Why I Love MOMables

You know the hardest part of making lunches, for me? The most tedious, mind-numbing, exhausting part? Hint: It's not the making of sandwiches or the cutting of fruits and veggies.

It's the PLANNING.

What am I going to pack? Is that enough veggies? Enough fruit? Too many carbs? Wait, where is the protein? And if you're doing it before you've had a real chance to wake up in the morning, it's doubly exhausting.

It's the planning part that takes the fun out of lunch packing for me. Trying to figure out a variety of healthy, tasty foods that my family will eat, without falling into a rut... it kills my motivation. Which is why I was so excited when I found MOMables!

MOMables is a school lunch meal planning service that helps parents feed their kids a variety of lunches they will love. Their one simple plan approach has built in substitutions for vegetarian, gluten free and nut free options when needed (it is not a dairy free or vegan plan). 

MOMables was started by Laura Fuentes, a mom of 3 kids under seven years old, to help other parents get out of the lunch packing rut. MOMables offers a weekly school lunch meal plan with 5 lunch ideas, a prep-ahead sheet and a shopping list to help us busy parents feed our kids good food they will actually eat for only $6 per month!

Laura has been kind enough to offer my readers a sample week of MOMables for FREE, when you sign up for their weekly newsletter. It’s also loaded with free recipes, tips and so much more.

MOMables creates a new lunch plan every week, with recipes and kitchen tips and suggested sides to keep lunches both fun and healthy. The lunches change every day, so there is plenty of variety, and they are packed full of delicious recipes to try. There are also tips added to some of the recipes for making them gluten-free or allergy-friendly, which is really nice for those of us dealing with allergies! Plenty of the recipes are also vegetarian, as a great bonus. There is even an entire allergy friendly recipe section!

I am really enjoying MOMables myself, but don't take my word for it. Sign up for a sample week and check it out yourself! MOMables is an excellent resource for lunches, dinners, snacks, and all sorts of kitchen and meal planning tips!

I am experiencing technical difficulties (AKA the camera battery died and the back up battery and charger have apparently fluttered off on a romantic holiday somewhere exotic, or have simply been misplaced somewhere), so here is a phone pic of one of the yummy treats I have made from a MOMables recipe:

(They taste way, way better than they look there. Oh, SO good. Beaker declared them "Yum yum yummy yumtastic!" and apparently ate a solid half dozen today while I was out at school. They are free of gluten, soy, egg, dairy, and nuts, and they are chock full of fruity goodness, with both applesauce and bananas. They are utterly delicious and a guilt-free snack! Super easy to follow recipe, too. Check it out on the MOMables page!)

As a fabulous bonus, MOMables has offered a 3 month subscription for free to one lucky reader! Enter the giveaway below, and be sure to check MOMables out!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer: MOMables provided a 3 month paid subscription for me to check out and review. Since then I have paid for another, because I liked it so much!

Resistance is Futile.

I dearly love Edible Geekery blog hops! Remember to click the button at the bottom to continue with the hop!

I am a geek. For anyone who knows me, or has ever read this blog before, this comes as no surprise. I was geek before geek was chic! 

But I must confess. I am not really a Star Trek fan.

I know! Shocking! What kind of a geek doesn't do Star Trek?! It isn't that I dislike the shows. On the contrary - the ones I have seen have been quite good. It just hasn't drawn me in. The Dude, on the other hand, IS a big Star Trek fan. His favorite is Star Trek: The Next Generation. I have seen a good number of episodes with him, enough to have a certain level of appreciation for the show and franchise. At some point I will sit down with him and watch the entire ST:TNG series start to finish, I promise. I just haven't been converted into a total fan yet.

However, I AM a big fan of George Takei. The original Mr. Sulu!

Besides being a geek legend and an internet superstar with a fantastic sense of humor, the man has done some amazing social work. He has used his fame to turn the bright, shiny spotlight on LGBT rights and on the history of Japanese internment camps in the US. He is nothing short of awesome.

Mr. Sulu, thanks for everything you do!

"It's OK to be Takei" pepper jack cheese letters on steamed rice with baked salmon.

I do kind of love this. It is Takei's insignia painted with edible dye on cheese.

"Oh myyy!" kiwi slices and raspberries. There are also a few chocolate espresso beans from a local gourmet shop tucked in there as a sweet surprise.

Veggie rainbow! Red, orange, and yellow sweet bell peppers with cucumber slices and a purple packet of soy sauce for the salmon and rice.

Bonus lunch! I packed this one for him yesterday:

IceBorg (Heh. See what I did there?) and grilled chicken Caesar salad with red and golden cherry tomatoes and pepper jack cheese spelling out the infamous Borg motto: Resistance is futile. He also has bold guacamole (with tortilla chips in a separate container) and sliced apples and plums.

And as a special fun treat, want to win a nifty prize? Of course you do! Enter below for a chance to win this Star Trek tumbler and set of four cupcake rings!

** Congratulations to Kimberly W! You have won the giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered! **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But wait! There's more! You can't stop here. No! You must boldly go on to the next blog in the hop to see what awesomeness What's In Our Lunch Bags? has to share! Click the button below to continue...

Both lunches were packed in my favorite Easy Lunchboxes, which can be found at Amazon here:

(Affiliate link)

My First Giveaway!

CuteZCute from AllThingsForSale is my favorite sandwich cutter. So adorable! Easy to use, and reasonably priced, too. Often they are one of the first bento tools I reach for when making lunches, for Beaker and Princess especially. I have also used the cutter for cookies and they made excellent toppers for individual pies.

The CuteZCute Sandwich Cutter and Pastry Stamp Kit is a fantastic all-in-one tool. It can be used to cut sandwiches, deli meat and cheese, cookies, pie crust, and so much more! It can also be used as a rice mold, or to cut thin sliced veggies and fruit into cute shapes. The set comes with six pieces ~ the outside shape cutter, 4 sweet animal faces (bear, pig, cat, and frog) with a cutter on one side and a stamper on the other, and a special tool for popping bits out of the cutter.

I frequently use our set for making sandwiches, like this cute piggy made with multiseed gluten-free bread. I have also used it for ice cream-cookie sandwiches, and it was so easy to use! 

Another fantastic and fun bento tool is this cheeseburger bento box, also from ATFS. Beaker loves this box. It comes with two layers, and the clipping lid is simple enough for even his little hands to get it open. It is small, but still holds plenty of food for younger kids or smaller appetites.

This is a full lunch packed for Beaker to take to preschool, all tucked into the cheeseburger bento box. He has a gluten, nut, and soy free sandwich, some snap peas, a sliced up cheese stick, cantaloupe balls, Wylde GF pretzel rings by Ener-G, and a little mayo cup full of sunflower seeds and Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips. 

A complete and balanced meal, perfect for Beaker, all tucked into this compact, space saving box!

This one is a froggy organic turkey sandwich on Udi's bread (gluten, soy, and nut free, and Beaker's favorite) with a sliced cheese stick, watermelon and mango pieces, celery with cream cheese, and carrot sticks.

In between the two tiers of the box is a flexible lid, which holds a small fork, just the right size for little hands. Tucking it away in between the layers of the bento box saves space in lunch bags and keeps the fork clean and ready.

Now... do you want a chance to win both of these awesome products?

Of course you do!

The amazing BentoUSA/ATFS has offered to send a full CuteZCute Sandwich Cutter and Pastry Stamp set AND a Cheeseburger 2 Tier Bento Lunch Box to one lucky winner! Enter to win below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Drawing open only to citizens of the Earth.)

Good luck!

Edit: CONGRATULATIONS!!! to our winner, Heidi B! I hope you love the set as much as I do!

Products used: