How To Cut String Cheese Ghosts For Halloween

We are back and it's almost October which is my favorite month of the year. This will be a short post, but I'll have another longer post coming up soon. We are doing well and I hope the same for you :-) It's "College Time" for Nikolai and many others. We are naturally very proud of our son's achievements as he goes off for his junior year.

I've created several ghost themed lunches over the years that are very easy and great fun. Cutting the string cheese to look like ghosts is my favorite part. I'll be sharing with you the method I used for the string cheese.

You can make some cute ghosts similar to the ones I made quite easily.

You will need:

• String cheese
• Paring knife
• Toothpick, food safe marker or sunflower seeds

Method:

1. Cut the string cheese into half.
2. Using a knife, make a slit in the middle and almost 3/4 way down.
3. Make a few more additional slits till you get 8 legs or less.
4. I used a toothpick for these particular face accents. Just poke the toothpick on the cheese to create the eyes and mouth. I've used food safe marker before and I've seen sunflower seeds being used. These are just some ideas, you might have others.

Below are just a few Halloween lunchbox ideas with these string cheese ghosts.

In this bento lunch (packed in a Planetbox): I used a ghost shaped cookie cutter for the sandwich and raisins for the facial details. Honey was used as glue for the raisins. Sides were dye free choc sunflower seeds, Annie's organic crackers topped with a couple of ghost string cheese, seedless green grapes with a ghost cupcake pick, organic baby carrots, organic granola bar and seedless red grapes.

In this bento lunch:

• Grapes and strawberry slices watched over by a ghost pick.
• Sweet bell peppers carved into jack-o-lanterns above bed of lettuce.
• Ghost shaped sandwich topped with provolone cheese, eyes and nose are made from nori with fruit leather letters. Smaller ghosts are from mozzarella string cheese cut into half with sharp paring knife and food safe marker for eyes and nose. Packed in an Easylunchboxes container.

BOO is the first word of the Halloween season and the theme of this lunch. The main compartment of this lunch contains three mini pumpkin shaped sandwiches which I used a small pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out. I used the letter cutters to cut mild cheddar cheese to put on top of these and a couple pieces of string cheese to make the ghosts by first cutting it into half and then making cuts lengthwise for perhaps a little more than half their length and then spreading them apart to give a bit of a spooky look. I simply used a toothpick to make some indentations for the eyes and mouth, but you could also use a food safe marker. I included a piece of granola bar upon which I added letter cookies from IKEA, and in the smaller sections below I have celery sticks and organic baby carrots on the right and a silicone pumpkin shaped cup holding some grapes and a ghost pick. This lunch was packed in an Easylunchboxes container.

Below is my first ever string cheese creation in 2011 (12 years ago)! Wow, how quickly time flies.

In this bento lunch:

• Ghost shaped sandwich with turkey ham and Colby cheese. Topped with Asiago cheese and candy eyes
• Ghost shaped string cheese
• Seedless black grapes
• Cheddar crackers behind ghost marshmallow
• Organic baby carrots

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

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25+ Lunches In LunchBots & Features That We Like

Hello there, I truly hope all of you are doing well and remain so. For us, it is again back to school with Nikolai already in college. Normally he would be a high school junior this fall, but during the past year he completed his virtual high school classes, and this year expects to complete the requirements to graduate with his Associates degree (he is 16 years old). Of course we are very proud of the way he adapted to all the recent changes with a positive goal and a usable plan. 

Early in the spring each year we begin thinking about summer holiday. Almost always we entertain several ideas regarding geography, cultural and historical attractions and routes. We did so again this year, and again we changed it all by departure time. Some how it all works out so that we return mostly pleased with our excellent adventure. This year we visited twenty five states and we enjoyed the local cuisine along the way.

While it isn't rocket science, there are some tips, techniques, and tools that make providing a good lunch easier than many might think. One item that comes directly to mind is LunchBots  which is quality stainless steel lunchbox that we really love.

We personally own both the LunchBots Duo and Quad which can be found on Amazon. LunchBots are made of stainless steel, come in various sizes and styles and with lids in cheerful colors. Nikolai has always been a small eater, and he prefers a little bit of of this and a little bit of that in his lunchbox. I have a few lunchboxes which I go to whenever I am in a hurry and one of them is our LunchBots! The main reason is that I LOVE their divided compartments! Also, we have had our LunchBots since Nikolai was in Elementary school, and it's still in perfect condition. It's easy to pack, easy to wash, very durable and I'm confident it will last for many years to come!

Features that we like:

- Divided compartments to keep food separate and not touching.
- The lids are easy to remove even for small hands.
- They are easy to clean, will not retain stains, odors or residues since it is stainless steel.
- Will last for a long time with proper care.
- Lead free, plastic free, BPA free, phthalate free, non toxic and waste free.

You can view my gallery of lunches packed in LunchBots by clicking HERE.

Lunchbots also have insulated containers which are great, and we have been using them a lot for packing hot lunches. When you have prepared a great lunch, it is always nice to know that you can keep it at the best temperature.

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Review: Modes4u Cinderella Bento Lunchbox and Cinderella Wallet

The nice people over at Modes4u generously offered us the opportunity to review some of their products, and I'm excited to bring you this post. We received these wonderful items before we had the stay at home order due to coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). I picked these two Cinderella themed items for myself this time - initially, we planned a Disney trip for this summer, but that will have to be postponed to some other time for sure.

Modes4u have a wide assortment of bento boxes, one of which I used to pack this lunch for myself. They also offer a great collection of cute stationery, fabrics, wallets, accessories, stuffed animals. and more in addition to their very cute bento items. Their site is a great wonderland and I recommend it as one of those must see websites!

This Cinderella bento box is made in Japan and I love the quality and durability of it. It can be used in the microwave (without the lid), is dishwasher safe and BPA free.

I packed a snacky lunch for myself in this cute bento box. It contains organic celery sticks, organic apples and organic baby carrots with ranch dressing in the small container. Sauce containers, like the little pink bunny one that I used for this bento, food picks, baran dividers, cutters, and much more are awaiting your visit to their accessories pages.

This bento box is easy to open and close, the snaps on the sides are durable and high quality.

Now, lets scroll down and look at this super cute Cinderella horse and carriage wallet which will be perfect for me to use at Disney.

I love this half zip around wallet and it's functionality! The front and back of the wallet is super cute with all the detailing.

Interior has four card slots, two open multi-function full length pockets, two wall long pockets (one on each side) and a zipper coin pocket in the center. It's spacious and it's a slim wallet which is totally my favorite kind of wallet.

Since we are all under stay at home order here in Florida, I may be packing more bento lunches to enjoy without leaving home. Why not make eating lunch at home fun?

Stay safe and stay well, everyone!

Disclosure: Modes4u generously provided me with the products for review without cost to me. All opinions are my own.

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How To Pack Hot Leftovers For Lunch & 30 Ideas For Thermos

Happy New Year 2020! It has been a couple of weeks of back to school action since the holidays. We enjoyed them and I hope you did also. Nikolai has requested some warm, comforting lunches especially this time of year, thus, leftovers in a thermos is the ticket.

Here is how I prep in the mornings when I need to send him a hot meal:

• First I fill his thermos with boiling water, close the lid, place it on the counter with the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes or more while I'm assembling his side dishes such as fruits, veggies and a little snack.
• Heat the hot portion of the meal to piping hot. 
• Then I pour out the hot water and fill the thermos with the hot heated up food. 
• Secure lid tight and it's ready to go. 
• Don't forget to add a fork or spoon into your kids lunchbag.

For non-liquid food such as chicken nuggets or pizza, I add an extra step to my prep. After I dump the boiling water out of the thermos, I lay a piece of folded paper towel in the bottom of the thermos to absorb any moisture while keeping the food hot.
Insulated containers are great for leftovers which are mainly dinner foods! We have also packed breakfast for lunch such as pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausages.

We have several insulated jars which we love, and rotate their use quite often. They are our Lunchbots Thermal, Thermos stainless steel insulated jar and U Konserve insulated food jar. We also still have our Thermos Foogo and Thermos Funtainer which Nikolai used quite often when he was younger, and we still use occasionally.

Here are 30 Hot Lunch Ideas for Thermos:

1. Pasta
2. Mac and Cheese
3. Soup
4. Grilled Cheese
5. Pizza (cut to fit)
6. Chicken Nuggets
7. Bagel Bites
8. Mashed Potatoes 
9. Ravioli
10. Meatballs
11. Chili
12. Gyoza
13. French Toast Sticks
14. Leftovers like Casserole, Steak, Chicken, BBQ Pork, etc
15. Fish Sticks
16. Scrambled Eggs
17. Pancakes
18. Sausages
19. Taco Meat (include tortilla wraps or taco shells on the side)
20. Fried Rice
21. Fried Noodles
22. Pot Roast
23. Quesadilla
24. Spaghetti
25. Jambalaya
26. Red beans or black beans and rice
27. Gumbo
28. Chicken Curry
29. Tortellini 
30. Ramen noodles and more

Here are just a few hot lunches of which I managed to snap pictures. I always include sides with them such as fruits, veggies and snacks in another container (not pictured).

Leftover curry chicken with potatoes, carrots and basmati rice is in the insulated container. I heated the curry and rice in a microwave safe plate and transferred them to his preheated insulated container.

Leftover pasta with ground beef and spinach is in the insulated container. I heated the pasta in a microwave safe bowl and transferred it to his preheated insulated container.

This was packed by dad. Leftover macaroni and cheese is in the insulated container with pieces of baked ham. 

Here is leftover steak and mashed potatoes in the insulated container. I heated the steak and potatoes in a microwave safe plate and then transferred them to his preheated insulated container.

Leftover stir fry vermicelli / mei fun is in the insulated container. I heated it in a microwave safe bowl and transferred it to his preheated insulated container.

Leftover tri-color bow tie pasta with ground beef is in the insulated container. I heated it in a microwave safe plate and transferred it to his preheated insulated container.

There are probably lots of other children that enjoy hot lunches. What hot lunches do you send with your kids?

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5 Snacky Lunch Ideas For School

Snacky lunches are fun to make, easy to pack and easy to eat. Lately, besides leftovers, most of Nikolai's lunches are snacky lunches which I often times refer to as homemade lunchables. With the short school lunch time, and of course the need to talk at lunch, snacky lunches are convenient and most welcome. It contains foods that he loves to eat, and we have the foods on hand most of the time.

These lunches are also easy for us to assemble with variety of fruits, vegetables, crackers, cheese, meats, breads, etc.

Our snacky lunches mostly contains any of the following:

• Bread, crackers, croissant, bagel, tortilla wraps, muffins, pretzels.
• A variety of cheese either in slices, sticks, wheels and at times cut into fun shapes from block cheese.
• Sliced deli ham, turkey, roast beef, salami.
• Fruits such as apple slices, seedless grapes, berries, peaches, watermelon, orange slices, and at times apple sauce.
• Vegetables and dips (ranch or hummus).
• Extra treat - Granola bar, rice krispies, popcorn, chips.

Here are 5 snacky lunches which Nikolai enjoyed recently.

Lunch 1: Cheese and ham roll ups, peach slices, seedless grapes in our favorite square silicone cup and tortilla chips in his leak-proof Ecolunchbox bento splash box. 

Lunch 2: Croissants, lefse with cinnamon and butter ( hubby is part Norwegian so we enjoy lefse occasionally), grapes, crackers and elderberry vitamin gummy. Packed in our Planetbox rover.

Lunch 3: Nitrate free pepperoni and crackers in the main compartment. Sides are apple slices, celery sticks with dip in the small container, a yogurt covered star, cheese stick above a granola bar. Packed in our Planetbox rover.

Lunch 4: A couple of turkey and cheese wraps secured with cute food picks, a granola bar, apple slices with cinnamon and crackers. Packed in our Easylunchboxes urban.

Lunch 5: This was packed by dad a.k.a my awesome husband. Sandwich cut into half, crackers, orange slices, cheese slices and I believe he hand cut the N for Nikolai's initial. 

You can always assemble a snacky lunch with what you have on hand, and include foods that your kids love to eat. They are quick and easy to pack! For ideas on DIY homemade lunchables, you can find them here.

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4 Grab and Go Muffins For School Lunch Box (with Recipe)

This school year I've been packing muffins quite often for Nikolai's school lunch. I'm definitely not a morning person, and we have to wake up way earlier since school starts earlier. You'll never find me waking up earlier than I have to, standing in the kitchen baking or cooking in the wee hours of the morning. Most days I'll pack his lunches the night before or he has to pack them in the mornings.

We usually make a batch of muffins during the weekend ( sometimes from scratch and sometimes from the box), eat some and freeze the remaining. They are super portable and will last in the fridge for days or in the freezer for months. They are especially great for busy mornings when you have to race out the door and need a grab and go breakfast, and perfect for the lunchbox, after school snacks or for anytime of the day. These lunches are packed in our Easylunchboxes container.

Below are just a few lunch ideas with muffins included.

These ham and cheese casserole muffins are our favorite muffins lately, we have made them so many times that I remember the recipe by heart now, lol.

Ingredients:

3–4 pieces whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
3–4 slices deli ham, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease muffin tin well.
• Drop bread pieces evenly in muffin tins until they come about 2/3 of the way up the tin.
• Sprinkle ham pieces evenly in each tin.
• Sprinkle cheese evenly in each tin.
• Whisk together eggs, milk, ground mustard, and pepper.
• Pour egg mixture evenly in each muffin tin.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through the middle.
• Enjoy!!

Bento lunch 1: A couple of ham and cheese muffins from the fridge
(Nikolai doesn't mind eating them cold, but you can also heat them up and drop them into a thermos if you prefer them hot), a granola bar, organic baby carrots and seedless grapes. Packed in our Easylunchboxes container.

These blueberry muffins are from the box, follow the instructions on the box and it's so easy and turned out tasty.

Bento lunch 2: A couple of blueberry muffins from the fridge, just pop them in the lunchbox with a granola bar and a cheese stick in the main compartment. Sides are apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon ( Nikolai's favorite way of eating apples) and seedless green grapes. Packed in our Easylunchboxes container.

It's pumpkin season once again, and we love everything pumpkin! Of course we had to make some pumpkin muffins.
There are so many recipes out there, almost all are quite similar, but this one works for me, it's simple and I usually have most of the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients:

2 cups Pumpkin Pancake mix
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
Pam non-stick cooking spray or muffin cups.

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• In medium bowl, stir together pancake mix until moistened. Do not over-mix.
• Spoon batter into greased or paper lined muffin pan, filling ¾ full.
• There is enough batter to fill one dozen muffin wells.
• Bake at 350º for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Enjoy!!

Bento lunch 3: A pumpkin pancake muffin, string cheese, granola bar, crackers, nitrate free ham roll-ups in my favorite silicone cup, organic baby carrots and an organic apple. Packed in our Easylunchboxes container.

Bento lunch 4: Turkey and cheese wrap, a couple of blueberry muffins, a granola bar, apple slices with sprinkle of cinnamon, grapes and crackers.
All of these lunches are packed in our Easylunchboxes container.

Do you have a favorite muffin recipe?

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10 Quick and Easy School Lunch Ideas In Planetbox

It's been a few weeks now since school started for us. I must admit that it was difficult to adjust to the new earlier wake up time, but we are getting used to it. We are super happy that Nikolai was selected to attend a collegiate high school, one of the best here in Florida, at which he will only study two years of high school and will then move to college course work for the next two. The effect is to complete both high school and the first two years of college at the same time which is like getting two years of free college. Another feature we all like is that it's a smaller school with excellent teachers, principal and staff. He wanted the challenge and we are confident that he will succeed. He loves it there! Happy child means happy parents. 😄

I've been packing lunches daily which is honestly a joy since I'd thought he might prefer school lunches in the future. They have been mostly lunches which were simple, quick and easy. Nikolai has always been a small eater, and he prefers a little bit of of this and a little bit of that in his lunchbox. I have a few lunchboxes which I go to whenever I am in a hurry and one of them is our Planetbox! The main reason is that I LOVE their divided compartments! Also, we have had our Planetbox since Nikolai was in Elementary school, and it's still in perfect condition. It's easy to pack, easy to wash, very durable and I'm confident it will last for many years to come!

I've combined several lunches I have packed for Nikolai in his Planetbox into this one post. They are quick and easy lunches which he had enjoyed a while back.

I'll try to describe what we included when packing each of these lunches.

Bento lunch 1: Main compartment contains a sandwich with bear shaped cheese cut outs. I usually switch around the cheese and lunchmeat for his sandwich fillings. Sometimes it may also be PB&J, cream cheese or other spreads. Sides are apple slices, cucumber slices, baby carrots, Annie's organic fruit snacks and goldfish crackers.

Bento lunch 2: I believe this was packed by my hubby, he loves to cut the bread into this shape. Sides are applesauce, baby carrots, yogurt star and cheese crackers.

Bento lunch 3: Chococat topper on a simple sandwich, celery sticks (dip not pictured), apple slices, crackers and Annie's organic fruit snacks.

Bento lunch 4: It was half day at school and we packed a small lunch. Sandwich with a robot cupcake ring, grapes and crackers in our favorite square silicone cup. This lunch was packed in our smaller Planetbox Shuttle.

Bento lunch 5: Low on groceries lunch = pack what we can find in the fridge and pantry! Sandwich, crackers, string cheese, fruit snacks and rice krispies treat.

Bento lunch 6: Tortilla wraps and a cheese stick in the main compartment. Sides are grapes, peach slices, fruit snacks and goldfish crackers.

Bento lunch 7: Another low on groceries lunch! High five stamped on sandwich, applesauce, cheese stick, Annie's organic fruit snacks and cheese crackers.

Bento lunch 8: Superman themed lunch with superman cupcake ring, yogurt, grapes, Babybel cheese and baby carrots.

Bento lunch 9: Panda mini pocket sandwiches which I used our Cutezcute stamper/ cutter to create, grapes with cute Panda picks, choc chips, popcorn and yogurt.

Bento lunch 10: Again, either we are low on groceries or running late. Crackers, cheese slices, grapes and strawberry crepe.

As you can see, I do not always pack fancy lunches. Most days are leftovers or breakfast for lunch which I never bother taking pictures.

Below is a collage that I made for those who might like to pin. All packed in our durable Planetbox.

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