Not too creative, but I still love Planet Box

I haven't been posting many pictures, but you haven't been missing anything.  My lunches have been pretty repetitive, but I'm not bored of them...probably because there's so much variety in the lunch itself.  

This week, I've taken snow peas, with hummus for dipping, a Babybel Gouda cheese, sliced strawberries, Nut Crisps (crackers with almond slices) and a small brownie.  

I've realized that it's easiest for me to pack foods that require minimal preparation...snow peas, baby carrots, clementines, grapes, crackers, Babybel cheese.  If I want a change (like strawberries) I slice/cut the fruit/veggie ahead of time...right now I have a huge bowl of sliced strawberries in the fridge.  Yum!!

Monday, Jan 24

I realized that I haven't posted any pictures in 3 months...

The good?  I am still packing lunch in my PlanetBox...I love it!!  It's so easy to pack delicious, healthy lunches.  I haven't resorted to frozen meals yet!

The bad?  I just got too busy to always be taking pictures and posting.  I was taking pictures for a while and just not posting them...if I have some time later, I'll try to get some of those up.

Recently, my lunches haven't been too creative...I've found that clementines and sugar peas are the easiest fruit and veggie to pack, so I've had a lot of those (pretty much every day this new year...).  Tomorrow, I'm also taking sundried tomato flavored Wheat Thins, some Manchego cheese, some almonds, and a chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel.

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.