Dec 21, 2011

The Grinch

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, 
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. 
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. 
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. 
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. 
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. 
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.




Most of these parts stayed on just by moisture. I used the kiwi skin for the eyebrows, dried apricots for the yes, a cut sesame seed for the nose, strawberry and vegan/food dye free Dandies Classic Vanilla Flavor Air Puffed Marshmallows 10oz for the hat. The marshmallows didn't want to stay on, so my daughter and I sewed them together with a needle and thread, and tied it around the hat.  



Dec 20, 2011

Holiday Penguins

I found these Olive Penguins and just had to make them! These took quite a bit more prep than what I usually like to do, but, hey, it was holiday break... well, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated, but I think it's just me, and I wasn't using regular cream cheese.

I first made this cashew cheese the day before because it needs to refrigerate and started on the penguins. They turned out pretty cute and the kids loved them. Another good afternoon snack, and I didn't make as many as I wanted. I will probably still try again next year just for fun!




one of the kids wanted to try... poor little penguin. 





Dec 19, 2011

Afternoon snacking

I was excited for Holiday break as I was going to make some snacking platters for the kids that I couldn't make into boxe-able lunches.

Another veggie Christmas tree! Veggies are so much more fun to eat when they look like a tree.


snap peas and spinach for the tree; sliced turkey, dried cranberries, carrots for the ornaments; clementine for the star. 





Dec 16, 2011

Christmas Tree Platter

Some new friends invited us over for a holiday party, and asked us to bring something to share. Now, I am the person who, when asked to bring something,  I stop by the store and grab a bag of chips and don't even bother to put them in a nice bowl. Because I'm classy like that. Usually I'm just at a loss for things to bring and even forget things like, say, a bowl to put the chips in. Hostessing is not my forte! 

Anyway, I found this idea online and went with it... I even went to the store and bought a holiday platter! 

Broccoli Christmas tree, cauliflower snow, carrot and tomato ornaments! So much fun, so easy, and a hit at the party! 

Later, my mom was inspired and sent me a picture of what she made for their family get together! Yay, I love being an inspiration! 

Reindeer Games

My mom got me a bunch of those big Costco all beef hot dogs so I have been trying to find fun uses for them. Little hot dog reindeer... I am not thrilled with how the antlers turned out, but I will have to figure that out another time! I thought they were pretty cute anyway...

All beef hot dogs, vegan canola mayo and nori for the eyes, ketchup for the bright red nose! 


Dec 14, 2011

Interesting sandwich...

Atticus wanted to make his own sandwich, since I had some homemade gluten free bread in the house.

And this is what he came up with: Banana clementine peanut butter sandwich. He ate the whole thing!


Dec 13, 2011

Gingerbread men

Well, I loved this idea, if I do say so myself! I put some red rice in the rice cooker the evening before and then smoothed it out in a brownie pan and popped it in the fridge over night. The next morning I used my gingerbread cookie cutter and cut the shapes out of the cooled red rice, it worked perfectly!

I used vegan canola mayonaise in a little ziploc bag with a corner cut out to make the "frosting".


On a bed of spinach, with sides of carrots, apples, raisins and pumpkin seeds. 





Dec 12, 2011

Stockings

Hot dog stockings, cut the all beef hot dogs at an angle, and put them together with a toothpick. Pepper jack "cheese" cut and rolled around for the tops of the stockings. Easy and cute!

Dec 6, 2011

Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas.

Rice head, mung bean thread beard, apple for his hat with blended carrot for the cross (supposed to be gold).

Dec 5, 2011

Sinterklaas Day

Sinterklaas kapoentje,
gooi wat in m'n schoentje,
gooi wat in m'n laarsje, 
dank u Sinterklaasje.


Putting our wooden shoes out tonight for Sinterklaas! Carrots for his horse... 




 Our shoes out... I don't have any wooden shoes and the kids felt like I was being left out so they put my black heels out, complete with a carrot and apple!


Nov 17, 2011

Native American

Native American boy, rice ball, raisin eyes, carrot feather, rice cheese head band, nori smile, tomato collar.


Nov 16, 2011

Pilgrim Girl

Pilgrim girl.

Rice ball, nori for hair and face, rice cheese for bonnet, in a bed of corn.


Nov 15, 2011

Leaves and Berries

My mom was visiting before Thanksgiving preparing to take us on a trip for the holiday. I sat and visited with my mom and cut up these apples to be a leafy, autumn lunch. I also found cranberries on sale; I had never made cranberry sauce before, and it looked pretty easy, so I made that too. Not the best idea for a lunch though, as it was too juicy and made messes. Looks cool though, right?


Nov 14, 2011

Turkey turkeys

Remember those construction paper turkeys that we made from our hand prints way back in school? This was supposed to be that. My daughter thought it would be funny to make turkey turkeys.

Grilled turkey strips, rice cheese for the face, sunflower seed eyes, carrot beak, and pumpkin seed wattle.



Nov 9, 2011

Airbender

My son wanted to make his own lunch today, and he called this one "Airbender".

Leftover pumpkin rice, apple peels, and nori.


Nov 8, 2011

Fall Back

I was trying my hand at some Daylight Savings Time humor. Daylight savings change is not a favorite at our house!


Found this clip art on google images and cut it out of nori with a scissors. I cooked the rice with half a can of pumpkin and some cinnamon for some autumn flavor. 

Nov 7, 2011

Autumn Trees

I was feeling very grumpy this morning about the fall time and how I didn't find it very inspiring at all. My brother is here and I went for a walk in the chilly air and thought there is no way I can feel creative. I sat on my step and saw these lovely, colorful leaves that had fallen to the ground. I decided that I could probably be a little more positive about my attitude. I came inside and cut out these little leaves from the rice cheese, and made happy little fall sandwiches from peanut butter and sesame seeds.


Sides of pumpkin seeds, raisins, apples and carrots. 

Nov 2, 2011

Autumn Owls

This was another unplanned, last minute, what do I have in the fridge lunch. Sometimes they turn out the best, as opposed to some that I plan the night before... weird how that happens.

This was the leftover quinoa mix from the Frankenpeppers, corn tortillas and nori for the eyes, carrot nose, cucumber wings, celery feet, and rice cheese chest feathers.



Yeah, I'm pretty proud of this one!

Nov 1, 2011

Put a Bird on It

After all the Halloween creativity, I was lost as to what to do for November. Autumn is not my favorite time of year as it's getting dark and cold. This was the product of going through my fridge at 7 in the morning and trying to find stuff to throw together. Came up with this bird! How cute is he?

Rice ball with sesame seed oil, carrot nose, olive eyes and red cabbage head feathers.


Oct 31, 2011

Frankenpepper

I found this quinoa recipe and instructional to make these cool peppers for our Halloween dinner. I did not use the beef bouillon or cheese, but the rest of it we had in the house and it was super easy and really yummy.

Dinner done, off to go Trick or Treating!

Jack

Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas


Oct 28, 2011

Vampire

My ten year old has been begging for a vampire lunch. She is planning to be a vampire for Halloween (and not the sparkling kind), so wanted a lunch to reflect that. I made them brainstorm to come up with something, and here is the finished product.

Rice, nori for hair, olives, turkey ham and ketchup.


Oct 27, 2011

Boo!

Spooky potato ghosts!

Leftover mashed potatoes and I used a cookie cutter to form them, used a hole punch to make nori eyes and mouth.


Oct 26, 2011

Bread shapes

Since we had bread in the house, my son wanted to make the sandwiches, so he got out the Halloween cookie cutters and made up some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with some Halloween toothpicks.


Oct 25, 2011

Worm Sandwich

Look, I baked bread! Okay, it was out of the package, but still fairly impressive for me.

Had this idea from a friend and bought some Surf Sweet Gummy Worms - 2.75 oz - Bag for some peanut butter and worm sandwiches!

Sides of grapes, cashews, pears and snap peas.



Oct 24, 2011

nom nom nom

Okay I am pretty sure I just grossed myself out.

For these super disgusting fingers, I cut some turkey dogs in half, then sliced some knuckle lines.  I cooked them up in Coconut Aminos (Two 8oz Bottles) and brown sugar for some extra creep. Slivered almonds for the fingernails, placed in some gluten free pasta and added some ketchup. Yum.




Oct 21, 2011

Braaaaiins....

Last night I cooked up some Ka-Me Bean Thread, 3.75-Ounce Units (Pack of 12) and mixed them with the arugula/spinach mix to make them green. I really wanted to make brains out of them but didn't have a Brain Gelatin Mold. I made a couple of brain molds out of aluminum foil, poured the noodles in and formed them a bit more. I was half expecting them to be completely flat by the time I got up but they held their shape and turned out looking like brains!


Oct 20, 2011

Mummies

Back to feeling a little more creative! This one took a bit more preparation. I am not great with the baking, especially the gluten free baking without eggs or dairy or anything these things are supposed to have. I used a mix and made little pie crusts, and cut them into strips. They were pretty crumbly, but worked. I had to "glue" a few pieces with ketchup. I made the eyes out of the rice cheese, cutting them with straws. I found these little turkey breakfast sausages to roll up as mummies, they were a hit!


Oct 19, 2011

Batcheese

I used some leftover pasta from the day before, rice cheese cut out with our bat cookie cutter, threw in some more olives. My son made the bat eyes from some cut up olives. Sides of grapes, strawberries, peanuts and carrots.


Oct 18, 2011

Rough morning

This was one of those rough mornings, running late, feeling under the weather and not very creative. I just made some pasta and threw it in their lunch boxes. Well, the kids came to the rescue and couldn't have just pasta! They had to make a face, so grabbed some olives and tomatoes and made faces in their pasta! And it kind of goes with the Halloween theme with looking slightly like a mummy...


Oct 17, 2011

Life! Do you hear me? Give my creation life!

Frankenstein's Monster.

Blended some arugula, garlic, spinach and oil together and mixed it in with the rice to make it green (and tasty!). Olives for the eyes, and I cut out some nori for the hair, scar, and mouth.

Oct 12, 2011

Eyeball Salad

I peeled the radishes with a knife, trying to create a bloodshot eyeball look. Olives and peas for the pupil and iris, set in some delicious salad! 

Oct 11, 2011

Spiders

ew.

These were harder than I thought they would be! It's so random what I think will be easy and what I think will be difficult. For some reason I was having a hard time cutting the olives just so, and the legs continued to want to fall off the rice eggs! And I think I creeped myself out just a little bit...


Oct 10, 2011

Monsters in Mire


Halloween season is upon us... time for creepy food! I sautéed some garlic in oil and then blended the heck out of some  leftover spinach, arugula and broccoli before it went to waste,  then mixed it with cooked up mung bean noodles for the mire. These are the big all beef hot dogs from Costco (thanks to my mom!), I made little diagonal slices in the hot dog and cooked them, which led to this monstery look. Fun, super easy and the kids love it. 

Oct 7, 2011

Ninja

I was so excited about this one. We had been reading a Lego Ninjago book at bed time, and I found some  inspiration online for ninja lunches.  I was just thrilled with how it turned out. My kids thought I was awesome too which is always a great feeling. Carrots as weapons, rice balls wrapped in nori... it was so easy, yet super cool. We also had turkey burgers left over from dinner the night before for some extra protein and for the ninja's to hang out on.