Wednesday: Caprese Salad Kabob

For Wednesday's lunch I have grapes, snap peas, Wheat Thin Crisps, olive oil and sea salt almonds (for after school), a caprese salad cabob, and candy corn with blanched peanuts.  The kabob was easy to make...just three cherry tomatoes, 3 fresh mozzarella balls and some dried basil.  (Added to What's for Lunch Wednesday) 

Monday and Tuesday

Since this a short teaching week for me (a conference to attend on Thursday and professional development day on Friday...lunch provided both days), I'm just trying to use up leftovers in the fridge.  (Yes, I am getting tired of grapes...but they keep well, they were on sale, and they're easy to pack).

On Monday, I packed a granola bar (Nature Valley-all natural), Triscuit thin crisps, Laughing Cow sun dried tomato cheese, grapes, cucumber sticks, and a pumpkin-butterscotch cupcake.

On Tuesday, my lunch was quite similar...grapes, cucumber sticks, Laughing Cow cheese, Wheat Thins, olive oil and sea salt almonds, and a pumpkin-butterscotch cupcake.

Pumpkin-Butterscotch Cupcake

1 Yellow cake mix

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin

1 cup butterscotch chips.

(Mix all three ingredients together, bake cupcakes at 350 for about 15 min.)

What a week!

I knew that the school year would get busy :)  It always does.  Between hosting a film festival at school for our HS Spanish students and developing K-8 Spanish curriculum for younger students, I didn't have a chance to post any pictures last week.

I did, however, continue to make healthy, delicious lunches in my Planet Box.  It's funny...a lot of the other teachers at school remark that they wouldn't have time to make lunches like mine...but I tell them, that, really, I spend hardly ANY time making my lunches.

So...here they are...my lunches from last week...

On Monday and Tuesday, I had the same thing.  Grape tomatoes, kiwi, Triscuit thin crisps, cottage cheese, and a chocolate chip cookie bar.

Wednesday is the crazy day...I had a Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna bar at noon and grape tomatoes, grapes, Triscuit thin crisps, Laughing Cow Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese and a chocolate pumpkin cupcake.

On Thursday, I took grapes, snap peas, a left over ham and cheese pocket, veggie chips, and another mini chocolate pumpkin cupcake.

Finally, on Friday, I had grapes, snap peas, Triscuit thin crisps, cottage cheese and a (squished) chocolate pumpkin cupcake.

Not a ton of variety...but better than grabbing school lunch, a frozen meal, or worse...

These were amazing:

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes...

Ingredients:

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin

1 cup chocolate chips.

Mix the three ingredients together (don't prepare the cake mix...don't add oil or eggs...just mix the dry mix with the pumpkin)  

Pour into mini or regular cupcake pans.  

Bake at 350 for 15 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

You can also use a yellow cake mix with butterscotch chips.  I'll have a few of those next week...but I honestly prefer the chocolate.  

Wednesdays are my crazy-on-the-run-at-lunch day.  I ate the Luna bar (Chocolate Peppermint Stick) in the car, and had the rest (green beans, grapes, chocolate chips, Triscuit Thin Crisps, with Laughing Cow Sun Dried Mozzarella cheese) at the end of the school day.

Thursday's lunch was a bit more exciting...grapes, broccoli, Triscuit thin crisps, chocolate chips, mushrooms, and left over mini chicken-mozzarella-cheddar-rosemary quiches.

Friday, and still a fridge full of grapes :)...they were on sale :)  Triscuit thin crisps, colby cheese, red pepper strips, and chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels.

Tuesday

For Tuesday's lunch, I've packed grapes, broccoli, colby jack cheese, left over pasta tossed with a home made grape tomato sauce, and Trader Joe's chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels.

Monday's Lunch

Monday's Lunch:  Caprese salad in the Big Dipper, grapes, crackers, fresh green beans, and a small brownie.

Added to What's for Lunch Wednesday...

Thursday and Friday lunches...

 Thursday's lunch was pretty basic...things I've had before...grapes, snap peas, cheese, crackers, and peanuts and candy corn for a treat.

Friday's lunch was a bit more creative...well, the grapes, snap peas, and chocolate chips weren't anything new, but I added a celery stalk with peanut butter, and a chicken bruschetta pizza pocket (left over from Thursday's dinner.).

Another quick Wednesday lunch...

Tomorrow is Wednesday again, and that means lunch on the run.  I plan to eat the Luna Bar as I'm driving between schools, and the rest (Trader Joe's roasted Gorgonzola cheese crackers, celery with Laughing Cow french onion cheese, a honey crisp apple with cinnamon, and candy corn and peanuts) later in the afternoon.

Happy Tiffin Tuesday

I've LOVED using my Planet Box, but while packing my lunch for Tuesday, I realized that it just wasn't going to work.  So, I pulled out my Happy Tiffin.  I used this almost every day last year before I purchased the Planet Box.  I love that both products are stainless steel and they both have insulated carrying bags!

For tomorrow, I'm taking left over tamale casserole with some corn tortilla chips, grapes, snap peas, and a granola bar to eat after school. 

Added to What's for Lunch Wednesday...go check it out!

Monday again...

New week...new ideas.  Tomorrow, I'm taking sliced strawberries (nothing new there), some raw green beans, and chocolate chips.  As for "new" things...I have some whole grain baguette bread that I'll toast and rub with the garlic clove.  I have roasted red pepper bruschetta (in the Little Dipper) to put on the bread.  I'm also taking a celery stick with some Laughing Cow french onion cheese on it. 

Two lunches from last week...

The end of the week gets pretty busy...so in addition to never seeming to get photos posted here, my end of the week lunches are usually pretty similar to those earlier in the week.  :)  Thursday's lunch was similar to Tuesday (corn chips, taco meat, cheese, tomatoes, grapes, and snap peas), and Friday's lunch was the incredibly easy-to-throw-together carrots, cheese, crackers, strawberries, and Trader Joe's chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels. 

Wednesday

Wednesday is the craziest day of the week for me.  I have VERY little time to eat lunch, and the past two weeks, it has been around 3:15 that I've been able to sit down and eat.  Since I have to drive between two schools, I decided to pack a Luna Bar (it fits PERFECTLY in the compartment!!) to eat on the run, and the rest of the lunch will wait until 3ish.  That's just the way Wednesdays will have to be.  :)

Taco Tuesday...well, nachos...

After having tacos for dinner Monday night, I pulled together some leftovers for lunch.  In the PlanetBox I packed tortilla chips, freshly grated cheese, and, in the Little Dipper, some diced tomatoes.  To round things out, I also packed grapes, snap peas, and almonds.  In a one-cup glass container (Anchor brand...it has a plastic lid), I packed a little bit of taco meat to heat up in the microwave.  The glass cup fit in the front pocket of the PlanetBox carrying bag.  It was a great lunch!!

Added to What's for Lunch Wednesday.  Check it out for more lunch ideas. 

Another Monday

I was inspired by one of my colleagues last week to make a tomato/basil/provolone sandwich.  I have the tomatoes in a separate compartment so they don't get the bread all soggy before lunch.  I'll probably toast the bread.  I think it tastes better.

I also have some quartered white button mushrooms and some grapes (they were on sale this week...along with strawberries...pretty much the only two fruits you'll see this week!)

Catching Up

Last week got crazy, so these pictures never made it up. 

On Thursday, I had left over green beans (actually, they weren't that bad cold), some colby jack cheese, applesauce with lots of cinnamon, Triscuit thin crisps, and a fudge strip cookie.

On Friday, I had more applesauce with cinnamon, yellow pepper strips, left over rotisserie chicken, some fresh bakery bread, and a few chocolate chips. 

Tuesday and Wednesday...similar lunches

With another Open House, I didn't have time to think of another creative lunch for tomorrow, so I'll just take a near repeat of today's lunch. 

Lunches included:  High Fiber pasta tossed with olive oil and Italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder), half of a sliced peach, green pepper strips or carrots, colby-jack cheese, a fudge stripe cookie for a treat.

Tuesday's lunch

Wednesday's lunch

Pineapple and Popcorn

For Monday's lunch, I have a ham and pineapple skewer, green pepper strips, grapes, Triscuit thin crisps (love those!), and chocolate chips.  

Since I have a rather long meeting after school, I wanted to pack a snack.  So, I'm bring popcorn!  Not the pre-packaged-full-of-chemicals microwave stuff, but do-it-yourself microwave popcorn!  I found THE RECIPE this spring on Allrecipes.com.  I was skeptical.  But it really works!!!  I measured 3 TBSP of popcorn and mixed it with 1/2 tsp of olive oil and sprinkled in a little salt.  I put that in the PlanetBox Little Dipper.  I'll dump the oil-coated kernels into the brown bag and keep the bag closed with the toothpick...2 min in the microwave...and...fresh popcorn! 


Added to What's For Lunch Wednesday...tons of great ideas over there!

Reruns :)

Thursday's lunch:  More chicken salad

Since my hubby is the kind of guy who is completely happy to eat the same turkey sandwich every day,  I often end up eating pretty much the same lunch over and over--especially when I make some sort of salad.  

So...lunches from Thursday and Friday...very similar to those of Tuesday and Wednesday :)

Friday's lunch:  More black bean salad

Black Bean Salad

For Wednesday, I have a black bean salad--black beans, corn, diced tomato, and green onion...with vinegar and lime infused olive oil (I love our local olive oil and vinegar specialty store!).  I also packed red pepper strips, sliced kiwi and grapes, tortilla chips, and some chocolate chips. 

Chicken Salad

Four day weekends are nice.  

For the start of another busy week, I have packed broccoli, strawberries, chicken salad (shredded chicken breast, canola oil mayonaise...I was out of dill relish), crackers, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Simple.  Easy.  Healthy.  Delicious.

Added to What's For Lunch Wednesday

End of Week 1

Well, the first week of school is done...just a short 4 day week, but I'm exhausted!  Last night I packed this lunch, but didn't have a chance to post it.  I had cheese and crackers--Babybell cheese with Triscuit Thin crisps (I love those!!), I also took several pieces of all natural turkey (Hormel brand), rolled them up and cut them into pieces.  I ate these with the cheese and crackers.  In the Big Dipper, I mixed together spaghetti squash, tomatoes, and Italian dressing.  I wasn't sure how it would be (especially the cold spaghetti squash), put I was pleasantly surprised.  It wasn't too bad.  I might actually make it again...

All in all, I'm happy with the lunches I took this week, I love my new lunchbox, and I still feel motivated to keep packing lunch like this.  No frozen meals yet...

Wednesday Lunch

Wednesday's lunch is pretty pink and red.  I didn't realize it until I put everything together.  I have red pepper strips, apples coated in cinnamon, a sandwich thin with Laughing Cow french onion cheese and all natural turkey.  For a treat, I have raspberry and blackberry gummy candies from the local candy store.

After two days, I still love my Planet Box.  I think the best part is that there is only one container to wash at the end of the day...not four or five!

Day 2

Well, the first day of school has come and gone...I loved taking the PlanetBox.  At first, I was a little concerned that it wouldn't hold enough food for me, but with the after school snack I had, it was perfect.  The box also got a lot of compliments in the teacher's lounge. 

Here's tomorrow's lunch:  Sugar snap peas, grapes, Triscuit Thin Crisps with a Laughing Cow French Onion cheese wedge, broiled polenta (topped with paprika and parmesan cheese), and, like before, Trader Joe's chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels.  

Since I have another planning meeting after school that will last until 5 again, I also plan to fill the Big Dipper with more grapes and grab a granola bar for an after school snack.

Added to What's for lunch Wednesday...go check out other great ideas!

First Day Of School

Summer is over...it's time for the first day of school.  As a teacher who brings lunch to school, I often fall into the "just grab a frozen something from the freezer" trap.  This year, my plan is to bring delicious home made lunches with lots of fruits and veggies.  Hopefully, posting pictures on this blog will motivate me to keep trying new things.

I'm not setting out to create cute bento-style lunches...many others have done that and post amazing and delicious pictures on their blogs...I'm just trying to make simple, natural, healthy, and inexpensive lunches as quickly as possible. 

To help me in my quest this year, I have a PlanetBox and a Happy Tiffin for packing lunches, though I may occasionally take a reusable bag with glass Pyrex containers if I want to heat something up.

For tomorrow, the first day of school, I chose to use my PlanetBox.  I've packed carrots, 1/2 a peach, an Earth Grains sandwich round, a Laughing Cow french onion cheese wedge, all natural turkey slices, and a few grapes.  As a treat I have two Trader Joe's chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels. 

Since my lunch hour begins at 11 and I have an after-school meeting that will probably last until 5, I've also packed the rest of the peach in the Big Dipper, and I plan to grab a Nature's Valley Roasted Almond granola bar on my way out the door.

First day of school lunch