Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A Goodbyn Bynto is hard to resist!

Last Saturday while walking through Target, we spotted some Goodbyn Byntos!

Sure, we already have two, but the blue was so sweet. We don’t have a blue one. Now we do. ♥ Goodbyn Byntos are hard to resist….. plus I was a little bit excited about already “knowing” all about the product. It’s exciting to be on the the up and up of all the latest and greatest!

#Goodbynbynto Lunches. Goodbyn Byntos are hard to resist!

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By Sunday my tiny princesses were already begging for some Goodbyn Bynto lunches. I must admit…. I was excited to pack them, too!

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We flipped a coin and tiny princess A got to use the new blue Bynto first. She had: Carrot coins, and a few tomatoes, ranch for dipping in the green sauce cup, all natural vanilla yogurt in the green Goodbyn sauce container, left over Mongolian BBQ from the night before with a cute panda pick to help her eat it, baby grapes and two raspberries, (we are still working on the fruit thing) two bite sized panda cookies, and a few honey wheat pretzel twists. ♥

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Tiny princess K chose the green Bynto. She thought it looked nice wit the blue. I agree. Her lunch consisted of the same items, except she had a panda shaped PB&J cut using our CuteZCute sandwich cutter. She also had a cutie orange instead of grapes and raspberries. Bananas are really the only fruit K will eat. Sometimes applesauce, but I’m not sure if that counts. I recently gave her a cutie orange to try and though she could not bear to swallow it down, (due to the texture) she did however find that she really liked the taste. Now, when she asks me to pack her an orange, she will put a whole segment in her mouth and sucks and chews all the juice from it. :) So, while it’s not my ideal way for her to consume the fruit, it’s a lot better than her not eating it at all. ♥

Some things I used to make these lunches…

Monday, July 29, 2013

Laptop Lunches for my tiny princesses (and friend)

If you remember, last Thursday my oldest tiny princess had a friend spend the night as part of her 10 year birthday celebration.  I made them all lunches in EasyLunchboxes. You can check the post out here. ♥ On Friday the asked me to make their lunches again! I was so excited. It feels really good to be packing lunch again.

Tiny princess A’s friend was pretty infatuated with our lunch box collection. She spent over an hour checking out each one, as well as all of the accessories we use to make lunch fun!  She asked if I would pretty please use the Laptop Lunchboxes. I did. :) Stay tuned, cause pretty soon I will be doing a Laptop Lunchbox review!

Tiny princess K’s lunch…

#LaptopLunches for my tiny princesses (and friend) Featureing #cutezcute garlic toast!

She had: Green beans with blue flower pick, four vanilla wafer cookies, bow tie pasta with pink kitty pick, pizza sauce with a bit of parmesan cheese on top for dipping, extra parmesan in the shooting star cup, all natural applesauce with sprinkles, two slices of garlic toast cut using our Cute-Z-Cute cutter from All Things For Sale, (the toast was a bit overdone so the slices were more like giant sized croutons, but the girls didn’t seem to care) colby cheese scraps underneath some cubed cuts, topped with a flower cutout and stem food pick.

Tiny princess S’s lunch…

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S’s lunch contained the exact same items as K’s. Hold the sprinkles, a little change in picks, and instead of the kitty face from the Cute-Z-Cute cutter, she chose the pig. ♥

Tiny princess A’s lunch…

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A’s lunch had a few more differences. She is not a fan of applesauce so we exchanged that with some all natural strawberry yogurt with a few berries on top. She is not much of a fruit eater, but she handles a few just to make her mama happy. A is not big on cheese either. She will eat it from time to time, but only when the mood strikes her. We switched out the cheese with some turkey rolls and added a flowerbed of picks to keep them together. She also decided on a different animal from the Cute-Z-Cute cutter. She chose the frog, so naturally we went with the frog food pick for her pasta. 

 

Some things I used to make these lunches…

Friday, July 26, 2013

EasyLunchboxes for the birthday girl and friends!

Two days ago, my oldest tiny princess celebrated her birthday. Not just any old birthday, it was a milestone birthday. She joined the double digit club! It’s so bitter sweet to me. I adore watching her grow into a beautiful young lady, but I miss her baby days with all my heart!

This post contains affiliate links

EasyLunchBoxes for the birthday girl and firends!

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I don’t know about yours, but in our family,  you don’t just have a birthDAY….. No way! It’s a birthWEEK around here! What can I say? We love any chance we get to PARTAY!

Yesterday’s portion of the celebration included tiny princess A being allowed to have a friend spend the night. It was no surprise who she chose. A & S are FOREVER friends for sure. ♥  Tiny princess S was set to arrive right around lunchtime so I thought it would be fun to make up a few Birthday Bash Bentos!

Deciding which boxes to use was a no brainer! Fabulous EasyLunchboxes, of course! In brights! ♥♥ This way all the boxes were the same AND I was able to color coordinate them to each tiny princess!

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First up, lunch for the birthday girl! Here is what she had…

  • Honey Roasted Turkey and butter sandwich. I used the super fun cake sandwich cutter from our Sweet Treats LunchPunch set to cut the sandwich I added a few sprinkles “glued” with butter to the top and some super fun letter picks to spell out “Happy Birthday”.
  • A few frosted animal cookies separated from the sandwich with a silicone divider.
  • In the blue “cake slice” silicone cup I added some overly dry carrots that desperately needed to be be eaten up and two cherry tomatoes turned birthday balloons with our fun food picks from All Things For Sale.
  • Pink sauce cup with ranch for dipping.
  • Small silicone cup (hidden by the EasyLunchbox mini dipper lid) full of small Colby cheese chunks.
  • The mini dipper contains all natural strawberry go-gurt that I removed from the tube. I also added more sprinkles…. cause what’s a birthday without em’?
  • Baby grapes and apples in the third and final compartment of our Easylunchbox.

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Tiny princess S (A’s friend) had a lunch consisting of all the same items. The only thing different was the sandwich. Her sandwich contained: Honey roasted turkey, mayonnaise, and mustard. (those are condiments that I NEVER get to pack for my picky princesses.) Since it wasn't  S’s birthday I decided to cut her sandwich using the cupcake from the same LunchPunch set. Of course I added sprinkles.  AND a mini pepperoni “cherry”.  Ugh! Those carrots look really awful. At least the girls didn’t complain. ♥

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Last, but certainly not least…. Tiny princess K’s lunch! (Sometimes it can be really hard being the birthday girl’s sister) K’s lunch contained most of the same items as well. The few changes were as follows: Turkey and cheese sandwich cut with the cupcake LunchPunch, and her fruit side was a bit different too. She had raspberries instead of baby grapes with her apple slices. To be honest she doesn’t care for any of the 3 fruits I included. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, If I don’t continue to offer her these things she may never learn to enjoy them. She ate one apple slice, but that’s it. Babysteps.

All in all it was a lunchtime success! I even overheard tiny princess S tell Allison that she was going to ask her mom if they could pay me to make her lunches when school resumes in the fall! :)

The girls loved their lunches so much they even asked me to make some again today! ♥

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Some things I used to make these lunches…

Monday, July 22, 2013

PlanetBox Shuttle Review! 4 lunches that are out of this world!

It’s no secret! You know here at tiny princess lunch box we LOVE our PlanetBox lunch systems! Imagine our delight when we were given the opportunity to review their latest product……

PlanetBox Shuttle review. Four lunches that are out of this world!

We currently own, two complete Rover systems that we purchased at the beginning of last school year, one complete Launch system that you all helped us win in PlanetBox’s Rover photo contest, and now, the fabulous team at PlanetBox has provided us with their super cute, new Shuttle complete system to review for our readers.

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Just like the Rover and the Launch, the PlanetBox Shuttle comes with it’s own set of fun magnets. We received the Alien design for review and it is the cutest thing EVER! My tiny princess are in love. It’s so adorable, they didn’t even notice that their wasn’t a hint of pink anywhere to be found! ♥♥ The other designs include, Purple butterfly and ladybug, (this will most likely be our next PlanetBox purchase) Red day at the park, and a super cool design your own magnet set! How fun!

Each Shuttle complete set retails for $39.95 and includes, one Shuttle stainless steel lunchbox, one set of magnets, one Tall Dipper, and a super cute carrying bag. I definitely think the sleek carrying bag is a must. There is just enough room for a thin ice pack and it won’t take up much room in your child’s backpack. The only downfall to this bag for us is that there is no room for a drink holder. We don’t mind that too much though, sometimes my tiny princesses really LOVE to take 50 cents with them to school so that they can have a chocolate milk with their lunches.  In case you already have a lunch bag that you like to use…. No worries, the Shuttle is also available without the bag for  $34.95 and includes one Shuttle stainless steel lunchbox, your choice of magnet design, and one Tall Dipper. So.  you might be thinking to yourself that the Shuttle is a little on the pricey side, but I’m here to tell you that all of the PlanetBox lunch systems are more than worth their cost. When taken care of properly, the strong durable design could easily follow your child through his or her whole school career! 

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Just like it’s elders, (Rover and Launch) the PlanetBox Shuttle is made from durable stainless steel material. (Which I think is just “cool” in itself) The Shuttle and the Dipper are both dishwasher safe and super easy to clean up. I don’t know about you, but that is a HUGE selling point for this mama!
The Shuttle features an easy open easy close clasp that is just right for your tiny royalty to work with. The PlanetBox Shuttle is quite a bit smaller than the Rover and Launch, but we were pleasantly surprised at just how much this lunchbox could hold.  Perfect for a hearty snack or a light lunch, It’s 3 cup capacity is made up of two compartments. The larger compartment can handle a full size sandwich with ease, and the smaller compartment is great for fruits, veggies, and or sides. The included Tall Dipper is great for “leaky” foods or dips, such as…. juicy fruits, ranch dip,  dressings, ketchup, yogurt, (a tiny princess favorite ♥) or pretty much anything you don’t want to drip on the rest of your meal. Want to know my favorite part about ALL PlanetBox products? They eliminate the need for plastic bag snack bags, and individual packaged products. Thus being super eco friendly and they save you money. I also love the portion control that they create. Great for those watching their calorie intake, or those just wanting to eat better all together!

So, how did we put our Shuttle to use? Well, it was REALLY hard not to be inspired by the sweet alien design, so we decided on four “Out Of This World” lunches that my tiny princesses gobbled right up. I must admit that these four lunches took place in a matter of two days. That’s right! My tiny princesses LOVED this meal container so much, that as soon as I was finished packing the first lunch for my oldest tiny princess, her younger sister pleaded with me to let her wait for her lunch until her sister was finished using the new tiny PlanetBox. I happily obliged, and the next day, history sort of repeated it’s self.

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Tiny princess A’s “Starry” lunch included: A round moon salami sandwich with star cutout, celery and carrot sticks, star shaped cucumber slices with salt and pepper, baby grapes on star picks, space goldfish crackers, and all natural vanilla yogurt with star sprinkles. ♥

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On the same day tiny princess K had a lunch that was truly out of this world!

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She had: Meatball “Moon Rocks” with star picks, ketchup for dipping in the shooting star sauce cup, half of a star shaped hard cooked egg, (with yolk removed) “Blue Moon” vanilla  yogurt with star sprinkles in the Tall Dipper, a few carrot sticks and a broccoli stalk, ranch for dipping in the yellow sauce cup, space themed goldfish crackers, and a sliced kiwi alien made with celery stalk antennas, premade icing eyes, and strawberry tip mouth. ♥
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The next day tiny princess A came to me and exclaimed that she had a brilliant idea for a PlanetBox Shuttle “brunch”. She asked me if I could pretty please make her some green scrambled eggs. YUCK! She said…. “Just trust me, mom!” and I did….

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Allison’s brunch contained: A super creepy green scrambled egg alien with icing eyes, celery stalk antennas, and a blueberry mouth, a few carrot sticks, ranch for dipping in the green sauce cup, colby cheese chunks, “flying saucer” tortilla rounds, (cut with a fairly small circle cookie cutter) all natural vanilla yogurt with star sprinkles, and a silicone star cup full of fresh raspberries and blueberries. We really don’t have any fun alien lunch supplies, so A decided we should make a couple of food picks. She chose 2 designs she liked and we printed them out an glued them to tooth picks.

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Tiny princess K’s Shuttle lunch came a little later in the day, and included an “experiment” of sorts…. Experiment 626 to be exact! ♥

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Her lunch contained: Carrot and celery sticks, ranch dressing in the Stitch sauce cup, chunked colby cheese, two mini Stitch salami and cheese sandwiches, (one stacked on top of the other) raspberries and blueberries in the Tall Dipper, and a few space goldfish crackers in the Stitch silicone cup. ♥

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You see? I told you it could hold more food than you thought. All of these meals were more than a substantial size lunch for my tiny princesses. When finished, nobody declared they didn’t get enough to eat!
I can honestly and truly tell you that I can’t think of anything to say that would make you consider NOT buying this lunch system. It is truly fabulous! I of course needed to consult the tiny princesses before finishing any review….. They give the PlanetBox Shuttle,  5 out of 5 crowns and have definitely given it the t.p.l.b. stamp of approval!  Well done, PlanetBox! Well done!

The generous people at PlanetBox provided us with this product for review. No other compensation was given for this post. All views and opinions expressed are my own or that of my children. This post does contain affiliate links.

Some things I used to make these lunches….

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Hey! That’s not a lunch box!?!?!

 

In light of the new school year getting ready to start, I thought I would stray away from the usual lunch box posting for a moment. Don’t worry, this post will still contain a box…. it just won’t have any food in it. ♥
Do I have you wondering yet?

I’m not sure how many of you know that before Tiny Princess Lunch Box, I had a different blog…. In Place Of Her Crown. Would you believe that there was no lunch on there? At. All. Crazy right? I won’t go too much in to detail about “the other” blog. It’s been abandoned. (don’t worry, I won’t do that here for a looooooong time) Anyway, there is still a few interesting things on there. I was thinking that from time to time I may share some of the good stuff here. This post for instance……

Enter: “The Homework Box”

Practical yet super fun!

Three years ago, when tiny princess A was in second grade, her teacher sent a note home right before winter break.  It was all about how busy family life has gotten and how important it is to keep organized with homework. It stated that it really doesn’t matter where you do your homework, only that if you were organized and had the right supplies it could get done. Whether at home or while waiting for your next dance class to start…. (and you all know that my tiny princesses dance A LOT!) all you need is a homework box to get the job done!  I tucked the paper away thinking that I would make each of the girls a “homework box” for Christmas. This would be a super CUTE back to school gift but since I just got the idea Christmas it is! (this is obviously copied and pasted from the “other blog”. Bear with me on the timeline here.) ;)
Here’s what you need to make your own homework box…..
Containers big enough to hold the essentials but still small enough to be taken on the go
I found mine at Walmart and they work perfectly

Homework Box
 
You can label your box or leave it plain.  I chose to label ours since I have to make two and labeling=no fighting around here! I used Vinyl cut with my cricut, but any permanent marker or paint marker or sticker label would work great.

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You will also need some age appropriate school supplies. In this case I used the list that the teacher suggested. (Tiny princess A was in second grade at the time, but her list has mostly stayed the same through the years.) I was going to put some coloring books and more age appropriate things in the little sister’s box but I knew that if they didn’t have the “same” supplies in their boxes that would just be a headache for me! “Why didn’t I get a stapler? or why don’t I get fun coloring books in my box?” Just like the labels, same items=no fighting. Here is what we used….. Feel free to change up your list as needed.
  • Markers
  • Lined Paper
  • Crayons
  • Colored Pencils
  • Pencils
  • Erasers
  • Pocket Folder
  • Highlighters
  • Scissors
  • Glue Sticks
  • Pencil Bag
  • Pencil Sharpener
  • Ruler
  • Stapler/Staples
  • Clipboard
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Now, my favorite part! I have always wanted to try to make a fancy clipboard but to be honest with you, I never really had a reason for one until now. I LOVE the way they turned out and my tiny princesses loved them too! They were so simple. There are a ton of tutorials on how to make these cuties, out there in blog land, but I just went with basic knowledge.

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I don’t have pictures of the process but here is what I did….
  • Make a template of your “naked” clipboard so that you know where to cut your paper to go around the clip part of the board.
  • trace your template out onto the paper of your choice. (the possibilities are literally endless here)
  • spread mod podge with a brush onto your clipboard and adhere your paper. I used a small rolling pin to smooth out any bubbles. Let dry
  • Add an additional coat of mod podge to the top of your paper to finish.
  • when it’s all dry you can add ribbon for added cuteness to the clip. I have seen them done with ribbon tied to cover the whole clip which is adorable but, I thought that it may get in the way and frustrate my girls, so I just added a few to each side. Still cute, right?
The whole point of this box is to always have everything you need on hand. No more searching for sharpened pencils or a pair of scissors. No more using school crayons for coloring crayons. No more stealing the kids scissors cause you can’t find your own. (guilty)  right????? Hmph! In my house I would be lucky if this box stayed complete for 5 minutes. That’s why I decided to add the homework box checklist. I drew up some school supplies and turned them into graphics on my computer, added them to sheet I created in photoshop, threw  some stickers in the box so the sisters could keep track of what they had and wala! Hopefully a way to keep these boxes organized and well stocked! It will be the girl’s responsibility to inform me when they need to be restocked and (I think) it will make them feel like they are an important part of keeping things together.

Here is the supply checklists I created.  The layout is a bit different for these since I ended up losing all of my original saved templates. :( Feel free to grab it and use it as you wish. Please just tell others where you got it. Don’t think our supply list is right for you? This chart should be generally easy to edit in photoshop or other photo programs. Just white out our list and add your own! ♥♥ You should be able to just right click on these and save them to your computer to print out later. The are meant to print on an 8.5”x11” sheet of paper.

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Last but not least add all of your homework items to your box. I laminated our sheets so that they can be used more than once. The stickers should peel off of the laminate with ease and the sheets can be used over and over. (we have been using ours for 3 years)  It would also be fun to make a craft or art box for fun things like coloring and painting. I haven’t done this yet, but plan to soon. ♥♥
 
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See that? It’s like a Bento box for school supplies! ;)