Pumpkin Patch Pizza Bites

Thursday, 10/18/12 - Little Z had a field trip to the pumpkin patch with her preschool, and Mama had a paid usability study (where they pay me to tell them their idea sucks,) so a very busy day! I had to drive the kids to my mom's, drive to Seattle for my study, drive back and pick them up, drop Z off at the pumpkin patch (45 minutes away from my mom's) just in time to catch her group before they went to pick out their pumpkins, drive Baby to my sister's house (the pumpkin patch was only 15-minutes away,) then back to try and find Z's group at the pumpkin patch and finish the activities with them. WHEW! Definitely a day needing some packed EasyLunchboxes!

Cherry tomatoes, plums, toasted "Everything" bagel w/reduced fat cream cheese, strawberry

Since I would have to sneak quick bites throughout the day whenever I could, I picked foods easy to eat one-handed and not too messy (although I should have packed a fork or food pick to keep the plum juice off my fingers.)

Plum Organics Puffs, Happy Baby Happy Creamies, pizza scraps,
quartered cherry tomatoes

Both girls got packed bento meals designed to last throughout the day. Baby didn't need as much food, so I packed hers in a Mom Invented Sandwich Box.
I decided to chop up some of my cherry tomatoes, since she had been whinging for them when she saw them in my lunch the day before, and gobbled them down as fast as I could split them with my fork (since we were eating in the car.) As an added bonus, she got Big Sister's pizza scraps - without being pre-gnawed by Big Sis!

Little Z's Pumpkin Pizza Bites Bento

Olive Naan Pizza bites, strawberries, ketchup and mustard, purple carrots,
white beans, sprinkles (in pumpkin,) and Trader Joe's Pumpkin Greek yogurt

I used a mini pumpkin cutter to make little pumpkin-shaped pizza bites in some silicone pumpkin cups. I used leftover Olive Naan Pizza (recipe adapted from the Cooking With Trader Joe's Easy Lunch Boxes cookbook!) I offered her more pizza sauce in a Mini Dipper for dipping, but she requested ketchup and mustard (blech.)

Strawberries filled the rest of the large compartment, and I put in a pumpkin ring cupcake topper (from a bake shop somewhere) to be festive.

I cut a purple carrot into flowers (she tends to eat flowers versus sticks or coins) even though they don't really fit the theme. Although I was able to fake it when asked. "Sunflowers. Like at the farm!" Yesss!

Because I had some left over from something, and to see if she'd "bite," so to speak, I included a mini muffin cup with some cooked white beans and a pumpkin cupcake pick. 

I added some Pumpkin Greek yogurt from Trader Joe's and jazzed it up with some India Tree Naturals Spring Green jimmies and Chocolate Vermicelli sprinkles, plus extra sprinkles in the little pumpkin bottle (from Dollar Tree. Came in a 6-pack with candy powder inside - which I dumped before rinsing, drying, and re-using! I used a Sharpie to bring out the face details.)

Tools of the Trade