Monday 31 December 2012

Fun Bites Review & Giveaway ( Part 1 Cube-It)

When I first saw these FunBites cutters I was so excited at the possibilities. There is so much you can do with a square! And when you add in the option of triangles (with the heart cutter) well it's just about endless!

I'll be reviewing these cutters separately as there's simply too much for one post :-)

I purchased the Cube-It cutter from Lunch Boxes with Love a few months ago & have had a ball with it. I've used it for sandwiches, zucchini slice, cheese, ham, even jelly!
{EDIT: There has been a malware warning for LunchBoxesWithLove(dot)com. This has been resolved & waiting for Google to give the all clear. Apologies for any inconvenience}
{EDIT UPDATE: All appears fine again and all links now re-instated. Thank you for your patience)

They are quite simple to use as you would expect from any cutter, but instead of relying on a 'twist' method to cut, these are designed to be rocked back & forth.

The cutting edge is perhaps a little thicker than the Lunch Punch that I'm used to, but they still cut through quite well without the 'smushing' that comes when you twist your cutters on the board.

One thing I found rather handy (and ingenious!) is the pop-out insert. It's designed so you can cut & then pop out your cutting without having to dig out any details with a toothpick. . . or your little finger or a knife which is what lazy old me tends to do :-)

I did find the overall size a little small for the standard size bread I tend to use, having said that, the squares are easy enough to realign & cut again as you can see I did here.

One technique I've heard of but haven't tried yet is to prepare your sandwich with the top slice of bread removed. Cut the top slice, then with this still in the cutter, cut the base of the sandwich. To be honest I didn't really have any issues cutting the sandwich made whole anyway, but thought I'd pass on the tip (thanks to Cristi at Bent on Better Lunches for that one)

Loving:
* Possibilities limited only by your imagination
* Dishwasher safe (although hand washing is recommended)
* Sturdy & solid
* The popper piece!!
* Suitable for use on a wide variety of foods
* BPA free
* Creates perfect little bite-size pieces

Loving a little less, but liveable:
* Hand washing recommended (although you can wash in the dishwasher)
* The overall size is too small for our regular bread, but too big to get two full cuts out of a slice

Overall:
I can see us using this cutter a lot this year, and not just for sandwiches. Fruit and cakes/slices would work beautifully with this and they make brilliant toddler bite sizes. So quick & easy to cut such a great range of foods. I love the Cube-It and thanks to the wonderful people at FunBites you have the chance to win one all for yourself!

Stay tuned later in the week for part 2 (Luv-It) when fingers crossed my technology issues will have sorted themselves out ;-)
{EDIT: You can now see the Luv-It review here)

All you have to do is follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below to be in the draw.

* As per Terms & Conditions entrants must be subscribed to at least one of Loving Lunches' social media or email updates. It is highly recommended that the email address you enter the give-away with matches the email address/ID you follow with, otherwise your entry can be difficult to verify.
* If  the winner does not reply to clam their prize within two (2) working days, they will forfeit and a new winner drawn
* Full Terms & Conditions can be found here

Note - Open to Australian residents only






















a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was provided nor offered. This post was written for Loving Lunches & FunBites who generously provided the prize/s for this competition as well as a complimentary 'LuvIt!" sample for review. All opinions expressed are my own based on my personal experience with the review item.

Monday 24 December 2012

Even More Santa



Just when you thought I was all Santa'd out. . . I had to save one for today.

Spaghetti bolognaise, served with a twist.

Mushroom pompom
Celery eyes
Corn nose
Capsicum mouth
Pasta beard
Cheese face
Mince hat

Served in Tupperware square rounds


I will be taking a little break from blogging to spend some time with family over the festive season, but I will continue to participate in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here. Keep an eye out in the New Year for a great new Giveaway and more lunches served with love.

Wishing you & yours a safe & happy festive season.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Saturday 22 December 2012

Simple Snowman. . .

. . . and a tree

Made using one slice white, one slice wholemeal & simply flipping the cutout around. The tree was made form a separate piece of bread.

Sultana & craisin decorations

I am participating in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Friday 21 December 2012

Thank You Trail Mix

This is what I did for our Day Care teachers' end of year thank you, Christmas & farewell gift this year.

 I came across the idea of a meaningful trail mix last year thanks to Organised Christmas and have wanted to do one ever since.

Some of the ingredients are from the mix above, others came from Kendra at Biting the Hand That Feeds You. The remaining ingredients came from my imagination :-)



Gather your ingredients


Mix in a bowl


I sent a Tupperware container for the lunch room along with some zip lock bags for all the teachers.


My mix made quite a bit more than I expected -oops!


For our three special teacher I'd saved some old jam jars & attached labels












From all of me to all of you, thank you so much, for all you do
·      Pretzels: For the hugs

·      Hershey's Kiss: For the kisses

·      M&Ms: Because you Mean so Much

·      Bananas: For the monkey business

·      Pepitas: For the seeds you’ve planted

·      Marshmallows: For your softness

·      Nuts: For crazy things you do
·      Crowns: From our Little Princess


 I am participating in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Thursday 20 December 2012

More Santa








I had to make some little snacks to go with the Santa Sandwiches I made (here and here), so here's a little Babybel santa with black sesame eyes. . . .




. . . and a little rice cracker, topped with Pepperoni from Walkerston Country Meats, cheese & sultanas

I am participating in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here









Things used to make these snacks:




 ~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Santa Claus is Coming to Town - take 2



You saw my first attempt at Santa yesterday and I must admit I think today's looks a little like Cartman from South Park.

Ham & cheese again cut with a 10cm round cutter.
Beard today is cheese, as are the eyes & pom pom.
Black sesame seed pupils
Onion trimming on the beanie


Served in Tupperware square rounds











I used a cheese slice under the giant Ox Heart tomato beanie today - that's right, that tomato had a 10cm diameter!
















Thinking Santa's hat looked too much like a beanie, I gave it a trim & I think he looked a bit more festive.











Things I used to make this lunch:

I am participating in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Monday 17 December 2012

Santa Claus is Coming to Town. . .






Ok, so he looks more like a cross-eyes elf, but I thought he was OK for a first attempt.







Ham & Cheese sandwich cut with 10cm round cutter.
Eyes from offcuts & sultanas
Beard from ham
Nose is a crust off cut
Pom Pom is a banana chip

Served in Tupperware square rounds






I used some rainbow barran to stop the tomato 'leaking' on the bread
I am participating in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here

Products used in this lunch:




~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Friday 14 December 2012

Holiday Ho Ho Hop

I'm so excited to be taking part in my very first Bento Bloggers & Friends Blog Hop!!!

There were so many beautiful bentos from the first week and there's still more to come next week so be sure & check out the rest of the fabulous creations! (There's a little Link to each week on this Bento Bloggers & Friends post)

There are so many wonderful ideas out there (and floating around my head) for Christmas themed lunches, but I thought I'd go with my favourite Christmas symbol, the Christmas Tree. Here are a few of the trees we've been enjoying this year. . . 





Mini biscuit cutter tree of cheese & cut-out-off-cuts
Served with rice crackers (not pictured for some strange reason) and our favourite Pepperoni from Walkerston Country Meats





Ham & cheese biscuit/cookie cutter sandwiches with cheese star


Served in Tupperware square rounds




Ham & cheese (this is our favourite filling) pocket sandwich with crust off-cut star & trunk

Served on Ikea plate

Cutters used from affiliate Neat 2 Eat


Simple triangle tree with ham & cheese decorations - decorated with help from Miss M




Served in Tupperware square rounds

Cutters used from affiliate Neat 2 Eat




Tree made from FunBites Cube It (keep an eye out in January 2013 for a review & giveaway - shhh!! -_^)

Decorated with an apricot star & craisin 'tinsel'









Close up of my little star <3


Cutters used from affiliate Neat 2 Eat



More FunBites Cube It, this time on a food pick, with FunBites Cube It presents, decorated with craisins & apricot

Food Picks used from affiliate Neat 2 Eat

















My attempt at Christmas Tree cheerios/saveloys.

I uses a paring knife to create a few different cuts & then lightly pan-fried. Add a food pick for a star & squint a little :-)

Food picks used from affiliate Neat 2 Eat














Cheese triangle 'tree' with craisin 'baubles' and pretzel stick 'trunk'


Thank you so much for joining me on my first ever Blog Hop! I hope you've enjoyed your visit & would love to hear your feedback. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram, come & join me on my Loving Lunches adventure!

Now Ho-Ho-Hop on over to check out what Jessie at Chaos and Confections has created & keep Ho-Ho-Hopping until you land back here :-)



I am participating in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Shortbread Lollipop Angels



I mentioned that I created something from my Christmas Pudding Chocolate Crackles the other day. . . I have been searching & it appears I neglected to take a decent photo of my finished product last year *sigh*, so you'll just have to use your imaginations :-)


I have never made shortbread before & opted for a gluten free recipe with rosewater. I won't pass it on as I didn't find it all that nice


But it was functional in that it produced shortbread for gifts for Miss M's playgroup


I made some shortbread biscuits, sealed 4 into zip-lock bags. . . .


. . . and turned them into angel wings.


I must have known that one day I'd want to show someone how it was done (or maybe even remind myself) so I'd taken step by step photos - aren't I organised?

Make a halo out of a pipe-cleaner. . . .


. . . gather the centre of your zip-lock bag. . . .



. . . wrap the bottom of the pipe-cleaner around the zip-lock bag a few times. . .


. . . then, holding a lollipop in place, wrap the remaining 'slack' of pipe-cleaner around the angel's neck to form a collar














A longer pipe-cleaner will create a larger collar





You can use anything to fill the zip-lock bag for the wings. And for the body you can simply attach a tissue (like this one) or a Christmas themed serviette. . .




. . . or you can take those bags of Christmas Pudding Crackles. . .




. . . and make a super-treat!

In retrospect having a third item in the base bag would have made it easier to have the angel stand. Also having shorter bags - these ones were huge!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see what I've got lined up for the Bento Bloggers & Friends Holiday Ho-Ho-Hop (NB the hop starts at 8:00 am PST, 13th Dec - which is about 2am on the 14th Dec here in Australia)

I'm participating in #reverb12 on Instagram. You can follow my responses to the daily prompt here

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.
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