It can be hard to pack a school lunch that is healthy, quick to assemble, and kid friendly. Trying to think of ideas that are not “the same old sandwich” can be even more difficult. That’s why I’m always happy when there is an event like Halloween to build a “theme” lunch around. Having a theme can make a school lunch more fun to pack and eat, and it can also be a good way to introduce children to foods they would not ordinarily try. Kids who turn up their noses at zucchini sticks and carrot slices may happily gobble down “witches fingers” and “edible eyeballs”.Below are just a few ideas to get you started on assembling your “Yu-Boo! Halloween themed” Yubo lunch box.
What are you including your Yu-Boo?
I’d love to know.
I’d love to know.
Peter Pumpkin Eater Cheese Bread:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a cookie cutter, cut a pumpkin shape out of whole wheat naan, pocketless pita bread, or other bread of your choice.
3. Place pumpkin cut-out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle shredded orange cheddar cheese over the main part of the pumpkin, leaving the stem area bare.
4. Use slices of black olive to create a jack-o-lantern face on top of the cheese, or, if your child is not an olive eater, substitute bell peppers, raisins, or anything else he or she will eat.
5. Bake your pumpkin in the oven for approximately 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Allow to cool before packing in your Yubo.
Halloween Stones on a Stick:
1. Thread cubes of orange cheddar cheese, and either pitted black olive halves, red grapes, or dried plumbs on blunt toothpicks, alternating the orange and black colours.
Orange Pumpkins: 1. Use black sticker shapes to create a jack-o’-lantern face on a Clementine or other small orange.
Edible Eyeballs:
1. Wash and peel a carrot, and slice into rounds.
2. Spread a thin layer of soft white cheese (such as cream cheese), onto the centre of each carrot round.
3. Push a raisin into the cheese on each carrot slice to create pupils.
Witches Fingers: 1. Wash and peel a zucchini, reserving some of the slices of peel.
2. Slice the peeled zucchini lengthwise into thirds, and then slice each third again crosswise.
3. Use a small paring knife to carve out finger shapes from the zucchini slices, adding details such as knuckles if you desire.
4. Cut fingernails shapes out of the reserved green zucchini peel, and attach them to the fingers with small dots of spreadable white cheese.
For an after school snack, banana ghosts are a boo-tiful choice. Simply peel a banana, and slice it in half lengthwise. Create a face on each banana half by pressing chocolate chips into the banana. Serve on popsicle sticks, if desired.
Halloween is just around the corner, and the safety of your little pumpkins and monkeys is probably as much on your mind as it is on mine.
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