Before and Afters for May 2012

I've created this Flickr set of before and after shots of lunches made during May '12.

If I'm really organized, I'll be able to do this for the whole school year. I'm trying to figure out how to easily transfer the photos from my iPhone directly to a Flickr set for each month. Suggestions?

Here's a sneak peak at today's Before picture:

from upper left, clockwise:
* Banana sandwiches (banana slices with sunbutter in between, rolled in coconut, topped with a blueberry fruit leather star)
* cinnamon granola + sliced dried mango + raisins + date pieces rolled in oat flour
* potato chips
* hard boiled egg white
* turkey sandwich cut outs

Weelicious' lunch guide

Good ideas here along with a nice list of staples to have on hand for lunch-making, and how to use them creatively!

Essential School Lunch Guide by Weelicious

Valentine's lunch

before...

pea crisps, kiwi, beet pancake sandwich hearts (cream cheese and strawberry jam), hummus, pretzels, and strawberry applesauce.




after...

Mysterious Tunafish

Most days, lately, Hugh's lunch looks like this. We're in a lunchrut.

raspberries, apple, cheese crackers, turkey sandwich, green cookies.

BEFORE:





not a crumb was left.

AFTER:



but wait! there's a glob of tunafish. refer to before pic above. no tunafish was packed.



Me: "Hugh, where did the tuna come from?"

Hugh: "That was Caweb's."

Me: "So, he was sharing it with you?"

Hugh: "No."

Me: "Well, how'd it get in your lunchbox?"

Hugh: "It jumped."

Me: "The tuna jumped into your lunchbox?"

Hugh: "It was an accident."

Me: "Caleb was throwing the tuna?"

Hugh: "No."

And suddenly, I felt like I was in the middle of my very own "The Day Jimmie's Boa Ate the Wash" book. This is the extent of conversation I get about lunch. Oh, if only I could put a little camera in his lunchbox to see what happens.

I just love, love, love preparing Hugh's lunch every day and seeing what he liked and didn't like. Mostly, he eats every crumb in there and of course, that makes my heart SING!

Tuesday lunch

Lunch experiment this week: Amy's Pizza Bites. He said he "loved, loved, loved" those pizza bites. WIN!


from left to right: sun butter spread on rice cakes, grapes and fancy apple (forgot the name, but they have peach-colored flesh!) green snap pea crisps, pizza bites, green cookies (they're back!).




Not a crumb was left. But I forgot to snap a pic.

Successful lunch this week!

Before...
kiwi/raspberry skewers, pea crisps, ham rollups on skewers, seeduction bun, green cookie (center)






After...

Not even a crumb left. I'd say that's a lunchpacking WIN!




Which one of you is buying up all the green cookies at the local stores? I've had to buy the long bars and break them into little pieces. I'm looking forward to these being available everywhere again.

And I asked Hugh's teacher if he really eats everything in his lunch and isn't dumping it into the compost bin. She said he really relishes each and every bite. That made my heart just siiiinnnngggg!!!

I really don't care about him finishing anything. What I love is that he takes his time and really enjoys selecting his next bite and eats it with delight.

make your own bars!

Thanks to my friend Susan, I'm about to save a big pile of money on all those bars at the store, and you are too! Here's the formula to making your very own

Ultimate Energy Bars

I haven't tried it yet, but I will very soon and will post the results!




Here's some lunches from a while ago...

green pea snap crisps, turkey sandwich flowers, carrot experiment* (what does he like best: raw or steamed?), beet pancake heart sandwiches with cream cheese, grapes and banana, green cookie



* "i didn't wike either." That's odd. He liked carrots last week!




rice crackers, yogurt with a bit of blackberry jam mixed in, sliced pear, snap pea crisps, turkey and cheese on seeduction roll, dried fruits (center)