MOMables Monday - Butterfly Cracker Stackers (and a Salad for Mama!)

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These are one of my favorites from my weekly MOMables menu plan subscription. Cracker Stackers are both easy and versatile - with mini cutters, I can make the meat and cheese shaped to fit any theme I want! And they're a great option for that day you're out of bread and haven't gone shopping yet! 

The MOMables subscription service plans out your weekly lunches (and even a few dinner ideas!) with shopping lists and recipes and everything. Right now you can get 30% off your first three months, and/or 25% off the 8-week gluten (and nut)-free menu! (I did both - I got the gluten-free menu plan, plus I subscribe to the regular service.)

Little Z's Butterfly Stackers

Van's GF crackers, dye-free gummy stars, organic white and sharp cheddar, uncured turkey and ham;
organic strawberries, carrots, golden beets, sugar snap peas, purple broccoli

 

This was one of those lunches that took a little bit more time, since the mini butterfly cutter takes more cuts than a larger cutter to use up a slice of cheese or meat. But I think it was totally worth the effort! And I love any excuse to use my silicone butterfly cups. They're kind of big, so don't fit well with a shaped sandwich. But they're perfect for Cracker Stackers!

I tucked the orange cheddar scraps underneath the cheddar butterflies since Z tends to prefer the orange cheese, and after all the meat and white cheddar scraps, Baby had plenty.

Just for fun, I made a little veggie garden, even though I knew Z probably wouldn't eat much of it. She's not very adventurous with her veggies. I cut some organic carrot coins with a flower veggie cutter for the bulk of her vegetable portion, and added a few golden beet butterflies, purple broccoli florets, and an opened sugar snap pea.

The dye-free gummy stars came from Whole Foods. A Lunchbox Love note tucked in on top of her cloth napkin (not shown) helps remind her how special she is to me. (I fold the napkin and fit it in the large compartment - it helps keep everything in place!)

Baby's Butterfly Lunch

Organic cheddar scraps, uncured ham and turkey scraps, Van's GF crackers;
organic raspberries, sugar snap peas, apples

 

Since Baby wouldn't be actually stacking the meat and cheese on her crackers, I gave her the scraps, and just put a few shapes on top. Since Z takes her lunch to start on at snack time and then brings the rest home, the girls sit by each other for lunch and Baby is starting to compare... and complain! Most days I have to point out all the similarities. "Z's ham, Baby's ham. Z's cheese, Baby's cheese. Z's berries, Baby's berries..." etc. I knew there was no danger of Baby seeing Big Sister's gummy stars. Candy almost never makes it home after snack time!

Mama's Butterfly Salad

Salted organic cucumber, salted pistachios, chocolate mint things; organic salad w/lettuce, red savoy cabbage, beets (regular, golden, and Chioggia,) carrots, and purple broccoli; hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, raisins, raspberry vinaigrette

Since I had the butterfly cutter out anyway...

Tools of the Trade