Leapin' Leprechauns! St. Patrick's Day Bento Hop

Fair greetings, me lads and lassies! 

'Tis time to look 'round here!

I ken this might take yer fancy,

Then hop on for more Irish cheer!

Lassie's lunch: Ham and cheese sandwich w/carrot and spinach details,
yogurt pretzel w/white chocolate shamrock, candy-coated sunflower seeds,
sugar snap peas w/carrot flowers, strawberries w/grapes

Since I wasn't going to be boiling any cabbage, or making Bangers and Mash or Haggis, I decided to go for an orange-white-green theme - the colors of the Irish flag.

Glasraí: (Vegetables) Since she has slowed down on her spinach consumption, I figured I'd change things up a bit and try the sugar snap peas again. Plus some carrot flowers for color.

Torthaí: (Fruit) I know the strawberries aren't technically orange. But they were left uneaten from the previous day's lunch, so I may as well use them! Plus green grapes.

Taste the Rainbow: I've been sitting on these chocolate-covered sunflower seeds for a while. Perfect! I put them in an ultra-mini silicone heart chocolates mold that I found at a kitchen store. Not finding them online though...

Paddy O'Sandwich: I got the Leprechaun sandwich idea from Jill at Meet the Dubiens. I used a biscuit cutter on the ham and cheese sandwich. I cut the hat freehand out of spinach using my kitchen shears and propped it onto a sandwich scrap to hold it up. I used my V-blade to make carrot flowers and shreds for the hair and hat detail. Added some candy eyes and used a faces cutter on some spinach for the nose and mouth.

Sham-rockin'!: I stole borrowed the pretzel shamrock idea too. Basically I used yogurt-covered pretzels and melted white chocolate chip "glue" to make the shamrock, then I piped on some green frosting (you'd want to use royal icing, which hardens, if you were making a bunch. I just used a pre-made tube of green frosting) and sugar sprinkles.

Sláinte!

Wee bairn (and Ma)'s lunch: Spinach and lettuce salad
w/sprouts, almonds, carrot flowers and assorted raisins. Dressing
cup, mini orange and kiwi chunks, ham and cheese sammie scraps

In our EasyLunchboxes. Salad fork from Dollar Tree. Dressing in Smidget container.

Now doesn't that get you in the mood for some St. Patrick's Day food fun? Well Follow the Rainbow and hop onward to check out what Lise at Veggie-Bento has created! And keep hopping through all the other fun St. Patty's/Irish-themed food inspirations, until you come back to me! Be sure to sprinkle some nice comments along the way.

And luck o' the Irish to ya!