Recently my blog was featured on Good Morning America! I had the pleasure to make personalized lunches for three of the hosts and a few other GMA logo lunches. The great thing about these is that they are all simple enough for anyone to do and you can replace the names with whomever you are making the lunch for. Since my daughter is on summer break, I thought I would share the recipes for these lunches over the next couple weeks. But don't worry, there is plenty of other stuff in store as well! 

I thought this week I would show you the lunch that would be great fro 4th of July. All you have to do to make it your own is switch "GS" for the initials of the person you are making the lunch for. You could also just do the fruit kabobs on a platter for a patriotic party food. This is made in an Easy Lunch Boxes container.

To see another great idea for some patriotic party food check out my sliders here

Ingredients

Blue corn tortilla chips

Sliced Sourdough bread

Sour cream

Chunky Salsa or pico di gallo

Turkey lunchmeat

Sliced cheddar cheese

Small wooden kabob sticks

String cheese

Raspberries

Blueberries

Fresh cilantro

White flour tortilla

Directions

1. Place slice of sourdough bread in main container. Cut to fit if necessary. Put slice of cheddar cheese and turkey underneath. This will be an open faced sandwich.

2. Compare wooden kabob sticks to width of container. If necessary, break to fit. Cut string cheese into small chunks. Slide blueberries, raspberries, and string cheese onto kabob sticks as shown in picture. Lay kabob sticks on top in main container on top of bread. The finished product should make an American flag.

3. Put blue corn tortilla chips in side dish. Break them to fit if necessary. Cut the initials “GS” out of flour tortilla. Put one chip flat on top of other chips and place flour tortilla letters on top.

4.  In second side dish carefully put sour cream in half. In remaining half put chunky salsa. Try and use mostly chunks and not much moisture. Put cilantro leaves in the middle, covering up the seam.
#lbdbento

Review: Educational Insights is Making Learning Toys Fun!

Parents are always trying to help their kids learn as they play (or at least they should be). They hard thing for us parents is that with so many choices out there, it's hard to get our kids to choose the toys that are fun and that teach them something. Fortunately, Educational Insights is trying to change that. My family had the chance to play with, I mean test out, three of the products from their website. As a parent I appreciate what they are trying Educational Insights is trying to do, but does it mean that they are successful? Keep reading to find out! All of these toys can be found online at www.educationalinsights.com.

Design & Drill Activity Center

You can watch the video below to see this in action, but I really liked how the Design & Drill Activity Center inspires creativity. Included is a "power" drill, screwdriver, combination wrench, lots of plastic bolts, activity cards, and a board to make the designs on. 

The activity cards were a little confusing at first because they seem like they fit over the board, but they are just there to show your kids different designs they can make. The point is for your child to follow the patterns. Kids can also make up their own creations. We also liked how they can learn teamwork and sharing by each child using different tools at the same time. The only drawback to this set is the drill is obviously the coolest part, and it takes 3 AAA batteries. I expect we will go through many of them. Other than that this has a ton of pieces, which we have found around the house. If you can keep the activity center organized and batteries on hand, this is a very fun learning toy. The Design & Drill Activity Center retails for $39.99.

Dino Construction Company "Wrecker" T-Rex Skid Loader

My son gives his review in the video below, it is a must see, but I was pleasantly surprised with the Dino Construction Company T-Rex Skid Loader. I knew this whole series was award winning but I didn't expect much from it. I also didn't expect my son to use it indoors, outdoors, and also to sleep with it. 

The fun part comes not from electronic sounds, or motorized actions, but from a well built toy that looks like a dinosaur and works like construction machinery. It doesn't need batteries, which is great, and it also encouraged my son to be active outdoors and play in the dirt. As a parent I liked that it is sturdy and very different from the other toys that are out there. I also liked that after playing at the beach with it, we just threw it in the shower with my son to wash it off. It can also help encourage kids to get into dinosaurs and science. Dino Construction Company toys come in four different dinosaur/construction equipment varieties which all retail for $29.99 each.

MathShark Electronic Handheld Game

You can watch the video below for my daughter's review of this game, but I like how it reinforces math skills in a fun way. I included the MathShark in my Summer Survival Kit post because it gives kids a way to learn math over breaks and holidays while on the go. When they have a tablet or phone, it is always tempting to switch off certain apps and play another mind numbing game. With this, parents don't have to worry about that. 

We took it in the car, into restaurants, and pretty much every place else. I found the sounds a bit annoying but the good thing is you can turn them off. There are many different difficulty levels and skills that can be practiced so they won't get bored with doing the same thing over and over. It also seems pretty tough as we dropped it a few times on accident and it still works great. The only drawback I see to the MathShark it only has an LCD screen so some kids might find it lacks the fun factor of a color touchscreen device. Overall, this is a great value as it retails for $42.99.

Disclosure: I received these products for free from Educational Insights. I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#parentproductreviews

Wraps for Summer With a Little GMA Theme

Recently my blog was featured on Good Morning America! I had the pleasure to make personalized lunches for three of the hosts and a few other GMA logo lunches. The great thing about these is that they are all simple enough for anyone to do and you can replace the names with whomever you are making the lunch for. Since my daughter is on summer break, I thought I would share the recipes for these lunches over the next couple weeks. But don't worry, there is plenty of other stuff in store as well! 

I thought I'd show you a lunch that can work for kids, teens, or adults. All you have to do to make it your own is switch "GMA" for the name of the person you are making the lunch for. This is made in an Easy Lunch Boxes container.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat tortilla

Cheddar cheese for "name"

Grilled chicken strips

Mixed greens from bag

Sliced almonds

Grape tomatoes

Balsamic vinaigrette

Yogurt covered raisins

Directions
1. Lay tortilla flat and put in desired amount of mixed greens, sliced almonds, and sliced grilled chicken. Cut mango into thin slices and place on top.
***To find out how to slice a mango see YouTube video here. Follow the steps only don’t do the last cut. We want long thin slices.***

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB8HRgAFg3k

2. Roll tortilla into a wrap. Use sharp knife to cut in half. Place both halves in main dish of container. Cut circle out of whole wheat tortilla and place in the middle of wraps. Cut “GMA” letters and “swoosh” out of cheddar cheese just like in picture and place on circle of tortilla.

3. In other side dishes put red tomatoes and yogurt covered raisins.
#lbdbento

Review: Urban Accents Spice Blends, a Lifesaver for Busy Parents in the Kitchen?

Sometimes I like experimenting in the kitchen to see what new combinations of flavors work and what new recipes I can come up with. However, most of the time I'm dealing with kids who want to eat now and who don't want to take a chance on something new. Basically, when it comes to spices I stick with what works but that also can cause me to get caught in a rut. 

When Urban Accents sent me their Fabulous Foodie gift set to review, I was ready to try something new. When I opened the box I was amazed at the vast selection of spices that were included. The problem with having a huge amount of choices is knowing which spice blends to use in specific situations. This is where Urban Accents really impressed me. On every bottle it not only lists what type of food you should use it on, it also gives you tips and recipes. In this particular set, if there is a food you can use a spice on, there is a bottle for it. Vegetables, meats, and even eggs are taken care of. All the included spice blends are also all-natural and gluten free.

This gift pack comes with a total of 24 bottles of spice blends divided into five different categories. You get the American Adventures, Old World Classics, Latin Heat, Global Exotics, and Pan Asian Flavor. A mechanic has their toolbox, and busy parents really need to get their hands on this. My wife and I have pretty much forsaken the other spices in our house and go almost exclusively to this box whenever we are cooking. 

I don't have the space in this post to talk about every single bottle, but I thought I would just mention the ones that really stuck out to my family. If you have read any of my reviews, you know that I talk about products from a whole family's perspective. 

If there is one blend I would make sure that I always have in my spice rack it would be the Heartland Pepper and Garlic. This will go good on just about anything but especially vegetables. You have a salad that needs a little somthing? Sprinkle this on. You want your corn on the cob to shine? Throw this blend on with a little butter. I'm telling you this will not let you down and people will be begging for more.

We barbecued baby back ribs and tried the Kansas City Classic Rub and Mesa Rosa Chipotle on them. The Kansas City Classic (bottom rack in picture) wasn't spicy but had many rich layers of flavor. It worked very well with the ribs and I would definitely feel confident with using it on ribs again. The Mesa Rosa Chipotle (upper rack in picture) had a good mild spice, just don't expect much heat here. My father-in-law loved it on the ribs though. I wish it was a little spicier, but that didn't stop me from inhaling the ribs that were made with it!

Another dish that we tried with different Urban Accents blends was salmon. The one that always stood out to my family was the Fisherman's Wharf blend. In fact, my entire family are fans of this one, even my kids. If your children will eat salmon, they will like this blend. It's mellow and compliments the salmon without overpowering it. However, the Kodiak Salmon Rub didn't quite do it for us. There is nothing wrong with it, it was just sort of blended in. We felt it was trying to be spicy but wasn't. Stick with the Fisherman's Wharf and you won't go wrong.

The last spice blend that I want to mention is the Tzatziki Dill and Garlic. This spice made it ridiculously easy to make a vegetable dip for a party. We just mixed it with sour cream and it was done. The dip tasted amazing and looked complex. People couldn't believe we didn't use a store bought packet. The awesome thing about it is that you can also just make a small bowl and use what you need from the bottle. There is no waste of a whole big packet and it tastes better than what you can get at your local store.

The Fabulous Foodie spice blend set from Urban accents is a toolbox that will cause you to woefully neglect your other spices. Why go to all that trouble of blending your own when someone has done a fantastic job for you already? Not every spice blend is a home run but most of them will make you extremely thankful you have them on hand. If you have a cook in your life, or are just a busy parent that would love to be more efficient in the kitchen, then you should definitely check out Urban Accents. The Fabulous Foodie gift pack sells for $112.00 but you can also buy individual spice blends as well at www.urbanaccents.com

Disclosure: I received these products for free from Urban Accents. I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#foodreview

Basketball Lunch With Orange Avocado Salad

Last week my blog was featured on Good Morning America! I had the pleasure to make personalized lunches for three of the hosts and a few other GMA logo lunches. The great thing about these is that they are all simple enough for anyone to do and you can replace the names with whomever you are making the lunch for. Since my daughter is on summer break, I thought I would share the recipes for these lunches over the next couple weeks. But don't worry, there is plenty of other stuff in store as well!

My daughter starts basketball camp today, so it is a perfect time to celebrate with this basketball lunch I made for Robin Roberts. All you have to do to make it your own is switch "Robin" for the name of the person you are making the lunch for. This is made in an Easy Lunch Boxes container.

Ingredients
Mixed Green Salad in bag
1 Avocado
1 Orange
Sliced Almonds
Balsamic vinaigrette
5-7 orange grape tomatoes or baby carrots if you cannot find orange grape tomatoes
1 Tortilla
Star shaped pasta called “Stelline” or “Pastina”
Black Sharpie Marker

Black food coloring marker

Directions
1. Cut orange in half and draw black basketball lines on the peel using black Sharpie marker. Because of the peel it wont leak through into the orange. You may use food coloring instead if desired. Arrange mixed greens salad in main compartment. Slice avocado into chunks and spread it and sliced almonds around mixed greens. Place orange on top.

2. Cut the letters for the name out of white flour tortilla as shown. Place above orange.
3. Cook star shaped pasta as directed on box. Let cool and put in side dish. Draw a star on a piece of paper and cut out. Place on top of cheddar cheese. Use paper to cut star shape from the cheese. Cut circle out of white tortilla and place star on top. Put this on top of the past once the pasta is cool.
4. If you have orange grape tomatoes use a black food coloring marker to draw basketball lines on them and place in second side dish. If you are using baby carrots instead, slice them up and draw basketball lines on them as shown and place in side dish.
5. Put a small amount of balsamic vinaigrette dressing in small container on the side for salad if desired.

#lbdbento

The Oral-B Black 7000 is All a Dad Could Want in a Toothbrush!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, in conjunction with Oral-B and Life of Dad, LLC. I was provided with the Oral-B Black 7000, and received compensation for participating in this promotion.

When I was in high school, I had a basketball accident. My legs got taken out from underneath me and I broke the fall with my face. At that moment, one of my worst fears came to be a reality. My front tooth completely broke off. As a high schooler I thought my life was over. I thought I would need to go into hiding or wear a mask the rest of high school. I will save you from the pictures but I have since learned that there are much worse things to be afraid of and I now have a bridge to cover up my teenage nightmare. However, it also taught me that your teeth should be taken care of.

I have used an electric toothbrush for years. It's decent but I have always had the feeling there is something better out there. When I first heard about the #PowerofDad campaign from Oral-B, I was impressed. Not only did I find out about their incredible Black 7000 toothbrush, but I also saw that they are making sure that dads get recognized for what they do for and what they mean to their kids. 

I love when brands see dads not as the media stereotype "bumbling idiots," but as integral parts of the family. You can see Oral-B's video below (beware you will need tissues). I decided to make my own short Instagram video for #PowerofDad as well, you can see it HERE. 

After making the Instagram video, I was so excited to get my hands on an early Father's Day present...a new Oral-B Black 7000! When I opened it up, I was impressed by the combination of simplicity of use and power of features. With three brush heads, a handy travel case, and a SmartGuide wireless display it includes everything you could need or want. The wireless display even shows you how long to brush, what type of brushing to perform, and even if you are using too much pressure. I have never seen a more advanced toothbrush in my life.

It is crazy how much this toothbrush does. The modes are crazy. Between Daily Clean, Deep Clean, Sensitive, Whitening, Massage, and even Tongue Cleaner, there is something for every mouth. To be honest, I didn't think much about the advertised stats at first. They just seemed meaningless me. That is until I actually tried out the Black 7000. Oh my gosh, I am not exaggerating, it was like a spa day for my mouth. I am still trying out the different features, but I can definitely tell you that the Precision Clean head is my favorite. 

You know how you can drive a mid level sedan forever and think, "Oh, it's fine and does what I need it to do, but then you ride in a friend's top of the line sports car and think, "I want one of these so bad." Or when you made the switch from standard definition TV to HD and realized there was no way you could ever go back. That's what the Oral-B Black did for me. I have now been spoiled and there is no way I can go back to an inferior toothbrush again.

Maybe you are wondering why a guy who blogs a lot about food is so excited about this? Because if you love food or just love having a clean, cavity free mouth, then you need to take care of your teeth. It is an important habit for you and for your family. It is up to us as parents to teach our kids how to properly care for themselves and we do that by showing them through our actions. Teaching our kids about the important things in life, like brushing properly, is part of the #PowerofDad.

Yes, this is more expensive than some toothbrushes, but I can tell you for sure that it is way less expensive than dental work. It is also much less painful. Would you rather suffer through a dentist appointment, or thoroughly enjoy brushing your teeth? I know what I am choosing from here on out. Now where's my Oral-B Black? It's time for bed. You can find out more at OralB.com and also get a $7 off coupon HERE.

#ParentProductReview

Throwback Thursday Lunch Linkup #16

Here is today's "Throwback Thursday" lunch post linkup. This is to give everyone a chance to post their past fun meals! The rules are simple. Anyone can post their fun lunch, but it has to be at least 6 months old. Not the lunch itself, the post. A 6 month old lunch would be gross and no one wants to see that. The lunch also has to be your own, not one that you saw on someone else's site. So dig up those old pictures and post them for everyone to see. Please share the linkup on your social media networks as well so everyone can join in on the throwback fun.

My Throwback Thursday bento lunch for today is:

A "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" because my kids love this cartoon! You can see the whole recipe HERE:

An InLinkz Link-up

How to Train Your Dragon Lunch

Year 2, Week 36: How to Train Your Dragon Lunch. It's the last week of school which means its the last lunch for another school year. To be honest, I was feeling out of ideas for this lunch but I think it turned out alright. It was one of the more difficult lunches that I have made so far, but I'm not really sure why. Sometimes it just works out that way. 

How to Train Your Dragon 2 will be out soon so I thought this would be a great way to end the year. I'm sure I'll be taking my kids to go see it so this is a little preview for my daughter. I used an unusual fruit called a Kiwano melon in this lunch because it looked sort of like a dragon and also looks very medieval. It tastes really good as well! The lunch is made in a Planetbox lunchbox.

Ingredients

Rice
1 slice whole wheat bread
Cream cheese
Peanut butter
Kiwi
1 Dried Apple
Green sprinkles
Yogurt covered raisins
Mango
Kiwano melon
Black edible modeling dough
Brown and black food coloring

Directions

1. Place rice or other background in main dish of container. Slice kiwi in half and place in rice. Cut dried apple in half and put pieces as horns on the side of the kiwi.
2. Cut face shape out of bread. Repeat. You should be able to get both pieces out of one slice of bread. Trim crust and cut into narrow strips. Cover one piece of bread with peanut butter and arrange some strips sticking out the sides. Put second piece of bread on top. Spread a little peanut butter at the top of the head and arrange more pieces of crust to look like hair. Put two dabs of cream cheese on face and two green sprinkles on the cream cheese. Finish facial features with black and brown food coloring. Place face in container just below kiwi.
3. Use black modeling dough to make dragon silhouette of Toothless. Place two green sprinkles as eyes. Drop yogurt covered raisins in side dish and place dragon on top.
4. Slice mango and put pieces in second side dish. Write "How to Train Your Dragon" on the peel using food color marker.
5. It would be ideal to use Dragon fruit but I found a Kiwano melon instead. Carefully slice it with a sharp knife and put it in a third side dish. 

#lbdbento

Grocery Shopping is Fun With KRAFT and the Blippar App!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

I don't normally use the words "grocery shopping" and "fun, efficient, and entertaining" in the same sentence. However, KRAFT and the Blippar app for smartphones and tablets helped me to adjust my thinking. I wanted to write this post because I love talking about products and tips that help make parents' lives easier. This is one of those products. Blippar is so easy to use you don't even have to be a "techy" to use it. It can even entertain your kids while you wait in those lines to checkout!

The first thing you need to do is to download Blippar to your phone or tablet. It is absolutely free so no need to worry about spending money on an app you haven't used yet. I downloaded the app before I went to Walmart to shop for the KRAFT cheese I needed. Once I was at Walmart all I did was open Blippar and it automatically started searching for items to "Blip," or scan. The first ingredient I needed was Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I used my phone's camera to scan the top of the cream cheese container and the app went from showing just the package to opening up a whole new interactive experience. The picture below shows the transformation that I saw once I scanned the cheese.

Once the menu that you see opened for me, I was able to click on the screen to see tons of recipes to use with the cream cheese, watch a video for it, or even play a fun game. The great thing about the game (pictured below) was that it entertained my kids and showed us what ingredients we needed for certain recipes! The kids even kept asking to play the game when we arrived home.

The menu portion of the app was so helpful. If you are ever stuck when trying to figure out what to eat, then the ideas here will be your new best friend. You can keep scrolling down for an amazing selection for even the most picky of eaters. The app will also show you all the ingredients you will need to make the dish. You are already right at the store anyway, so you can pick up whatever you need right away.

Of course, I didn't want to stop at scanning just one item so my kids and I had fun scanning whatever KRAFT items we could find. Everything I scanned opened up a new experience. A great feature was that every menu was easy to use, and if I wanted to see something else, I just pressed the back button. 

When I scanned the KRAFT singles package, I was shown so many great burger ideas! Right now they are showcasing their Great American Bacon Cheeseburger campaign with recipes I have to try soon. Click here to see the recipe for my KRAFT Outside-In Jalapeno Bacon Cheeseburger, it will knock your socks off! For even more ideas for KRAFT cheeseburgers search #SayCheeseburger on Twitter and Facebook.

Another feature that my kids were excited to try out was to take a picture with musician Brad Paisley. The app puts you right there with him. Of course, both of my kids wanted to take pictures so make sure you have a little time to get pics of Brad and your whole family. It was simple, you just click on the option to "Take a pic with Brad" and then shoot the picture like you would with your regular camera app. I even got "Paisley Points" for signing up for his rewards program. It just took a second to do through the app using my Facebook account. 

Using the Blippar app really enhanced my shopping experience but my favorite part was all the recipe ideas with included ingredients lists. This will make my life so much easier because I can have the recipe right there in store with me. Just think, now you don't need to know ahead of time what you will make, just "Blip" your favorite type of KRAFT cheese and the app does the rest. So head to Walmart and start your "Blipping" today, but I must warn you that it is addictive and your family might just discover a new favorite recipe!

Let me know what your favorite KRAFT cheese product was to Blip!

You might be wondering what I ended up making with the cream cheese. Let's just say that our dessert that night was out of this world. The picture below shows our family's own version of  a Chocolate Calzone featuring Philadelphia Cream Cheese! 

#CollectiveBias

Fatherhood For Fridays #4

Welcome to "Fatherhood For Fridays" on LunchboxDad.com! On the first Friday of every month you will find some of the best dad writers around. If you are a dad and have written anything in the past, feel free to link up here. All I ask is that you share this link up on Facebook, Twitter, etc. so more people can be inspired by what is posted here. Some of these posts will be short, some will be long, some will be serious, some will be hilarious. Click on the links below and you just might find your new favorite blogger!

A couple rules for posting: Only post something that you have written personally. Only post one time a month. Your post can be old or new, just pick out one that you have written which has meaning for you. Also share this link up and at least one of the other posts that are linked up here. This is so that other people can enjoy the wisdom that these dads have to give as well!

An InLinkz Link-up

#fatherhood

Throwback Thursday Lunch Linkup #15

Here is today's "Throwback Thursday" lunch post linkup. This is to give everyone a chance to post their past fun meals! The rules are simple. Anyone can post their fun lunch, but it has to be at least 6 months old. Not the lunch itself, the post. A 6 month old lunch would be gross and no one wants to see that. The lunch also has to be your own, not one that you saw on someone else's site. So dig up those old pictures and post them for everyone to see. Please share the linkup on your social media networks as well so everyone can join in on the throwback fun.

My Throwback Thursday bento lunch for today is:

A "Turtle Hamburger Slider Lunch" because it's almost summer! You can see the whole recipe HERE:

An InLinkz Link-up

Lunchbox Dad's Busy Parents' Summer Survival Kit

The kids are getting out of school in a week or two and summertime is just ramping up. For busy parents like us, it helps to have a toolbox that we can take with us wherever we go. This is why I put together my Lunchbox Dad Summer Survival Kit. I have personally tested out all the products I recommend below. They have saved time, energy, or just made my life easier. I have included links to my reviews so you can see everything that I found out when I tested them, as well as where to buy them. 

All of these products can be thrown in a bag and taken wherever you are going. So here is what you need to have on hand to make this summer much more enjoyable for you and your family!

Dad's Book of Awesome Science Experiments by Mike Adamick. Have this book ready to cure those long days when the kids are complaining they're bored. This book is full of fun experiments to do with everyday things around the house. Trust me, this is one book you won't be sorry you bought!

The Planetbox Shuttle lunchbox. This small lunchbox is perfect for packing snacks for day trips or summer playdates. It's small enough to easily fit into your bag, but is very durable because of the all metal construction. When you don't need a full size meal container, this will be your grab and go summer lunchbox for the kids.

The Otteroo pool float for your baby. The first time you use this it will look really weird. But your baby will have so much fun in it. It took some getting used to for my child but after a few minutes he was kicking around, smiling, and all the adults around were won over. If you have a baby and will be around a pool this summer, you need to get this.

Math Shark handheld game. My daughter takes this portable device everywhere, from the car to her bed at night. Instead of carrying a tablet, take this game which will keep your kids practicing math over the summer. There are different skill levels and they can work on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, and percents. If you don't want your kids to shut off their brains this summer, the Math Shark is wa great tool. 

Little Green Pouch reusable food pouches. Each week we make a big batch of fruit smoothies, fill these pouches up, and throw them in the freezer. They are so convenient because you can put them in your bag and they will thaw out by the time you are ready to drink them. When you are done, just put the pouches in the dishwasher and they will be ready again when you need them.

The ibattz Mojo Refuel Aqua iPhone case. I know, I know, why would you need another phone case? This is not your ordinary iPhone protector. It is waterproof, dirt proof, food proof, shockproof, and it charges your phone. When you are taking your kids to camp, the mall, the beach, or the pool, you won't have to worry about ruining your phone because this case is kid proof as well!

Matkins Reusable Placemats. Since you are on the go, you can't worry about where you will stop and eat. Whether it's the amusement park or a table at a roadside fast food place, Matkins can be used anywhere. They can help protect against germs and all the gross stuff left on tables. Matkins don't take up much storage space when not in use, can be machine washed, and come in fun colors.

Bonga Baobab Superfood Chews. These fruit snacks are convenient and healthier than any other fruit snacks I have seen. My kids love them and Bonga works to make sure they are providing sustainable income for women in Southern Africa. If you want a convenient snack that you can put in your pocket or purse, these are a great choice.

Disclosure: I received these products for free from their respective companies. I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#Fatherhood

The Lego Movie Wyldstyle Bento Lunch

Year 2, Week 35: The Lego Movie Wyldstyle. Everything is Awesome today in my kids' lunches! They have gone crazy for The Lego Movie and want to sing Everything is Awesome over and over (when they're not singing Frozen). Since there are only two more weeks left in school I thought I would make a Wyldstyle Lego lunch for my daughter. I also made lunch for my son in a Lego Bento Box with a Lego Batman head. Hopefully this won't start more chants of Everything is Awesome, but I hope it will help them eat their lunches!

The Wyldstyle lunch is made in an Easy Lunch Boxes container while the spoons, little red bricks, and Lego bento box came from All Things For Sale. You can get a ton of great lunch equipment there at really low prices.

Ingredients

Cheddar cheese slice
Wiltons Edible Modeling Dough, black
Blue and pink sprinkles
Fresh Spinach
Almonds
Black and red food coloring
Strawberry yogurt
Strawberry
Whole wheat bread
Blueberries
Peanut Butter

Directions

1. Cut cheddar cheese into Lego shaped head. It doesn't need to be exact. I used Wilton's edible modeling dough to make her hair. I have had it for awhile and have been excited to try it out. The clay was really easy to work with. You can find it many craft stores. 

2. After you stick the hair on push pink and blue sprinkles into it. Use food coloring to make the facial features. You can use cream cheese or tiny pieces of tortilla to make the white part of the eyes.

3. Arrange fresh spinach or lettuce in the bottom of main dish. Set Wyldstyle head on top and garnish with almonds. I put them in a little Lego type dipping container. I also included Lego utensils that we had.

4. In side dish put strawberry yogurt. Cut two hearts from a strawberry that has been cut in half. Float these in the yogurt. Wyldstyle and Emmett ended up together in the movie so these represent that.

5. For the whole wheat bread Lego bricks I used a technique I found in the book Everyday Bento. Click the button to the left in my Amazon Store to order the book from Amazon. It is written by my friend Wendy from Wendolonia.com. It is easy to do but I won't tell you how because you really should buy the book, it is awesome.

6. Kids can use the cheese from Wyldstyle, the spinach (a parent can dream, right?), and the whole wheat bread pieces to make their own sandwiches!

7. Place bread Lego bricks in second side dish and surround with blueberries.

#lbdbento