Love and Flowers Lunch

Phew-colors are done!  While it is nice to have an occasional theme for lunch, it puts a lot more pressure on me.  I usually don't have a theme and instead go with what is in the fridge and pantry and just throw something together.  These are the lunches that get sent the most frequently to school because I value my sleep and do not want to get up any earlier than necessary.  Typically I put a lunch and snack together while Belli eats her breakfast.

Some quick tips to make your morning easier: 

1. Try and pre-plan your lunch the night before. (This is what I do in lieu of counting sheep)
2. Prep melons ahead of time. I cube some to eat for breakfast, snack, etc and leave a few slices so that I can easily punch out a few shapes in the morning.
3. Pre-wash and prep veggies. I leave a few whole, slice some and cut some in sticks-it is all about the variety.  To make the carrot hearts I sliced a V in the top of the carrot and then made a V on the bottom, then slice them and voila a little carrot heart!

 Hope that this makes it even easier to make yummy, FUN and healthy lunches!!!

Spinach Salad with Carrot Hearts and Balsamic Dressing, Mini Bagel with Cream Cheese and Salami, Watermelon Flowers, Pistachios, and Sour Gummi Colas.

Color of the Day Lunch-Rainbow

Sunshine Pizza's, Yogurt Cloud, Rainbow:Raspberries, Watermelon, Peach, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Kiwi, Blueberries, Purple Plumcot, Golden Peppers at the End of the Rainbow in a Snow Pea Field and Mini Chocolate Chips.

Color of the Day Lunch-Orange

Orange is another GREAT color when it comes to food. I could have been much more creative with this lunch, but I was feeling a bit under the weather and overslept, so this one was put together in haste!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich (I wrapped it in foil before closing her lunch to help keep it a bit warmer), Cheese Chex Mix, Cantaloupe Flowers with a couple Raspberries, Orange Bell Peppers,  and Orange Fruit Bunnies.

Color of the Day Lunch-Pink

I have a rather adventurous eater when it comes to my Belli, which makes lunches fun!  She ADORES fish! She likes it canned, smoked, streamed, baked, but her favorite way is raw, she really digs sashimi with just a bit of soy sauce.  She eats the fish first and then occasionally eats the rice if she is still hungry.

 For Pink Day I picked up her favorite three pink fish: Salmon, Tuna and, Shrimp and went and had lunch with my favorite girl!  I also brought along some Strawberries, Belli quickly reminded me that they are not pink. My excuse,"the insides are a shade of pink" and a pink cookie for dessert.

Color of the Day Lunch-Black and White

We can't have Black and White Day without the iconic Oreo cookie, which is also known in our house as Babu's Cookie. Babu is Belli's Granddad and she LOVES being able to share her Oreos with Babu!

White Queso with Hatch Green Chile Salsa and Black Beans, White Corn Chips with Flax Seeds, Black Grapes, Blackberries, White Peach with Black Plum Star and Black Plum with White Peach Star, Yogurt and Chocolate covered Pretzels and Mini Babu Cookies.

Color of the Day Lunch-Purple

Purple is Belli's Grandmom, Bibi's, favorite color!  I was thinking would be an easy color to work with for Belli's Bites.  I quickly realized that while it is a great color for fruit, there are few veggies that are purple and even fewer main courses.  So I went online and found a great recipe for:

Pasta with Purple Cauliflower at Rosemary and The Goat

 Pasta with Purple Cauliflower and Walnut Cream Sauce, Purple Grapes, Purple Figs with Blueberry Yogurt, and Purple Plumcots.  I did not have anything sweet for the center square, so Ms. K at school gave me some Purple Skittles to complete the meal! :)

Color of the Day Lunch-Green

When it comes to food-Green was a fun and easy day!  There are a TON of choices that could be used, this is what Belli was wanting for the day......

Pasta with Pesto, Green Grapes, Cucumbers, Snow Peas and Celery Salad (with Balsamic Dressing in the Fish), Kiwi, Pistachios and a few Mini Green Gummi Bears

Color of the Day Lunch-Blue

Blue is my absolute favorite color, it reminds me of the ocean and water which always seems to calm me. That being said, it is my LEAST favorite color for Color of the Day Lunch.  Think about it for a moment, how many blue foods can you think of that are naturally occurring?  Hard to do, isn't it?  I can only come up with 3-blueberries, blue corn and blue/purple potatoes. That does not make for an easy lunch.  I learned the hard way last year that Belli prefers not have her food dyed so that made it nearly impossible. She does not mind a little luster dust or edible glitter to add some color, thankfully! Here is what I came up with, 

let me know what  you think......

Hummus with Carrots, Blue Potato Chips, Blueberries, Blueberry Yogurt,  Goldfish, Blue Water Cream Cheese and Pretzel Fishing Poles (dip a pretzel in the water and then go fish) and some Blue Jelly Beans and a Hug!

BTW- I want to wish my baby sister a 

very Happy Birthday today!!!

Color of the Day Lunch-Yellow

The kindergarten at our school studies colors during the 1st few weeks of school.  To help support them they ask all the kids in the school to wear the color of the day.  I make Belli's Bites each day using that color.  Today's color is yellow which is pretty easy since there are lots of wonderful yellow foods found in nature!

Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Cheese and Pasta Sauce, Baby Corns, Yellow Tomatoes, Pineapple 

and a Yellow Starburst.

Sports Birthday Party

My best friends son just celebrated his 7th birthday. Belli wanted to help with the party by providing the cupcakes.  We are used to lots of flowers, glitter, pink and princesses in our house, so doing something for a young man's birthday made use have to switch gears.  The birthday boy loves all kinds of sports so we decided to make some sports ball cupcakes......

Chocolate Footballs and Basketballs

Vanilla Baseballs and Tennis Balls