It’s hard to believe it’s been a year. As Kindergarten starts to wind down, it is bittersweet. I am glad the Kid is growing up, but sad at the same time.

But the Baby starts school next year too, so now I’ll be really busy making school lunches – IF they still want them. I hope so ’cause I’ve seen the cafeterias lunches and…no thanks. Goodbye Yoda – see you in First Grade…

Over this school year there have been a lot of WWYE lunches, here are a few favorites:

Domo Meatloaf:

Homemade Tater Tots:

Goldfish Mac n’ Cheese:

Kalbi ribs:

SURPRISE. I don’t think anyone wants to hear that when it comes to lunch, but these mini meatballs with a surprise edamame in the middle are pretty cute. Especially when you jazz them up with crazy bento picks. Look at that. The pick looks like a chicken bone. Freakin’ adorable.

Chicken Meatballs, What recipe, here.
See all Yoda lunches, here.

As you can tell from this series, I like to make sure the kid has a healthy lunch – but also a lot of fun.

Sometimes I wish I could see the Kid’s face when he opens his lunch box, and I’m sure the kid sitting next to him was totally freaked. Or maybe it will scare off certain…other people during lunchtime…hm?

Domo Meatloaf recipe, here.

So – the Kid is being bullied. Ok, maybe that’s a harsh term, but let’s just say…people are stealing his lunch! Apparently the things I send him off with look too good since kids try to eat his lunch regularly. And it’s not just the kids, it’s the teacher too! One of his daycare teachers ASKS him for his food AND eats it. Not cool. Listen, the Kid is mini, he needs all the nutrients he can get.

I don’t make him those super cute bentos, but I do try to send him off with GOOD tasting food. Too good, I guess? Now it’s backfiring. Looks like he’s going to have to eat liverwurst for lunch from now on…

Brown Sugar Ham Steak recipe, here.
Homemade Tater Tots recipe, here.

The Kid, aka Cheese Lover, aka Cheese-a-tarian, in his recent school project: ‘What would you do with $100?’ he said, “I’d buy cheese.” Good lord. I could think of a lot better things to spend $100 on – but whatever. And this is why he loves this dish. It’s cheese-y with a cheese-y Goldfish cracker topping. Perfect for your big-spending cheese lover.

Goldfish Mac n’ Cheese recipe, here.

Seriously. Japanese bento accoutrements are the best things in the universe. So cute. So little. So useless.

We believe in ‘breakfast anytime’ around here. Waffles are one of the Kid’s absolute favorite foods. I’m sure it’s just a vehicle for syrup.

So why not have waffles packed in his lunch too? A few strawberries, a side of potatoes – breakfast, er lunch, fit for a king! It made him so happy he asked if he could have them for lunch everyday. Uh, not quite kid.

Chocolate Chip Waffles
Mochi Waffles (moffles)
Cinnamon Vanilla Waffles

Recently when I went to King’s Hawaiian, I picked up a few treats to take home. While they are known for their sweet bread and pastries, what you may not know is they also sell Rainbow Bread.

Rainbow Bread is a specialty from Hawaii, but you can’t always find it just anywhere. I think it’s really fun and cute! However the Kid does NOT like this bread because it isn’t sweet, it just…tastes like bread. What’s wrong with that?

Anyway, it comes in these funky psychedelic colors and I just think it looks fun in his lunch. He was not amused and asked for his sweet bread back. Oh well. Party pooper.

The kids are back to school and boy are they NOT feelin’ it. Every morning is a struggle, I don’t blame them, I know two weeks off is a long time AND their brand new Christmas toys are waiting at home. Still, life moves on so suck it up. You’ve got a lot of school ahead of you kids.

Not only do I have to pack the Kid’s lunch for school, but snacks too. While I am generally opposed to pre-packaged things, I do use them for the kid’s snacks, as they are individually wrapped and fairly sturdy. Once in a while I try to surprise him by putting in a little something different.

Today I made a matcha roll cake. Roll cakes are waaaay easier than you’d expect, don’t be afraid of them. This one is a green tea cake and the filling is a sweetened red bean. The cake is stunning in color, not overly sweet – and heck, doesn’t it just look like something Yoda would eat for snack??

Matcha Roll Cake recipe, here.

I’m telling you the kids LOVE this stuff. It’s sort of ridiculous how much of this they eat. It’s light, tasty and goes great with everything. I like it on it’s own, but the Baby loves it with chicken apple sausage.

My favorite part? There is no red sauce to clean up like with regular spaghetti. You should look under the Baby’s dinner chair. It’s like a massacre under there…

Lemon Spaghetti recipe, here.