A lunch of EGG-cellent proportion!

 

Not too long ago one of my super sweet readers left me a link on my facebook page for this EGG-cellent idea!

How incredibly cute and clever!! When I saw it I knew I HAD to try it out for my girls! What a perfect fun lunch to enjoy on the last day of school before the spring break vacation!

I mean seriously…. does it really get much more festive then that?!?! Super adorable, right? ♥

Each tiny princess has the same items (except for the sandwich fillings) carefully arranged in their own (thoroughly) washed carton of (thoroughly) washed plastic Easter Eggs.

Each egg carton contains…. three eggs filled with bite sized sandwich pieces cut using our FunBites Cube It. Tiny princess A had Nutella filling and tiny princess K had PB&J. The other eggs contained a few carrots, a sauce cup with ranch dip, some clementine orange slices, oyster crackers, a couple of squares of grape fruit leather, Jelly Beans for good measure and some all natural trix yogurt. I made sure that I tested the yogurt in the egg first. I assure you that the plastic egg that contains the yogurt has no holes and seals well enough that no yogurt will escape. I also threw in a few fun bunny and carrot food picks for some cute Easter flair! ♥

I originally planned on making this an “at home” lunch, but when I realized how well the egg cartons fit in our PlanetBox lunch bags, I couldn’t resist sending them off to school! How fun!

I wish I could be at school today to see their sweet faces when they realize that these are in fact, NOT a PlanetBox lunch! ♥♥♥

Thanks so much to Ginger for leading me to this awesome idea! I always try to give credit where credit is do, so I decided to do a search to find a few of the different places you can find this idea. I’m unsure of where it originated, but below are some links I was able to find. If you too, have done this Egg-cellent lunch please feel free to let me know and I will include your link with this list. ♥

http://kailochic.blogspot.com/search?q=easter+egg+lunch

http://www.neat2eat.com.au/blog/2013/02/27/easter-egg-carton-lunch/

http://dixiedelights.blogspot.com/2012/03/egg-celent-lunch.html

http://www.gluesticksblog.com/2012/03/easter-egg-lunch-hunt.html

 

Some things I used to make these lunches…

The Tiny Lunch Box Challenge

If there is one thing I love about this lunch making stuff, it’s a challenge. My #1 challenge that I like to take on is seeing just how much food can fit into a very small space.

My tiny princesses get 30 minutes to eat their lunches at school. When you’re chatty, as they are, that’s not a lot of time. It’s so hard for me to believe that there are schools out there that allow less time than that?!?!  Sometimes when I pack a large lunchbox they find themselves not having enough time to eat or even sometimes that they are just too full to continue.

We have quite a few adorable lunchboxes, (we just got a few new ones yesterday! Yay!) that some would find way too small to pack a big enough lunch in.

I’m no stranger to this challenge. It’s actually quite fun for me. Technically this isn’t my first lunch in this series…..

Remember this lunch?

It was one of my favorites and the perfect example of how sometimes a small lunchbox can pack a big lunch! Or at least big enough for tiny princess appetites! Click on the picture to go to the post.

 

Today’s lunches are in completely different boxes, but contain mostly the same items.

Tiny princess A’s lunch is packed in our new cute little petite turtle container made by Melissa and Doug. Find the link for purchasing below the post.

Here is what she had…

• pretzel sticks
• orange cuties (YAY!! A new food like!)
• mini saltine crackers
• a few Mott’s Medleys fruit snacks in the pink sauce container
• 2 tiny flower shaped nutella sandwiches with cute frog face impression (I thought it kind of looked like a turtle!) ♥
• veggie chips
• tiny cheese squares cut using our FunBites Cube It. The cute little frog face on the top cheese slice was made by coloring on the imprint part of the sandwich cutter with food markers and then stamped on the cheese. I can’t take credit for that idea. It’s been done before. And done quite well I should add. Check out this tutorial from Dina of What The Girls Are Having, but don’t stop there… you don’t want to miss the amazing “Pooh” lunch from Cristi of Bent On Better Lunches!
• I also included some Lunchbox Love!!

I can’t wait for her to get home and let me know if this was enough food for her or if I need to maybe try a medium sized box next time.

 

Tiny princess K’s lunch was packed in a box she has had her eye on for quite sometime. She ADORES pineapple so when she saw the Dr. Sears Nibble Tray she knew she HAD to have it!! I mean seriously…. how cute is this?!?! I’m thinking that if K can’t cheer someone up today, her lunch container surely will! ♥

Here is what she had…

• cuties oranges
• a few Mott’s Medleys fruit snacks
• banana slices
• small cheese squares cut with FunBites and stamped with a cute little bear face in the same manor as above
• mini saltine crackers
• 2 small circle shaped PB&J sandwiches
• veggies chips
• lunchbox love card

I am almost positive that this lunch will be plenty for tiny princess K. Even though the portions are tiny there are a lot of compartments for a great variety!

 

Mamas not doin’ so HOT!

I had just one series of simple tasks to accomplish this morning. Make two tiny princess lunches, take photos of two tiny princess lunches, and get said tiny princess lunches out the door and on the bus (with their rightful owners) ON TIME! 

Well, I managed the first, missed out on the second, and just barely made the last. By just barely, I mean I had negative seconds to spare. Our sweet bus driver may or may not have had to honk, not once, not twice, but three times as I hurriedly (and grumpily) put my camera down, practically threw our EasyLunchboxes at the girls and disappointingly admitted defeat. Some of you may not get this and some of you might, but I knew if I didn't redeem myself in someway,  I would be grouchy all day, and let’s face it, nobody likes an evil queen!

I decided since all my supplies were already out, and since it was due time I had a new blog post, I should make myself a lunch. So, I did. I was also encouraged by a great new linky party called Grown-Ups Gotta Eat hosted by fellow bento blogger Beth from A Boy And His Lunch! I really love this idea for weekly link party and hope to link up regularly from now on!

Here is my yummy lunch I am contributing this week…

 

Here is what I packed in one of our new EasyLunchbox brights containers…

• 2 heart shaped cheese quesadillas served over a bed of romaine lettuce. I included a taco bell hot sauce packet to use as a dressing for my lettuce and a dip for my quesadillas. I also think it was quite necessary seeing that my morning wasn’t all too “hot”! ;)
• Heart shaped hard cooked egg sliced in half and loaded with pepper
• frozen berries
• heart shaped carrots made using my FunBites Luv It
• a few raisins in the small blue sauce cup

I’m happy to report that this lunch was delicious! Yup, that’s right! I was so hungry, I decided to eat it for breakfast instead! ♥ 

Be sure to go check out all the other adult “happy meals” over at A Boy And His Lunch!

some things I used to make this lunch…

Tiny princesses pack lunch!

My tiny princesses are home from school today in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. Well, actually they are not home. They are at grandma and grandpa’s house. They have been there since Saturday night. It sure has been quiet around here.

So, no lunches today, but remember the kid made meals I mentioned in my FunBites review and giveaway post? (click the link for your chance to win your own choice of FunBites cutter if you missed it) Well, today I’m going to share those lunches. BUT first I wanted to show you a photo of the delicious dinner my husband and I had last night……

Do those croutons look familiar? Yup! I couldn’t resist using my FunBites cutter to create crunchy, yummy, crouton-ey goodness once again! This time I used my Cube It cutter and it made the perfect most sophisticated crouton shape. Hmmm… can croutons be sophisticated? Yeah, I think they can. ;)

The rest of our salad consisted of: grilled chicken, sliced carrots, raisins, and shredded parmesan cheese, over a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. We also had some sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing to go on top, but there were so many yummy flavors going on I opted for a dressing-less salad. I guess that would make it naked! YIKES!

Alright then! Onto the tiny princess packing…….

If you remember from the previous post I decided to let my tiny princesses have some fun with the FunBites Luv It food cutter. After that, I made their day and let them pack their own lunches! If you could have only seen their sweet little faces when I told them to choose any picks and silicone cups that they wanted! Too cute!

Here is K’s lunch. She was so excited to put peas in her lunch. Well, a peapod silicone cup that is. Since she doesn’t really like the real thing. And cherries too. Another thing not on her list of likes. Maybe someday she will like the real thing. I hope so. ♥

Here’s what she packed in her Yubo lunch box…

• frozen yogurt stars
• applesauce with a few too many sprinkles
• FunBites Luv It stacked bite sized sandwiches
• fruit snacks
• Mickey pretzels
• chocolate covered sunflower seeds
• multigrain cheerios

I chose the Lunch Box Love note cause her lunch did just that…. it impressed me!

And here is A’s circus sandwich lunch…

 

Here’s what she packed, also in her Yubo Lunch box…

• bear shaped hard cooked egg
• FunBites Luv It stacked sandwiches
• animal crackers with nutella
• fruit snacks
• grapes
• and I have no clue what was in the green sauce cup :)

Tiny princess A chose her own LunchBox Love note. I think it was fitting. ;)

some things we used to make these lunches…

Fun with FunBites! Big taste tiny bites!

I’ve decided to break my Funbites review up into two posts. I can get a bit lengthy at times and since there are two different Funbites cutters I thought it would be a great idea to focus on one today and one tomorrow! ♥

 All leading up to my big (and very first) giveaway! That’s right! One of my fabulous readers is going to get the opportunity to win their choice of 1 Funbites cutter, (cube it or luv it) courtesy of Funbites! Isn’t that awesome? You all are going to love this! I promise!

What are Funbites?

Funbites are a nifty little kitchen gadget meant for easily cutting food into bite size pieces. They were designed by a fellow Mom and her children. ♥ Funbites are made in the USA, are BPA free and dishwasher safe! It doesn’t get much better than that!

Funbites encourage kids to try new things and were designed with even the pickiest children in mind. The possibilities are endless for making food fun! Try it on: sandwiches, pizza, cheese, waffles, pancakes, tofu, cheese, watermelon, hotdogs, and so much more!

Funbites cutters come in two choices, Cube it and Luv it. Each cutter is made up of two separate parts. The cutter and the popper.

photo courtesy of Funbites

How it works

Instructions from funbites.com

Step 1: Remove popper top and set to the side. Place Funbites cutter on top of food.
Step 2: Grab cutter handles on both sides, press down firmly and rock 5-6 times to cut through the food.
Step 3: Lift the cutter up, insert popper top and pop out the bite-sized pieces!

Now, this method works fabulous with most food items, however my friend, Cristi from Bent On Better Lunches has truly perfected the art of cutting sticky sandwiches with the funbites cutter to eliminate the mess.

Here is her advice on getting the perfect funbites cuts, on ooey gooey sandwiches. (think peanut butter and nutella) actually any sandwich really! ♥

Spread your ooey gooey sandwich filling on only one slice of bread. Don’t top it with another slice just yet. Take a second slice of bread which will end up being your top slice, and cut it with the Funbites cutter. Don’t push the pieces out yet. Next take the cutter with the bread pieces still stuck in the holes and place on top of your ooey gooey bread slice. Cut down a second time and rock back an forth per Funbites instructions.  This adheres your plain piece of bread to your ooey gooey piece. :) Now, finally go ahead and grab the popper to push out the sandwich bites. No fuss. No muss. No mess!

 

 

Onto the cube it in all it’s bite sized goodness!

One of my favorite things to do with the cube it has got to be, sandwiches on a stick! Come on, you know food is always better on a stick, right?

Today my tiny princesses had a half day of school. I really used this to my advantage to take lunch pictures in some natural light!

Both of my tiny princesses are also tiny cheerleaders.

I think I’ve mentioned that before.

My girls LOVE school spirit and have lots of it! It doesn’t hurt that their school has awesome school colors. We love Purple and Gold! ♥♥

This lunch is actually a lunch I have made them before, but it never got photographed…. or at least I don’t think it did. This time we decided to kick it up a notch with Funbites!

Enter School Spirit On A Stick!

 

It doesn’t get much “fun-er” than that! Hey, if my tiny princesses can make up words than so can I!

Here is how we did them…

Following the above directions courtesy of Cristi from Bent On Better Lunches, I used our Cube It FunBites cutter to create little bite sized Nutella sandwiches. I then rolled alternating bites in Purple and Gold (Yellow) candy glitter. I found the sweet little heart skewers on Amazon (link below post) and the purple and yellow ones were perfect for this lunch!

Here is the rest of what was in my tiny princesses lunch boxes today….

Here’s what they had….

• grape jello
• fruit snacks
• bite sized nutella sandwiches
• apple sauce for K grapes for A
• corn with extra pepper
• animal crackers with nutella for dipping
• frozen yogurt stars

Some things I did to make these lunches special…

• silicone cups are great for adding color and keeping food seperated
• long skewers go hand in hand with the funbites cutters
• small containers are great for condiments and other things you think may not work so great in a school lunch
• smaller food picks are great for helping to eat fun finger foods
• sprinkles in applesauce are a fun way to keep with theme and add more color
• a little drop of food coloring in yogurt adds fun flair. step it up a bit by freezing in silicone ice molds. sure they may be melted by lunchtime, but I always show my princesses their lunch in the morning before packing it up and freezing yogurt helps keep it cold throughout the day.

To sum up my review of the Funbites cube it…. I really LOVE it! It’s a fabulous way to make food fun and keep it interesting! It’s easy to use, easy to wash, and most definitely earns the tiny princess stamp of approval!

Stay tuned, cause tomorrow we are going to check out the Funbites luv it! I really think you’ll enjoy what I have in store for you. And guess what? It will prove that Funbites is not just fun for kids! ♥

Don’t forget, tomorrows post will also include a giveaway of your choice of Funbites cutter. The excitement is killing me! If you’re like me and have a hard time waiting for things you can head on over to Funbites now and purchase one for yourself! Use code ValentineFun for free shipping up to $10

In the meantime have you seen my funbites igloo? How fun!

Some things I used to make these lunches…

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My first lunches of 2013 and some exciting giveway news!

I know, I know! We are already well into the first month of 2013. So why am I just now sharing these lunches?

Because today’s lunches will be part of a special review and  a GIVEAWAY post! That’s right! I’m having my very first giveaway, which will kick off on Friday of this week! What’s it for you ask? Why, it’s none other than the super fun, often used in tiny princess lunch boxes,  Funbites sandwich/food cutters! YAY! So stay tuned you won’t want to miss it!

These lunches were not school lunches. They were home lunches. I get A LOT of questions from homeschool mamas about whether or not this type of lunch making is something they can still do? My answer to that is ABSOLUTELY!! In some ways I think it’s even better. Your lunches will always stay upright, meaning your cute little touches will always stay neat and tidy! ♥
So, here’s what we had for lunch….

Both girls had……

• turkey/cheese sandwich (hold the cheese for A)
• bbq potato chips
• hard cooked egg star and (sort of) heart
• string cheese cubed
• brown cow maple yogurt
• half of a peanut butter/chocolate wafer bar
• corn with lots of pepper
• packed in our fabulous EasyLunchboxes

Some things I did to make this lunch special….

• cut sandwiches using a super fun cutting tool called the CuteZcute! available at all things for sale
• sprinkles in yogurt adds a fun flair
• add cute food picks to aid in eating finger type foods
• silicone cups are great for adding color and keeping foods separated
• egg molds (when used correctly *note my heart*) add fabulous shape and character

want to make a lunch like this? Click the links to purchase  the same or similar items! ♥