An Elephant-Sized Lunch for my Little Mouse

Scrolling through my digital photos, I found this cute lunch made last June for my then-2-year-old. Big Sister got a fun birthday lunch, and apparently I wanted my little one to have something fun too! 

Little Elephants

Organic tomatoes, snap pea, carrots, berries; dye-free candy-coated sunflower seeds,
gluten-free sandwich cookie, gluten-free peanut butter sandwich bites

Since I was packing lunch in the Boon Trunk lunch box, I went with an elephant theme. I made PB sandwich bites using a mini elephant cutter, and the candy-coated sunflower seeds are in a little silicone elephant cup I found once on eBay and haven't seen anywhere since. She got the cookie as an extra treat not only because Big Sis would be getting extra goodies all day, but also to fill the space!

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Easy Elephant Lunch

The Elephant Lunch Punch is one of the few that still fits the smaller gluten-free bread slices. So it's an easy option when I feel like making something cute with very little effort!

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Big Girl Elephants

GF PBJ, homemade GF/DF cheese crackers; organic cherries, sugar snap peas, and carrots

Gluten-free bread doesn't show the imprints from cutters as well (or at least Udi's doesn't,) so I traced along with some jelly and a toothpick to help the lines stand out better. Maybe I just used a butter knife... that would explain why it's so sloppy! Lol! I'm sitting here trying to remember what I did, and wondering why I would have gone to all the trouble to get a toothpick out of the high cupboard, so probably I just used the knife!
I did add chocolate jimmies for the eyes though.

I used the homemade gluten-free dairy-free "Cheez-Its" recipe from one of my favorite recipe sites, Fork and Beans. I cheated a bit and whizzed the Daiya shreds and butter together in the blender instead of using a hand mixer. Made for nice small little cheese bits, perfect for these crackers! They were a big hit with both my girls. Yay!

A small flower veggie cutter made for some easy decorations with the snap peas. But I was clearly too lazy to even grab some elephant picks for decoration! Oh well. Sometimes less is more, right?

Toddler Nibbles

GF PBJ bites; organic strawberries, sugar snap peas, and carrots

Little Sis got a simplified version of the same thing. Except I used some bread scraps from a previous sandwich to make her some sandwich nibbles. And she got strawberries, since she like to swallow the cherry pits. And the stems. Ew.

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School (and Toddler) Lunches!

A few days of simple lunches from last Spring! Both girls enjoyed these unconventional lunch menus!

Just Ducky

GF noodles with DF spinach "ricotta," organic carrots and strawberries, GF/DF "cheeze" crackers

 

I had attempted some gluten- and dairy-free Goldfish-style crackers, and they were kind of a bust. But Z kind of liked them, so I took some that I had made with a tiny duck cookie cutter to inspire a duck-themed lunch! I also had some gluten-free duck noodles and leftover dairy-free spinach "ricotta," for the perfect main dish to go with! I stuck some duck family picks in the strawberries, and done!

Ducky Toddler

Organic grapes, strawberries, carrots, and tomatoes; GF/DF pasta with spinach "ricotta"

More of the "cheezy" pasta for Little Sis. And she nibbles a lot during the day, so I went a little heavy on the fruit for her grazing pleasure.

Cheese and Olive Skewers

Organic carrots and cherries, olives with goat milk Gouda, cooked buckwheat groats

 

I strung some olives and small chunks of goat milk Gouda cheese on some puzzle picks for a quick and easy protein option for Z, to go with some leftover cooked buckwheat groats.

Toddler-Style

Organic tomatoes, carrots, and strawberries; olives, cooked buckwheat groats, shredded sharp cheddar

Little Sis isn't a fan of Gouda, and I had some sharp cheddar shreds left over from something. E is lactose intolerant, so sharp cheeses are okay for her. I just generally don't keep cow milk products in the house because I'm intolerant, and I think that Z has behavioral reactions. I know she did to these cheese shreds. So I used them up on Little Sis!

Fried Cheese

Glutino Table Crackers, goat milk Haloumi cheese (fried;) organic strawberries, carrots, sugar snap peas

 

Once discovering the magic deliciousness that is Haloumi cheese, it's hard to settle for anything else. It's a solid cheese designed for frying without melting or having the oil separated out. And mmmmm, is it delicious! I was ultra-excited to find a goat milk version at Trader Joe's (seasonal, apparently.) So I saved a few slices for Z's lunch. Paired with some gluten-free crackers as her grains option.

Toddler Lunch

Glutino Table Crackers, shredded sharp cheddar; organic carrots, sugar snap peas, strawberries;
organic salad (lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber, rosemary vinaigrette, hemp hearts)

 

I don't bother wasting Haloumi on the toddler, as she doesn't particularly care for it. So she got more of the sharp cheddar cheese shreds that Big Sis and I can't have. And a bit of the salad mix I had made for myself. Sometimes she'll eat it.

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Food for Thought