Thursday, July 25, 2013

Special Summer Omelette


Celebrate summer with a breakfast bento and whip up a delicious omelette stuffed with your favorite seasonal veggies. Add a side of fresh fruit and toast with fresh avocado spread and you have the perfect special summer bento breakfast!

Click here to view the Full Menu details. 

Summer Lunches With Love - from MamaBelly.com


By Nina Holstead
MamaBelly.com

Even though it is summer we are still packing lunches for work, camp and trips to the beach and pool. I love going shopping with my kids this time of year so they can pick out fresh fruit and vegetables for their lunches!



This summer lunch contains:
  • a simple herb salad and cheese wrap, 
  • a mini pepper, 
  • blueberry yogurt topped with fresh blueberries and 
  • A few farm fresh strawberries. 

The perfect lunch for work!


My kids prefer smaller portions and a variety of choices. The Laptop Lunches Bento Lunch Box makes packing several food groups so easy. No matter if you are packing for camp, school, or a day at the pool, with the right prep you can pack this lunchbox in under 5 min!

This colorful lunch contains:
  • a mini pepper and baby carrots, 
  • blueberries with a few raspberries, 
  • strawberries, 
  • Goldfish crackers,
  • three mini stamped ice cream sandwiches filled with nut butter and 
  • Yogurt topped with fresh raspberries. 
Here a few tips to make packing lunches a little easier:
  • Pick out the fruits and veggies you plan to pack with your kids at the store. They are more likely to eat them if they got to decide which ones to pack or try.
  • Prep prep prep! Wash the fruits and veggies when you get home and store them in a container in the fridge ready to go. That way healthy snacks are always available and you save time when making lunch. I often shop and prep on Sundays so I am ready for the week. 
  • It is so much easier to plan and pack at night after the kids are in bed then in the morning when you are rushing out the door! So, pre-pack what you can and store the Laptop Lunches containers in either your fridge or on the counter until you need them.
  • --> I filled the containers that need to be refrigerated the night before and placed them in the fridge. Take advantage of the fact that two of the Laptop Lunches containers have lids (but you can also cover the containers with plastic foil if need be). I highly recommend the Bento Buddies if you pack lunch every day since you get 4 lidded containers in the set! I filled one container with crackers and pre-cut the bread to save time in the morning as well. I used a fondant plunger to make the ice cream shaped bread but even a simple cookie cutter can make lunch more fun! I started with one star shaped cookie cutter 2 years ago. I just place the bread back into the bread bag and seal it. That way I only need to fill the sandwich in the morning. With a little prep packing a healthy and colorful lunch is fast and fun!
  • Don't forget last night's left overs! They make great lunches the next day!
  • Always have some healthy snacks in the fridge you can add to your lunchbox in the morning when you are short on time.
  • Freeze juice pouches or to go yogurts to keep your lunchbox cold and the drink and food fresh on hot summer days!
This Laptop Lunches bento box contains:
  • left over macaroni and cheese with carrot flowers
  • cheese crackers
  • fruit gummies
  • a peach, sliced
  • a yogurt to go and
  • a frozen juice pouch to keep the lunch cold until it's time to eat
Have a great summer!
   ~Nina, MamaBelly.com 


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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Sweet Potato Hummus and Spinach Salad


It's not just hummus- It's sweet potato hummus! YUM! Served with flax seed chips, spinach salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette, a side of curried couscous and two little cutie mandarins, this bento lunch hints at the autumnal season soon to come, while still celebrating the bounties of summer.

Click here for the Full Menu details. 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Cook With Amber goes to The White House


Hi, I'm Amber Kelley. I'm 10 years old. I think being healthy is COOL, so I started a healthy online cooking show. I want to show kids everywhere that its easy and super fun to cook healthy meals for your friends and family! 

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to the White House for a Kids' State Dinner! I was invited because I was the winner in my state for the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a contest created by the First Lady Michelle Obama, and Epicurious to encourage kids and families to cook healthy meals. The only reason I even knew about the challenge is because our friends at Laptop Lunches told us about it! How lucky for us! We had no idea this challenge existed. Thank you, Laptop Lunches!

Everyone, download this awesome cookbook! It has the winning recipes from all the states, plus the U.S. Territories. It's free to everyone. It's full of amazing healthy recipes from kids! SO COOL! 

The Kids' State Dinner was amazing, and there is so much to tell. I have a blogon my website that tells all the details of my trip to Washington D.C. but here are some of my favorite moments:




I met many kids from around the country. Everyone was super nice, and everyone was so excited about being there!







Before entering the dining room, all the kids crowded around the animal-balloon man, who was AMAZNING. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records! My mom said all the parents were laughing because we were at the White House but the kids were just interested in the balloon man.





The menu featured some of the recipes that were submitted by the winners. It was all super yummy, and my favorites were the Zucchini Cornbread and Fun Mini Pizzas with  Veggies and Cauliflower Crust (it's gluten-free!) 





I could NOT BELIEVE I was seated next to the First Lady Michelle Obama! Holy Smokes! And she mentioned me in her speech! What an honor!



 







Also at our table was Tanya Steel, Editor in Chief at Epicurious.com, who came up with the idea for this challenge and worked with Mrs. Obama to make it come true. She told us that at first, she thought the White House would never agree to do it! Thank you, Tanya! :D












The First Lady told us we should eat with our fingers, and showed us how.










We had a special guest stop by! OMG it was the President of the United States! He gave a speech and he is really funny and made us laugh. He went to every table to say hello

Mrs. Obama is the nicest person! We talked about all sorts of things, like her house, her garden, what it's like to be First Lady, and her workout routine. She also asked us questions about our summer and our school.



There were so many people from newspapers and magazines and TV stations there! I got to meet and be interviewed by Sam Kass, the chef at the White House. Some of the press were kids!


It's so awesome that the First Lady thinks it's COOL to be healthy too! She told everyone in the room to keep spreading the word on health, and that we can do anything. 

It was the best 4.5 hours of my life! I will never, ever forget this trip. 

Friday, July 12, 2013

Pasta Salad Picnic Lunch


Need to get out of the house? Pack a bento picnic lunch filled with pasta salad and greens and take yourself on a lunch date! With a side of whole-grain pretzels, sunflower seeds and grapefruit, this lunch will give you a little break from the mundane.

Click here to see this weeks Full Menu details! 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Stuffed Avocado Summer Picnic

This Week's Menu

Stuffed Avocado Summer Picnic

Fourth of July weekend is a great time for a picnic! Take all those potluck leftovers and create a beautiful bento for a lunch in the park. We put together an avocado stuffed with grilled salmon, a side of cubed watermelon, snap peas, and banana bread for a sweet treat! Embrace your holiday weekend with good food and family! 


Click here for this week's full menu.