"Me Do It!" - Lunches Packed by Little Ones!

I had a bunch of veggies prepped and was slicing up an apple for lunch when the girls came into the kitchen and started whining that they were hungry. So I asked them if they wanted to pack their own lunches! I gave them an assortment of choices on a big platter and let them build away!

Even though we didn't particularly need packed lunches, I gave them each an EasyLunchbox. This way they had lots of compartments to pack into, which makes it more fun and more likely they'll pack a variety of foods. But also these boxes have kind of become synonymous with "lunch" for my girls! And the high sides of the EasyLunchboxes make it easier for clumsy little hands to carry without spilling. Plus we had Z's OT appointment at noon, so they were able to continue eating in the car on the way there (and finish off their leftover veggies on the way home!)

 [This post contains affiliate links.] 

Z's Lunch

GF Crunchmaster rice crackers, sliced goat cheese; organic apples, carrots, broccoli

 

Thursday, 7/3/14 - My 6-year-old packed herself less food than the toddler, but other than encouraging her to pack all four food groups (proteins, grains, fruits, and veggies,) I let her make her own choices.

I offered to let them pick mini cookie cutters and make their own cheese shapes, but both girls decided they'd rather just have me fold the slices to break into smaller cracker-sized pieces. Ooookay. Easier for me!

 

But, hey. She was so proud of her lunch, and insisted upon being in the pictures too! Plus she pretty much ate every bite!

E's Lunch

GF rice crackers, sliced goat cheese; organic broccoli, tomatoes, carrots

My 2-and-a-half-year-old went a little crazy on the broccoli, and unsurprisingly, didn't finish it all. And she really wasn't interested in having any apples, which was the fruit I had on-hand. But she packed sooooo many vegetables that I let it slide.

 

My little one insisted upon posing with her lunch as well! Only she doesn't take direction as well, so there's more of my messy back porch in the photo than I'd like! Hahaha!

Both girls ate all their cheese and crackers (not a surprise,) but E made a nice dent in her broccoli, and ate all her heirloom cherry tomatoes and most of her carrots too, by the time we got home after our appointment. Not too shabby!
Letting kids help, whether it's prepping, packing, or even just choosing ingredients, gives them a sense of ownership over the meal. Which in turn increases the likelihood that they'll choose to actually eat it! Plus equating food with good fun feelings is never a bad thing!

Tools of the Trade

 

FunBites Friday - Triangles!

 

I had some fun one lazy afternoon with my new FunBites Triangles cutter and made the girls a few fun snacks!

[This post contains affiliate links.]

FunBites Butterflies

GF bread; organic carrot, cucumber and peel, sugar snap peas

The butterflies were made using the FunBites Triangles, and the caterpillar body used the FunBites Squares (formerly "Cube It.") Since the cucumber was a small one, the scraps made perfect legs, bodies, and antennae!

"Fun"der the Sea

Dye-free GF "TropicOs," organic carrots and sugar snap peas 

 

This carrot fish was super fun and simple. I used some naturally-colored blue gluten-free fruity TropicOs cereal to make the fish's eye and air bubbles. Both girls love these "fruity Os," and I was thrilled to find it! It's nice for them to have things similar to "other kids" once in a while!

Flower Fun

GF bread; organic carrots, cucumber, sugar snap peas

 

More organic cucumber squares for the stem, and organic carrots and gluten-free bread for the flower. I gave the girls all three plates with some hummus and Ranch dressing to dip their snacks in, and let them duke it out. I mean "share."

Tools of the Trade

   
US buyers - FunBites are eligible for free shipping through Amazon, but for international buyers it might be better to buy direct from FunBites.com.

(Either way, if you click through my links when you're ready to buy, I get a small commission.
Your price remains the same whether you use my link or not.)

Mo Willems Story-Themed Classroom Snacks!

Instead of a Seuss learning unit around his birthday and Read Across America Day, Z's PM preschool teacher did a two-week book-themed unit the first two weeks in March. So at the beginning of the year I made sure to sign up as snack parent for one of those weeks! I like having themes to help inspire me.

I was stressing a little, because last school year Little Z only had two days of class per week, so I got a breather in between days I needed to bring snack. Her current class is Monday through Thursday, so I needed to plan and prep four classroom snacks that week, with no days off in between! But after hearing from her other teachers about the class snacks I brought for the gingerbread man unit and her birthday week, plus the Teacher Appreciation lunches I sent for all the teachers last year, her teacher told me she was really looking forward to see what I came up with this year. Doh!

This would be the first time all school-year that Z was able to have the same snack as everyone else, since I've been packing dye-free (and now gluten-free) snacks for her every day. On the first day, when I told her what I had put together, she said "Oh yes! Duckling and cookies for me! And the other kids can have blackberries and something else..." Hahaha! She was actually kind of miffed that her snack wouldn't be "special" and different than everyone else's!

The Duckling Gets A Cookie!? Snack

The Duckling...: I cut out a zillion [okay, 60] little cheddar ducks with a mini duck cutter. Well, actually Hubby did it for me, to be helpful. ♥ ♥ ♥

...Gets A Cookie!?: I had thought about making my own gluten-free cookies, since I had seen some fun recipes where you sneak beans or beets in, but in the end I decided to be lazy, and bought several boxes of Top-8-Allergen-(and Gluten)-Free Snickerdoodles cookies from Trader Joe's.

I wanted something a bit healthier to help fill them up too, so they wouldn't all be asking for more cookies, so I sent some yummy blackberries as well. 

Elephant and Piggie Cracker Stackers

Once she had gotten the hang of having the same snack as everyone else, Z was very excited about her Elephant and Piggie snack.

Elephant...: I used a mini elephant cutter to make 3 cheddar elephants for each kid (plus an extra set, just in case!)

...and Piggie: Because I love irony, I chose ham for Piggie, and used my mini pig cutter (from the same set as the duck! Woot!)

Since nobody wants to be doling out 3 hams and 3 cheeses to each kid from a big pile, I chose to pre-pack them in muffin cups, which I then stacked in a reusable container to sit in the classroom fridge until snack time. I opted for foil baking cups instead of pretty paper ones because the ham was moist, and I was worried about the dyes from the paper ones soaking through.

Cracker Stackers: We picked out some gluten-free Savory Thin Crackers from Trader Joe's for the kids to stack their ham and cheese on. Or just eat. Since I sent two packages, which was way more than they would need for 60 ham and cheeses, I'm assuming they went over well. Plus some organic apple slices for good measure.

Strangely enough, I never got any leftovers coming home...

Tools of the Trade

 

Project Lunch: Fresh Baby My Plate

 Fruit: mandarin orange

Vegetables: frozen peas

Grains: Whole Grain Crackers

Protein: tuna fish

(Dairy: string cheese)

(fork from Target, heart pick from Dollar Tree; Valentines seasonal items.)

 

"Fresh Baby supports parents with simple and natural solutions to reducing a child's risk of obesity by promoting the development of healthy eating habits from the first bite of solid foods. The recipes included in the books, newsletter and online were developed to be convenient for anyone... it is clear that parents play a crucial role in getting their children off to the right start. Fresh Baby was founded, and continues to operate, on the belief that all parents want to raise healthy children..."

The Fresh Baby My Plate was designed from the USDA's switch from the Food Pyramid to the MyPlate system, which advises that half your plate be fruits and vegetables (heavier on the veggies,) and the other half whole grains and protein. The graphics were designed to be colorful and fun, and inspire with healthy food choices and activities.

"Yay"s:

• Helps Mama remember to include more than just one or two food groups in a meal. And that HALF of it should be fruits and veggies!
• Colorful - studies show that kids prefer meals with six different colors! And while we can't always manage it with the foods at every meal, we can cheat sometimes with the dishes and accessories!
• Easy to wash - dishwasher safe! And if you're stuck hand-washing, the curved corners are easy to wipe clean!
• If you choose multiples of these to use for several meals or several kids each day, they stack nicely.
• Lead, BPA, and Phthalate free!

"Meh"s:

• I'm not in love with the graphics. They're a little busy and confusing for me. I'd prefer abstract or patterns.
• The "Dairy" serving is separate. Either in the cup (available with the My Plate Dinnerware Set) or in a separate dish (for milk or yogurt.) Or you could balance cheese on the rim.
• Unless you like washing dishes after every meal, you'd need several of these - at least one for each meal. But they stack!

"Boo"s:

• Couldn't really think of anything I didn't like about it. Oh, they're not microwave safe. But none of the melamine dishes are.

Breakfast For Lunch

Fruit: apples

Vegetables: carrots

Grains: whole wheat toast

Protein: fried egg

Dairy: yogurt (with some dark chocolate shavings)

Z loves segmented plates of any kind, since they remind her of her "beautiful lunches" in the boxes. So she's a fan. Plus I tend to pull out a greater variety of foods and food groups versus on a regular plate. Which makes me a fan too. Anything to remind and motivate me to serve more balanced meals is always a plus!

"Love You" Cracker Stacker Lunch

Fruit: Apples

Vegetables: Carrots and tomatoes

Grains: Whole Grain crackers

Protein: turkey 

(Dairy: string cheese)

The Fresh Baby My Plate is a great addition to our segmented plate collection, and a great reminder to serve more fruits and veggies throughout the day. And on days where we don't have school, so I don't need to pack a lunch. 

For me, segmented lunch boxes and dishes help challenge me to find more food options, to fill in all the spaces. I do much better when given a goal or theme or challenge. And the prize is a healthier child. Everyone wins!

"Mama's Night Off" Dinner

Fruit: grapes

Vegetables: broccoli and carrots

Grains: Naan bread and pretzels

Protein: hummus

They also have a Baby My Plate and My Plate for Adults!

Fresh Baby offers a host of free resources as well, to help parents offer their kids healthy choices. You can get free recipes online, as well as in their e-mail newsletter.

Disclaimer: I received the Fresh Baby My Plate Dinnerware Set and So Easy Toddler Food Cookbook (also available for Kindle) to review.