Pasta in our Laptop Lunchbox

We've been trying to eat all the food in the house before we go get groceries, so today's lunch is a mishmash of random things I found in our pantry. This week's lunches will probably get more and more erratic as we run out of food!

In our +Laptop Lunches:

• Wacky Mac veggie spirals pasta with marinara sauce and a teeny bit of Parmesan cheese
• A hard boiled egg that I absolutely destroyed while trying to slice
• Raisins with a couple of yogurt-covered star cookies
• Steamed carrots drizzled with a tiny bit of local honey
• +Annies Homegrown sour cream & onion bunnies

We've recently found out that Jacob is a bit lactose intolerant. He does OK with hard cheeses and small amounts of other softer cheeses, but he can't have sippy cups of cow's milk or ice cream anymore. We're still trying to figure out where his threshold is. He keeps asking for yogurt, so I may incorporate it into tomorrow's lunch to see how he does with it.

Some items used in this lunch:


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Grown-Ups Gotta Eat: Week 17

Hi! Welcome to Grown-Ups Gotta Eat!

The goal of this linky party is to help adults get healthy ideas to get out of their lunch-packing rut. At least once a week, make yourself a bento lunch. Fill it with healthy, colorful foods, fun shapes, and cute picks. Especially if you work. How great would it be...after a stressful morning at work, you sit down and open your lunchbox, and there so much HAPPY looking back at you! You'll instantly be in a better mood for the afternoon, and feel better by eating healthy foods instead of fast food junk. If you don't work and feel weird packing lunch for yourself at home, make one for your spouse. They'll love the lunchtime pick-me-up, and see how much love you put into it. It will make their day!! Or better yet...bentos for the whole family!!

**While I do encourage cute, decorated lunches for adults--because putting thought and a little extra time into a lunch for yourself or a loved one makes it more fun & makes them feel loved--it is not required. Show me (and everyone else) what you eat for lunch, so the rest of us can get ideas when we're in a rut!

This lunch is a blast from the past--My husband has been working on a project at work outside of his office and has not been taking his lunch with him. Plus, we're working on a "eat all the food in the house before we buy more" project right now, so we don't really have much to work with!

In a Go Green Lunchbox: Turkey & Cheese pinwheels, pretzel rings, a +Cuties Citrus Clementine, ketchup, and sweet tea in the water bottle.

Now show me what YOU eat for lunch!!!

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I Got a Liebster Award!

Yay! How awesome is this? Lindsay at Crazy? Maybe! Nominated me for a Liebster Award!

 

11 Facts About Myself: I thought a very long time about the right facts to share with y'all...I tried to come up with stuff that people I don't know IRL wouldn't know!

1. I have red hair...for now. My natural color is a fairly boring shade of sandy blonde, and since SO many people get blonde highlights, I decided to go darker! I love dark brown and red. 
2. I could eat about a million and a half Cuties clementines.
3. My favorite movies are Office Space and Forrest Gump.
4. My favorite TV shows are King of the Hill, The Big Bang Theory, and Law & Order: SVU. I really miss Stabler! Those are not in order. I could watch all three of them almost constantly!
5. I never know how to wear my hair. Ever. Should I grow it out? Cut it short? Dye it? I wish I knew!!
6. I am a terrible, terrible public speaker. But if a random stranger asks me about the right subject, then I can't shut up!
7. My favorite color is purple.
8. Once I lost a lot of weight: 

This is a before/after. 
Before is August 2009, at appx 250 lbs. After is May 2012, at appx 160 lbs. 

I did it by eating a lot of protein and healthy carbs and drinking a LOT of water. I gained a bit back my last semester of school, and I'm focused on getting it off and getting to my goal weight!

Sometimes I write on my weight loss/fitness blog, but it is out of commission for now.

9. I have a terribly thick southern accent which I love sometimes but hate others. I don't try to hide it though because I end up sounding ridiculous!! 
10. I like going caving...I hate spelunking though! haha! The "after" photo above was taken in Limrock Blowing Cave in Jackson County, AL. It was absolutely awesome, and I'm hoping to be able to go again soon! 
11. Sometimes I paint:

 

Just sometimes. These are not originals--I have a hard time coming up with my own stuff to paint. I keep telling myself that I'm going to paint some photos that I took so I'll have some original work, but I haven't got there yet.

11 Questions From My Nominee

1. Why did you start your blog? Kandice made me do it :) But besides that, it looked like fun! I was already making bentos and posting them on instagram. A blog was the next step!

2. Money or power? Money. I'm not sure I'd really know how to use power. I'm a very lukewarm, "make everyone happy" kind of person, and I'd worry a lot about making the best decision for everyone, try to make everyone happy, then I'd be sad when some people were still upset because you can't please everyone. But I could definitely put some money to good use.
3. Which do you prefer... text or call? Depends. If it's a simple yes or no question, text. But if the answer requires more than a simple "yes" or "no," then call.
4. What color is your shirt right now? It's grey and has a red stapler on the front :D
5. Do you have any pets?  Yes. One boxer-mix named Isabelle.

6. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Next to a body of water anywhere it doesn't get too cold!
7. Ice cream or cake? Ice cream. Specifically Breyer's Rocky Road. I rarely buy it because I'll eat the whole container in a day. Seriously. I don't like cake because I haaate icing!

8. Any weird or special talents? I took piano lessons for 13 years. I don't really think that's weird or special though.
9. Describe your life in 5 words. I. Need. A. Good. Job.
10. Coffee, tea or soda? I have a problem with coke...I LOVE IT!
11. Best gift ever? This is going to sound kind of bad, but, when I get gifts, I LOVE to get gift cards; even though gift cards are supposed to be a big no-no at gift giving time...BUT I LOVE shopping. It's one of my absolute favorite things to do ever. And shopping with someone else's money makes it about a million times better. I'm sure I've received something better than gift cards, but when I think about the most excited I was after I got a gift, it was a gift card :p  I'm really not all about money though...I really like getting nice cards (store bought or handmade) with sweet notes written inside, too...even if there's no money inside :D

I nominate:
1. Simply Salvaged Restoration
2. Feeling A Little Lunchy
3. Organized Bites
4. Beneficial Bento
5. What the Girls Are Having
6. Glow So Healthy
7. Keeley McGuire
8. Oh!Bento
9. What's in Our Lunch Bags?
10. Bento for Kidlet
11. iPackLunch

 Questions For My Nominees: 
1. What is a food you hate but secretly pretend to like to be cool?

2. What vegetable do you like raw but never cooked?
3. What is a name you hate based on a bad grade school experience with someone?
4. Where do you think you slack on your blog?  (if at all)
5. What advice would you give new bloggers about sticking it out?
6.  Do you upsize your popcorn and drink at the movies?
7.  What is your favorite romantic comedy?
8.  What is your favorite commercial about food?
9. Are you punctual or tardy?  Be honest.
10.  What is your idea of heaven?
11.  What meal or dish do you make that is absolutely awesome?

__________________________________________________________________________

I've ALSO been nomiated as one of Circle of Mom's Top 25 Foodie Bloggers! If you've got a second, click on over and vote for me! It only takes a second and there's nothing to sign up for!!

 

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Jack Be Nimble...

...Jack be quick, Jack jumped over the candlestick!

 

In this nursery rhyme muffin tin meal:

• Cucumber slices
• A peanut butter sandwich man
• Grapes
• Baby rainbow carrots with a bit of ranch. The carrots are slightly steamed so they're easier to eat
• Strawberries
• Raisins with 2 yogurt star cookies

I used a Fred & Friends Ninjabread Men cookie cutter to make Jack jumping over the candlestick, mostly because if I were going to be jumping over a candlestick, I'd definitely do it like a ninja.



Linking up at:
 

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Grown-Ups Gotta Eat: Week 16

Hi! Welcome to Grown-Ups Gotta Eat!

The goal of this linky party is to help adults get healthy ideas to get out of their lunch-packing rut. At least once a week, make yourself a bento lunch. Fill it with healthy, colorful foods, fun shapes, and cute picks. Especially if you work. How great would it be...after a stressful morning at work, you sit down and open your lunchbox, and there so much HAPPY looking back at you! You'll instantly be in a better mood for the afternoon, and feel better by eating healthy foods instead of fast food junk. If you don't work and feel weird packing lunch for yourself at home, make one for your spouse. They'll love the lunchtime pick-me-up, and see how much love you put into it. It will make their day!! Or better yet...bentos for the whole family!!

**While I do encourage cute, decorated lunches for adults--because putting thought and a little extra time into a lunch for yourself or a loved one makes it more fun & makes them feel loved--it is not required. Show me (and everyone else) what you eat for lunch, so the rest of us can get ideas when we're in a rut!

I've been making lunches, but I've not been really good at photographing them! This is one I made last week. It's shrimp scampi, baby carrots (slightly steamed), some strawberries, and a few yogurt-covered star cookies, packed in an +EasyLunchboxes: 

To make the shrimp scampi, I melted some butter in a skillet. I added peeled deveined shrimp and cooked them until they were sort-of pink. I added some Italian dressing and some Mrs. Dash, and the dressing formed a yummy sauce. Sorry that's not the most technical recipe--I just made it up as I went along! 

Now show me your lunch! 

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