GF Nut-Free Cereal Bars

I am always searching for healthy afternoon snacks and fun things to pack in the kids' lunchboxes. Since cereal bars are one of their favorite snack right now I was trying to make a fun but healthy and nut-free (for school) version at home.

Searching through all the amazing recipes on Pinterest I decided that it should be an easy, no-bake, whip up quickly before school lets out cereal bar.

And without dried fruit since my kids simply won't eat them.

The end product was a gluten-free, nut-free, crunchy cereal bar with glaze (all cereal bars need a glaze in this house!).

Recipe adapted from Sun-Maid

Ingredients:

1/2 cup WOWBUTTER
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups gluten free rice cereal
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats (uncooked)
3/4 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
Place WOWBUTTER, honey and brown sugar in large microwave-safe bowl.
Heat on high power for 2 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Remove bowl from microwave.
Add vanilla; stir until mixture is smooth.
Add cereal, oats and raisins. Gently stir WITHOUT CRUSHING cereal.
Press warm mixture very firmly into prepared pan. 

Melt two more tablespoons of WOWBUTTER in a small microwave-safe bowl for 30 sec.

Stir until liquid.

Fill carefully into a small Ziploc bag.

Pipe over cereal bars.
Cool at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Lift out of pan, cut into bars.
Store bars in plastic wrap or tightly covered container, at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Makes 16 bars 

(I doubled the recipe and had enough for a 13x9 dish plus a 6x6 (so we could eat some immediately and safe some for school)

Look! Lunch! {Gluten Free}

Here are two recent gluten free school lunches. We are trying to keep one of my sons gluten free to determine if that would help with the recent bouts of stomachaches he has been having. I am very new to gluten free so we are still learning :)

Our yubo is packed with a gluten free lunch today:

• a Cocoa Loco bar from Enjoy Life
• Naturebox Cranberry Almond bites
• two tuxedo wearing onigiri
• applesauce and
• a gluten free coconut chocolate chip muffin - home made with rice flour

Our Laptop Lunches bento box is packed with:

• a gluten free coconut and blueberry muffin
• gluten free popcorn
• almonds
• a gluten free cheese sandwich and
• apple sauce

The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School - a Literary Lunch

Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man.

Oh wait...
That is how the original story of the Gingerbread Man goes but in the new book from Laura Murray, the Gingerbread Man is actually loose in the school and trying to catch up to the kids at recess after they forgot him in the classroom.

This is such a fun book with a new twist on the Gingerbread Man story!

The Gingerbread Man is even trying to escape our Lunchbots lunchbox! So, before he escapes...we packed:

• a half an apple
• a gingerbread man peanutbutter sandwich on a seaweed black board with cheese decorations
• strawberries and
• a berry cereal bar with fruit leather letters

Please head over to The Little Crooked Cottage to see an exclusive interview with the Gingerbread Man - and find out if he does have a belly button - and see my lunch there!

We love Strawberries for lunch

Today's lunches only have one (or two) thing in common: Strawberries and bad lighting.
Strawberries remind us of summer and currently they are juicy, red, delicious and a big treat.
So, naturally all the kids asked for them for lunch - yum! And the bad lighting is due to a tired
Mamabelly who is still adjusting to Back to School ;)

Packed in our Easylunchboxes are:

• left over chicken tenders
• strawberries
• a nut butter sandwich with jelly
• and a Cocoa Loco cereal bar

In our Planetbox Shuttle are:

• strawberries
• two different kids of cereal bars
• Annie's cheddar bunnies and 
• Naturebox Cranberry Almond Bites

And last but not least, this Laptop Lunches bento box is packed with:

• strawberries - of course
• Annie's cheddar bunnies and
• two Naturebox Pistachio Clusters
• a roll with liver pate 
• pickles and
• a cereal bar

Things I used to make our lunches (contain affiliate links):

Every-Bunny Loves Lunch

Last weekend we found a special visitor on our porch:

Can you guess how excited my kids were? We let him rest in the shade and gave him some water and carrots. He stayed for a couple of days and the kids loved having him around.

He eventually went home to a new home and I know the kids miss him. I decided that it would be nice to make them bunny themed lunches to remind them of our special guest :)

Our yubo is packed with:

• four mini bunny sandwiches
• carrots and Annie's bunny cheese crackers
• vanilla yogurt with a sprinkle bunny shape and 
• Naturebox Vanilla granola with a small bunny cup filled with mini chocolate chips for the yogurt

I also added a sweet Lunchbox Love Card to remind them how sweet it was of them to care for the bunny.

Our yumbox is packed with more bunny food:

• Annie's cheddar bunnies
• a cereal bar
• 4 mini bunny sandwiches
• tomatoes with a bunny pick
• cucumber flowers
• and a few gummy treats

And when my preschooler saw all the bunny lunches, she of course wanted one, too. She helped pack her own lunch for today:

Since she ate at home she just packed a yumbox tray:

• with baby carrots
• Annie's cheddar bunnies
• four mini bunny sandwiches
• apples with a bunny pick
• and cucumber flowers as well as
• a few fruit gummies

Simple Laptop Lunch Box

I cannot believe this school year is coming to an end and my 5th grader will graduate soon and become a middle schooler, sniff.

There are 9 more days of school and today we packed a simple Lunchtop Lunches bento box:

• popcorn
• fruit snack
• apple slices
• a Nutella filled stamped sandwich
• a cereal bar

Mama's Lunch

Mamas gotta eat, too. I pack lunch for myself most days as well but often forget to post them.
Today, I am posting just my lunch for a change :)

I packed lunch in my monbento MB original bento box. I love the size which is perfect for a generous lunch.

I packed my monbento with

• grapes
• carrot sticks
• a cheese stick 
• a vegan peanut butter bar

and

• brown left over rice 
• with a zuccini, squash and muchroom stir fry
• I also packed some soy sauce which is not pictured. YUM!

Pantry Lunches

When life gets hectic and time does not allow for a trip to the grocery store, I rely on my pantry to still have some decent lunch ingredients.

We packed lunch in our Good Lunch Box:

• Pirate Booty,
• stamped peanut butter and blueberry jelly sandwiches,
• all natural apple sauce
• and a few almonds

Lunch in our Easylunchboxes ( I made two identical ones) contains:

• Pirate Booty
• all natural apple sauce
• a peanut butter and blueberry jelly stamped sandwich
• and a cereal bar

Still good lunches when time is not on my side :)

Things I used for this lunch:

Kiwi Fruit and the Importance of Food Education at School

My kids had a special unit at school last week which included a mobile agricultural products laboratory and besides learning so many fun and important facts, each class won a case of kiwifruit for answering closing questions.

The elementary school classes won kiwifruit and ate them in class. And three very excited kids came running home that day full of things to share with me including that they love kiwifruit. I was stunned. My kids are not very adventurous when it comes to trying new fruit and since I love kiwi I have offered it before - with no luck. However, learning about the fruit in school and sharing a special "prize" with their teacher and class allowed my kids to try it away from home - and it was a full success. I wonder how many kids came home that day asking their parents to buy kiwi.

I think this is amazing and a great lesson to learn. We all know we have to keep offering our kids food they may be hesitant to try or taste but learning about food at school with a chance to try something in class has made a big impression on my kids. And now they love kiwifruit!

This is the lunch my first grader packed himself in his Easylunchboxes today:

• no bake energy bites
• strawberries
• kiwifruit
• carrots
• tangerine
• cereal bar and 
• a slice of starfruit

I helped him arrange the food so it would not get soggy and I cannot wait to see how lunch went today! Not only did they try a new food at school but they were open to pack some starfruit in their lunch as well to try.

My two older kids packed also no bake energy bites, strawberries, kiwifruit, starfruit and a sandwich. All kids also packed yogurt and ice water.

There is a Monster in my Lunch!

Mondays are never easy in our house and it is hard to let go of the weekend fun and go back to school. A little fun is always appreciated when it comes to making Mondays a little cheerier.
My friend Karen from What's In Our Lunch Bags recently sent us this adorable lunch system (thank you, Karen!) and today was perfect for a monster lunch!

My first grader picked his monster and I filled it with apples and yellow peppers divided by wax paper, a cereal bar, half a cream cheese bagel and some organic popcorn and a left over brownie from yesterday. He also packed a yogurt and some ice water.

Who wouldn't like to find a monster in their lunch?

Happy Monday!

Four simple lunches in under 20 minutes

We did not have much time this morning to pack lunches. To be exact: we had 20 min. And I wanted to show you that even with only 20 min I was able to pack 4 healthy and fun school lunches and get us all out the door.

Lunch for my second grader is packed in his Easylunchbox and contains a mini apple, some strawberries, a puzzle shaped peanut butter sandwich and steamed snow peas. He also packed a yogurt and ice water.

My fifth grader packed a mini apple and strawberries as well, a half a whole grain bagel with cream cheese, steamed snow peas and a small puzzle peanut butter sandwich. He also packed yogurt and ice water and two snacks since he has a long day today.

My first grader is bringing a mini apple and strawberries, a half a whole grain cream cheese bagel, a cereal bar and steamed snow peas. He also packed ice water.

I also packed our yumbox for my 4 year old daughter since we had a doctor's appointment that was further away today. I packed her steamed snow peas, two puzzle peanut butter sandwiches, Annie's bunny cookies, apples, a Hershey kiss and also some strawberries.

Even with just 20 min to spare we managed to pack lunch for everyone :)

This is what I used for these lunches: