Back To School!

Well, we survived the first week of school!

I am loving having Sophia in Kindergarten, because she's so excited to take her lunch every day!

Here's a recap of the first week's lunches! Wednesday of last week we had to leave earlier than usual, and I didn't get a pic of that day's meal... so there are only 4.

Glorious 55

This morning it is 55 degrees, y'all. FIFTY FIVE. In August. I think I'm in Heaven!

Since its the first week of school, I've been pretty on top of things, excited for a new year of bento blogging, waking up early. Olivia has been up by 0630 every morning so she can have time to straighten her hair (I mean, stop growing already please, miniature adult. Tweenager that she is!) I've actually been putting her lunches together in the evenings as I  put away dinner leftovers and clean the kitchen back up. Its easier to do it in the evenings when she's taking something left over from dinner; it saves me the trouble of putting it away and then getting it back out in the morning to pack her lunch.

Well, on Wednesday nights I take a yoga class, so there isn't any good light leftover to photograph the lunch when I get back home. So this morning I made her lunch and photographed it in the gorgeous, cool misty 55 degree morning. It was quite nice!

In the lunchbot we have peanut butter sushi, marshmallow twists, a babybel, dehydrated raspberries, and trail mix (almonds, cashews, dried cranberries). She also has an apple sauce and some blueberry crackers packed separately.

Yubo Wednesday

Good morning! Today it was so hard to get up and get moving! It is pouring rain, thundering, and lightening.. perfect sleeping weather! I'm so, so excited because the low tonight is 54 degrees. In August. Beyond giddy, actually! 

Today's lunch is packed in one of our three Yubo boxes! Yubo is probably my favorite. Ok, its a tie between Yubo and Lunchbots. They're my favorites for different reasons! :)

Olivia has 2 BBQ Chicken Rolls (same as yesterday, and recipe from 2 days ago), a couple of marshmallow ropes (found those at TJ Maxx the other day), banana bread from our so so sweet neighbor, gummies, strawberries and mini chocolate chips, and metallic sixlets, and a grapefruit. Those containers might LOOK small, but that is almost an entire grapefruit! Only one slice wouldn't fit. And, if I'd squished really hard, it probably would have.

The only thing I don't really love about the Yubo is there isn't a place to put a drink. I think they make an attachment drink carrier for the box now, but we don't have one and for the life of me I never think to order one until I'm sending the kids off to school with their drinks in their backpacks. Which is a lot, since we have 3 of these cute boxes!

Back To School :: BENTO!

Well, its here, and I can hardly believe it. It is the end of summer, "officially" officially. Ok, I know the calendar year doesn't declare the end of summer until later, but the start of school for the kids really does signify the end. I can't say I'm sad about it… with the beginning of school we welcome cooler weather (almost, anyway), a buzz of autumn activities like ballet and vino league, football (I'm just here for the food, y'all), and so much more!

So, you probably know by now, but….
TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Both my kids are excited for school and bentos. I am, too!

For the first day of SIXTH GRADE, Miss O has a cute lunch in a LunchBots container.

In the Lunchbot Uno we have a leftover BBQ rib with cheese letters (my husband is the GRILL MASTER, and these ribs were so good!), ritz crackers and a babybel cheese, strawberries with edible glitter, and a trail mix I threw together of sixlets, almonds, sprinkles, and mini chocolate chips. There are also tiny m&m's cookies our sweet neighbors brought over for us earlier today. In the "fit & fresh" tupperware container, there are sliced peaches. This lunch is a little heavy on the sweets, although I didn't really think about that when I was packing it. We'll just say its a special treat for the first day of school. I will send along a bottle of water with fresh lime slices as well. I wrote a cute little first day of school note on a blank note card from LunchboxLove.

Olivia chose a new lunch bag last week at TJ Maxx, and it is so cute. 

That's our first day of school bento. If you created a bento style lunch, post the link in the comments! Make sure you like my page on Facebook, /PoiriersPlantRoots

xo
kP

Lovin' for a BBF mama!

Hey y'all! :)

I just wanted to let everyone know about the AWESOME give away over at Bentos On The Bayou!

Seriously- hurry over there, because there isn't much time left to enter!!

Click HERE!

Patriotic Bento Blog Hop!

I am participating in the Patriotic blog hop with my Bento Blogger Friends! How lovely!

Red & Blue brown rice (colored with Wilton cake colors), a patriotic cupcake paper filled with black grapes, 3 almond bark covered pretzels, a star (paper) pick with edible yellow glitter and yellow sprinkles to make a [terrible looking] firework. And a sailboat! Because to me, the 4th of July holiday means being on the lake. That is what happens when you grow up in Greers Ferry, Arkansas. Yep. :)

To see another amazing Patriotic Bento, click HERE!

Fun Food Friday

Hello, all! :) I wanted to start a weekly bento post on this blog.. for a while now! Anyway, today is day ONE and I'm excited to do it.

Fun Food Friday is a day where I will post the bento lunches I have made for Olivia (and Sophia, sometimes) throughout the week. I try to use Olivia's lunches to encourage her to eat healthy, without taking away all the "junk" or the excitement of special treats.

Black olives, mini crackers & pepperjack (cut with my funbites!), clementine, fresh pineapple

This one I actually made for my sister's husband- we all had lunch with Olivia at school Tuesday. kiwi with fruit leather stars, clementine, veggies & light ranch, mini bear & elephant cheese sandwiches, annie cheddar bunnies.

Apple, clementine, blueberries, salt and vinegar pop chips, annie bunnies, and a home-made oatmeal, nut & fruit cookie (recipe from my Grandma Connie)

cucumbers, kale chips, pineapple, guacamole with tomatoes, pb&co's white chocolate wonder mini sandwiches with blueberries on swords. easter candy.

Sharkie omega-3 gummy stick, cupcake marshmallows, nutella quesadilla, pineapple, gluten free pretzels and babybel, a few dried strawberries.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

The winner of the Lock & Lock mini is Corey @ Family Fresh Meals!!

Corey please email me your color preference (orange, green or pink) to kandipoirier @ gmail . com :) along with your shipping address!

Thank you so much for playing, everyone!!

A Week of Seuss

Hi there! Hello! How are you?! :) Well, I hope!

This week has been a week of fun and maybe a little bit of magic all around the world! It is the birthday week of the one and only Dr. Seuss! He was my favorite as a child, and I love that he is so widely celebrated for his creativity and heart! My daughters love him, and that makes me so happy!

This week at O's school they have had a Seuss themed day every day! For the last 2 months the 2nd grade has been rehearsing their "Seussical." Tonight was the big night and my sweet Olie was such a bright star! I loved getting to see her on stage, singing her heart out to little Seuss songs.

In honor of her Seussical this week I incorporated a theme from one of his books into lunch each day. With the exception of tomorrow... school has already been cancelled due to the impending storm threat! Here's to hoping everyone everywhere, but especially in the southeast stays safe tomorrow!

Monday: I woke up and only had about 20 minutes to get O up & ready for school and lunch made. So, pardon my green eggs and ham with a sloppy turkey & cheese border. haha. This lunch is brown rice (dyed with yellow food coloring to make it orange-y), egg whites cut into circles, tiny turkey circles colored green with food safe markers, and a little ham cut from a slice of provolone- again colored with food safe markers.

Pin It

Tuesday: A cat in the hat minus the cat! You see a salad in the larger container, a cheese (provolone) hat colored with food safe marker, and in the divided container more cheese with grapes, and pineapples.

Pin It

Wednesday: the LORAX! He's my favorite because he teaches children to value our planet. This is blue bow-tie pasta (I used Wilton cake gel dye), steamed French beans, and the Truffula trees & Lorax are made from cheese. His eyes are candy.

Pin It

Thursday: One fish two fish red fish blue fish! :) This is Olie's favorite Dr. Seuss book. She has a salad with goldfish, cheese numbers, red & blue fish (one boiled egg, halved), raw walnuts, 2 tagalong girl scout cookies, and a heart-shaped cupcake topper. 

Pin It

For more awesome Dr. Seuss lunches, hop on over to Emily at Bentobloggy!

Prep work

Tomorrow is Sunday and my first day of the 7 Day Slim Down. Did you notice the Bikini Body ticker I put on the top of this blog? My Spring Break Bikini Challenge ends on 18March but we aren't going on spring break until 7/8April. Anyway. The last time I attempted to do the 7dsd I bombed and quit on the first day. The first time I tried it, I completed it with amazing results. But I got SO SICK of the food- by day 7 I thought I would puke if I had to see another salad. So I've been prepping myself mentally for this all week. I had to, or I wouldn't be able to even try it. 

I found better running headphones today (I hope). I will try them in the gym Monday. And OH EM GEE I found an awesome running app that I can't wait to try!! Anyone out there obsessed with zombies? No? Just me? Nah... I know each and every one of you *secretly* has a zombie plan... and gas masks, flak jackets, stockpiled rounds, a few extra guns...

Check this out.

I'm more than a little excited. I can't remember which fit blog I saw this on.. it was a random pinterest click then a series of random tumblr clicking... but I am so excited that I found it! :) 

Tomorrow should be an easy day on the slim down, I have the food I need here at the house, but not enough for the week. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day and I'll have to go back several times throughout the week to ensure the freshness of my produce. I am excited. And ready to really kill it this week.

---

Goals for this week:

Stay on track with 7dsd

Finish each day strong, with a satisfied feeling about my workouts!

Remember: coconut water!

Go above and beyond with Olivia's bentos this week.*

Go through things for a yard sale I'm having next Saturday

Nail down a date to go HOME for a visit. I miss my family.

Run from the ZOMBIES!!!

What are your goals for the week? What are you doing to make sure you achieve them?