Baby Cool Penguin bento box and Animal Palz sandwich cutters

Happy Halloween!

I just love this new bento box by cutezcute I bought from BentoUSA . This one is the baby bento buddies cool Penguin. There is also a panda and owl box available. I haven't found a CuteZcute product I haven't liked yet and these do not disappoint!

It has two layers and a lid which doubles as a bowl so if you want to send a thermos of soup you can pour into a bowl. There is also enough room for a sachet of instant soup or a packet of gummies to tuck inside. It comes with a elasticated band to hold it all together. It is a smaller sized lunch box if you are used to american lunch boxes (but an average size bento box) but I easily fit enough in it to feed my kids and it's great because of the bowl to send with soup or pasta for those extra hungry days.

I packed my last Halloween lunch for the year lettuce, raspberries, cheese crackers and three cutezcute bat pocket sandwiches!

The bats are one of four great designs in the new CuteZcute Animal Palz. There is a bat, panda, monkey and lamb.

The sandwiches are super easy to make and you can fill with what you like. I used pumpernickel bread and sun butter. Sealed sandwiches are great as the filling doesn't leak out and these are a great size for kids.

I also tucked in a spider cupcake ring and a Happy Halloween pick.

If the pocket sandwiches aren't adorable enough you can make molded boiled eggs here are the monkey and panda peeking out from egg cups.

Both the CuteZcute Baby Bento Buddies Box and the CuteZcute Animal Palz are available from Bentousa or from Amazon.
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Lunchsense lunch system review: Kitty and Jell-O goldfish bowl

It's almost time for back to school. So why not send you kids with a whole new lunch system from Lunchsense.

This medium lunchsense lunch box is a great lunch container for grade school kids, and many adults will find it just right size to get them through the day. Here is what you will find in your fold-out, washable lunch box The price for the Medium Lunchsense box is $35.99 (they also sell a small box and large kit)

Now for the details of the Box:

It measures about 8" wide, 6" tall, and 5.75" deep you can choose from a handle or shoulder strap as pictured. It comes in 8 different colors.

Whats inside the Lunchsense kit

Inside you will find:

• • One 19 ounce lock and lock food container. It has two separate, removable trays that hold about 9 ounces each. Remove the two trays, and this container is perfect for a typical kid's sandwich
  • Two 6 ounce lock and lock containers. Perfect for yogurt and granola, or crackers and cheese
  • One 1 ounce screw top container. Good for salad dressing or dipping sauce
  • One 8 ounce drink bottle. Choose from screw-on top (shown) or sippy style
  • One ice pack. Rigid, puncture-proof
  
  
  
  

The box itself folds out either just the front or completely flat as a placemat.

Lunchsense front folded down

Lunchsense Medium folded flat as a place mat.

Here is the Lunch I packed a CuteZCute Kitty sandwich and Jello and Swedish Fish Dessert

In the Lunchsense box I packed a cheese sandwich cut into a cute kitty on a bed of salad greens and tomatoes. The other side has dessert of Jello with Swedish Fish swimming in it. In the Snack boxes I packed Grapes and blueberries and Crackers.


Pros:

• The Lunchsense Box is Washable and easily wipe clean and is a study quality product
• The Lock and Lock boxes are very high quality, BPA free, easy to open for kids and can be microwaved, dish washed and frozen. I love the removal dividers and that they do not leak.
• The Box folds flat into a place mat so you don't have to worry about dirty tables.
• It is all inclusive so you get your boxes, your carrier, water bottle and ice pack all in one kit (you can also buy sets separately)
• The packing configuration is very versatile.

Cons:

• Some Younger Kids may find the box a little difficult to open fully into the place mat and refasten. Although it is much easier with a bit of practice and after you have read the instructions (the fasteners are special Lift the dots and are designed to open one way and not come undone otherwise) and its super easy to open and close the front flap.
• It may be a bit big folded out in some school lunch situations but it works great in the partially open configuration for those occasions.
• Some people may find the price high at $35.99 but you have to take into consideration that you are getting everything you need for lunch packing and it is a quality set that will last a long time.

Conclusion: This a great quality lunch system which has everything you need to start packing non disposable lunches.

I was sent this set to Review and was not compensated in any other way. all opinions are my own.

Products Used in this Review Lunchsense Medium

Turtles everywhere bento

My daughters favorite animals are turtles and tortoises. So here are a few I'll let her decide which they are.

The first is cut out of bread using a cutezcute cutter upside down and added head and tail. Nori details. On a bed of butter lettuce, tomatoes and grapes.

The next is a half a babybel cheese on strawberries and last but not least a homemade cookie on bed of kettlecorn.

I added this nicely appropriate card from Lunchboxlove

All in a monbento box.

Products used in this lunch.

Keyboard Cat bento

Keyboard cat does it purrfectly...

I am sure alot of you have seen the Wonderful Pistachios add that ran awhile ago with the internet Meme Keyboard cat. This is my take.

My kids love Wonderful Pistachios so they are a nice addition for a lunch treat to get some extra protein in.




This lunch includes a keyboard made of a tortilla with keys drawn on with americolor food marker. Underneath is a cream cheese sandwich.

Keyboard cat is made from French toast (from HEB) cut with a CuteZCute cutter (these are the most wonderful cutters and can be used for all sorts of creative food) Inside is jam. I used sugar eyes and a Nori nose. The paws are more french toast.

In with the cat are grapes, tomatoes and musical food picks from Daiso. There is another layer to this bento unshown with Strawberries, more grapes and savory snack.

The card is from Lunchboxlove .





All views expressed are my own and I was not compensated in anyway for this post.

Angry birds lunch

Two of the kids are on a field trip so have disposable lunches.

Piggy sandwiches and fruit and crackers.

I couldn't find any brown bags or plastic baggies as I stopped using them so I had to send some year old disposable glad containers which I used to use before I starting bentoing it was time they were recycled anyway.

Eldest has Angry bird babybel on a cheese craker nest with cream cheese Bad Piggys made with a cutezcute and mini graham crackers as the barriers and grapes for the birds eggs. Other section (not pictured) has more fruit and a mini Apple pie.

 Things I used in to make this.

Frog month bento

Did you know that April is national frog month? In honor of these little jumping critters I did a frog bento.

This frog themed bento includes two frog cutezcute sandwich sealed with panda sandwich maker (one jam one cream cheese). The fruit side has grapes, strawberries, guava, dragon fruit, and kiwi lily pads. On a bed of spinach. 

The is also apple frog pies and a pandan coconut mochi with sugar eyes.

Products used in this bento.

Cat and Mouse bento

Quick bento using cutezcute cat cutter and  panda sandwich press on dark rye and white jam sandwiches.

Some left over veggies with cheese mouse from playdoh cutters and cat cookie again from playdoh cutters.

All in a black Monbento box.

Need to get some nicer boxes for the other two kids.

Products used in this bento.

Totoro cookies

I wanted to make Totoro cookies this weekend as I have been introducing them to all the studio Ghibli movies in the last couple of weeks. Highly recommend them all.

 Totoro cookie cutters are almost impossible to find. There are some at warpzoneprints which I may have to get along with the super cute adipose Dr Who cutter.

However I wanted to make them today so I followed the tutorial at annathered to make my own. I used a slightly bigger wilton cutter the 4" as my starting circle. All you need is pipe cleaners, pliers and sharpies.
 
 I also used a small oval cutter the wrong way round to make the impression for the belly. Straw and a pick for eyes and a star cutter to make triangles for nose and stomach.

The recipe I used was from warpzoneprintsadapted from cookiecraze this works really well for cookies with stamped details

1 cup butter, softened this is 2 sticks of land o lakes
1 1/2 cups super-fine sugar (or use granulated sugar blend for 30 seconds)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (don’t use fat free) I used oikos
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour(plain)
1/2 tsp baking soda(bicarbonate of soda)
1/2 tsp salt
 Cream butter and sugar.
 Beat in egg, vanilla, and Greek yogurt.
 Blend in dry ingredients.

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

 Roll dough on floured surface to about 1/2" thick
Cut into shapes.
Place cookies on un-greased cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper
This recipe yields made 25 medium cookies.
Bake approximately 16-20 minutes, depending on cookie size. Mine took 16 min
 

I also made some cutezcute animal cookies and Clover ones for St Patricks day and a couple of others using playdoh cutters I raided from kids stash.
 

I want to figure out a chocolate version of this recipe and cut out the belly and use plain dough I will see if I can find one.
This post contains affiliate links.

Animal pocket pies for Pi day 3.14

Well tomorrow is March 14 otherwise known as Pi day so i thought in celebration of this irrational number I would make pies.

I got a panda pocket sandwich maker and some cutezcute cutters last week. Looking at them I figured I could use them to make some animal pies (you can buy pocket pie makers but I haven't seen animal ones)

I am making apple pies but this would work for chicken pie or any other sweet or savory pie you like.

I cheated and used store bought puff pastry as I was in a hurry but this would work for homemade as well.

First roll out your pastry on a floured surface.

Cut pieces a little bigger than the sandwich press the base piece has to push down into the mold.

Flour the sandwich press.

Place in the pastry and gently press the pastry down to fit the shape.

Fill depression with filling, in this case peeled and chopped apples, flour and brown sugar.

Cut the face using the cutezcute cutter in the center of your top piece of pastry.

Use egg wash around the area that will stick together.

Gently place on top of filling try and line up straight.

Close sandwich and gently press together

It may or may not cut of the excess. If not use a knife to remove and give it another press to seal.

Place on a baking sheet and egg wash and add sanding sugar if you want.

The facial features act as steam vents and allow the pie to cook without exploding.

Here you can see the completed Pig pie, Cat pie, Panda pie, frog pie and of course Pi pie.

I think next time I will use regular pastry as the puff pastry distorted a little too much and fill a little less with more finely chopped apple, but not bad for my first try with these.
If you don't have a sandwich press you can just use cookie cutters to make the shapes and press together with a fork don't forget to make a hole in top of pie though.

Have fun making you favorite pies, I don't think mine will make it till tomorrow but you can freeze these cooked or uncooked and keep a batch to cook or heat through.

Panda sandwich press is available at all things for sale

Cutezcute cutters are available on amazon or at all things for sale