Back to School Blog Hop and Giveaway

 

We're looking at a new private school for my 6-year-old for 1st grade this Fall, so she's doing a week of all-day Summer camp there to try it out (and so they can see if she'd be a good fit there too!) So this has been like a dry-run for me for September, having lunch made (and photographed... *cough*) and everyone up and out the door to get to school by 9am.

You can read about the first few lunches, and the tools and products I use to help me pack them healthy but still fun - and always full of love! Then stick around for the Back-to-School giveaway and blog hop down below!

Deconstructed Tuna Sandwich

Glutino crackers, organic raspberries w/Enjoy Life chocolate chips, organic yellow carrots, dye-free pickles, tuna w/mayo

 

Hubby had made some tuna over the weekend (I'm not sure what to call it... "tuna salad" doesn't seem right, when it's just a can of tuna mixed with a small blob of mayo...) for sandwiches, which must include sliced pickles too. So I built a DIY version, but with gluten-free crackers instead of bread.

Because I wanted this week to be extra successful, I made sure to pack a Lunchbox Love note each day - one of the new Riddle ones that they sent me (I vaguely recall agreeing to do a feature post with them a while ago, timed for the back-to-school season. And I warned her that I would totally forget. And surprise surprise, I opened the package and had no clue why they were sending me new cards!)
These each have a positive message on one side (except the two blanks per pack) and a riddle (with answer) on the other. My girl loves puns and word jokes, so I picked ones I thought she would be able to "get" once she read the answer. The riddle on this one was "The more of them you take, the more you leave behind." (Footsteps)

Since I was going with a "Love you!" theme, I used a silicone heart cup and mini heart cutter from All Things For Sale as well. And included a pink reusable spork in case she needed it to scoop her tuna. (My girl likes to experience her food, so often eats with her fingers, one morsel at a time...)

 [This post contains affiliate links.] 

MOMables PB Cracker Stackers

Earth Balance coconut PB sample, Glutino crackers, GF cinnamon pretzels, organic snap peas and strawberries

 

While I'm usually too lazy to even follow the weekly lunch menu plan with recipes and shopping lists provided (seriously, it's just that easy!) I always read my MOMables subscription ideas for inspiration. Then settle for something easy I can make with stuff I already have on-hand. (Did I mention that I'm too lazy to make my life that much easier by following the MOMables lunch menu plan? Being lazy is hard work, man!)

I had some sample packets of Earth Balance coconut and peanut spread, which was the perfect size to send with some gluten-free crackers for a DIY version of the MOMables PBJ Cracker Stackers! (She likes these without the jelly, and likes building them herself, so I'm happy to do less of the prep work and oblige!)

Nut-Free "PBJ"

Organic champagne grapes, sugar snap peas, long beans; GF Sunbutter-jelly sandwich, dark chocolate blueberries

Even though this school doesn't require a nut-free peanut butter alternative, thanks to letting her build her own during a lunch packing event I did at her school, Z prefers Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) with jelly when I use the Udi's gluten-free bread. No problem!

Sadly, most of my sandwich cutters no longer fit the smaller gluten-free breads, but I was just able to squeeze on the cupcake from the Lunch Punch Sweets set to help make her lunch fun! I also sent a Lunchbox Love note telling her how proud I was, after a fun riddle about Darkness ("The more you have of it, the less you see.")

I mention most of them here, but here is a list of my Top 5 Lunch Packing Essentials - talking about some of my favorite gear, brands, ideas, and more!
While we aren't ready to start school quite yet, here are lunches featuring back to school apples, general apples, the first day of Pre-K, and the first day of Kindergarten if you're looking for some lunch-spiration!

Don't be late for your next class with Organized Bites! Be sure to click through all the posts in the hop and take notes so you can pass the test at the end! Here's your homework from me (note the letter and number - once you've gone through the entire loop, arrange them numerically to spell out the codeword needed to enter the giveaway!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tools of the Trade