age enjoy eating my bento meals. I enjoy sharing my love of cute food with them.

This also happens to be my 500th post! It is difficult to believe that I have created so many. I am thankful to my readers for encouraging me along the way.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Snoopy – mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese, spinach details, red bell pepper heart, Woodstock – mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese and yellow food coloring, spinach details, Hee! Ha! – mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese, carrot letters

Top Right: Raspberries

Bottom Right: Brazil nuts

Linking to:
Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Turkey Shaped Bread Lunch

Turkey Bread Lunch

In time for Thanksgiving I made a simple lunch with a little bread shaped turkey.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top: Turkey shaped bread with food marker details

Bottom Left: Broccoli

Bottom Right: Plain Greek Yogurt with some yogurt dyed orange and frozen in a pumpkin shaped ice cube tray

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | Comments Off on Turkey Shaped Bread Lunch

Fox in Snow Bento Lunch

Fox in Snow Bento Lunch

I received some cute fox cookie cutters from my sister for my birthday in August. I finally got around to using one. The fox is cooked and mashed carrots. The snow is mashed potatoes with a little butter and a lot of shredded cheddar cheese. This meal can be heated (warm applesauce is delicious) or eaten cold – depends on your preference.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Fox – cooked and mashed carrots placed in a fox shaped cookie cutter. Snow – carefully spoon cheddar mashed potatoes around the cookie cutter. Then, carefully lift off the cookie cutter.

Top Right: Applesauce

Bottom Right: Green peas (these were frozen – they will defrost by lunch if you decide to eat this cold)

Linking to:

Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 8 Comments

Fish Shaped Bread for Lunch

Fish Shaped Bread Lunch

Today is Homemade Bread Day so of course I had to make a shaped bread bento. I started baking bread when I was 12. I love working with the dough, the smell of it baking, and of course eating it afterwards.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Fish shaped bread using a basic dough of flour, yeast, salt and water, food marker details, cheddar cheese stick

Top Right: Fish shaped carrots (used cookie cutter), cucumber

Bottom Right: Red grapes

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Taco Salad Lunch

Taco Salad Lunch

I made this lunch for my 14 year old nephew to bring to school for lunch. He requested taco salad.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Lettuce, Mexican Cheese Blend, Salsa in Mini Dippers (I put the top on after taking the photo)

Top Right: Skittles

Bottom Right: Black beans with sauteed onion and some tomato sauce

Out of the Box: Banana, Blue Corn Tortilla Chips

Not Pictured: Mini Dippers with Taco Sauce, mixed nuts

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | Comments Off on Taco Salad Lunch

Broccoli and Cheese Pasta for Lunch

Broccoli Cheese Pasta Lunch

Over the summer for my birthday a friend gave me the Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health cookbook. I love that it includes nutritional information for the recipes. I made the Broccoli-Cheese Wrap filling recipe with pasta for dinner with planned leftovers for lunch. It was delicious! Next time I want to try it in a wrap.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Broccoli-Cheese filling with pasta (the filling contains: broccoli, sauteed onion, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, ricotta, mozzarella, feta, salt and pepper)

Top Right: Sunflower seeds

Bottom Right: Strawberries

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | Comments Off on Broccoli and Cheese Pasta for Lunch

Baymax Big Hero 6 Bento Lunch

Big Hero 6 Baymax Bento Lunch

Tonight I will take 2 nephews to see the movie Big Hero 6. I made this Baymax as part of dinner for one of my nephews (the other does not like mashed potatoes).

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Baymax (mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, and a little butter, salt, black food coloring), spinach leaves Tip: try to make your mashed potatoes a little stiff and chill in your refrigerator until it is easier to shape.

Top Right: Pistachos

Bottom Right: Clementine (Big Hero 6 written with food safe marker), pistachos

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 2 Comments

Another Snack Bento Lunch

Snack lunch with eggs

My husband enjoyed his last snack bento lunch so much that I made another one.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Above Box: Banana

Left Side: Goldfish Pretzels, raisins, Ritz snack mix, carrots

Top Right: Dill Pickles

Bottom Right: Hard boiled eggs

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 1 Comment

5 Vegetarian Lunches

Pretzel Roll Sandwich Lunch

This was an easy and delicious sandwich lunch I made for myself.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pretzel roll purchased at my Wegmans grocery store with Dijon mustard and Swiss cheese, sugar snap peas.

Top Right: Pistachio nuts

Bottom Right: Blueberries

Cottage cheese tomato lunch

This lunch was made over the summer with a tomato from my neighbor’s garden. I love cottage cheese with fresh tomatoes.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Mixed lettuce and spinach salad with carrots, tomato filled with cottage cheese and sprinkled with Vermont Country Seasoning.

Top Right: Slivered almonds

Bottom Right: Strawberries

Tomato and Feta lunch

I love tomatoes and feta and this lunch came together fast with ingredients I had in my house.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Yellow, orange, and red grape tomatoes, feta cheese, a little olive oil, salt and pepper

Top Right: Blueberries and slivered almonds

Bottom Right: French bread

Belgian Waffle Lunch

I needed to pack a lunch for myself and did not have much in the house. So I toasted a freezer waffle. I enjoyed it and would make it again.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Toasted Frozen Belgian waffle, cheddar cheese

Top Right: Blueberries and peach

Bottom Right: Plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon

Rice and Broccoli bento

I made this easy lunch for my 16 year old niece on a day that we were out and about.

Container: Wooden box purchased in Kyoto at Bento&co.

Contents: Nishiki rice with black beans and salsa, cooked broccoli

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Halloween Treats 2014

Halloween Pumpkins 2014

I enjoy handing out treats to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Usually around 250 – 300 kids come to my door in a 2 hour period on Halloween night. This year we had 244 but it was cool and a little rainy.

This year my parents visited for Halloween. I believe that you don’t need to have kids to carve a pumpkin.  My mom, dad, and I each carved a pumpkin.

Teal Pumpkin

Halloween morning when reading the news I learned about the Teal Pumpkin Project. So I searched my craft room for the closest paint I had to teal, quickly painted my pumpkin, printed out the sign, and gathered some non-food items. I was glad that I learned about this project when a mom noticed my pumpkin and asked about the non-food treats. Her son had food allergies and my teal pumpkin was the first one she found that night in my town. He picked out a glowing finger.

non-food halloween treats

This is a basket of some non-food items I gathered: glow fingers, bouncy balls, stickers, mini puzzles.

candy bars

I have a tradition of handing out something special to my first 25 trick-or-treaters. This year I did not make a craft for them but I gave out large candy bars to the first 30 kids. The Reese’s and Kit-Kats went first and then the Hershey bars.

Halloween treats 1

I hand-out a variety of treats. Pretzels, cheese balls, chocolate.

halloween treats 2

Potato chips and Goldfish

Halloween treats 3

Popcorn balls, coffee filter bundles with chocolate.

It was a fun evening and the kids seemed to enjoy the treats they received!

Posted in Food | Tagged | 3 Comments

Onigiri Face Bento

Onigiri Face Bento

I made this easy bento for my 16 year old niece to take to school. She loved the fun book box and it’s contents!

Container: Book Bento Box

Contents: Onigiri filled with black beans and salsa, spinach face details, broccoli, baby carrots, green grapes, blackberries

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | Comments Off on Onigiri Face Bento

Sweet 16 Bento Lunch

Sweet Sixteen Birthday Lunch

My niece turned 16 this week. I made this “sweet” themed bento for her to bring to school for lunch on her birthday. She loved it!

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cooked Nishiki rice, cooked broccoli and cauliflower (in a little vegetable broth). I used an ice cream cone cookie cutter to shape the vegetables, placed rice around the cookie cutter, then carefully lifted off the cookie cutter. I sprinkled a little bit of paprika on top of the rice.

Top Right: Junior Mints

Bottom Right: Yellow bell pepper (cut with cupcake cookie cutter), edamame

Outside of Box: Nutella to Go

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Pretzel Crust Pizza

Pretzel Crust Pizza Lunch

I was inspired by Little Caesars Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza commercial to try it. I don’t have any Little Caesars locations near my house so my only option was to try making it myself. Mine does not look as beautiful as theirs. Also I like my pizza crust thin and crispy so I am not sure why I liked the idea of pretzel pizza. This was a planned dinner with leftovers for lunch meal. I would not make this again but if you like deep dish or soft pizza crust you may enjoy making these.

I mostly followed this pretzel recipe but made small rounds (easier to boil and will fit in a lunch box). I cooked the pretzel rounds plain for about 8 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of your round). I then sprinkled the edge with salt, spread with tomato sauce and covered with cheese. I then continued baking until the bottom of the crust was brown and cheese melted.

Basic Instructions: Follow a soft pretzel recipe but make small rounds and only sprinkle salt on the edge. Bake for part of the cooking time, take rounds out of the oven and add sauce and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and the crust is done to your liking.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pretzel crust pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese

Top Right: Carrots

Bottom Right: Apple

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 1 Comment

Fork and Spoon Lunches

Today I am sharing 5 different lunches that used the same cookie cutters. I bought the fork and spoon at the Seria 100 Yen Store on my trip to Japan last March. I was so excited to find these two cute cutters for less than $1.00.

Fork Spoon PB Sandwich

I made this lunch for my husband. I am guessing that he put the fork and spoon back in the bread before eating it but I am really not sure.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Peanut butter and black raspberry jam on wheat bread, fork and spoon cut-outs

Top Right: Greek yogurt, cinnamon

Bottom Right: Synder’s Pretzel Spoonz

Top of Box: Banana

Fork Pasta Lunch

I made this pasta lunch for my 15 year old niece.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Broccoli and slivered almonds

Bottom Left: Blueberries

Right Side: Pasta with tomato sauce, Naan bread fork

Fork Spoon Rice Lunch

I made this quick lunch for myself. The cheese fork and spoon made it fun.

Container: LunchBots Trio

Top Left: Chickpeas

Top Right: Rice with Cheddar cheese fork and spoon

Bottom: Raspberries and snowpeas

Fork Spoon Place Setting

I made this place setting quesadilla lunch for myself.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top: Cheese quesadilla with food marker details, cheddar cheese fork, knife, and spoon

Bottom Left: Blueberries

Bottom Right: Dry Roasted Edamame

Dish spoon cow moon lunch

I asked for help when brainstorming ways to use my fork and spoon cookie cutters. My 10 year old nephew gave me the idea for this meal.

Hey diddle diddle, The Cat and the fiddle, The Cow jumped over the moon.
The little Dog laughed, To see such sport, And the dish ran away with the Spoon

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Green and red butter lettuce, dish (tortilla with food safe marker), spoon (Colby-jack cheese)

Top Right: Baby carrots with dog (cucumber), Ha Ha – laughing picks

Bottom Right: Cow (Pepper-jack cheese), moon (Colby-jack cheese)

I hope that this article inspired you to play with your food. If you want to make sure you don’t miss what I will make next, please subscribe to my blog by email. Thanks!

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 3 Comments

5 High Protein Vegetarian Meals

High Protein Veg Collage

I am a nearly lifelong vegetarian. When people hear that I am a vegetarian they often worry about the amount of protein I eat. There are many thoughts on protein including that most people eat too much protein but here are 5 vegetarian meals (1 vegan) with a load of protein. So no matter what reason you have for looking for a meatless meal that contains a lot of protein, please enjoy these delicious meals.

In these meals I feature quinoa, lasagna, angel hair pasta, couscous, chickpeas, and lentils. Side dishes include Greek yogurt, Kind bar, pumpkin seeds, edamame, ricotta cheese, and sunflower seeds. The containers used are EasyLunchBoxes. When preparing healthy meals at home or on the go EasyLunchBoxes helps make the meal convenient and attractive.

These meals contain between 21 and 26 grams of protein.

Black Bean Quinoa Protein Meal

This satisfying meal is low on calories but high on protein (21 grams). I enjoyed this Quinoa & Black Beans recipe from Eating Well and plan to eat it again soon.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Quinoa & Black Beans – 162 cal, 6 grams protein

Top Right: Raspberries and blueberries

Bottom Right: Plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon – 90 cal, 15 grams protein

Lasagna Protein Meal

I developed this recipe myself. I made it somewhat plain but I still found it to be delicious. Of course you can season to your own taste. This meal contains 26 grams of protein.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Lasagna roll-up with tomato sauce – 326 calories, 24 grams protein

Top Right: 1/2 of a Almond and Coconut Kind bar – 95 calories, 2 grams protein

Bottom Right: Spinach leaves and carrots – low calories, small amount of protein

Easy Lasagna Roll-up (1 serving)

1 cooked lasagna noodle – 86 cal, 3 grams protein

4 oz. Cottage cheese – 90 cal, 10 grams protein

Dried herbs, salt & pepper

1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese – 80 cal, 8 grams protein

1 cup Tomato Sauce – 70 calories, 3 grams protein

Preheat oven to 375. Spread some tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Mix cottage cheese and herbs. Spread cottage cheese mixture on cooked lasagna noodle and roll it up. Carefully place in baking dish, seam side down. Spread some tomato sauce on top of the lasagna roll-up. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna roll-up with Mozzarella cheese. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the tomato sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

Peanut Noodles Protein Meal

This Cold Peanut Noodle salad is a favorite recipe in my house. I choose high protein sides so this Vegan meal contains 26 grams of protein.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cold Peanut Noodles with Cucumber – 290 calories, 11 grams protein

Top Right: 15 grams pumpkin seeds – 85 calories, 4 grams protein

Bottom Right: 100 grams edamame – 120 calories, 11 grams protein

Couscous and Feta Protein meal

I found this couscous recipe to be a little dry but you can add lemon juice or more oil if you want. This meal has 25 grams of protein.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Couscous Salad with Chickpeas – 351 calories, 11 grams protein

Top Right: 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese with cinnamon – 216 calories, 14 grams protein

Bottom Right: Apple

Lentil Feta Salad Protein Meal

This lentil and feta salad has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I prefer it with more vegetables and less lentils but this time I made it as the recipe is written to include more protein. This meal has 26 grams of protein.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Lentil Salad with Feta Cheese – 309 calories, 20 grams protein

Top Right: 1/4 cup Sunflower seeds – 186 calories, 6 grams protein

Bottom Right: Green grapes

No matter your reason for eating more protein, I hope that you can enjoy some of these meals for lunch, dinner, or even breakfast as part of a healthy meal plan.

Disclaimer:

I am not a nutritionist. I planned these meals based on previous knowledge and internet research. Since many sources have varying nutritional information for the same item, I do not guarantee the calorie and protein counts.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

10 Halloween Lunches

10 Halloween Lunches Collage

Today I am sharing 10 new Halloween lunches. I made these for my husband, friend’s daughter, my Mom, my Dad, and myself. I enjoy making cute food for anyone who will eat it and luckily I have no trouble finding volunteers. In this article, I feature quesadillas, pizza, sandwiches, and a calzone.

Spider lunch

I made this spider themed lunch for my Dad since I knew that I wanted to make a deviled egg and he likes them.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cheese quesadilla with food marker details, salsa in a Mini Dipper (I put the top on after taking the photo)

Top Right: Blackberries

Bottom Right: Deviled egg cut with crinkle cutter, black olive spider

Candy Corn Lunch

I made this candy corn themed lunch for my Mom. I modified the recipe a little to make it more crispy than the original recipe.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Candy Corn Quesadilla (I basically used this recipe but did not use chicken and cooked it for 10 minutes before putting the cheese on top and used Gouda instead of the Tillamook cheese)

Top Right: Pineapple and coconut

Bottom Right: Air popped popcorn with orange and yellow Reese’s Pieces

Ghost Quesadilla Lunch

I made this friendly ghost lunch for myself. The picks were from Lindt Halloween chocolates.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Ghost shaped cheese quesadillas with melted chocolate chip eyes, salad mix

Top Right: Diced cucumbers and tomatoes

Bottom Right: Red grapes

Jack-o-lantern calzone lunch

I made this Jack-o-Lantern calzone for myself. It was so much fun to make and eat.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top: Calzone made with pizza dough and filled with ricotta cheese, spinach, and a lot of pepper), I cut pumpkin face details with cookie cutters. I then baked it.

Bottom Left: Pumpkin shaped melon

Bottom Right: Almonds

Mini Dipper: Pizza sauce

Tiger Halloween Lunch

I made this simple lunch for myself using CuteZCute Cuddle Palz.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Tiger CuteZCute Cuddle Palz wheat sandwich with almond butter, mini cheese pumpkins made with a cookie cutter and Colby-jack cheese

Top Right: Cantaloupe

Bottom Right: Sugar snap peas

Ghost Pizza Lunch

My husband ate this pizza ghost lunch. He especially enjoyed the ghost strawberries.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Ghost shaped cheese pizza (without sauce)

Top Right: Strawberries with white candy melts and semi-sweet chocolate details. I was inspired by this.

Bottom Right: Salad with radish pumpkins

Skull sandwich lunch

I made this for myself because there was no one else around on the day that I wanted to make it. Skulls are not my favorite but I am very pleased with how it tasted and looked. I was inspired by Organized Bites to put Trader Joe’s Baked Cheese Crunchies behind the sandwich.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Skull sandwich with wheat bread, peanut butter, and strawberry jam, Trader Joe’s Baked Cheese Crunchies

Top Right: Cantaloupe

Bottom Right: Sugar snap peas

Black Cat Halloween Lunch

When I asked my friend’s daughter what type of Halloween bento she wanted, she said “black cat”. I was happy to make this lunch for her.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Peanut butter on pumpernickel bread cat, matchstick carrots, Cheddar cheese jack-o-lanterns with food marker details

Top Right: Cheez-It’s Scrabble Junior crackers

Bottom Right: Plain Greek yogurt with blueberries

Skulls and bones lunch

I made this skull pizza meal for husband. I added the “bones” because he likes chocolate covered pretzels.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Skull shaped pizza with basil details, spinach (background)

Top Right: White candy melts covered pretzel sticks (bones), plain pretzel sticks (underneath)

Bottom Right: Blackberries

Jack-o-lantern quesadilla lunch

I made these happy Jack-o-lantern quesadillas for myself.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Jack-o-lantern cheese quesadillas (I cut the face out of one side using a Jack-o-lantern cookie cutter, I then browned it by itself on my stove with cooking spray on the pan. Afterwards, I cooked the pumpkin shape with cheese and the cooked Jack-o-lantern cut-out on top at low heat until melted.

Top Right: Snow peas

Bottom Right: Blackberries and orange segments

I hope that you now have a few Halloween themed food ideas to make in your own kitchen. Enjoy!

Linking to:
Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Lunch with Pumpkin

Pumpkin themed lunch

My 17 year old nephew likes pumpkin pie so when I thought about making a lunch with pumpkin, I immediately thought of him. I made this lunch and gave it to him in time to take to school. He was very thankful!

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top of Photo: Homemade pumpkin flavored cream cheese (I used less sugar and I actually gave him two Mini Dippers of this), pumpkin yogurt

Left Side: Homemade sesame and poppy seed bagels

Top Right: Butter lettuce salad with carrots

Bottom Right: Miniature pumpkin pies – my nephew liked these, I also gave some to my husband and he said that they were missing a spice. He was right the recipe did not call for ginger which is a common ingredient in pumpkin pie

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 2 Comments

13 Fall Themed Lunches

Fall Themed Lunches Collage

Some people may not understand it but I truly enjoy making and eating cute food. So of course, I made some new Fall/Autumn themed lunches. This collection includes quinoa, sandwich, quesadilla, vegetable potato salad, pizza, onigiri, tortilla chips, and rice lunch ideas.

Acorns and Squirrels

I made this delicious meal for myself. I used a mini acorn cookie cutter as my stencil for the paprika.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cooked quinoa with shredded white Cheddar cheese, acorn stencils with hot paprika

Top Right: Snow peas with leaf pick made from a sticker and toothpick

Bottom Right: Squirrel shaped melon

Oak Leaf Lunch

This is one of my favorite leaf themed meals. I get so much pleasure from making things with my hands. Cutting out the oak leaf shapes from potato and bell pepper was relaxing and memorable. This lunch was previously published here.

Simple Owl Lunch

I made this simple owl themed lunch for my husband.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread with white and orange Cheddar cheese details, pupils drawn with food safe marker, ears are made from the crust.

Top Right: Cashews

Bottom Right: Raspberries

Fall Leaf Pizza Lunch

I made these leaf pizzas as a planned lunch on a night that I made pizza for dinner.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Fall leaf shaped pizza with red and yellow bell pepper

Top Right: Colby-Jack cheese leaf cut-outs

Bottom Right: Apple leaf cut-outs with cinnamon

Ginkgo Leaf Bento

I love the shape of the Ginkgo leaf and longtime readers know that I enjoy making lunches with quesadillas. This Ginkgo shaped quesadilla lunch was previously published here.

Leaf Onigiri Lunch

I wanted to make some leaf onigiri so made this for myself for dinner. It was delicious!

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Zucchini sauteed in water with Knorr Homestyle Vegetable Stock, leaf onigiri made with cooked Nishiki rice and cookie cutters, cinnamon is on the left leaf, hot paprika is on the right leaf

Top Right: Cashews

Bottom Right: Plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon

Maple Leaf Lunch

This lunch was an experiment. I used shredded carrot mixed with hot Nishiki rice to form this maple leaf. I did not love the carrot rice but I also don’t like to drink carrot juice. If you love carrots, you may enjoy carrots with rice. Red lettuce made a striking background. It was previously published here.

Fall leaves cream cheese naan

These open-faced cream cheese and cinnamon oak leaf sandwiches were made from Naan bread.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cream cheese and cinnamon on Naan bread

Top Right: Applesauce

Bottom Right: Tomato, feta, paprika

Leaf-Bento

I made this leaf sandwich for the daughter of a friend. It was previously published here.

Leaf stencil lunch

Another simple quinoa lunch with a leaf stencil.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Quinoa with melted Cheddar cheese, leaf cookie cutter used as stencil with hot paprika

Top Right: Blueberries

Bottom Right: Cherry tomatoes

FallingLeavesBento

These leaf shaped tortilla chips and salsa made a wonderful lunch on a sunny fall day. It was previously published here.

Squirrel in Tree lunch

My niece made this squirrel in a tree lunch it was previously published here.

Fall leaves and beets

I am not thrilled with this falling leaves lunch but decided to include it anyway. I used cinnamon in the cream cheese instead of using dye but it does not stand out much from the color of the rice.

Container: ECO Lunchboxes

Main Container: Cooked rice, broccoli stalk, cinnamon cream cheese, cooked beets

Round Container: Cashews

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my fall themed lunch ideas. If you want to continue seeing my creations, please subscribe to my blog via email. Thanks!

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged | 1 Comment

Snack Bento Lunch

Snack Lunch PB Celery

I made this lunch for my husband. I decided to make a snack themed lunch to give him something different. He enjoyed it so I am now planning another one.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pretzels, Town House Crackers, Cheddar cheese, cashews

Top Right: Celery with Peanut Butter

Bottom Right: Raspberries

Not in Photo: Yogurt

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Cat Bread

Cat bread

I enjoy coming up with new shapes for homemade bread. I had fun matching the fruit and vegetables to this theme.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cat shaped bread with food marker details, peanut butter in Mini Dipper

Top Right: Carrots shaped as fish, sugar snap peas

Bottom Right: Strawberry mice without tails

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 3 Comments