Sick Day

Well, the Halloween Lunch may have been cool but it wasn't eaten.  Poor Molly got sick this morning about 10 minutes before we were going to leave for school.  Poor Dorothy didn't get to wear her ruby slippers but did get extra cuddle time with Mom and Dad.  Luckily though, Molly's little sister was nice enough to schlep through the rain for an hour and a half and harvesting as much candy as possible so that she could share it with Molly.

We are calling tomorrow a school lunch day in case she needs to stay home again.  But, we're hoping that she will be sitting in the cafeteria enjoying some pancakes for lunch at school tomorrow. ☺

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Lunch!

It's HERE!!!!!!  Halloween is finally here and WE ARE READY!!  We have three kids all geared up for three school parties and trick or treat tomorrow.  Daddy even took the day off to participate in the festivities.  We just love Halloween at our house and we think that it deserves an extra special spooky lunch!

Our main entree is Pumpkin Pizza.  We used our pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out the crust, Trader Joe's Middle Easter Flat Bread, covered it in cheddar cheese and then put fun faces on it with hard salami.  We realized after they were in the oven that we had forgotten the pizza sauce.  Oops!  Guess we'll call it a Halloween surprise.  ☺

Our vegetable side is a Witchy Salad.  We made a witch's face out of a green pepper, gave her a green pepper nose, orange pepper mouth, olive eyes, cucumber and red pepper hair and a black olive hat.  We placed this on a bed of green salad and are serving it with our Witch's Brew dressing.  (aka: light Italian dressing)

Our fruit side is Frankenkiwi!!!!  We found this idea at another blog that is just fantastic.  We shaved the fuzz off of most of the kiwi but left enough for some hair for Frank, it's cold here in Western PA.  We then added pumpkin bolts (pumpkin sprinkles) to the side of his head, which kind of got squished when we placed him in the container.  Then we used brown sprinkles for the mouth and green marshmallows with mini chocolate chips for the eyes.  Super cool looking!  FYI, we cut the kiwi in half length-wise so that it will be easier for Molly to eat.

Finally, our Spooky Dessert is Eyeballs and Bones!!!!  Mmmwwahhhahahaha!!!  (did I scare you?)  We added powdered sugar to light cream cheese just to sweeten it up a little bit, then rolled it into eyeballs.  After refrigerating them for a little while, we added small slivers of strawberry for the "blood shot" look and a mini M&M for the pupil.  These are served with Scooby Snack bones for dipping.  YUM!

Fun Halloween Friday!

It's almost here!  Halloween!!!!  We are having so much fun getting everything all finished.  The girls and I will be filling the treat bags for school and a few other goodies for home and Molly's lunch box for Monday.

Our main entree is a salami and cheese sandwich.  We purchased these super delicious little asiago rolls at Sam's Club today to go with our homemade chicken noodle soup.  There weren't many left but we used one for Molly's lunch.  We added hard salami, provolone and mustard...plus a little friend to keep it company.

Our vegetable side is sweet peas.  These were from a frozen packet and taste just as good cold as they do warm.  We added a jack o'lantern pick to these for fun.

Our fruit side is a sliced orange.  We re-arranged half of the orange to create a rounded circle.  Then, we used a food safe marker to make a jack o'lantern face on it.

Our dairy side is peach yogurt.  Molly really enjoyed this variety today so we were happy to give it to her again for tomorrow.

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is a mini Hershey bar.  Something about Hershey bars just screams Halloween fun!  Molly will be so excited to have one of her favorite things in the whole world!

Fall Fun

We've been having so much fun getting into fall this year.  Our annual visits to our favorite pumpkin patch, state park and candy store are all done.  Our Halloween parade, costumes and decorations are all done and there are only a few more things to do before the big day.  We can't wait for pumpkin carving, school parties and trick or treat with the annual screening of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."

Tomorrow's lunch has a few Halloween touches to it too, just to keep Molly in the spirit.

Our main entree is peanut butter and nutella sandwiches.  It was such a hit today that there was a request for it again in tomorrow's lunch.  We cut these out with pumpkin shaped cookie cutters and put faces on them with food safe markers.  We added a small witch hat to the smaller pumpkin for fun.

Our vegetable side is carrots and hummus.  Molly said that it was so delicious today that, again, she requested it for tomorrow's lunch.

Our fruit side is green grapes.  We were tempted to peel them like zombie eyeballs but decided against it just in case they shriveled up over night.

Our dairy side is a Babybel cheese.  We carved out a fun jack o'lantern face on it for Molly.

Finally, our dessert is peach yogurt.  We buy a large variety pack of yogurt for Molly's Daddy and he was nice enough to share one with Molly. ☺

Different Lunch

We're switching things up a little bit.  Molly's dessert is a bit non-traditional and in the container that usually houses our main entree.  Our vegetable might be considered our main entree and one of our sides is usually a main entree.  Gotta keep her on her toes!

Our main entree/side is cheese tortellini pasta salad.  We had about a dozen of these left over from our dinner and decided to use them for a side.  We put some light Italian dressing on it and added a little plastic spider for fun.

Our vegetable side is cut veggies and hummus.  We sliced up some red peppers, some carrots and added sugar snap peas.  We put about 2 tablespoons of red pepper hummus in a small container for Molly to dip her veggies in.

Our fruit side is a kiwi.  We slices this after peeling it and placed one slice on top because it reminds us of monster eyes.

Our dairy side is a cheese stick.  Since we don't have any yogurt and only hummus as our protein, we figured that this would be a nice addition.

Our dessert...well, the closest thing to a dessert is a peanut butter and nutella roll.  We used a hamburger roll and spread peanut butter on one side and nutella on the other.  We then cut it into pieces and added a little Halloween pumpkin pick.

Happy Parade Day!

As I said yesterday, we have a fantastic parade in our little town for Halloween.  All the kids get dressed up, parade down the main street for all to see, go to the judging area, then get a big bag of goodies.  This is the beauty of living in a small town...tradition.
Our whole family had a fantastic time dressing up as the characters from the Wizard of Oz and hopefully (fingers crossed) we'll win a prize!  Here's a picture from the festivities...

*You may notice the the Cowardly Lion is missing.  The dog had a wardrobe malfunction.  He just didn't want to keep his costume on so we were fine with letting him sit out the parade.

Our main entree is a Trader Joe's Pimento Cheese Sandwich.  Molly requested this and we were so pleased because it was nice and easy for us.  We used Trader Joe's pimento cheese spread on a Trader Joe's middle eastern flat bread and cut it into triangles.  This is always a hit!

Our fruit side is a Granny Smith apple.  We sliced most of these up and then cut out a jack o'lantern face on a quarter of it just to keep with the Halloween theme.

Our vegetable side is mini peppers.  Again, we sliced up most of these.  We used a yellow and an orange pepper.  Then, we cut out a jack o'lantern face in half of one of the orange ones.

Our dairy side is strawberry yogurt.  Molly lights up every time we tell her that this is in her lunch.

Finally, we added a little something from the goody bag.  Yes, we usually wait until Friday for a fun treat, but we decided that since she was a real trooper for the long parade, she deserved a mini Kit Kat. ☺

The Night Before...the Parade

Our small town has a fantastic Halloween parade every year.  All of the kids get dressed up and parade down the main street for everyone to see.  They have a judges station and give out awards for the best costumes.  I've seen some of the most creative costumes ever in this parade.

This year, we are going as a group.  The WHOLE family is in on this theme.  We are going as the cast from The Wizard of Oz.  Molly is going to be Dorothy, her sister is going as Glinda (the Good Witch), her brother is going as the Tin Man, Daddy is going as the Scarecrow, even our dog is going as the Cowardly Lion, and I am going as the Wicked Witch of the West.  Some would say that character isn't much of a stretch for me.  tee hee! ☺

I am writing this post very late because I am still doing some alterations on our costumes.  This also means that I haven't had time to make Molly's lunch.  So, she will be buying pizza tomorrow.  I have decided that I really need to organize my weekends better because it seems to me that Molly is buying on Monday an awful lot.  I'm confident that I will have more time tomorrow to make her lunch for Tuesday.  Wish me luck!

I can't wait to report on the parade.  It is always such a great time and the kids are beyond excited.

Tooth Fairy Tale

As most of you know, Molly lost her first tooth on Tuesday.  I promised a follow up but got sick so, here is the follow up a day later.

There it is!  The missing tooth!  Molly is a little late in losing her teeth (almost 7 1/2 years old) but then again, she was just shy of her first birthday when the first one came in.  She is so happy to be just like everyone else.    I think that she was mostly excited to have a visit from the Tooth Fairy.  She woke up the next morning and it was like Christmas.  She was so excited to show everyone what the Tooth Fairy brought.  Here it is....

She got a certificate from the Tooth Fairy, a new Hello Kitty toothbrush, a small bag of tooth flossers, a Camp Rock lip balm and a one dollar bill that was folded into an origami heart.  She understands that the plethora of "loot" only comes with the first tooth and it will be a dollar from now on, as per her friends and classmates.

Now on to her Fun Friday lunch!  We were part of a photo contest through Laptop Lunches on Facebook and got a ton of inspiration from the other contestants.  Thanks for the ideas!!!

Our main entree/fruit is apple sandwiches.  We sliced a large honey crisp apple into thick slices, used a cookie cutter to cut out the core, then spread peanut butter on one side, Trader Joe's Fleur De Sel Caramel Sauce on the other and sandwiched them together.  We added a little gold star pick so that Molly knows what a star she is.  She needs a little extra encouragement for her spelling test.

*side note - We think that the Trader Joe's Fleur De Sel Caramel Sauce would make a flip flop taste good.  All you need is a spoon!

Our vegetable side is missing!  We are planning on grilled vegetable salads for dinner tomorrow night, so she'll be fine with missing her veggies at lunch.

Our dairy side is blueberry yogurt.  We have several varieties and figured that blueberry would be nice change.

Our Fun Friday treats are Trader Joe's Ginger Cats cookies and two Frooties Tootsie Rolls.  Molly adores the Ginger Cat cookies because they are very delicious and they help her nervous stomach.  Also, we went for our annual trek to Baldinger's Candy Store this past weekend so we had to include a little something from there.  

Have a great weekend everyone!  

Grilled Cheese on a Cold Day

Sometimes, even Mom gets sick.  I was the lucky recipient of some sort of stomach flu and have been laying low all day.  Big thanks to a few friends who helped me out today!  Tomorrow, the weather in Pittsburgh is supposed to be cold, windy and rainy.  Since I'm still not feeling all that great and the weather sounds perfect for a warm lunch, Molly is buying.  When I looked the menu, it looks like something that we might serve on the weekend for lunch.  Grilled cheese, yogurt, salad or vegetable, fruit and a Rice Krispie Treat.  Not too bad for a school lunch.  Nothing deep fried or drowned in butter/oil.

Hoping that I am the only one in the house that has this icky sickness since illness is the only thing that our children are happy to share with each other.  ☺

Hello, Tooth Fairy!!!

Today was a very exciting day in our house.  Molly's little sister was the snack person and had a blast sharing her fruity froggie face snack at preschool.  (See Below)  Then, we had dance class for both of the girls.  Finally, Molly had a dentist appointment.  She had a fantastic report, no cavities, plus her smile is perfect.  The dentist said that Molly's tooth was really loose but we could leave it and let it fall out on it's own, which Molly seemed happy with.  But, when we got to the car, she started crying a little bit.  She said that she was having trouble eating and that her tooth hurt in school.  So, back into the dentist office we went and had the dentist take it out.  Now, we are pleased to report that the Tooth Fairy, herself, will be visiting our house.  A full report will be included in tomorrow's post.

Our main entree is peanut butter and jelly.  We cut these into fall fun shapes, including leaves and acorns. (The acorns look a little like bells to us)  We figured that these would be easy to eat for Molly with her missing tooth.

Our vegetable side is sliced cucumbers.  We used our crinkle knife to make Molly's favorite shapes.  She said that they taste better when they are cut like this.

Our fruit side is green grapes.  We added a few plastic cupcake picks in the shape of leaves to match our sandwiches.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is the return of Molly's favorite Chobani Champions Verry Berry.  She doesn't know that we picked these up at the store.  We think that she'll be very excited to see this.  Almost as excited as she will be with her visit from the Tooth Fairy!

*These are the Fruity Froggy Faces that we sent in for the Preschool Snack today for "F,f" day.  We try to keep our snacks healthy and fun.  These are apples, with cream cheese balls with an added mini-chocolate chip for eyes and a piece of fruit roll up for a tongue.  They were a big hit!  Nothing was sent home but the container. ☺

Though.....we did have one flattened frog........ Whoops!!!  No worries, we fixed it!  HAHA!

Fun Fruity Froggies!

Whoa, what a crazy night here.  We have been super busy but we keep on going.  Tomorrow, Molly's little sister is the snack person at preschool.  It is the letter "F,f" day so we decided to make fruity frogs.  We were right in the middle of making them when we realized that there would be no way to bring them to school all in one piece.  So, now we are doing fruity frog faces.  The feet just didn't fit.  But, Molly is the lucky recipient of two fruity frogs since she has a perfect container for them.

Our main entree is a Trader Joe's pimento cheese sandwich.  Yes, the return of one of Molly's favorite lunches of all time!  We used Trader Joe's flat bread, spread some Trader Joe's Pimento Cheese Spread on it and cut it into triangles.  Molly's Daddy was nice enough to make this for us since we were still working on the preschool treat.

Our vegetable side is carrot sticks.  Daddy chopped these up for us too.  He's so awesome to help out and put extra love in Molly's lunch.

Our fruit side is the fruity frogs. They are quartered Granny Smith apples (core removed) with a slit cut out for the mouth.  Then we halved green grapes, notched out toes, and set them in front.  Next, we rolled a few little cream cheese balls and put mini chocolate chips in the center for the eyes and pushed them onto the faces.  Finally, we cut a little bit of a fruit by the foot fruit roll up into a long tongue.  Never know when there might be a fly hanging around at lunch time.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is low fat strawberry yogurt.  This will be a nice creamy end to a super fun lunch.

Buying By Choice

Since we are trying out buying once a week (or less), we are putting the responsibility solely on Molly.  She can look at the school menu and choose which day to buy or decide that she'd rather not buy at all that week.  Well, this week, the pizza looked too good to pass up.  I can't say that I blame her.  Pizza is one of my favorites too.  Part of me is very excited because we had a long weekend that was jam-packed with fun and I am very tired because of it.  The other part of me was hoping that she'd want to buy on Tuesday because her sister is the snack person on Tuesday so that means that I have to make lunch for Molly and a snack for 18 preschoolers.  I am thankful for the break tonight and hopefully I'll have things in order early enough tomorrow that I won't be overwhelmed.
Hope that everyone out there had a great weekend too! ☺

I Want Candy....Corn!

Molly asked for candy corn for her Fun Friday treat and so a themed lunch started with that one little request.  I was doing my best to figure out foods that looked like candy corn and went with the yellow, orange and white color scheme.  Halloween is right around the corner so themes like this will be running rampant everywhere you look.

Our main entree is savory candy corn pizza!  We used refrigerated biscuits, flattened them (keeping them in circles) and then topped them with shredded mozzarella cheese in the middle for the white, next is very orange mozzarella courtesy of a cheese stick for the orange, then shredded cheddar for the yellow on the outside.  We baked them up and then cut the circles into six pieces to form candy corn triangles.

Our fruit side is a mix of orange, yellow and white fruit.  We mixed canned mandarin oranges, canned pineapple and canned pears to go along with our candy corn theme.

Our vegetable side is a mix of carrots, yellow corn and white corn.  These were all from frozen steam-fresh vegetable packages.  We had a lot left over that will probably end up in a pot pie this weekend.

Our dairy side is a mozzarella cheese stick.  As noted above, the orange part is still mozzarella, but is colored orange.  Yes, there is no yellow in this part, but to quote the song, ♪♫"two out of three ain't bad."♪♫

Finally, our Fun Friday treat is THE actual candy corn.  We flipped a cupcake liner inside out so that Molly can see the fun Halloween theme then added the candy corn.  We are all for a fun treat but candy corn is pure sugar, so we went with a small serving.  The theme will make up for the lack of candy. ☺

Thursday, By Request

We are looking forward to a fun weekend with more Fall traditions.  We're hoping that the weather will cooperate so that we can see some great fall colors, picnic and play outside.  The kids know that something is going on but I'm not sure if they realize exactly where we are going or what we are doing.

But, we have to get through the rest of the week first.  Molly requested everything in this lunch and it made it much easier to prepare.  So, only one more lunch to prepare before the weekend!  Can you tell that I'm excited? ☺

Our main entree is pasta salad.  We made some choo choo wheel pasta, added turkey pepperoni, provolone cheese, tomatoes, black olives and light Italian dressing.  This is a go-to lunch for Molly because she really likes any type of pasta.

Our vegetable side is cucumbers.  We used our crinkle knife to cut these up.  Molly had a huge smile on her face when I showed her.

Our fruit side is a Valencia orange.  This variety of orange is super sweet and juicy.  When I was living in Florida, Valencia oranges and Valencia orange juice was a must have in the fall/winter season.

Our dairy side is a cheese stick.  Molly requested this because she said it would taste good with the pasta salad since there was already cheese in it.  Interesting deduction but we'll take it.

Finally, our dessert is strawberry yogurt.  She has this the other day and really enjoyed it, so on the request list it went.

Buying Lunch

Tomorrow, Molly's school is serving macaroni and cheese.  We think that this is an acceptable lunch for a little girl with a loose tooth.  Molly really likes the school's mac and cheese and especially enjoys the soft breadstick that is served with it.  We are going to try to let her buy lunch about once a week if she would like so that Mommy gets a break and Molly can enjoy a hot meal.

Stay tuned for a fun themed lunch on Friday!

Loose Tooth

Molly finally, (at 7 years old) has her first loose tooth.  She got her first tooth about a week before her first birthday so the dentist said not to be surprised if she gets her grown up teeth a little later too.  I was talking to her about her day and as I was looking at her, I noticed that there seemed to be a small gap between her bottom teeth that hadn't been there before.  I asked her if her tooth was wiggly and she showed me, with her chest puffed out in pride, that indeed it was.

We made sure to give her some softer foods so that she has an easy time eating.  Our only issue was finding a vegetable that she would eat cold that wasn't too crunchy.  I offered edamame or peas but she wasn't interested.  At this point in time we're fine with no vegetables as long as she eats.

Our main entree is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  We used whole grain white bread, peanut butter and cherry preserves.  We then cut out small leaf patterns with mini leaf cookie cutters.  We're loving fall and the beautiful leaves so we are paying homage to them.

Our fruit side is unsweetened applesauce and grapes.  Molly requested both of these since they are nice and soft but still taste good.

Our dairy side is a twisted cheese stick.  Molly said that she missed this in her lunch today so we ran out and got some for her.

Our extra crunch is baby goldfish.  We figured that there was enough mushy food in here so a little crunch was a nice touch.

Finally, our dessert is low fat strawberry yogurt.  Molly said that she still likes vanilla but that strawberry would be a nice change.  She's so sweet when she asks for things kind of shyly.

Pizza Monday is BACK!

What a weekend!  Weekends like this make me wish that there were no Mondays so that we could keep having fun without having to go to school or work.  We had a fantastic time with great friends and family.  My brother, sister-in-law and niece (who will be one year old next month) came for a visit from New Jersey.  A bunch of us met at Soergel's Orchard for pumpkin picking and hayrides. We head to Soergel's every year as part of our fall routine and it is always a wonderful time.

Next, everyone headed back to our house for snacks and dinner so that we could all sit down and catch up while the kids played.  My husband and I really enjoy hosting gatherings and this was no exception.  Granted, we did have to clean like crazy people but the bonus is that our house is still clean.  It was so nice to learn new things about old friends and to watch my family interact with each other.  My niece is growing by leaps and bounds and it is so awesome to see the milestones that she is reaching.  She sure is a gorgeous little girl!  ♥ you, Em!

Today, we all met for brunch and said our good-byes.  It was sad but we know that we'll see them in just over a month.  We can't wait!

Now, back at it.  We are bring back pizza Mondays.  Our dinner was pizza when everyone came over and we had some left so there we have it.

Our main entree is Little Caesar's pepperoni pizza.  Cold pizza has to be one of the best lunches ever.  Molly's school always serves pizza on Mondays so we like keeping her similar with this choice.

Our vegetable side is a green salad with light ranch dressing.  Molly really likes the pizza and salad combo.  She also likes to dip her pizza in the ranch so it is a great catalyst for one of her other favorite combinations.

Our fruit side is red grapes.  These are very firm and juicy with a nice sweet taste.  Grapes are really delicious frozen for a snack if the weather happens to be on the warmer side.

Finally, our dairy/dessert is vanilla yogurt.  We haven't gotten a chance to run to Sam's club over the past week or so and that means that we don't have anymore of Molly's new favorite yogurt, the Chobani Champions.  She likes regular old vanilla yogurt though, so she'll be fine until we can get to Sam's.

Special Treat

We are so excited to have a beautiful couple of days ahead of us.  As I have mentioned before, fall is my absolute favorite time of year.  There are cool and breezy days, warm and sunny days and gray and rainy days.  Each of them has their own pluses.  The cool and breezy days are fantastic to spend time outside, running around and playing in piles of leaves.  The warm and sunny days remind us of the wonderful summer that is slowly finishing its long good-bye.  Finally, the gray and rainy days are perfect for cuddling up under a warm blanket and snuggling into a good book with a cup of hot apple cider.  The next few days are promising to be warm and sunny but not too hot.  We have great plans with family and friends and we just can't wait!

Molly will be buying lunch on Friday (per her request) so we gave her a special treat one day early.

Our main entree is a salami sandwich.  We used Genoa salami, pepper-jack cheese and mustard on whole grain white bread.  We cut the crusts off and then cut the sandwich into quarters and served it point side up.

Our vegetable side is red and orange peppers.  They are cool, juicy and refreshing.  The crunch on these is perfect too.

Our fruit side is more honey crisp apples.  Molly liked the way that we prepared them for today's lunch so we did the exact same thing.

Our dairy side is a cheddar-mozzarella cheese stick.  Molly keeps requesting that these be added to her lunch so that she can keep from being hungry at the end of the day.

Finally, our Fun Friday (a day early) treat is Fit and Active S'mores Mini Drizzled Crisps.  They are light, crunchy and sweet and do not taste like something that would be considered healthy.  Molly and her siblings are huge fans of these.

Fall Breakfast

Fall is by far my favorite season.  The weather cools down and we get to play outside in sweaters and hoodies.  We can buy fresh apples from the orchard in town and pick pumpkins ourselves.  We get one of our favorite beverages, apple cider, from the same orchard.  Football is in full swing and Halloween is right around the corner.  Mums, scarecrows, haystacks, pumpkins and corn stalks adorn the neighborhood as if welcoming fall.  My absolute favorite part of fall though, is the smell.  I lived in Florida and I would have to come home to PA just to get a big breath of the fresh fall air.  There is nothing like it.  I'm convinced that heaven smells like fall in Western Pennsylvania.

Our main entree is a waffle sandwich.  Our waffles are the new Kellogg's Limited Edition Eggo Pumpkin Spice Waffles.  They are so delicious!  These have a true fall flavor with lots of cinnamon and pumpkin.  We added whipped cream cheese to the center and made a sandwich out of it. 


Our snack side is Pepperidge Farm Pretzel Goldfish.  We figured that a little crunch and salt would be a nice addition to this lunch.


Our fruit side is a Honey Crisp Apple.  These are such amazing apples.  They truly taste like apple cider and the sweetness is incredible.  We chopped these into chunks to make it easier for Molly to eat them.


Our dairy side is a cheddar mozzarella cheese stick.  Molly said that these really help her to stay full for the entire school day.


Finally, our dessert is vanilla yogurt.  We tossed a few sprinkles on top for fun.  These are fall themed sprinkles and even have little pumpkins in them.

All Request Lunch

It was a busy day at our house today.  Molly had her picture day so there was some extra primping in the morning.  Molly's sister had preschool.  Then, Molly's brother and I had Mommy & Me.  Molly's Daddy started his new position at work today too.  After all of that, there was Faith Formation (CCD) this evening for three of the five of us.  Plus, it's garbage night.  One last thing, dance classes start tomorrow for Molly and her sister so they are about to burst with excitement trying to plan everything.  Whew, that was a lot for one day.  Now off to make Molly's lunch.  The wonderful thing about her mind going crazy with lots of fun things is that she tries to incorporate her lunch into her thoughts.  This lunch was completely by request and I'm sure that Molly will enjoy every little bit of it.

Our main entree is a salami and cheese sandwich.  Molly asked that we use salami, pepper-jack cheese, mustard and our whole grain white bread.  We thought it was a great idea.  We used  pumpkin cookie cutters just for fun.

Our vegetable side is carrots.  Molly is going through a big carrot phase these days.

Our fruit side is a whole bunch of red and green grapes, again.  Molly said that they tasted so good today, that she can't wait to have them for lunch tomorrow.

Our dairy side is a colby-jack cheese stick.  We were told that these really help to complete the meal when Molly is feeling extra hungry...and apparently she has been lately.

Finally, our dessert is a Chobani Champions Verry Berry.  Molly has had one of these for a few days so she was craving the sweet and creamy flavor.

Picture Day!

Tomorrow is picture day at Molly's school.  She is so excited.  We made sure to put lots of products in her hair after her shower this evening.  (Her hair is naturally curly so the more products, the better.)  Her outfit is all picked out and will be ironed shortly.  The perfect little corduroy skirt and a matching sweater twin set, plus pink tights and adorable brown shoes.  She's got it all taken care of from head to toe.  I confess that I did help her out a little bit with the wardrobe choice but she had it all put together for me to look at.  Gosh, it is nice to have her be able to help herself a little bit when it comes to picking out clothes.  Granted, some of her choices make quite interesting ensembles from time to time. ☺

Our main entree is a turkey wrap.  We started with a flour tortilla, added some whipped cream cheese to help everything stick, then layered smoked turkey slices and "salad" for crunch.  We rolled it up and then cut it into 4 pieces after cutting the ends off.  (The dog was very grateful for the ends that were thrown to him during preparation.)

Our vegetable side is red and orange peppers.  We are falling for fall right now in Western Pennsylvania and the season is in full swing.  The weather is cool, damp and crisp and the leaves are just starting to change color.  We used a small set of leaf shaped cookie cutters to make our peppers look like they are ready for autumn.

Our fruit side is green and red grapes.  We decided to mix it up a little bit so that Molly had some extra color in her lunch.  We think it's fun to see variety when eating a meal.

Our dairy side is a colby-jack cheese stick, just in case Molly is hungry after eating her wrap.  She has a very healthy appetite for a 7 year old and we don't want her to lose steam before the end of the school day.

Finally, our dessert is vanilla yogurt.  We tossed on a few leaf sprinkles to keep with our theme and to make her lunch that much more colorful.