Summer TIme Lunch Fun!

The countdown in the Amen house has begun! We only have 4 short days of school left before we are on our own to play the summer away! Most of the country is sharing our excitement, that soon our little monsters…*ahem*….I mean our little angels will be home soon for 3 whole months! As I was thinking about all of the fun activities we would be packing our calendar with, it hit me all at once! LUNCH! I usually make breakfast and send the oldest off to school with her lunch money or lunch packed in hand and then it’s just me, Aj and the bun that’s cooking in the oven. So, lunches are pretty easy around here and he is so picky that I usually only make a few different things throughout the week anyways, and I try to eat left overs as much as possible. The older one however, is a totally different story. She enjoys variety, so I made a dash to Google and found some amazing lunch ideas! I also learned that if you have to serve the same thing a couple of days in a row that making it LOOK different makes a huge difference! Some of the things that I found have an amazing level of creativity, I was very impressed. I have included all of the links to the pictures that I have found so if you want to explore further (and to give credit where credit is due =D).

Some easy ideas to use to spice up the daily lunch routine are things like: “Ants on a Log” (peanut butter on celery topped with raisins), “Pigs in a blanket” (little Smokey’s wrapped in a crescent roll), pizza rolls (these are a favorite of everyone in our house. When I make these, I have to make enough to feed an army!), Fruit layered on a stick is also a fun one that kids seem to enjoy. Not only are these a great way to spice things up, but with some fresh fruit or veggies, yogurt (Greek yogurt is GREAT for dipping fresh fruit like apples in and making Parfaits with), and a drink these are great “on the go” lunches as well! Just pack it all up and you are on your way to the pool in no time! Here are some other great lunch ideas, which I also love because they are all a fun spin on the regular old plain-Jane sandwich! http://blog.hwtm.com/2009/08/whats-for-lunch-funky-cuteness/ <<<This blog has a TON of cute sandwich ideas!

My goal for this summer is to make something different every day for an entire week (7 whole days)! I think that the site above and the ideas that I already have up my sleeve will make it a lot easier than I thought it would. Maybe I will even take another step and strive for 14 days of variety. I hope that this helps and please feel free to share any ideas that you have found for fun meals, or if there is something that you would like to see featured here. Happy picnicking! =D

Susan