International Chocolate Day Balance Bar Giveaway!

Today is International Chocolate Day! It's the perfect day to give away some indulgent exotic chocolate healthy treats from Balance Bar! They recently sent me some of their delicious Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars & new Dark Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Bars to enjoy & have offered to send a box of the same to one lucky reader :)

 

We've tried the Dark Chocolate Crunch Balance Bars before - they're now one of Bella's favourite energy snacks - but the Caramel Macchiato flavour is new! Caramel Macchiato is Sailor Boy's favourite coffee shop drink, and Bella's just crazy about all things caramel, so both were excited to try one. And you know I had to put them in a bento lunch :

I packed Bella's in a LunchBots Trio - the Balance Bar fits perfectly!  I also packed some grapes, ham & cheddar roll-ups, & broccoli florets. I added some sweet touches to this healthy lunch with candy & chocolate bento picks :) And can't forget the Lunchbox Love! I can always find the perfect note. This one's from one of the new Lunchbox Love for Kids Riddles - the riddle side asks:

"Why does a flamingo lift up one leg?"

Answer: Because if it lifted up both legs, it would fall down! :)

I'll post Sailor Boy's lunch later this week - but I'll tell you now that he did say the Caramel Macchiato was awesome :)

I've recently started eating gluten free myself, and my on-the-go snack options have been feeling the impact - so I'm very happy that I can have both the Dark Chocolate Crunch & Caramel Macchiato Balance Bars. The Caramel Macchiato perfectly combines the rich flavour of roasted coffee & the sweetness of caramel, and the Chocolate Crunch hits the spot with a smooth layer of dark chocolate over a crunchy cookie base. They're both filling & delicious! There's also a gluten free Dark Chocolate Coconut Balance Bar that I'm pretty sure I'll love :)

Here's some nutrition info & a closer look:

• Gluten Free
• 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Cocoa
• 180 Calories
• 13g Protein
• 4g Fiber
• Balanced 40-30-30 nutrition (What's that about? Click here)
• 7 Vitamins & Minerals
• Excellent Source of Antioxidants

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Here's your chance to win a box of these yummy bars!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Today is also Roald Dahl Day, in honour of the beloved children's book author's birthday. I find it very fitting that Dahl Day & International Chocolate Day share a day, since one of Dahl's best-known books is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - which is celebrating it's 50th anniversary, by the way :) I'll definitely be celebrating both days today - by enjoying both a Dark Chocolate Crunch & a Dark Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Balance Bar ;)

P.S. Check out yesterday's Dahl-icious lunches, they're part of a Roald Dahl Day Blog Hop!

Disclosure: I was provided with Balance Bars to sample. All opinions are my own :)  
Giveaway Terms: U.S. entries only. One (1) entrant per household please! Prize provided by Balance Bar

A Beautiful Lunch

Bella has a Thermos Funtainer of cheese ravioli in tomato sauce for lunch today, and a LunchBots Trio packed with her choice of sides - cherry & sunburst tomatoes, Ritz crackers, & a carrot stick. I added flower bento picks & a little rainbow container with a few dried strawberries in it :)

Stuff I used in today's lunch:

Pokémon Bentos - Gotta eat 'em All!

Today I packed Pokémon lunches for my school-bound sproutlets!

Pickle got a Pokéball peanut butter sandwich:

Pickle also had yogurt, juice, and a cookie, not pictured.

Beanstalk & Bella got LunchBots bento boxes.

Beanstalk's Trio contains:

• a Pokéball apple
• honey ham rolled & skewered with Pokémon picks
• Veggie Stix
• almonds in a LunchBots Dips cup

Bella's Quad contains:

• grape tomatoes with a Pikachu cupcake pick
• turkey, cheddar & white cheddar tortilla roll-ups with a Skitty cupcake pick
• carrots & califlower
• almonds in a LunchBots Dip cup

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Beanstalk & Bella love Pokémon. They even dressed as Pokémon trainers Ash & Dawn last Hallowe'en:

I dedicate today's lunches to my friend Nina of Mamabelly's Lunches with Love, who I know has also waffled over whether or not to post unsatisfactory photos of otherwise cute lunches ♥ I can't wait for my "real" camera to be repaired, the iPhone just isn't cutting it! Not in my hands anyways :)

I bet Bella loved her lunch, but I'm glad I had those cupcake picks to add an instant Pokémon theme so easily! Saved me from having to attempt something more skill-testing like the bentos my friend Keith of Oh!Bento makes ;) Click the pics below to visit his blog - Gotta catch 'em all!

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Today's lunches featured:

Happy Monday!

I packed a smiley apple half in my Beanstalk's LunchBots Quad. The X's for eyes don't mean anything, I was just playing with my v-cutter tool :) He also has grapes, peppered beef jerky, & cheese crackers.

The folks at Fiber One sent us some boxes of chewy granola bars to try. Both Beanstalk & Bella liked them, and we've tried all the flavours now.  I only wish I could buy them unwrapped so they'd be trash-free, but they are convenient for Beanstalk to stick in his pocket for an afternoon snack between classes.

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For Bella, I packed a thermos of tomato soup, and a LunchBots Trio of fruit, veggies, crackers & yogurt pretzels.

Her cantaloupe cubes are skewered with a pink flamingo cupcake pick, and the Sunburst & Cherub tomatoes with a pink flamingo cocktail pick. Both flamingos were gifts from fellow bento bloggers Lori of Pink 'n Punchy Lunches & Bobbi of Bobbi's Bentos, respectively - as part of a pick swap - fun!

Also fun - I found a Lunchbox Love note with a bit of flamingo trivia on it!

It's Cyber Monday! Lunchbox Love is offering 60% off everything on their site! Use coupon FB60THANKS at www.sayplease.com

Stuff used for these lunches: