baby lunchbox

Quinoa with tomato & cucumber, chicken salad, sugar snaps, cheese & green olives, animal cookies, dried pea crisps & papaya, raspberries & grapes

2009-09-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Poached salmon, rice, boiled egg & capers with cucumber & tomato salad, marinated beets, cheese, cereal & fruit salad

2009-09-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Turkey breast, roasted zucchini with parsley, tomato & olives, cheese, edamame, grapes & berries & cereal

2009-09-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tomato, mozzarella & olive salad, roasted zucchini, turkey breast, boiled egg & broccoli with berries, grapes & cereal

2009-09-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Tomato & cucumber salad, fresh corn & cheddar, marinated beets & raisins, ham, rice cooked in chicken stock, fruit salad, pirates booty & yogurt

2009-09-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Four consecutive days...

2009-08-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

when I started Baby Lunchbox I tried to post the lunches in the order they were made. It was meant to be a diary of the inner workings of my fridge but, as I fell behind, I lost the order of my photos so it has been random for a while now. Here is a sample of four consecutive days.

Rice with chicken, corn & edamame, cheese, cucumber, yellow tomatoes, boiled egg, marinated beets & breadsticks with pineapple, blueberries & mango

2009-08-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Salad of sausage, tomato, blanched beans, olives, boiled egg, salt & olive oil with breadsticks, nectarine & apricot

2009-08-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Chicken salad, yellow beans, peas, rice with carrot & zucchini, tomato & breadsticks with nectarine, grapes & lychees

2009-08-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

White corn & cheddar, grated carrot & raisin salad, chicken breast, tomato, yellow beans, fruit salad & breadsticks

2009-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sliced turkey breast, broccoli, beets, tomato & corn salad, fresh mozzarella, sauteed mushrooms, baby banana & fruit salad

2009-08-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Beets & raisins cooked in balsamic vinegar, fresh corn & edamame, cucumber, tomato & olive salad, ham, pineapple, watermelon, cereal & a baby banana

2009-08-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

Barley salad with olives, tomato, green beans, chicken salad, asparagus & boiled potatoes with an apple, pineapple, strawberries & raisins

2009-08-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ham, asparagus, blanched carrots, cheese, boiled egg & olives with dried sugar snaps, watermelon, grapes & an apple

2009-08-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Potatoes in dijon vinaigrette, ham, cherry tomatoes, green beans, cucumber & olives with grapes, raspberries, papaya & cookies

2009-08-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Garbanzo beans & rice in tomato sauce, chicken, broccoli, cheese & black olives with kiwi, watermelon, dried snap peas & cookies

2009-07-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Tomato, Gus's tuna salad with peppers & chives, black beans & corn, broccoli, cheese & peaches, pineapple, raisins, & a honey sandwich

2009-07-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Smoked salmon, sheep milk cream cheese, green beans, tomato, broccoli and black olives with cherries, pineapple and a peanut butter sandwich

2009-07-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Shucked corn & cheddar cheese salad, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, beans, boiled egg & olives with breadsticks, mango, strawberries & raisins

2009-06-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Olives, quinoa & cherry tomato salad, peas, ham, cheese & beets with jam sandwiches, raspberries, mango & yogurt

2009-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Marinated beets, green beans, potatoes in dijon vinaigrette, meatballs, cucumber & cheese with fruit & buttered cinnamon raisin bread

2009-06-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Peanut butter & ham & cheese sandwiches with grapes, blanched green beans & an apple

2009-06-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Canned salmon salad, broccoli, cherry tomatoes with balsamic, olives, cheese & roasted potato with cucumber, grapes & buttered cinnamon bread

2009-05-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Roasted zucchini, olives, cherry tomatoes, ham & cheese with watermelon, banana & animal cookies

2009-05-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Chicken & mango salad, green beans, cucumber, olives, cheese & cherry tomatoes with grapes, watermelon, raspberries & buttered cinnamon bread

2009-05-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

Chicken & mango salad, cucumber, green beans, heart of palm & green olive salad with cheese, pear, mandarin, cookies & cereal

2009-05-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ham, green beans, olives, fresh mozzarella & cherry tomatoes with mango & grapes and buttered honey sandwiches

2009-05-21T18:24:00.009-07:00

Hummus, green olives, ham, broccoli, cherry tomatoes & cheese with pineapple & mango, peanut butter sandwiches & a baby banana

2009-05-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

Cheese, salami, green olives, tomato, green beans, potato & avocado with mango & pineapple, baby bananas & cookies

2009-05-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

Beets, asparagus, cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes, olives & salami with peanut butter sandwiches, mandarin, kiwi & veggie booty

2009-04-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Pasta salad with tomato, olive, cucumber, parmesan, parsley & olive oil with blanched sugar snaps, buttered raisin bread & mandarin & pineapple

2009-04-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Leftover chicken and rice, broccoli, lemon & olive oil, olives, cheese & cucumber with strawberries, mandarin & buttered honey sandwiches

2009-04-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Potato frittata, cherry tomatoes, peas, olives, fresh mozzarella & salami, fruit salad, sesame sticks & buttered honey sandwiches

2009-04-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Beets & balsamic, flaked lemon sole with olive oil, carrots, egg, green beans, cottage cheese & green olive with fruit, cereal & mini pb&j sandwich

2009-04-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

Roasted pumpkin with cilantro, asparagus & cherry tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, olives & salami with grapes, mandarin, veggie booty & breadsticks

2009-04-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Avocado, fresh mozzarella, salami, olives, green beans & cucumber with refried bean dip, fruit salad & breadsticks

2009-04-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Canned wild salmon salad, peas, olives, cottage cheese, roasted eggplant & boiled egg with celery, mango, grapes & sesame sticks

2009-04-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Chicken salad, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrot, cottage cheese & olives with fruit salad, cheese puffs & buttered bread

2009-04-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Chicken salad, cherry tomatoes, grated cucumber, olives, cheese, blanched snowpeas & boiled egg with papaya, grapes & apple

2009-04-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Roasted potatoes with rosemary, broccoli, pasta in cream sauce, cherry tomatoes, olives, papaya, grapes & crackers

2009-04-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ham, roasted peppers, cucumber, peas, orzo salad with roasted eggplant, tomato & parsley, with mango & cottage cheese

2009-03-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Barley salad with olives, tomato, green beans, asparagus & lots of parmesan cheese, fruit salad, melba toasts & sultanas

2009-03-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

This salad was pretty tasty but my daughter, who normally eats everything, including all these ingredients, would not touch it. Back to the straight lines I guess.

Beets, asparagus, cooked cauliflower, carrot, barley salad with olives, tomato & oregano, cheese, fruit salad, cheddar puffs & wheat melba toasts

2009-03-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Chickpeas stewed in tomato, garlic & oregano, asparagus, beets, ham, edamame & boiled egg with apple, blueberries, strawberries and cheddar puffs

2009-03-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

Rice cooked with chicken stock, roasted peppers, sauteed mushrooms, peas, chicken, rice pudding & mango

2009-03-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Edamame, beets, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, olives, cheese, ham, kiwi, mango and mixed cereal

2009-03-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

French lentil salad, cheese, cherry tomatoes, cooked snowpeas, ham, boiled egg, olives, cheese twists, mango, grapes & peach yogurt

2009-03-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Rice & lentils, chicken, cooked carrot, snowpeas, & olives with kiwi, cheese & multigrain cereal

2009-03-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes, boiled egg, snowpeas, olives, cheese, pineapple & grapes, and multigrain cereal

2009-03-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Cheese, chicken, olives, egg, mayonaise, beets, apple & a mix of crackers & cereal

2009-03-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

Potato & ham fritatta, mayonaise, beans, yellow grape tomatoes, chicken & olives, with breadsticks, cheese, blueberries & cheddar Pirates Booty

2009-03-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

Broccoli, Gus's potato salad, tomato, olives, cottage cheese, kiwi & white cheddar Pirate's Booty

2009-03-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Spiced red lentils, broccoli, olives, egg, beans, chicken, tomato, grapes, cheese & pineapple

2009-03-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal with cream and maple syrup, fresh blueberries and bran bits

2009-02-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

I cannot reccomend enough making a small pot of steel cut oatmeal and reheating a little each day. On the box of McCann's Steel-cut Irish Oatmeal there is a short cut method of bringing 4 cups of water to a boil, adding a cup of oats, turning off the heat and let soak overnight. This cuts out the rather laborious long cooking time of steel-cut oats.

Fried egg with tomato & cream sauce, grated cheese and buttered walnut & raisin toast

2009-02-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

Fried egg with tomato, cilantro & scallion with steamed couscous, papaya, lemon juice & sugar, buttered walnut & raisin toasts

2009-02-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

pork sausage, scrambled egg, buttered walnut & raisin toast with papaya, lemon juice & sugar

2009-02-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

Mixed cereal, pineapple, vanilla yogurt and buttered cinnamon raisin roll

2009-02-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

The Breakfast Series

2009-02-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

After a two month break in Australia, where making lunch boxes was not necessary, I am resuming Baby Lunchbox with something new... a breakfast series. Comments and questions welcome.
Chloe

Pancakes with maple syrup, fried egg, papaya and kiwi and wholegrain cereal

2009-02-21T19:04:00.001-08:00

Silver dollar pancakes with maple syrup, pork sausage, pineapple & papaya and cheerios

2009-02-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

Scrambled eggs with cheddar, sauteed mushrooms, buttered baguette croutons and papaya with lime juice and sugar

2009-02-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

Scrambled eggs with cheddar, wholewheat french toast with maple syrup, banana and multigrain cereal

2009-02-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon raisin French toast, banana, grapes and vanilla yogurt

2009-02-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

Scrambled eggs with cheddar, wholewheat french toast with maple syrup and half a mandarin

2009-02-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

Fresh raspberries, wholewheat French toast with maple syrup and vanilla yogurt

2009-02-21T18:39:00.000-08:00

Sauteed mushrooms, crispy bacon, fruit salad, organic whole grain cereal and vanilla yogurt

2009-02-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

Steelcut oatmeal with maple syrup and milk, cinnamon and raisin French toast, papaya with lime juice and sugar

2009-02-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

Pineapple, steelcut oatmeal with milk and maple syrup with buttered cinnamon toast

2009-02-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

Steelcut oatmeal with maple syrup and milk with papaya, lime juice and sugar

2009-02-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

Cottage cheese, couscous with tomato, cucumber & crumbled meatballs, asparagus, baby corn, popcorn & apple

2008-12-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Chicken, brown rice salad with peanuts, carrot & corn, mixed roast vegetables, hummus, grapes, yogurt & pretzels

2008-12-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

Pasta in tomato sauce, green beans, potato gratin, banana, grapes and Earth's Best peanut butter bar

2008-12-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

Beets, broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, couscous with chicken, roasted pepper, eggplant & parsley, mango and cream cheese

2008-11-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

Potato & zucchini frittata, orzo with tomato, basil & olive oil, broccoli, couscous with mushrooms & parsley, cream cheese & grapes

2008-11-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Orzo with tomato, parsley & olive oil, broccoli, roasted cauliflower, pear, Kozy Shack rice pudding, cheerios & buttered bread

2008-11-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

Couscous with tomato, chicken & parsley, roasted cauliflower, brussel sprouts with ham & cream, broccoli, cheese, grapes & raspberries

2008-11-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

Potato salad with pesto & cream, beets, edamame, barley salad with chicken, tomato & parsley, cheerios, papaya & crackers

2008-11-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Tomato, rice with salmon, parsley and boiled egg, broccoli, beets, cheese and grapes

2008-11-16T07:07:00.000-08:00

Cheese, edamame, marinated tomato, roasted salmon, rice, beets, grapes and crisp bread

2008-11-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

to respond to Gail's comment, I do not follow any cookbooks in preparing these lunchboxes. There can be a lot of staring into the fridge, trying to come up with something. Most the effort goes into the shopping, combing the aisles for anything that might work for her, although the selection in my neighborhood is pretty basic.

Barley, tomato and green bean salad, cauliflower, ham and cheese with kiwi, apple and crisp bread

2008-11-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

Chicken breast, cooked carrot, beets, broccoli, potato salad, kiwi and cheese

2008-11-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

Chicken breast, green beans, cheese, white beans in pesto, tomato, roasted parsnip and zucchini, baby banana and crackers

2008-11-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

White beans in pesto, tomato, cauliflower, green beans, ham and cheese with cheerios, apple and crackers

2008-11-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Buckwheat, mushroom, white bean and pesto salad, tomato and cucumber, chicken breast, roasted zucchini, cheese and papaya and kiwi

2008-11-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

Tomato, buckwheat, mushroom & parsley salad, roasted sweet potato with maple syrup and chicken breast, with kiwi, cheese and indian yogurt rice salad*

2008-11-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

The rice salad was leftover from eating out in a local Indian restaurant. It was delicious with yogurt, cilantro and a little ginger and brown mustard seeds. I thought my daughter might like it.... she wouldn't even try it.

Orzo with tomato, broccoli and parmesan, cooked carrot, chicken breast and boiled egg (tossed in a little cream & mayonnaise), apple and cheese

2008-11-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Roasted sweet potato with maple syrup, asparagus, orzo with tomato, basil and parmesan, ham and cheese and fruit salad

2008-11-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Roasted sweet potato with maple syrup, beets, asparagus, quinoa with broccoli and tomato, cheese and cooked pineapple

2008-11-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

An introduction..

2008-10-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.
Thank you for your interest in Baby Lunchbox. I am thrilled to see so many comments. To answer your questions...
I bought the rectangle glass container made by GlassLock (it has a plastic snap shut lid) at Bed, Bath and Beyond. The jars are left over baby food jars from puree days. As you can probably guess I made my purees but I did try a few store bought ones early on. I didn't like them much but the jars have been very useful.
I really don't have a lot of time to cook. I am a single mom that works four days a week so for those days in particular I need to be organized. I have worked in restaurants for years so I may have a different approach. I stay ahead of the food preparation, cooking the basic elements in batches and just mix up a small portion of salad or whatever that day. I pretty much always have a few different blanched vegetables and one cooked grain (quinoa, rice, orzo, or lentils etc) in the fridge. I am certainly not starting from scratch every day. A lot of things, like the roasted fish, are leftovers from dinner. I always have the basics like cheese, ham, tomato and fruit in the fridge and couscous in the cupboard in case I am in a bind.

I often cook at night usually while I am working or catching up on email. Not every night and no more than one thing and when I say cook I mean I try to put something on the stove- a whole chicken to simmer, a pot of beets or barley or I blanch pasta or a green vegetable - things that set me up for a few days, nothing complicated. I also often end up cooking something during at least one nap on the weekend.

My childcare is a nanny share arrangement where the nanny comes and picks my daughter up and takes the two kids to the park and then to the other mother's house to
nap. I pack her lunch in a large zip lock bag with her milk and water and the nanny transports it in a diaper bag. If it were in my bag running off to daycare I could guarantee it would get jumbled up but I know it survives its journey because I often see the leftovers still in their straight lines!

I would like to say that not everything in the lunchboxes is a hit with my daughter. I always make sure there is a few things I know she likes just incase and there is a lot of food there.. she rarely finishes the whole thing.

Thanks again, please check back,

Chloe

Sheep milk ricotta, beets, asparagus, quinoa with shredded braised beef short ribs, tomato & parsley, a baby banana, cheese and cooked pineapple

2008-10-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

Potatoes (w cream & mayonnaise), carrots and beans in balsamic, beets, rice with corn, chicken and tomato, cheese and fruit

2008-10-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Cheese, beets, green beans, french lentil salad and marinated sausage with fruit salad and cottage cheese

2008-10-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ham, tomato, green beans, beets and french lentil salad, with papaya and cottage cheese

2008-10-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

Marinated bluefish, tomato, cheese, green beans, rice and lentils, papaya and cottage cheese

2008-10-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

Avocado, cheese, green beans, tomato, marinated bluefish, crackers and fruit salad

2008-10-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Rice with chicken and corn, asparagus, boiled egg, tomato and cheese, hummus, grapes and pear

2008-10-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

Roasted haddock, asparagus, cauliflower, couscous with tomato and parsley, cottage cheese with a little pesto and white peach

2008-10-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Boiled egg, broccoli, carrot, tomato, rice with chicken and green beans, with cottage cheese with pesto, and fruit salad

2008-10-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Couscous with fresh cranberry beans, carrots and green beans, with broccoli, cheese, ham, hummus and a baby banana

2008-10-27T19:35:00.000-07:00