Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Cabbage is Crunchy

The Monkey often surprises me.  I think I have him all figured out and then wham, he pulls a fast one.  Last night I made Chicken Larp for dinner.  We have this Thai inspired dish occasionally and the kids like it for the tart sweetness of the chicken.  I had purchased some napa cabbage to go with the dish this time for the adults...I mean what child is going to want raw cabbage?  I know this goes entirely against my mission, I am always offering new items for the kids to try.  But cabbage.  Ha Ha, right,  there was NO WAY the Monkey or EGG would eat THAT.  In fact, I did not even bother to offer it to either of them.

The dinner conversation went like this:

Monkey:  What's that?
Me: Umm, cabbage.  You won't like it.
Monkey:  Yes I will.  It's crunchy.
Me:  You don't like carrots or apples and they are crunchy.
Monkey:  But I really want some.
Me:  Oh, okay.  Here give it a try.
Monkey:  Yummy, cabbage is awesome.

Go figure.

Proof:
 


This dish is super easy to make and does not require a special trip to the farmers market.  It is a good intro to Thai food for kids.  As their palates grow you can expand this recipe or try some more curry based dishes.  Coconut milk curries are popular with our family as well.



Kid Friendly Chicken Larp
recipe adapted from: Thai Food by David Thompson

1 pound ground chicken
1 minced garlic clove
3 TB chicken stock
1 tsp brown sugar
3 TB lime juice
1 tsp roasted chili powder
1 TB fish sauce
1/2 onion minced
handful of minced mint and cilantro leaves

Heat stock in pan add sugar and pinch of salt, add ground chicken and garlic.  Simmer gently until cooked, but do not overcook or chicken will become tough.  Take off of heat and add all other ingredients.  Season to taste, should be sweet, tangy, and a tad spicy.

Serve with raw veggies.  I typically use cucumber, long beans, and now napa cabbage.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

WebMD

When I started this blog a few years ago on a whim (and a suggestion from my sis) I never dreamed I would have a camera crew visit my kitchen and film my family making our morning smoothies!
At the house.

Last Friday the WebMD crew arrived at the house early in the morning to shoot footage of the kids and myself making smoothies and cleaning up afterwards. We then travelled to the Monkeys' school to make applesauce with his class. The applesauce was great, the kids had fun, and I feel pretty good about the whole day! Of course, MY SON, is the one that DID NOT like the applesauce. Sigh.













 Setting up the classroom.





Washing hands.



                                                                   Using the old fashioned apple peeler.




Tossing scraps in the garden compost (more on the garden later).


Checking the texture, almost ready.


The segment will be available on the WebMD website in March or April, I'll keep you posted.  I want to say thanks to friends (and hubby) who worked behind the scenes to make all of this run smoothly and to the WebMD crew that made me feel comfortable and made this a fun experience!  And of course, a very special thank you to the school and the kids!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Junktique

Come out and enjoy good food and shopping this Sunday at the Solarium in Oakhurst!  I will be sharing a booth with Colleen Keenan who designs and hand sews super cool handbags.  See you there!

Junktique.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Day at the Ranch Bento


top: gouda cheese, berries, corn, cheddar bunnies, green beans
bottom: carrot sticks, sunbutter and jam sandwich with cheese horse

The Monkey and his classmates travelled to Dacula last Friday to spend a day at Rancho Alegre. This is a working farm and the kids enjoyed brushing “Chili Pepper” one of the horses, milking a goat, petting the bunnies and donkeys, learning about chickens and composting, they even attended a goat cheese making class! After a tractor driven hayride around the ranch we settled into the covered pavilion for lunch and some playtime. It was a wonderful day!



my bento:

top: shrimp cakes, green beans, corn, strawberry
bottom: porchini mushroom ravioli, gouda cheese, crackers, chocolate crepe (and yes, I shared with the Monkey!)





goat milkingchickens



cheese making

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Go Away Monster bento


left: clementine, blackberry, strawberry, steamed yellow cauliflower, marshmallow ghosts, chocolate bat, graham crackers
right: boiled quail egg eyes with carrot, carrot hair, cheese mouth, green bean horns, cheese quesadilla underneath

Monday, October 26, 2009

Momo Bento

There is a new craze in the household: Avatar: The Last Air Bender.  At dinner last night both monkey's requested Momo* bentos for lunch today.  I need to work on early morning picture quality, sorry for the poor lighting!
 *For those not in the know - Momo is a flying lemur!

Monkey #2 (EGG's) bento:
 sunbutter & jam sandwich with cheese momo, snow peas with strawberry, and clementine

Monkey #1 bento

right: sunbutter & jam sandwich with cheese momo
left:clementine with strawberries, skewered snow peas, carrot sticks, animal crackers

Friday, October 23, 2009

Meow Bento


EGG loves her stuffed kitty...named "Meow" of course.

top: pear & strawberry, mini chocolate cookie, avocado, cheddar
bottom: veggie straws, ham sandwich on pumpernickel with  (whisker-less) cheese cat.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Cold and Windy Day

This is a soul satisfying soup.  The textures and subtle flavors really make you want to savor every bite.  The original recipe came from Bon Appetit October 2007, a (slightly) revised version is below.















Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

Olive oil for sautéing
1 10- to 11-ounce fully cooked smoked Kielbasa cut into bite sized pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large sweet potatoes peeled, and cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound white-skinned potatoes, peeled, and cut into bite sized pieces
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 9-ounce bag fresh spinach

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.

Add onions and garlic to pot and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add all potatoes and cook until beginning to soften, stirring often, about 12 minutes.

Add broth; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Using potato masher, mash some of potatoes in pot. Add browned sausage to soup. Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and serve.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Field of Greens 2009

I have been so busy I almost forgot to post about one of my favorite events of the year!  Field of Greens 2009 tomorrow from 11am - 6pm. 
Locally grown chef-prepared food, live music, and green living education, all in a family-friendly, fun environment at Whippoorwill Hollow Organic Farm. Proceeds benefit Georgia’s sustainable and organic farmers through Slow Food Atlanta. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.fieldofgreensfestival.com/

The festival is featuring the following restaurants: Rosebud, Leon's, 5 Seasons, Restaurant Eugene,Woodfire Grill, Parish, Rathbun's, Valencia, Food 101, 4th & Swift, farm 255, The Shed at Glenwood, JCT, Haven, Repast, Milton's Cuisine and Cocktails, Dynamic Dish, Miller Union.
 
Drop by if you can!  I PROMISE  more bento lunches soon!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Fried Green Tomato Yumminess

It has been raining for...well forever it seems.  My tomatoes are not getting any sun and therefore are staying green.  I decided to use them before "The Flood" and made this awesome salad!  Oh my gosh, so freakin' yummy.

contents: baby arugula, pan fried green tomatoes with cornmeal & pecan breading, grilled chicken breast, goat cheese, and a spicy peach chutney dressing.

I dipped the tomato in the peach chutney mixture and then in the breading before pan frying and tossed the arugula in the remaining chutney mixture.

I will post the full recipe soon.

Next I'll have to try that recipe my mom sent for green tomato pie.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Top Chef Bento Edition

The Decatur Book Festival and the Slow Foods USA Eat Ins were a huge hit. Thanks to all the folks that showed up to make it such a success!  If you have not yet, please visit the Slow Foods website and show support for healthier food in schools.


Pictured here are: State Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield with her adorable kids, THE famous Leslie Grant - Chickin Feed, Josh Viertel – Pres. of Slow Food USA, Julie Shaffer – Founder & Former Pres. of Slow Food Atlanta chapter, Me, and Eli Kirshtein- Top Chef extraordinaire. And in the middle is Judith Winfrey of Love is Love Farms and the Slow Food Atlanta chapter leader. Photo courtesy of Donata Renfrow.


It was great to talk with folks that visit the blog and to meet several new people. Eli from Top Chef even came by the booth to purchase a bento! I am pretty certain it was for the tall and lovely young lady that was with him. He even posed for a picture! Speaking of Top Chef, you know Richard (Blais that is) that adorable daughter of yours could use a bento box…on the house for my favorite Top Chef contestant ever. (Sorry Eli, not sure how your season turns out yet).

Hmmm…maybe Bravo should host a Top Chef: The Bento Edition! One of the challenges could be to prepare a lunch bento with one baby strapped to your back while watching a toddler that just ate a pound of chocolate. I would totally watch that!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Rainy Day Tutorial

Okay, so I finally got around to doing a tutorial, woo hoo!  Sorry for the picture quality, it was a rainy and dark day.


I typically trace/draw a picture on parchment paper and then use this as my guide to cut out cheese, sweet potato, tortillas, or whatever else is easily cut into shapes.


Once the jeep bodies have been cut out I use a pastry tip (straws the like work just as well)  to cut out circles for the tires and headlights.  In this case I have used fruit leather for tires (olives work as well for more savory sandwiches) and cheese for headlights.


I then "glue" the finished jeep to the sandwich.  You can use honey, jam, sun butter, peanut butter, anything that is edible and sticky!


For the alligator carrot, I slice the carrot thin and then cut the top at an angle for the head.  I then cut a zig zag design in the snout to make his mouth.  Lastly I cut a bunch of small zigzags down his back.  You can also add feet as I have done here.

Here is the finished product. Another camp day bento safari style.

contents: baby banana, zucchini bread elephants, veggie booty, corn, cheese giraffe, alligator carrot, watermelon, blueberries, sunbutter and jam sandwich with spinach tortilla jeep

I used some mini cookie cutters for the giraffe cheese and the elephant.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Join us for a nationwide EAT-IN following the Decatur Book Festival

The Slow Food USA "Time for Lunch" campaign & Eat-In's are a few short weeks away. If you are in the Decatur/Atlanta area and would like to post some fliers... here they are.  You can also let your monkeys learn how to advocate for themselves and ask their Legislator to "please give me real food" by printing the action flier below and bringing it to the Eat In.  Check out the EVENTS tab on the Cooking for Monkeys Facebook Page for all the details on our Eat-In.

Camp Day Butterfly Bento

contents: corn, snap peas, carrot, strawberry and blueberries, butterfly grilled cheese, graham bunnies, and "chocolate cake" ( zucchini bread with flax seed, oats, banana, applesauce, and a smidge of cocoa).

"Chocolate Cake" Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 loaves

1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats or fresh ground oats
4 TB ground flax seed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 TB cocoa
4 eggs (or Egg Beaters to cut some calories)
1/3 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 medium overripe bananas, mashed (the riper, the sweeter)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together white flour, wheat flour, oats, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, and salt.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs.
Add the sugar, oil, applesauce, and mashed bananas to the eggs; mix well.
Add the vanilla.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures. Stir until just combined.
Fold in the zucchini
Pour into 2 lightly greased loaf pans (9x5-inch).
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Caprese Salad Sandwich

This is my new favorite sandwich. Oh my gosh it is so oooey, gooey, yummy. And it is simple to boot. We have had an amazing crop of tomatoes this year. In looking for new ways to use up all those tomatoes I stumbled across a recipe from Bon Appetit I wanted to try. It is very easy and this is my version.


Caprese Salad Sandwich

2 slices of dense whole grain bread
2-3 thick slices of heirloom tomato
3 slices prosciutto
2- 3 thick slices of a good buffalo mozzarella (the original recipe called for Burrata if you can find it)
fresh basil
a little bit of mayo

All you need to do is crisp the prosciutto in a pan and put all the elements together for a yummy sandwich.

bento: corn, sauteed spaghetti squash, concord grapes, strawberry and makings for my Caprese Salad Sandwich sans the bread, which was in a separate container.

Hanging with Curious George

Wow! Thanks to all the folks, some 80 overall, that showed up for our Back to School Healthy Eating Fair at Hoopla this past Saturday!


I know many were initially dubious to the idea of putting frozen broccoli in smoothies, I am glad I could win you over!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Plane Travel Bento

I was able to clean out our fridge and fruit bowl and pack all four of us a fabulous lunch for the 2+ hour plane ride to Boston. It really is a nice little treat in mid flight and certainly beats a bag of peanuts!


left: concord grapes, cherry tomatoes and cucumber (from the garden!), zucchini bread, cheese, carrot & swiss sandwich squares

right: hummus, kiwi, peach, broccoli, and leftover mini turkey burgers

Healthy Eating Fair This Saturday At Hoopla!

Hoopla Kids, Chickin Feed, and Cooking for Monkeys will be hosting a Back to School Fair with an emphasis on healthy eating and exercise. Curious George will be present along with face painting and balloon animals. The festivities go from 10am-1pm on August 22nd.

The famous Leslie Grant from Chickin Feed (Rachel Ray, Atlanta Magazine) will be there to encourage children to “Make Good Choices” with her Nutrition Tracking Boards and fun activities that promote exercise.

Jacks Harvest products will be available to sample as well as coupons available.

Cooking for Monkeys will be making Happy Day Smoothies and will have tips for bento packing and perhaps a demo or two!

After the chaos the kids can relax and focus with a sample kids yoga class at 12pm. Taught by Nicole Jurovics.

Hope to see you there!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Gluten Free Camp Bento

I am back from vacation and back in the kitchen!







Contents: corn, blueberries, snow peas wrapped around cherry tomatoes, sweet potato flower with cheese center, gluten free pretzels, carrot, strawberry, hummus in the center with green and red pepper caterpillar and fruit leather accents, gluten free chocolate wafers for a sweet treat.

More bentos coming soon!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Seed Factory Bento

Thanks to the folks that popped into the Seed Factory on Saturday to see some bento demonstrations! For those that missed stopping by, this was one of the bento meals I demonstrated how to make.

I may be holding classes in the Fall for themed bento lunches (Fall, Halloween, Christmas)....stay tuned!


left: toasted cheese sandwich with spinach tortilla frog and polenta cheese stars
right: green beans, bunny grahams, strawberry, corn, blueberries, grape tomatoes

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Get Out the Vote

One week left! Please don't forget to vote (Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks"Best Local Blog" ) every day.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Upcoming Monkey Events

July 25th I will be at The Seed Factory (sister store to Sprout Kids) from 12:00 to around 2:00. I will be doing a few demos on bento packing and meals. For those who haven't visited this fantastic space located in the Westside Urban Market, I highly recommend you stop by early to enjoy story time at 11:00 and stay late to visit the various shops and restaurants at this quaint urban scene.

August 22nd I will be at Hoopla Kids in downtown Decatur from 10:00 to 12:00. We will be doing a Back to School Fair with an emphasis on healthy eating and exercise. Curious George will be present along with face painting and balloon animals.

The famous Leslie Grant from Chickin Feed (Rachel Ray, Atlanta Magazine) will be there to encourage children to "Make Good Choices" with her Nutrition Tracking Boards and fun activities that promote exercise.

Jacks Harvest products will be available to sample.

I will be making my Happy Day Smoothies and will have tips for bento packing and perhaps a demo or two!

After the chaos the kids can relax and focus with a sample kids yoga class, more details to come!

September 5th and 6th Chickin Feed and I will team up again at the Decatur Book Festival. So if you miss us at Hoopla you get a second chance! More details on the Book Festival to come.

September 19th Tentative date for another Seed Factory demonstration.

More bento photos are coming....soon.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Why I Bento (repost)

I began to pack bento style lunches for my son a few years ago. It was an attempt to get him to try new and healthier foods and to get out of the PB&J sandwiches or Mac N’ Cheese rut. Not that these things are bad, but I feel that they should be eaten in moderation. Sometimes he tries new foods, sometimes he doesn’t. I find that he is more willing to try something new if it is presented to him in a fun way.

It wasn’t until after I began the lunches that I realized the additional benefits of lunch bento style.
  • Environment and Health. I find that I create a lot less waste when I bento. When making a bento lunch I rarely pack anything that needs to be tossed into the trash. I also use more fresh vegetables and fruit rather than prepackaged foods.
  • Portion Control. When I got my first bento box in the mail, I almost returned it. I thought to myself, “This is way too small, how can I get an adequate lunch in here for my son, much less myself”? Well, trust me, you can. Our entire family eats bento lunches, you can find examples of both child and adult lunches I have made for my family on the website.
  • Convenience. Most of us don’t have much time to spend making lunch; frankly you shouldn't have to spend much time. Aside from some of the more elaborate meals I make for my little Monkey, I typically spend 5-8 minutes throwing together bentos for school, work, the park, or wherever we might be going.
  • Fun. This is my favorite part. I love taking my bento out at the park and opening it to reveal the yummy goodness inside! I know my son feels the same way, at such times he grabs his bento box and opens it while saying, “Ooooohhh, what’s in heeeere.”

Bento Tips:

  • Plan meals ahead. Try to plan an entire week worth of meals in advance.
  • Set aside & freeze extra food. If you are making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, set aside some extra mini meatballs and spaghetti in a muffin tin and freeze. You can toss it in a bento at a later date along with some fruit and have a ready made lunch. I often make food ahead just to freeze for later use, such as mini muffins that I put in my bento lunches.
  • You don’t need to make elaborate food, but think about how to incorporate new foods in interesting ways. If your little Monkey doesn’t like red pepper, maybe he she will like it as an alligator or in matchstick shapes next to some hummus or other dip. My monkey has even eaten rutabaga when I introduced them as “fries”!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Fish Bento for the Pool

Holy Smokes! It is HOT!

left: veggie chips, cookie, 1/2 peach
right: cheese, frozen blueberries, cheddar, avocado, peach chutney, and bits of turkey bacon sandwich

Monday, June 1, 2009

Happy Day Smoothies

We love smoothies in this household. Early on I learned that smoothies are a great way to sneak veggies into my kids diet. After balking at eating his steamed broccoli one night at dinner and insisting that he didn't like it, I explained to my son that he does like broccoli, in fact he eats it all the time in his smoothies. I have made an effort to involve him in the kitchen as much as possible, and now it has become his job to make smoothies. He has taken to the mission with great gusto, and broccoli is always the first thing in the blender!


Happy Day Smoothie Recipe:
  • 3/4 cup frozen broccoli *
  • 1/2 cup sweet potato (other veggies sometimes substituted like butternut squash, etc) *
  • 1/2 cup kefir yogurt drink
  • 1/2 cup green juice (more if needed)
  • 2 TB flax seed (We use ground which adds texture, you can also use flax seed oil. Flax seed is an excellent source of omega-3)
  • 2 TB sunbutter
  • 1 cup frozen mixed berries
  • 1 banana
  • sometimes wheat germ

Makes 3 to 4 servings

* I usually keep some of these in my freezer to use when I am out of broccoli or sweet potato. You can also mix it up and use this and substitute different fruits etc.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Another Camp Day Bento (Adult)
















top: artichoke & lemon frittata with fresh herbs, fresh tomato and basil salsa, chicken apple sausage
bottom: celery and green apple slaw, mushroom saute in whole wheat filo, ginger cookie

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Indian Inspired Bento (Adult)














top: turkey kofta (meatballs) on spinach, mini carrot + manchego sandwich with pickles, truffled walnuts
bottom: red dhal kibbeh with apple lemon raita

yum factor: HIGH

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Camp Day Bento (Adult)

top: walnut oatmeal burger with sweet pickle on side and ketchup in container
bottom:mini zucchini + sun dried tomato + goat cheese involtini, rutabaga fries with gruyere sauce in container, asparagus with lemon artichoke pesto, truffled walnuts

Monday, May 18, 2009

Snack Day- May

Today is the last day of the Monkeys preschool and he had the honor of bringing in the snack.

My heart is so sad that he is leaving to go to another school next year. My eyes tear up when I think about it. He has done so well at Decatur First and adores his teachers and friends. I hope he does as well next year at the new school.

We also say goodbye to Color Wheel art classes at the end of the week. Man, it is going to be a pity party weekend!

snack: strawberry, cookie, veggie booty, and cheese airplane

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Ballet VS. Roller Derby

Today was a culturally enriching day for the entire family! First we attended the Atlanta Ballet's production of "Snow White" at Cobb Galleria. The show was JUST the right length at 45 minutes. The story was well paced and both kids stayed interested in the performance.

After coming home and resting our eyes for a bit, the Monkey, some friends and I headed out to the Atlanta Roller Girls Roller Derby!


It took a little time for the Monkey and his buddies to warm up to the sport, but once they knew the rules and who/what to cheer for, they were all set.
At the end of the day I couldn't help but wonder to myself what this says about me as a mom. Is it normal to take my child to a ballet in the afternoon and then to a roller derby that same night? I don't know, but we did enjoy both venues and will probably attend them again in the future. And oddly enough, after watching a few rounds of the derby I realized that if you compare the basics of ballet to roller derby you CAN find SOME similarities:

Interesting Costumes: Ballet: yes Derby: yes
Complex Movements: Ballet: yes Derby: yes
Girls in Tights: Ballet: yes Derby: yes
Cheering for the Heroine: Ballet: NO Derby: yes

So while the ballet was great, in the end what won the Monkey over to the derby, was the ability to scream " GOOOOOOO Deathskull!" at the top of his lungs.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

New Shinzi Katoh Bento Boxes!

I just received my newest shipment of Shinzi Katoh bento boxes from Japan. Visit my on-line store to see some of the great new designs!

P.S. $5.95 flat rate shipping on all orders! (revised)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sea Turtle bento

This week is "ocean week" at the Monkeys preschool.
top: grapes, colby cheese, edamame, and pretzels
bottom: sunbutter and jam sandwich (with grated carrot), cheese sea turtle with green food coloring, more edamame, and red pepper coral

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Short hike at Stone Mountain

We made a trip out to Stone Mountain to ride the train and go on a short safari hike. The Monkey led the way with map in hand and enthusiastically pointed out all of the markers along the path. We encountered a small herd of deer along the way. Despite the toddler excitement and wanting to go "pet them" we were able to stay quiet enough that they crossed the path right in front of us. There is always something special about this type of "meeting" in the forest. It is hard to put into words, almost magical.


It does bring to mind a quote I love by Henry David Thoreau from Walden " I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn."

lunch snack: sunbutter and jam sandwich with strawberry & snap pea chips

Friday, May 8, 2009

Cooking for Monkeys nominated as "Best Local Blog" on Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks website



WOW!!!! I am astounded, thrilled, and honored! I just got this e-mail:

"We're thrilled to tell you that our editorial team has determined you're one of the best local bloggers in the US, and we've nominated you in our new "Best Local Blog" category on Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks website. Voting just started, and will continue through mid-July."

My mind races. I start thinking "Oh my gosh, the last photo I posted had such bad lighting.", "Have I made anything interesting lately to post?", "Am I going to be on Nickelodeon's Kids Awards and be slimed?", "Will television make my butt look big?"

VOTE FOR ME HERE every single day! (I know, shameless self promotion.)

Check out all the categories here: http://www.nicksparentspicks.com/

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

School Bus bento

















left: cheddar, avocado, and apricot jam "bus"
sandwiches with cherry tomatoes
right: strawberries & peach with snow peas wrapped around pineapple and water chestnut next to mini hot dog with pickles and ketchup (in container) and cookie in foil

Friday, April 10, 2009

"Kids Go Wild" Camp Booty

These are some of the treasures that the Monkey brought home from camp! I am in love with the turtle. The kids dyed the felt material and helped shape the turtle design. (The dye used was Kool Aid!!) The paper they made as well by mushing recycled envelopes in a big washing pan filled with water and then straining and drying it out. It contains seeds for wildflowers and can be planted!

We are planning to plant tomatoes this weekend so we will add the plants he brought home from camp to our garden.

Toddler Bento for "Kids Go Wild" Camp Day 5














Today is the last day of camp and I know the Monkey will be sad. I tried to ease the sorrow with some of his favorite foods.

During the week all of the kids can wear various "tails" that clip onto the back of their shirts. Invariably when I pick the Monkey up from camp he has on the cheetah tail. Apparently he has a lot of fun running around "super fast" like a cheetah and climbing the sturdy (and short) tree in the play yard.

top: snap pea chips, carrot chips, colby cheese, grapes with raspberries, and a hershey kiss
bottom: sunbutter and jam sandwich and cheese cheetah with fruit leather accents