Yesterday, the weather was beautiful and we the kids were enjoying being outside far too much to come in to eat lunch so I decided that muffin tins could be brought out for a little picnic!

I sat on the grass with them and stayed the whole time, being mindful to stay present, to enjoy their chatter, not to rush them, not to check for texts or e-mails on my phone, but actually be in the moment on the grass with my kids (and the bugs)… and thus, I completed the first thing on my Summer Bucket List!

watermelon, peanut butter sandwich, Caramel & Chocolate Chex Mix, macaroni salad, grapes, and cucumbers

linking to Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers and Muffin Tin Mondays

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To accompany our reading of The Secret Garden, I made the kids a garden themed muffin tin lunch. No surprise that their favourite part was the worms in dirt!

Included in this tray:

-worms and dirt (chocolate pudding, cookie crumbs and gummy worms)
-sandwiches in the shape of watering cans
-yellow peppers in the shape of flowers
-spinach (with a gummy worm thrown in for fun)
-pumpkin seeds
-cheese cut in the shape of carrots

Linking to Another Lunch and Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers.

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Well apparently Spring is coming, though the large amounts of snow that keep falling around here aren’t exactly indicative of that promise!

When I was in the U.S. last week, I picked up a bag of bunny shaped marshmallows and chose to create a themed muffin tin tray around them which proved very easy to do. Who knew there were so many bunny shaped edible delights out there?!

Included in this lunch are carrots (of course!), bunny shaped marshmallows, Annie’s organic bunny crackers, Annie’s organic bunny shaped mac and cheese, bunny fruit gummies (*see note below), and Tinkyada gluten free bunny pasta with butter and parmesan.

*Note: fruit gummies are really just the way moms like me feel less guilty about feeding their kids candy because really, isn’t that essentially what “fruit” gummies are?!

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I found some S’mores goldfish crackers while I was in the States and the kids and I brainstormed how to turn them into a themed lunch.

-campfire made with Glutino pretzels (logs), raisins (coal) and fruit roll ups (fire)
-pork and beans
-s’mores goldfish crackers
-trees (broccoli)
-s’mores made with gluten free graham crackers in the microwave
-hot dogs

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For our Dr. Seuss unit this week in celebration of his upcoming birthday, I made the kids a themed muffin tin.

the “Hat” – made using banana and strawberry slices on a skewer

Oobleck – made using vanilla pudding dyed green (we couldn’t use pistachio pudding because of Miss Optimism’s nut allergy)

Green Eggs and Ham – it was really hard to get passed the look of the green eggs for the kids and even for me. Apparently, I do not like green eggs and ham; I do not like them Sam-I-Am!

Pink Ink – which is actually strawberry milk

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish – coloured goldfish crackers

                   

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