Back To School with yubo for my Bigger Boy!

This Back To School lunch I made for Pickle may be the last one of his that I blog! He's decided that now that he's in middle school, he's too old for themed bentos & shaped sandwiches, and wants plain lunches.  But I packed him this one (possibly) last special lunch anyways :)

He has a Babybel cheese with a check mark carved in the wax, Oreos with a chalkboard pick stuck in the frosting of one, yogurt with chocoladehagel (sprinkles), a notebook paper peanut butter sandwich embellished with food markers, stacked atop a second plain sandwich, & a Lunchbox Love note.

Everything pictured plus a drink, napkin, & spork is packed in his new, more grown up, yubo tote. It's less bulky than the yubo lunchbox, but still the perfect size for all the yubo containers, & more:

The yubo ice pack fits perfectly in the new soft-sided Tote, along with the same container combination as can be packed in the hard-sided yubo, as well as additional yubo container(s), accessories and/or a drink.

Something else that's new for middle school is that Pickle doesn't have an aide sitting with him,  encouraging him to eat tidily & helping him pack up when he's finished.  He likes to squish his food - it's an autism/sensory thing - plus he's neither the neatest of eaters, nor very good about remembering to put the lids back on his containers, & frequently brings home a messy lunch bag covered inside & out with smushed Oreo smears & spilled yogurt. So I was pretty thrilled with the ability to completely unsnap the yubo Tote & wipe it down, or even machine wash it. No scrubbing crud out of seams, yay!

I really like that when the yubo tote is completely unsnapped it becomes a placemat. Having a messy kid myself makes me more than a bit squeamish about eating on shared surfaces... who knows what germs are lurking there ready to leap onto my lunch, heheh... so this is a great feature for me :)

See all the lunchboxes & accessories yubo has to offer at getyubo.com

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Just in case anyone's wondering about the bottle in Pickle's lunch, it's this:

It's called Bot-L, by Fred & Friends, & it's one of his favourites.  I like it well enough - it doesn't leak - but it's not insulated, & I have to hand wash it...
so I don't love it quite as much as Pickle does ;)

Disclosure: I received no monetary compensation for this post. I was offered a complimentary yubo tote to review with no obligation to endorse. This post does contain affiliate links to products I used. All opinions & images are my own. 

Happy Bento! Lunches On the Go Book Giveaway

Today I'm happy to be sharing a bento from a new cookbook, Happy Bento! Lunches On The Go, by Anna Adden - and giving a copy away too!

There are a lot of bento ideas packed into this little book! And when I say little, I'm only referring to it's bento box sized dimensions of 15cm square... it's filled with 50 fun bento recipes covering themes for every season, holiday, special school days, & more.

Happy Bento! : Lunches On The Go is more of a how-to book than a traditional cookbook. It also features a guide to bento supplies, packing tips, & lists places to shop for bento gear. The author has spent several years building her own bento gear stash and shows how she organizes it all. The bento recipes are sorted into chapters according to theme. Each recipe lists the supplies needed, ingredients, & directions, however food amounts are not specified, so nutritional content is not given.

Bento makers who wish to replicate the bentos within will benefit from having a fairly extensive collection of bento tools and accessories, as most of them call for specific cutters and/or decorations to complete the theme... but those just looking for ideas and who don't mind deviating from the author's designs will find plenty to inspire them!  Anna demonstrates a variety of different techniques accompanied by detailed directions:

My girls & I chose to make the Spring bento.  The specialty tools needed for it were flower egg molds & a flower stem bento pick, which we have - and we even have a bento box the same size & shape as the one in the book!

I had never made carrot curls! Anna's step by step instructions were clear though & it was easy! I love how they look as flowers.

We made a few changes to the bento ingredients - no beans because my picky sproutlets said no way, grapes instead of blueberries, and watermelon instead of cantaloupe, because that's what we had in the fridge.  It's all good. Here's my Spring bento next to the Happy Bento one :)

I learned something while colouring the tulip egg - always mix the food dye before placing the egg in the water! I started out all right, mixing a drop of red & yellow to make an orange tulip, then adding the egg to the dye water - but then I decided to add another drop of red to make it a darker orange, and you can see streaks where the dye swirled in the water :)

Ah well, if you've ever been to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (near where I live) you know that there actually are variegated tulips in just those colours :) Oh, and at my sproutlet's request, I coloured the center of my flower with food markers rather than exposing the yolk as in the example in the book. My girls were very happy with the Spring bento they got to share :

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Enter my Happy Bento! Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be drawn & announced August 22nd. Check back here, follow me on Facebook, or check your email to see if you've won - the winner will have 48 hours to respond & claim their prize before I draw again!

Don't want to wait or take your chances? Happy Bento! : Lunches on the Go is available at Amazon.com & book sellers everywhere.

Disclosure: Other than a complimentary copy of the book to review, I received no compensation for this post. This post does contain affiliate links to products I used.  

Christmas Everyday Bento Giveaway!

Just in time for Christmas! I'm thrilled to be giving away 2 copies of one of my favourite cookbooks ever, Everyday Bento by Wendy Thorpe Copley. This beautiful book, written by the author of one of my favourite blogs, Wendolonia, would make a wonderful gift for anyone who packs a lunch for their family or even themselves :)

I just LOVE this book! Aside from being gorgeous to look at, everything in it is completely do-able for just about anyone. The lunches are kid-friendly, made with ingredients even my picky sproutlets will eat :) The recipes are more than text directions & a photo of a finished bento; Wendy shows us step by step how to create every detail, with clear, colourful photos. She also explains the basics of bento packing, the techniques, the tools, the gear, & gives ideas for what to put on your grocery list. There's even a list of foods sorted by colour! Everyday Bento is THE book I recommend to anyone interested in packing fun lunches. Whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned bento packer, you'll find inspiration in Everyday Bento!

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I was inspired by the festive Christmas Gift Bento Box! My version is slightly modified for my sproutlet's preferences & the bento accessories I have - I realized that I do not own a Santa pick! What?! I must get one :)

I used a Merry Christmas pick instead of a Santa. I did have leftover ham! I cubed it with FunBites cutter. I subbed raspberries & honeydew melon for the pomegranate & kiwi.  Instead of crackers, I cut up a tortilla to stack with the cheese, but kept the red pepper ribbon, which I affixed to the top slice with a bit of cheese spread.

I also added some cucumber slices cut with a holly leaf cookie stamp, & cut some red pepper circles for a holly berry & stacked them together using more cheese spread. I filled the bottom tier of the Fit & Fresh Lunch Pak Carrier with popcorn, a cloth napkin, spork, & a Lunchbox Love for Christmas note. Bella loved it!

This festive bento was so easy to make, & quick! I find what takes up the most time when packing a bento is figuring out what to put in it, where to put it, & how to achieve the look. Everyday Bento does that for me & shows the steps for putting it all together! Love it ♥

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Here's your chance to win a copy for yourself or to give as a gift!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 2 winners will be drawn & announced the morning of December 17th. Check back here, follow me on Facebook, or check your email to see if you've won - the winners will only have 24 hours to claim their prizes so there's (hopefully) enough time to deliver them by Christmas!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. I was offered a complimentary copy of Everday Bento to review but declined it as I already have a copy :) This post does contain affiliate links to products I used. All opinions & images are my own. 

Fit & Fresh & CuteZcute Koala Bento!

The folks at Fit & Fresh recently offered to send me some of their fantastic chilled lunch containers. I've had one small Fit & Fresh chilled container for a few years now - it's one of Beanstalk's favourites (see it in this post), so I'm familiar with Fit & Fresh's overall quality and their ice packs that snap into the lid, and was thrilled to say "yes, please" to getting more :) They sent me the Lunch Pak Carrier, the Dip N' Dunk Snack Container, and the Bento Lunch Kit, in which I packed this koala bento for Bella:

All the Fit & Fresh chilled containers have their own ice packs that snap into the lids. The bento lunch kit has 2! Very handy if you want to keep one side cold but not the other. The bento kit also comes with 2 lidded containers, or "pods", that fit into the small sections - perfect for packing runny foods, or foods you don't want getting condensation from the ice pack. I put a cloth napkin over the koala sandwich on the open side to keep it dry. 

The cloth napkin is from Beneficial-Bento, who, incidentally, happens to be a big fan of Fit & Fresh, and recently created a Pinterest board for meals packed in Fit & Fresh containers. Maybe she'll pin this post :)

To make the koala sandwich I used 2 very versatile CuteZcute tools, the Cuddle Palz Sandwich Cutter & Cookie Stamp Kit for the koala itself, & the new Fun Vegetable Cutter Set, for it's cheese moustache. (It was still "Movember" when I packed this bento - I'm really behind!) The 6 piece set also includes cute flower, butterfly, house, face, & top hat cutters :)

I tucked some pepperoni stick "bamboo" next to Bella's cute koala cheese sandwich. In the side containers I packed carrots & tomatoes, & grapes embellished with koala picks. Beside the koala sandwich I packed a little container of ranch dip for the veggies, & a box of dried cranberries - which inspired my choice of Lunchbox Love note (from our Thanksgiving volume).

The Fit & Fresh Bento Lunch Kit fits perfectly in it's included insulated chiller bag, which comes in a variety of colourful prints. Bella loves our bag's "Woodstock" print - it's cute but not childish, & her favourite colour!

The next day, Bella chose to have pizza at school, but took some veggies & dip as a side dish. The Dip N' Dunk Snack Container was perfect for that.

Like the other Fit & Fresh Chilled Containers,  the Dip N' Dunk has a snap in ice pack, but with a neat-o feature; it surrounds the dip well!

The lidded dip well holds 2 tablespoons in the centre of a tray in the top of the 1 cup capacity cube.  Plenty of room for enough fresh veggies for Bella's side dish. It would also be great for yogurt dip & fruit, or corn chips & salsa or cheese dip! I can think of lots of snack possibilities for the Dip N' Dunk :)

Hopefully I'll share the Christmas bento I packed in the Lunch Pak Carrier within the next couple of days. The 2 tiered box comes with an ice pack that can be snapped into the lid or under the top tier, as shown below.

All the Fit & Fresh containers are microwave, freezer, & top rack dishwasher safe (I recommend no heat dry or sanitize cycle though). They're easy for the littles to open, & \seem to be as durable as the one we've had for years that has been banged around plenty :)

Fit & Fresh containers are Sproutlet approved!

Lunchbox Love for Teachers!

Sunday October 5th was World Teachers' Day. Thank you, teachers!

The start of this school year was a bittersweet one for my Bella, who was excited to be starting middle school yet sad to be leaving elementary. She's especially going to miss her 5th grade teacher, who really inspired her & made school & learning so much fun! ♥ The younger sproutlets still attend that elementary school, so Mia Bella does have an opportunity to see her favourite teacher from time to time, if she's with me when I pick them up.

With help from the lovely folks at Say Please, who contributed the Lunchbox Love, we put together a cute thank you gift for her beloved teacher. We filled a Be Kind Mug with a Lunchbox Love for Teachers set, & added a fun ruler themed notepad. Middle school lets out earlier than elementary school, so Bella walked over & met me there to deliver her gift. Her teacher loved it! She's familiar with Lunchbox Love notes, from the ones I put in Mia Bella's lunches, & was thrilled to have some to share with her class :)

Lunchbox Love for Teachers sets includes these 2 volume sets:

• Lunchbox Love for Class Motivation
• Lunchbox Love for Class Kindness
• Lunchbox Love for Class Birthdays

Each 2 volume set includes 24 cards, hopefully enough for a whole class. Any or all of them would make a thoughtful gift for a teacher you know!
Say Please often has a special deal on their home page, but if not, you can use my coupon code, BENTON, for 15% off :)

A big thank you to Bella's teacher, and teachers everywhere! 
I'm so grateful that ALL my little ones have been fortunate to have wonderful teachers who make their school days pleasant as well as educational ♥ 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. Say Please provided me with Lunchbox Love notes purely out of generosity & to do as I pleased with, & I purchased the mug & notepad myself :)

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

Pin this!

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

Back To School Giveaway: Lunchbox Love!

I love our Lunchbox Love for Kids notes, they're a fun way to connect with my sproutlets while they're at school, and we often enjoy discussing what their cards said when I pick them up.  They sometimes tell me that their whole lunch table enjoyed the fun trivia or joke as well :) I'm so pleased to be able to share some of that Lunchbox Love fun, with a giveaway! 

The folks at Say Please have generously offered to send one of my readers 4 volumes of Lunchbox Love for Kids, & the 2 volumes of the new Lunchbox Love for Kids Riddles! That's 72 Lunchbox Love notes, awesome!

We love the new Lunchbox Love for Kids Riddles!

Just like the original Lunchbox Love for Kids, the new Riddles cards feature positive messages on the front, but instead of a fun fact or joke on the back, these cards feature a tricky riddle (and answer) that's sure to entertain your child & their lunch companions :)

You may recognize this lunch I packed for Bella,  I shared it earlier this week in a round up of lunch box note bentos, but I didn't mention that the Lunchbox Love note I included is from Volume 1 of those new Riddles :)

Bella & her siblings had fun trying to guess the answer to the riddle on the back of her Lunchbox Love, & made some funny guesses before Bella got it! And the message on the front made her smile right away :)

Do you know a riddle, joke, fun fact, or sweet sentiment you'd like to see on a Lunchbox Love note? Share it in the comments at the bottom of this post, then enter the Giveaway via the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect with the Lunchbox Love community via the Lunchbox Love Blog 

or follow them on Twitter ● Facebook ● Instagram ● Pinterest & Google+

Snoopy's You Can Be Anything! Review & Giveaway + Peanuts Christmas Lunches!

Our family was recently given the opportunity to try out a new interactive book app called "Snoopy's You Can be Anything!" and several copies of the app to give away too! We love Snoopy and the Peanuts gang ♥ I made Birdie a festive Snoopy themed muffin tin snack to enjoy after we read the book :)

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Snoopy's You Can Be Anything! 
Review & Giveaway

What a fun book & app starring our favourite loveable beagle Snoopy!

With sound effects, animation, and narration if you like, this interactive & customizeable app really brings Snoopy's inspiring message to life. In the story, Snoopy shows kids that they can be anything - a dancer, a surgeon, a grocery store clerk, a world-famous anything they can think of ... really! The professions aren't limited to what's on the page - in the app's Create Mode, kids can personalize the story, add their names, and even change Snoopy's costume! They can also save their story creations, or share them with family & friends through email, Facebook and Twitter :)

Birdie has been enjoying Snoopy's You Can Be Anything! so I'm very pleased to be able to offer 3 of my readers their own copy of the app, compliments of StoryPanda. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good Luck!

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Snoopy Christmas Muffin Tin 

It's Christmastime, so Birdie's tin has both a Snoopy and a holiday theme, with both healthy stuff and treats.  She has raspberries, mozzarella, carrots & popcorn decorated with bento picks & cupcake rings, graham stars & rainbow chocolate covered sunflower seeds (I think they look like Christmas lights) & a pouch of Snoopy gummy fruit snacks.  Oh, and eggnog in a Peanuts cup!

What Peanuts fan wouldn't love a snack of popcorn topped with the world's most famous beagle's smiling mug?

Here are a few more Peanuts Christmas Lunches 

by some of my bento blogger friends:

I'm in love with Organized Bites' sweet rosemary & tomato Charlie Brown tree, and starry Peace On Earth theme.

I'm really digging Becoming a Bentoholic's salami Snoopy doghouse, and the Christmas lights & character accents make it so colourful & cute.

Lunchbox Dad's festive Peanuts themed feast is filled with delightful details.

I asked my fellow bento bloggers if they had any Peanuts lunches to share...
Good grief, there sure are a lot of Peanuts fans among my bento friends!

I'm almost sorry I asked, heh ♥ So here are even more Peanuts lunches:

Snoopy Bento by Wendolonia

You Blockhead! by Bento For Kidlet

Charlie Brown Feast by Organized Bites

Great Pumpkin Kids Lunch by Glory's Mischief

Snoopy Kids School Lunch by Glory's Mischief

It's Been 63 Years, Charlie Brown by Organized Bites

Snoopy At Christmastime by What's In Our Lunch Bags?

The Peanuts Gang In A PlanetBox by Becoming a Bentoholic

It's Your Anniversary, Charlie Brown! by BentOnBetterLunches

It's the Geat Gumpkin Charlie Brown! by Dreams, Schemes & Bento Themes

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Bento by Dreams, Schemes & Bento Themes

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by What's In Our Lunch Bags?

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Becoming a Bentoholic

Happy Birthday, Peanuts! by What's In Our Lunch Bags?

A Snoopy yubo Bento by BentOnBetterLunches

Charlie Brown & Lucy Bento by Eclectic Lamb

Snoopy Autumn Bento by Bento, Monsters

Snoopy On A Winter Night by Bento Days

Snoopy Bento by Little Miss Bento

Snoopy Bento by Diana Rambles

Snoopy Bento by Eclectic Lamb

Happy Holidays!