Apples and Peanut Butter!

So I have to give my friend Jill credit for this one. I was working on a project after school with her and her son came in eating an apple just like the one above. I asked her what she had done, and she said she had just cored the apple and filled it with Peanut Butter. Why didn't I think of that? The next day I made them for my girl's lunch - What a hit!!!!

Lunch: Think INSIDE the box

OK moms and dads - let me see a show of hands of how many of you are already tired of making the kid's lunch?
Oh good, I'm glad it's not just me. Every summer I get so excited about all the fun and nutritious things I am going to do for my daughters and just about this time of year - I am TOTALLY over it! I psych myself up with cute new lunch boxes for the girls - but the excitement never seems to last. This year we are trying the "Lunchopolis" lunch boxes. I do love the fact that they are bag-less. They come with the containers shown below.



The bummer is I am constantly washing them to make sure they are ready to pack in the morning. I guess it is a small price to pay for saving the planet! One treat my girls love is devil eggs. I have found they never travel well - until I starting thinking "Inside the Box"!



I purchased an egg "cuber" years ago and just dug it out at the beginning of the school year. The eggs seem to travel great. No sliding upside-down, and the kids get a kick out of the unconventional shape.



For those of you who have never seen a "Cuber" - it is composed of 4 parts. The Cube, the bottom plate, the top "pusher", and the screw top. As soon as you hard boil an egg, while it is still warm, you peel the shell and put it in the container. Screw the cap on and watch it "Cube up"!



Stick it in the fridge overnight and presto change-o, a square hard boiled egg.
How do you think "Inside the Lunch box"? I would love to have some new ideas for this old chore!

Is your lunch drawer ready for school?

We just received our back- to- school packet and I have to ask.....Where has summer gone? I say this every year as I watch those beautiful days of summer FLY! In anticipation of school starting I decided to organize my school drawer. My friend Robin Sue, first introduced me to "The Drawer" and now I can't imagine fixing my girls lunch without it.

Top 5 Lunch items I can't live without:
5) Different size zip bags from grocery store and Michael's craft store. Beading bags come in handy for making small bags of M&M's, raisins, pretzels, or anything small that would get lost in a sandwich size zippy bag.
4)Small cutting boards you will see standing up on the right hand size of the drawer. I use these everyday to cut their sandwiches.
3) "Cutepicks" - sounds like toothpicks but a whole lot cuter. These picks have animals heads on them and I skewer little cherry tomatoes, fruits, or veggies! They are in the back left basket, front right.
2) Far right, next to the cutting boards, are the girls small thermoses. These are perfect for packing spaghetti, chili, or other hot things. As a matter of fact, they love cold things like apple yogurt salad in them as well.
1) The number one thing I love in this drawer is in the front left basket on the far right side. Can you see them. They are tiny little disposable spoons I got at the restaurant supply house. They are perfect for the girls to eat their apple sauce or fruit cups. They toss them with the cup, which makes for no mess in their lunch boxes!




My last little tip is for the kids juice boxes. I always pack them in a cute bottle cover so they don't sweat in their boxes. These fun Hawaiian shirts I found at Michael's craft store for 2 dollars.

Don't you love making the kids lunches when school starts.....at least for the first 2 days :-)