Week 30: Chewbacca.  Or should I say Chewie, or walking carpet, or furball?  It is May the 4th (National Star Wars Day) this week so this Chewbacca meal is to celebrate the holiday.  This lunch is going to be part of an amazing blog hop this Saturday, so check back on Saturday morning for a link to some other great Star Wars lunches that some talented friends of mine have made.  I'm hoping to celebrate by watching some Stars Wars with my kids.  Well, until Saturday, enjoy this lunch.   Do any of you have any plans to celebrate?  Let me know in the comments below.  Maybe check out my other Star Wars lunch HERE.  Hopefully my daughter thinks with her stomach--just like Chewbacca did!

Ingredients

2 slices whole wheat bread

1 serving low fat creamy peanut butter

1 serving Nutella hazelnut spread

1 handful of blackberries

2 drops of fat-free cream cheese

1 banana

   Yellow, blue, and red food coloring or food coloring markers

Directions

1. Cut a simple half “head” shape out of 2 slices of whole wheat bread as shown in picture.
2. Spread Nutella around the edges of his face to make the darker fur.  Use peanut butter to create the lighter fur.  Use Nutella to make the darker “mustache” area above the mouth.  Take a toothpick and blend the edges of light and dark together while also making lines to create a look of fur.  This doesn’t have to be exact, because his fur is messy anyway!
3. Mix equal parts yellow, blue, and red food coloring in a small bowl to make the color black.  Dip the end of a toothpick in the black coloring and use it to draw the eyes, nose, and mouth details on Chewbacca’s face.  Use drops of cream cheese for the teeth.
4. Cut 3 slices from the banana.  Trim the round slices into the shape of a Tie-Fighter as shown in the picture.
5. Place the undecorated slice of bread in your container, then set the decorated slice on top of it. Arrange the blackberries and banana Tie-Fighters around Chewbacca’s head until you are satisfied with the placement.  You might have to trim the blackberries to fit in the space provided.

#NationalStarWarsDay #Maythe4th National Star Wars Day #lbdbento

Easy Lunch Boxes Product Review

Easy Lunch Boxes Review

Kelly Lester created Easy Lunch Boxes when she became frustrated with packing lunches for her daughters.  There were so many containers and making lunch became complicated and time consuming.  She knew there must be a better way.  From there, Easy Lunch Boxes were born.  They are now the number one selling lunch boxes on Amazon.com.  They retail on Amazon for $13.95 in packs of four.  Click here to see my UP lunch that I made in an Easy Lunch Box.

What sets this container apart from your traditional “Tupperware-like” container are the three compartments.  You can easily fit a main dish and two side dishes in one

Easy Lunch Boxes Container and Lid

box (9.38”x6.1”x2”).  I have made a number of lunches for my daughter in these containers and each time the portions of food fit exactly how I hoped they would.  The lid snaps on snugly, but not too tight and is easy for my daughter to put on and take off.

Easy Lunch Boxes Mini Dippers

Beware that the lunch boxes are not leak proof.  However, Lester also designed leak proof “mini dippers” (2.5oz.) that hold a small serving of “pudding like” foods or sauces.  These dippers can fit in either the lunch box itself, or in a carrying bag.  The “mini dippers” retail for $7.95 for a set of 8 on Amazon.com.

The durability of both the lunch boxes and dippers are impressive.  They are both dishwasher safe.  The Easy Lunch Box lid is thicker than other plastic disposable tops and seems as though it will hold up well to the beating a lunch box can take.  I have run all parts through the dishwasher multiple times now, and I have seen no wear.  They clean up very easily.  They are also said to be freezer safe.

The big difference between these and other more expensive lunch boxes will be life span.  With regular use, these will more than likely wear out faster than one of the $30-$40 lunch boxes I have reviewed.  TheEasy Lunch Boxes website states that with everyday use you should be able to use these for many months.

Easy Lunch Boxes Cooler Bag

Another addition to this Easy Lunch Box line is a specially designed cooler bag.  They are designed to hold the box upright, which is a bonus for those who like to keep their lunch creations looking nice. You can actually fit two Easy Lunch Boxes, a water bottle, and an ice pack into one bag quite easily. This bag retails for $7.95 on Amazon.com.

The Easy Lunch Box isn’t the flashiest lunch box you can buy, but the design is very practical.  The price is low and works well if you have multiple kids to buy lunch boxes for.  If your child loses a box it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to replace it.  The containers and the lids are made of clear BPA-free plastic and are FDA approved. Lids are offered in both standard and bright colors.  If you want a trendy looking lunch box that will last your child all through elementary school, then this might not be the box for you.  However, if you need a few identical lunch boxes that are inexpensive, durable, simple to pack, and easy to clean you should check these out.  Click the link to the right of this review to buy the Easy Lunch Boxes on Amazon.com.

Disclosure: Easy Lunch Boxes sent me this product to review.  I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#lunchboxreview

Disney Pixar Finding Nemo Lunch

Bonus Lunch: Finding Nemo.  This lunch is based on possibly the best Pixar movie of all-time: Finding Nemo.  The one character I couldn't get in the lunch that I wish I could have was the seagulls (mine, mine, mine).  They crack me up every time!  If you haven't seen this movie, go watch it now.  Wait!  Finish reading this blog post, then go watch it.  This lunch is made in a Planet Box lunch box.  Stay tuned for my review of this box, it will be out soon.  So check out the directions below, and remember fish are friends not...ok in this case they are food!

Have fun making this lunch and be creative to arrange it how you think it will work best.  Leave me your comments below and let me know what you think the best Pixar movie is.  Remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Ingredients

1 serving goldfish shaped crackers

1 serving shell shaped pasta, cooked

1 piece broccoli

3 snap peas

3 pieces dried mango, 1 piece dried green mango

2 pieces cheddar cheese

1 handful of dried berries

1 Tbsp. graham cracker crumbs

1 yogurt-covered raisin

1 package blue Jello, prepared in meal container

   Black and orange food coloring or food coloring markers

Directions

1. Cut a circular shaped head and fins out of dried mango for Nemo, as shown in picture.  Cut one yogurt-covered raisin in half for eyes.  Arrange fins behind head on top of blue Jello in container.  Place eyes on Nemo’s face.
2. Mix equal parts yellow, blue, and red food coloring in a small bowl to make the color black.  Dip the end of a toothpick in the black coloring and use it to draw the details on Nemo’s fins and head.  Cut a small strip of green mango (it’s white!).  Outline in black and place on head.  Draw details on eyes with black and orange food coloring.  Use food color markers if desired.
3. Cut cheddar cheese into three small star shapes.  Put shell pasta in container and set cheese stars on top of pasta.
4. Trip snap peas into five small pieces for turtle fins and head.  Put graham cracker crumbs in container and arrange snap peas on top.  Place broccoli on snap peas to look like a turtle shell as shown in picture.  Make eyes on turtle face with black food coloring.  Surround with dried berries.
5. Depending on your container, arrange all the elements as desired.  You can buy a lunch box like the one shown in the picture at planetbox.com.

#lbdbento

Week 29: Earth Day Giveaway Lunch

Week 29: Earth Day Giveaway Lunch!  Happy Earth Day everyone.  Here is your ECOLunchbox Earth Day Giveaway winner.  There were many great entries in the contest, but in the end Karla won.  She suggested using blue tinted rice to form the earth.  I thought it was a fun idea that would fit well in the ECOLunchbox Oval.  Karla will be getting her own ECOLunchbox Oval for giving the winning entry.  Thank you ECOLunchbox for partnering with us in our first giveaway!  For this lunch I not only used Karla's idea but also used all natural ingredients to finish off the lunch.  There are no artificial dyes or flavors in any ingredients here.  I hope you all have some great ideas for how to spend Earth Day.

Ingredients:

                               1 Hardboiled egg                1 Serving homemade organic applesauce

                               1 Ball of sticky rice             1 Slice red apple

                               7 Carrot slices                    3 Iceberg lettuce leaves

                               4 Grape tomatoes                  Blue and red natural food coloring

                               2 Pieces broccoli

Directions:

1.  Roll ball of sticky rice in blue natural food coloring.  Press pieces of the broccoli head into the rice in the shape of continents.  Arrange lettuce leaves in your container as a background.  Place finished rice earth into a silicone baking cup and place in container.

2.  Press hardboiled egg into the shape of a heart using an egg mold or cut into a heart shape using a cookie cutter or knife.  Dip heart into red food coloring to give it a red or pink color.  Place it into your container.

3.  Use vegetable cutter or knife to cut carrot slices into flower shapes.  Cut the letters for "Earth Day" out of a slice of cheddar cheese.  Lineup carrot flowers along the top of the container and place cheddar cheese letters on top to spell out "Earth Day."  Arrange grape tomatoes around container.

4.  Fill a small cup with organic applesauce.  Use vegetable cutter or knife to cut the apple slice into a flower shape and place it on top of the applesauce.

Congratulations Karla, hopefully you will enjoy your ECOLunchbox Oval.  Everyone else stay tuned for our next giveaway soon.  Also check back tomorrow for a SPECIAL BONUS LUNCH.  Remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

#lbdbento

Week 28: Star Wars

Week 28: Star Wars.  My family has really been addicted to Star Wars lately, so I figured it was time to do a lunch on it!  My kids have been watching some of the movies and I just bought the book "Vader and Son" which is hilarious.  You can find it on Amazon.  I incorporated some of my kids favorite characters and themes.  I used the Go Green Lunch Box.  You can find my review of it HERE. I liked that I could do a couple different Star Wars scenes in this box with the different compartments.

As always, let me know your own ideas for a Star Wars lunch.  I also have another one coming for May the 4th.  Make sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest and spread the word about www.lunchboxdad.com to all your friends.  Also, click on the button below to see this lunch and more like it today on Meatless Monday Blog

Ingredients

1 hard-boiled egg

1 Babybel round cheese

1 serving star shaped cookies or crackers

1 piece dried mango

1 kiwi

1 Tbsp. fat-free cream cheese

1 half of both green and red apples

2 leaves romaine lettuce or 1 serving wagon wheel pasta

1 piece of natural fruit leather

   Yellow, blue, and red food coloring or food coloring markers

Directions

1. Cut a “head” shape out of dried mango for C3P0 as shown in picture.  
2. Mix equal parts yellow, blue, and red food coloring in a small bowl to make the color black.  Dip the end of a toothpick in the black coloring and use it to draw the details on C3P0’s face.  Use dots of cream cheese for the eyes.  Repeat with black and blue coloring for R2D2 on the hard-boiled egg.  You can use food color markers if desired.
3. Cut skin off kiwi and slice fruit in half.  Use one half to shape Yoda’s oval head, as shown in picture.  Cut triangle ears out of the other half of kiwi and place on either side of his head.  Create eyes with small dots of cream cheese and make facial details with black food coloring as shown.
4. Slice two long narrow pieces of a red and green apple to make the sword shaped light sabers.  Cut two small lightsaber “handles” out of fruit leather as shown in picture.
5. Use black food coloring or markers to draw the details of the Death Star space station on the round Babybel cheese (or similar type of cheese). 
6. Depending on your container, arrange all the elements as desired.  You can use either romaine lettuce or cooked wagon wheel pasta as a background.  Garnish with a few small star shaped cookies or crackers.
7. You can buy a lunch box, like the one shown in the picture, at gogreenlunchbox.com

#lbdbento

Go Green Lunchbox Review

Go Green Lunchbox Review

If you are looking for a unique kid's lunch box that will cause people  to stop and notice, then this might be the one for you.  Go Green Lunch Boxes are plastic (BPA and phthalate free) and include a stainless steel water bottle as well as an insulated fabric carrying case.  The company claims that their lunch boxes pay for themselves after one month of use (compared to using disposable lunches and bags). Click here to see the Star Wars lunch I made using the Go Green Lunch Box.

The first thing I noticed about the lunchbox were the rubber side clasps, which allow the lunch box to open and close.  Initially, I was concerned that my 6 year old daughter might have problems with the system.  However, she was able to open the lid with no problems when I showed it her how to do it.

Inside of the Go Green Lunch Box

The inside of the lunch box has plenty of room.  There are four compartments for food and one that holds the stainless steel water bottle.  This is a unique feature that you don’t find in comparable lunch boxes.  It is nice that the bottle can be contained here, but it also adds size to the lunch box that might make it too big to fit in some smaller backpacks.  It might also be troublesome to carry for some younger children.  The depth and size of the food compartments causes it to hold too much food for the typical lunch for my 6 year old.  The trade off is that it also means there is enough room for older kids who can eat more.  Go Green says that each compartment is leak proof and can hold foods of “pudding-like” consistency such as yogurt and apple sauce.  My daughter unwittingly tested this out by accidentally dropping it 3 times on the way from the car to her classroom.  The Go Green Lunch Box held up nicely and the food (including applesauce) stayed in the correct compartment without leaking.

Turn 'N Lock knob to keep things fresh

The feature that sets this lunchbox apart is its "turn 'n lock" knob.  Turning the knob from open to close locks the lid down and keeps the food in each compartment fresh and separate from everything else.  This is accomplished through the use of silicone bands that keep each compartment leak-proof.  Turning the knob back to the open position allows the lid to be removed.  This is an important feature to show your kids so they don't become frustrated trying to open it at lunchtime.

The lid is held to the bottom by two strings with clasps.  The clasps allow the lid to be disconnected for cleaning.  It is a handy feature, but I get worried that the small strings could break with repeated use and cleanings.  So far, however, these have not caused problems.  If they did break, it would not be the end of the world, it would just be easier for kids to lose the lid.  Cleaning the Go Green Lunch Box is fairly easy.  You detach the lid from the bottom and hand wash it.  The bottom portion can be put in the dishwasher.  If you are one who needs to throw everything in the dishwasher then this might be annoying, but Go Green insists that the lid should always be hand washed to preserve the durability.  The lunch box has held up well to the beating it can take from a 6 year old taking it to school and back.  It has also cleaned up easily.

All the features of the insulated case

The insulated carrying case is one of the best parts of this system.  It comes in a variety of patterns and helps to keep your lunch cold.  Inside there is a small mesh pocket for utensils, icepacks, or other things.  The best part of this case is the small whiteboard inside.  You can use dry erase markers to write notes to your child.  This is an awesome idea to give them something extra special in their lunch—a letter to tell them that you love them!

Overall, I am very happy with the Go Green Lunch Box.  If you are looking for a unique package that keeps your food fresh, and lets you keep everything together in one case, you should check out this lunch box.  However, if you like lunch box systems that are more compact with all dishwasher safe parts, then you might want to look elsewhere.   The whole package retails for $34.99 on the Go Green website.

Disclosure: Go Green Lunchboxes sent me this product to review.  I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#lunchboxreview

Lunchbox Dad ECOLunchbox Giveaway!!!

Hey Lunchbox Dad readers, enter now for our first ever giveaway contest! 

Earth Day is coming up on April 22 and ECOLunchboxes is partnering with us to give away one of their stainless steel oval lunchbox containers!  All you have to do is comment on this post or on our Facebook page under the giveaway post.  We want your ideas for an Earth Day lunch.  You can give us the whole lunch or just an element of the lunch (i.e. make a tree with pretzel sticks and broccoli).  Also post your idea to celebrate Earth Day.  Be Creative.

If I use your idea for the Monday lunch on Earth Day April 22, You will get the ECOLunchbox Oval!  If I use an idea that is posted more than once the first person that posted it will get the prize.

To see the ECOLunchbox Oval in action check out our Curious George Lunch HERE.

Deadline to enter is Friday, April 19 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time

Week 27: UP, Featuring Russell and Dug with the Cone of Shame

Week 27: UP.  Don't worry no actual dogs were forced to wear the cone of shame during the making of this lunch. SQUIRREL!  Alright, so our family loves watching UP and my favorite character is Dug the dog, so I had to include him. Plus, I just got in this lunch box from Easy Lunch Boxes, and this worked perfectly for it.  I will post my full review of the lunch boxes in a week or two.  This lunch took a number of ingredients, but stick with it, especially if your kids love the movie Up.  You can find the silicone cups and similar dog shaped food toothpick that were used at any Daiso store, bentousa.com, or on amazon.com, just search for "silicone cups".  You can also use whatever you have in your kitchen in their place.

Ingredients

2 slices frozen whole wheat bread

1 slice of cheese

1 slice of lunch meat

1 pouch organic round fruit snacks

4-5 blackberries

1 sliced strawberry

1 piece of dried mango

3-4 pieces of dried green mango

1 Babybel round cheese

1 piece of nori (dried seaweed)

   Black and blue food coloring 

Directions

1. Cut 2 slices of bread into the shape of a house as shown in picture (use cookie cutter if possible).  Draw details on house using black food coloring.  Mix together equal parts red, blue, and yellow food coloring to get the black color.  Cut slices of cheese and meat to fit inside.  Make a sandwich out of the bread, cheese, and meat.
2. Cut egg sheet which has been tinted blue (or other blue background) to fit in your container.  Place in the bottom of container. Set house sandwich on top of egg sheet.  Cut dried green mango (its actually white!) or substitute string cheese to look like clouds and balloon strings.  Arrange clouds, balloon strings, and round fruit snacks around the house as shown in the picture.  If you cannot find round fruit snacks, trim some to look round.  I recommend organic fruit snacks because they do not have any artificial colors or flavors.
3. Place berries in silicone cup.  Cut white paper or small silicone cup, make it into a round shape, and place dog “food pick” (as shown)  or picture of "Dug" the dog in the center.  You can secure it together by poking the toothpick through the silicone.  Use the toothpick to hold strawberry or other fruit.  Place this on top of the berries and set silicone cup in container.
4. Peel off the red wax of a Babybel round cheese and set aside.  Trim cheese to look like Russell's head and draw on facial details using black food coloring as shown in picture.  Trim dried mango to look like the brim of his hat and uniform.  Cut his spiky hair out of nori as shown.  Use leftover red wax and cut two pieces to form the handkerchief around his neck.  Put the cheese in a silicone cup. Place mango slightly behind the cheese and his hair on top of the cheese.  Finish by arranging red handkerchief around his neck.

#lbdbento

Week 26: Shrek

Week 26: Shrek.  April Fools, of course we are having a lunch this week!  However, my daughter is on spring break and Easter was yesterday, so I was short on ideas, time, creativity, and supplies. I was able to scrape up enough stuff that sort of went together to make a little scene out of Shrek.  I literally had to throw this together at 11 pm last night, so don't judge too harshly please!  Have a great spring break and baseball opening season is today, so Go A's!

Have fun making the lunch and don't stress about the details  your kids will just love that you put in the extra time and effort to make them a fun lunch.  Remember it's about the love you show them, and making it healthy.  Please leave me your comments on how you would improve this lunch or make it for your kids.  Remember to follow Lunchbox Dad on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube!

Ingredients

   Black, brown, red, and green food coloring or food 

   coloring marker

1 green apple

1 slice of white cheese

1 slice of cheddar cheese

1 hard-boiled egg

1 spinach wrap tortilla

1 piece of nori (dried seaweed)

Directions

1. Cut a green apple in half (Granny Smith apples work great).  Use apple scraps to cut out two Shrek ears like in the picture.  Draw facial and ear features with black and red food coloring as shown in picture.  Cut out two eyes and teeth from a slice of white cheese.  Use brown and black food coloring on the eye pieces to add Shrek's eye color.  Place eyes and teeth on the apple face.
2. Cut out a green spinach tortilla wrap to fit your container.  Cut out a slice of cheddar cheese to do the same.  Trim top of the tortilla wrap to look like two hills.  Give the hills definition by outlining them with black food coloring.  Place cheese at the top of container and spinach wrap over it to form the background.
3. Put Shrek's apple face and ears in the bottom middle of the container.  Cut flower shapes out of hard boiled egg.  Use both the egg white and egg yolk to add a variety of colors.  Place them where desired by Shrek.  Use green food coloring to draw stems on each flower.
4. Use nori to make the small castle and dragon in the background.  Take small scissors to cut out the silhouettes.  They don't have to be exact, use your imagination to make the kind of castle and dragon that you want!  

#lbdbento