101025 Monday: The honeymoon may be over....

When Gretta asked to make her own lunch for Friday morning, I didn't object, because she was staying over with her grandparents, and we both knew Grandma was going to edit and supplement her choices. 

But this morning, when she asked again to make her own lunch, I got to do the editing.

Here's the 'before' version:

Gretta's version:  Two boxes with two rolls each, smaller box with potato chips

It seemed a bit light on... everything but starch...  We edited and supplemented it together.  I have a feeling my lunch-making days are numbered, though.  Gretta would like more gastronomic autonomy.  Meanwhile, Hannah, Gretta's 14 year old sister, has asked me to start making her lunch to save her time in the morning.

At first I jumped at the idea, but now I'm not much enthused, as this request came with a long list of instructions and forbidden foods.  ("Nothing too healthy, or weird. Nothing I wouldn't like.  Can you put two cups' worth of hot cocoa mix in everyday?")  I doubt I'm going to be starting another blog called "Hannah's Lunch" anytime soon!

Here's Gretta's lunch, the 'after' version:

Left: potato chips and cheese stick, red peppers in flower shapes, green pimento-stuffed olives

Right:  salad with dressing in Winnie's head

Bottom: two rolls, green grapes

101021 Thursday

Left: salad with dressing in Winnie's head

Right: cheese sandwich cut to look like Winnie's head, with raisin eyes

Bottom: (banana), red grapes, pretzles

101020 Wednesday

Left:  red grapes, carrots, bow-tie pasta

Right:  (store-bought) bagel with cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, cherries, and yellow raisins, pretzels

Bottom: salad with dressing in Winnie's head

101019 Tuesday

(There was nothing posted yesterday because Gretta stayed home with a cold Monday, and made her own lunch.)

Left:  chocolate strudel, tuna salad, red grapes

Right:  pizza

Bottom:  red cherry tomatoes, raisins, rice with duck sauce in Hello Kitty's head and a rainbow of pepper slices

101015 Friday

Left: salad with dressing in Winnie th' Pooh's head, cheese bits with lime green frog toothpick, Melba toast rounds

Right: maraschino cherries with toothpicks Gretta selected:  the letter 'G' and two hats, raisins, basmati rice with duck sauce in another Winnie th' Pooh head, basil leaves

Bottom:  various animal-shaped pieces of cantaloupe with black sesame-seed eyes

101014 Thursday, parshat Lech Lecha

Left: pretzels, yellow raisins with dried cranberries and cherries, fortune cookie

Right:  salad with dressing in the monkey's head

Bottom: (cheese letters spelling this weeks' parsha name, which go on top of the pretzels (see below) when packed, angel hair spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil leaves

101013 Wednesday, Parshat Lech Lecha

Left:  white rice with croutons in a used teabag*, a packet of duck sauce, and dried cranberries in the green silicone star-shaped mini-cup, steamed broccoli with shreds of carrot, cherry tomatoes and black olives  

Right:  lettuce and dressing in Winnie th' Pooh's head, dates, heart-shaped banana muffin (made from Fannie Farmer Baking Book's Kona Inn banana bread recipe minus the nuts, with raisins)

Bottom:  Camel-shaped cheese sandwich with cheese, carrot, and cranberry accents, standing on a cheese stick.  (Camels feature in this week's Torah portion heavily - Rivka gave them water to drink, passing Eliezer's litmus test for kindness, and later she fell off her camel when she first saw Yitzchak.)

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*  The Matcha tea I like comes in fabric bags.  I cut them open, empty and rinse them for re-use.  They make perfect quasi-disposable dried condiment carriers.

101012 Tuesday

Left: salad with dressing in Hello Kitty's head

Right: cheese blintzes, carrots and pea pods, prunes, zucchini kugel

Bottom: Spanish rice, tuna in the blue star-shaped silicone cup, leaves from our basil plants, two cheese/potato pierogies with faces made from black olives, corn, and red pepper

101008 Friday, rosh chodesh Cheshvan, parshat Noach

Left: rice with rainbow sprinkles and a packet of duck sauce, cherry tomatoes, dates

Right: carrots, flower-shaped pepper pieces, pretzels

Bottom: pita bread, soy "bologna", green pepper flower, cheese message

101007 Thursday: Parshat Noach - Migdal Bavel - Tower of Babel

Left:  Mandarin orange slices with blue elephant pick, dried cranberries, angel hair pasta with tomato sauce and flowering sprig of basil from one of our plants

Right:  bear-shaped silicone cup with Irish oatmeal sprinkled with colored sugar to make a rainbow, cheddar cheese cut into cubes with yellow flower pick, Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal

Bottom:  (supposed to look like Migdal Bavel/The Tower of Babel, reaching into the clouds from the ground) tea cracker tower with marshmallow fluff clouds (protected by a bit of cling wrap), green pepper "grass" and yellow, red, and orange pepper flowers, with "windows" made from bits of cheese attached by a smudge of fluff

101006 Wednesday, parshat Noach ("parshat keshet")

Left: carrots and salad dressing in Hello Kitty container, dates, red grapes

Right: pizza and a cheese stick

Bottom: salad "flood waters" with bread cut into an ark shape, pepper rainbow, cheese "dove" with basil as the olive branch and a black sesame seed eye (held together with cream cheese) and pairs of animal crackers (still munching our way through the yom kippur break-the-fast cookie avalanche)

Here are some more Noah-themed menu items.

101005 Tuesday

Left: veggie "buffalo wings", Pritkin fish stick, Hello Kitty container with ketchup, pickles

Right: curried chickpeas with basmati rice, Roma tomatoes, green grapes

Bottom: salad with dressing in the egg-shaped container, cheese stick

101004 Monday

Left: bagel (made yesterday by my husband)* and cream cheese, pretzels

Right: apple slices, cherry tomatoes, animal cookies

Bottom: sesame noodles, pepper cut as flowers, pickles


* We have a Sunday bagel and pizza routine that works well for us:

Once every couple of months, during the week, when there is time, I measure out dry ingredients for pizza and bagel dough, and store them in half-gallon Mason jars. These have labels with the instructions for adding wet ingredients and settings on the bread machines.

When he wakes up on Sunday morning (around 6 a.m.) my husband dumps the dry ingredients and adds the wet ingredients (just water and oil) and sets the bread maker to the dough cycle.

By the time he finishes his early Sunday activities (around 8 a.m.) the dough is ready. He heats the oven and sets a large pot of water to boil. While the water is heating, he forms the bagel dough into shapes and lets them rise. By the time the water boils, the shaped bagel dough has risen, and he's ready to start.

We are usually able to eat them before 9 a.m., with minimal mess or clean-up.

100929 Wednesday, erev Shmini Atzeret

Left: carrots, fortune cookie, salad with dressing in the plastic monkey-head container

Right: whole wheat waffles, maple syrup

Bottom: soy "baloney" and cheese, supposed to be in the shape of a torah scroll, in honor of the upcoming simchat torah holiday (We were in a rush this morning, so I didn't have time to fiddle with it much. My offer to write "beraishit" in ketchup was declined and declared unappetizing.)

100928 Tuesday

Left:  peppers, dried cranberries, graham crackers

Right:  potato knishes and a cheese stick, green grapes, dates

Bottom: salad with ranch dressing in Winnie-th-Pooh's head

100927 Monday

Left:  sweet and sour soy "meat" balls, pickles, dried cranberries, animal cookies and last bit of yomtov chocolate brownie

Right: Daddy's pizza, green beans

Bottom:  pineapple, red pepper and broccoli, canteloupe and honeydew

100922 Wednesday, erev Sukkot

Left: sweet potato latke, cheese stick, red grapes, chopped peppers with pink plastic giraffe pick

Right: bunny-shaped hard boiled egg, raisins with four giraffe-shaped pieces of yellow pepper, pretzels

Bottom: Graham cracker base of "sukkah" with basil and Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Cereal "scach", writing says "chag sameach" (happy holiday) written with melted dark chocolate, person made of cheese, with orange pepper hair and veggie/soy "salami" dress, holding an etrog (yellow raisin) and lulav (rosemary twig, lemon basil sprig, green pepper slice, held together with a dot of dark chocolate.)

100921 Tuesday

Left:  hummus in the blue star-shaped silicone cup, roma, red cherry and yellow pear tomatoes from the garden (probably the last of the season, because we had to take down the tomato vines to put up the sukkah), green peppers from the garden, carrots

Right:  red grapes, marinated mushrooms with pink plastic bunny pick, sandwich cookies (still left over from yom kippur break-fast), medjool dates

Bottom: bagel pizza (using up last leftover bagels from big brother Jonathan's Eagle board of review)

100920 Monday

Left:  pickles, red delicious apple cut into teddy bear shapes, noodles with corn and peas

Right:  bagel with cream cheese

Bottom:  orange pepper from our garden cut into flower shapes with blue plastic bear fork, sandwich cookies (left over from yom kippur break-fast, from a bought package), salad with dressing in Winnie th' Pooh's head

100917 Friday, Erev Yom Kippur

Left:  frog-shaped honeydew slices with apple skin smiles, cheese eyeballs, and black sesame seed pupils

Right:  soy "Italian sausage" bits (vegan, pareve) with blue plastic flower toothpick and smiling tomato container filled with ketchup, yellow pear, cherry red, and roma tomatoes from our garden, broccoli

Bottom:  melba toast, cheese stick, cinnamon roll, yellow raisins and dried cranberries

100916 Thursday

Left:  dried pineapple rings, honey cake (last slice from Rosh Hashanah's leftovers), strawberries

Right:  heart-shaped green apple pieces, star-shaped red pepper pieces, bunny-head-shaped yellow pepper, Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal pieces, Greek salad with a few extra heart-shaped pepper pieces and Hello Kitty container with the dressing (to keep it all from getting mushy and wilted)

Bottom:  lemon basil from the garden, cheese sandwich shaped like Hello Kitty with red pepper bow, yellow pepper nose, and raisin eyes

100915 Wednesday

Left: cantaloupe and honeydew cut into floral/iconic-mouse-head shapes, red grapes, chocolate strudel

Right: dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes and lemon basil from the garden, bread cut into floral shapes, cheddar cheese cubes with tiny plastic panda pick

Bottom: pretzels, strawberry, star-shaped apple bits (from Red Delicious, Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Yellow Delicious varieties) soaked in lemon juice and with six plastic alphabet picks that spell "Gretta"

100914 Tuesday

Still using Rosh Hashanah left-overs.  Can  you tell?





Left:  pflamenkuchen (scroll to bottom of this strudel recipe page for instructions), pomegranate seeds in blue silicone mini-cup, red cherry tomatoes from our garden and leftover rice dish from Shabbat in a purple silicone star-shaped cup.  (Rice was brown basmati rice with ras al hanout spices, yellow raisins, dried cranberries, and edamame.)

Right:  red grapes, honey cake (cheater "recipe": use boxed spice cake mix, and substitute honey for either the water  (very sweet) or the oil), Greek salad with the dressing in tiny Winnie th' Pooh container to keep the salad from getting soggy

Bottom:  heart-shaped cheese sandwich, lemon basil from the garden, bear-shaped red and yellow peppers, the last (?) two raspberries from our garden in the green star-shaped silicone mini-cup

We wash our "disposable" plastic utensils in the dishwasher and use them until they get lost or broken. They hold up fine, even in the bottom rack (in the utensil tray), without melting or warping.

100913 Monday

Left:  Medjool dates, pomegranate seeds, tomatoes from the garden and a pear

Right: Pizza (made by my husband last night for dinner)

Bottom:  Pretzels, pepper butterfly (with peas and a cheese face), cinnamon roll

100908 Wednesday, Erev Rosh Hashanah

The children have a short day today, due to the upcoming holiday. While there is likely to be (too) much eating over the next few days, none of it is likely to be in a box!

May you and those you love enjoy health, happiness, peace, and prosperity in the new year.


Top: apple slices dipped briefly in lemon juice

Left: cheese sandwich shaped like Winnie th' Pooh

Right: grapes, pickles, veggie chips

100907 Tuesday

Left: cheese stick, black olives in yellow star-shaped silicone cup, edamame in pink heart-shaped silicone cup, cheese sandwiches with heart cut-outs

Right: prunes with flamingo toothpicks, pickles, pasta with tomato sauce and giraffe mini-fork

Bottom: sliced apple (preserved with lemon juice), red grapes on "jeweled" toothpicks, veggie chips, dried cranberries and star shapes cut from whole wheat bread

100903 Friday

Top:  English muffin with cream cheese and American cheese letters/heart on top, chocolate mini-brownies

Left:  Cantaloupe teddy bears, edamame, simplified sesame noodles (Chinese-style noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil), hard boiled egg in shape of bear face (veggie bits and ketchup for face)

Right:  Black and yellow raisins, yellow pear and red cherry tomatoes and basil leaves from the garden, salmon-trout "hotdog" in octopus shape (with only 6 legs, though) with black sesame seed eyes

100902 Thursday

Top: Cantaloupe cut in flower shapes and blueberries, cheddar cheese cubes with flower-shaped (reusable) toothpick, corn on the cob

Left: "Bunny" shaped hard-boiled egg, chocolate brownie, peppers (picked from our garden just before packing this lunch) cut in flower shapes

Right: Carrots, tuna salad with teddy-bear shaped pickle slice (mustard seed eyes), yellow pear and cherry red tomatoes with fresh basil leaves (all picked just before packing)

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Oops! I forgot to give her bread today. The kids are supposed to bring bread every day, because they say birkat hamazon aloud together.

100901 Wednesday: First day of first grade

Top: Corn on the cob, white rice, dried cranberries and croutons in silicone mini-heart

Left: Cantaloupe cut into flower shapes and blueberries, mini cheese sandwiches in the shape of Pooh and Tigger, carrots

Right: Yellow pear and red cherry tomatoes (picked from our garden minutes before leaving), cheddar cheese cubes with (reusable) elephant toothpick, raisins, pretzels.

We reuse the plastic "disposable" utensils (washing them in the dishwasher with the regular metal utensils) until we lose them.

Not shown: banana

100805 Friday: Gretta's lunch for art class

Top:  Whole wheat waffles (made with cane sugar) with container of maple syrup for dipping
Bottom:  Clementine orange, pickles, cheese sandwich in shape of a dolphin swimming in a sea of medjul dates
Right:  White rice under "bouquet" of peppers (stems = green, flowers = red, orange, yellow) accompanied by packet of duck sauce

100804 Thursday: Abigail, Emily, Gretta's lunches for art/pottery class

Abigail's lunch:




Top:  Medjul dates, large portion cheddar cheese cubes with (reusable) heart toothpick, corn on the cob

Bottom:  Clementine orange, cherry red tomatoes from our garden, green peppers, dolphin-shaped cheese sandwich, red silicone mini-heart with tuna salad topped with pickle-shaped teddy bear (mustard seed eyes), pink silicone mini-heart with licorice candy bits

Right:  Watermelon with (reusable) elephant fork



Emily's lunch:




Top left:  Medjul dates, medium-sized portion cheddar cheese cubes with (reusable) heart toothpick, corn on the cob

Bottom left:  Clementine orange, carrots, green peppers, dolphin-shaped cheese sandwich, red silicone mini-heart with tuna salad topped with pickle-shaped teddy bear (mustard seed eyes), pink silicone mini-heart with licorice candy bits

Top right:  Watermelon with (reusable) elephant fork

Bottom right:  Plain pasta "salad"

Gretta's lunch:

Top:  Medjul dates, small portion cheddar cheese cubes with (reusable) heart toothpick, corn on the cob

Bottom left:  Clementine orange, cherry red and yellow pear tomatoes from our garden, green peppers, dolphin-shaped cheese sandwich, red silicone mini-heart with tuna salad topped with pickle-shaped teddy bear (mustard seed eyes), pink silicone mini-heart with licorice candy bits

Right:  Watermelon with (reusable) elephant fork

100803 Wednesday: Abigail, Emily, and Gretta's lunches for art/pottery class

For most of the summer, I made lunches only for my youngest daughter, Gretta (aged 6), because the older girls wanted to make their own.  
Sometime in the middle of the summer, we acquired a bunch of "kawaii" (cute) bento supplies.  
Then, suddenly, two of the older girls (aged 12 and 10) wanted me to make lunches for them, too.  That lasted about three weeks, until they decided that menu autonomy was worth their own effort.   (Eldest two children (aged 18 and 14) were unwilling to give up control for a single day.)
For those few weeks, the kitchen counter was an assembly line.   

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Abigail's lunch:






Top left:  Bag of leftover pizza (made by my husband for dinner)
Bottom left:  Dill pickles, Clementine orange, cherries, Cinnamon Harvest Kashi cereal
Top right: Watermelon with (reusable) lion mini fork
Bottom right: Cherry red tomatoes from our garden, dried cranberries, No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies





Emily's lunch:





Top left:  Cheese sandwich shaped like Hello Kitty (with cheese eyes and dried cranberry nose), No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Bottom left:  Dill pickles, apricot, cherries, Cinnamon Harvest Kashi cereal
Top right: Watermelon with (reusable) lion mini fork
Bottom right: White rice ball in frog-shaped silicone cup, dried cranberries, croutons in dried-out and reused tea bag (closed with plastic bread-bag-closer)

Gretta's lunch:


Top left:  Cheese sandwich shaped like Hello Kitty (with cheese eyes and dried cranberry nose), red cherry and yellow pear tomatoes from our garden, No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Bottom left:  Dill pickles, Clementine orange, cherries, Cinnamon Harvest Kashi cereal
Top right: Watermelon with (reusable) lion mini fork
Bottom right: White rice ball in frog-shaped silicone cup, dried cranberries, croutons in dried-out and reused tea bag (closed with plastic bread-bag-closer)