Oh Emm Geeeee

wow.
just. wow. It has been far, far too long!

We have been so so so oooooo very busy here in the Poirier household! I mean.. I haven't blogged in nearly two months!!!
Sorry!

Besides just making fabulous lunches, we've been working on our house, re-arranging our lives, trying to spend as much time together as possible! For what reason? Just.. that we love each other. My family is thriving. This is something I'm very proud of!

Ok, ok.. enough talking... time for some LUNCHES!

I'm going to post my favorite ones first, in my favorite boxes- our brand spanking new YUBO tall boxes!

When you see them and love them (and you will) you can grab your own right here: http://www.getyubo.com

Tell them Kandice Poirier sent you.... I don't get a reward or anything, but I want them to know how much I appreciate and love them! You will, too.

I love the Yubo so much, with its ice pack. Love love love. We're going to the pumpkin patch in a couple of weeks and our Yubos will be going along, too. But, not in lunchbox form. Well, in lunchbox form, but not in the traditional form. More like.. coolers. SO COOL. Get it... because I love the ice pack? :P hahaha

A couple of other lunches since the last time I blogged:

*whew* That is a LOT of lunches! 

Look out tomorrow for an easy-peasy BBQ recipe!! And if you're in Arkansas, make sure you check ArkansasPTA.org in a couple of days for the latest newsletter- and an article written by yours truly about healthy lunches for our kiddos!

xoxo

kP

Lunchbox Love!

Hi, everyone! I have a surprise for you this week!!

Yes! A GIVE AWAY! :)

A wonderful company- Lunchbox Love- has given me some adorable lunch love notes to give away to a lucky reader! This was my first time to use these adorable little notes, and I LOVE THEM! I will definitely order some when these run out. Olivia loves reading them, too!

The cool thing is these aren't *just* for lunches. I used some of my Christmas ones to get creative with our elf, Layla. 

The winner will be announced on Sunday, January 13, by midnight. Check out the rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tiny trees

Hello! Happy Hump Day! :) It has been quite a while since I've posted. Don't worry, I've still been making cute lunches every day, I just haven't found them interesting enough to blog.

Today I want to show you a quick way to send your yogurt in your kids lunch. This idea was shown to me by my amazing BBF group, I can not remember specifically which one! I have several of my bento blogging friends' buttons on the right side bar, feel free to click through and see how wonderfully talented my people are! They're so amazing!

Ok, on to the yogurt!

I bought little Christmas tree ice trays at target last night. I spooned 0% organic plain Greek yogurt in the mold, then a dollop of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Then I added a few sprinkles to look like Christmas "lights." So fun!

How do you send yogurt to school in your kiddo's lunch?

Trying Something New!

What are the rules for trying something new in your house? We have a 2-bite rule.. And usually the kids like what we are trying.

I haven't ever tried pumpkin butter, but when I saw it at the Ozark Country Market, I knew it just had to be a winner. I mean, I love a pumpkin spice latte, right?! Who doesn't?! So I bought it. And today it is in Olivia's sandwich.

Usually I try to sneak new foods in to lunches and surprise her at school. This morning she caught me making lunch and tasted the butter... And LOVED it! She requested it! :) I love when that happens.

Behold, the pumpkin butter sandwich! Haha! :) with cherry tomatoes, grapes, and corn nuts.

Cute Z Cute

It's exactly what it sounds like... CUTE!! :) you can get one at allthingsforsale.com & if they're not available on amazon yet, they will be soon!

It's one cutter with four different faceplates- a panda, a kitty, a frog, and a piggy!

I LOVE IT!!! :) thanks so much JeeJee <3 you're fabulous!

Biscuits (aren't just for breakfast)

That's right!

Actually, I can't even take credit for this idea. It's all pillsbury. Andy saw a commercial where they smushed the biscuit dough into flat circles and baked it. So, he was like "oh, do that for dinner!" Well.... We don't dictate dinner while we are staying with my family so, I tried it for Olivia's lunch.

She loved it! It's not the healthiest but it works for days I'm uninspired (seems like every day now), or in a rush.

Just smush, bake, and create.

lovely lunching

Today was such a lovely day! It still is, actually. No seriously, the weather out is pure perfection. If Sophia wasn't napping (for the FIRST TIME all day today) we would go for a run. THAT is how gorgeous it is. Windows open in January. LOVE it. :)

My friend Whittney came over for lunch today (and some much needed adult time... I had taken up talking to the couch). I took the opportunity of having company to not only actually clean my kitchen (I have been so house-chore lazy its pitiful) but to create a delicious lunch from my Tone It Up meal plan.

The menu:

Pasta Salad

Guacamole 

Kale Chips

This was my first attempt EVER to make kale chips. I admit, I was a bit nervous. Why? We all know I'm pretty much a goddess in the kitchen. Seriously. If you know me, you love the things that come from my kitchen. I'll tell you why. The kale at walmart (I hate shopping there, but I live in a tiny town and unfortunately, they have the largest produce selection out of the other little chain stores here like piggly wiggly or kroger) was SO bright bright green. I was SURE it must be labeled wrong.. but the leaves were textured like kale... and I had read about the different places kale grows and the seasons and how it is a great cold weather plant. So I thought maybe this kale came from a different place. Don't get me wrong, the brightness of this kale was very attractive! Much better (and tastier!) than any other kale I had gotten at walmart previously.

Another reason: I hate avocado. True story. Pathetic, right? How can a once-vegan hate the motherfood? I do. But I have been treating it like I did sushi... I wanted to like it, so I begrudgingly ate it every week or two for an entire year. Then the taste became something I enjoyed, even craved (switching from Nori to soy paper helped a LOT on my sushi-tolerance, as well. Nori just... makes me gag sometimes). Right. Back to avocado. I have been chopping it up and putting it on things the last few months. Ordering food that contains it in restaurants (hello, Cali wrap at uptown... I'm looking at you, drooling!), and mixing it with a tiny bit of pesto when I make sandwiches and wraps at home. The TIU guac was AWESOME! :) The only way I could think to improve it: add peppers. But, I am a "fire mouth" and I love love love hot food. So next time I make it, I will chop fresh serranos or I will add red pepper flakes. I love both.

The pasta salad was easy to throw together, delicious, and it got Sophia to eat broccoli (the only food left that she doesn't like... luckily she has gotten over her distaste for bananas). I call that winning!

I would have to say the entire meal was a huge success. Whittney seemed to enjoy it, I loved it, and Sophia ate every bite, with the exception of a few red bell peppers... I don't think she really likes the "crunch" yet. Her little molars are in but not completely- maybe that had something to do with it.