300 Calorie Lunches

Since starting my diet I have learned to be extra creative with the way I cook and eat. It can getting boring after a while with limited selection and quantities. If you don't believe a delicious lunch can be around 300 calories than check out a few of my ideas below!

A ground turkey taco with an orange and half of a low carb tortilla

Veggie burger wrap with fat free mozzarella, half a low carb tortilla, and no sugar added tomato sauce

Egg salad (made with calorie free mayo), Melba toast, sugar free bread and butter pickles and an orange

Turkey wrap with mustard, a salad (no dressing), and sugar free twizzlers

Turkey and broccoli stir fry and half an apple

Apple and almond butter

Green beans, almonds and an orange

See, no boring here!! All of these were around 300 calories, NO LIE! What are you healthy lunch ideas. Share pictures on instagram and twitter and tag me @dolcedellavita or use the hashtag #dolcedellavita

Preschool Bentos

I warned you that you would get whatever popped into my brain!

As most if you know, I am starting to really love the idea of bento lunches. However, I have only one child in school and he is preschool age. So, I started packing simple, preschool friendly bentos on his school days. He goes twice a week and I am having blast created lunches that will make his buddies jealous. Here is what I have come up with so far:

Bat Bento

Car Bento, notice the read and green "light" cereal

Pumpkin Bento

Superhero bento

Yellow Bento, for yellow day at school

pirate bento, with treasure juice box

Ben (my son) has seemed to enjoy his lunches so far this year. I look forward to creating more as the year goes by. I always use whatever I already have in the house. Other great bento supplies include:

• tooth picks
• paper
• cookie cutters
• food pens
• sprinkles
• muffin papers
• fun shaped foods

I hope this inspires a little bit of creativity for you. It really doesn't take much money or even much time to create these fun little lunches. These meals take me between 10 and 20 minutes to design, create, and pack.

Have bento fun!

All Good Things

Must Come to an End...

And so it goes with this school year's bento lunches. My sons' semester at "baby school" had its final classes today. Next school year my eldest will be taking the big step into a real preschool. I'm both excited and sad about this. He is growing up way to fast and to me he will always be my baby. All this is beside the point! I do have two fun little bento lunches to share.

I wanted to do something special for their final hurrah!

For my ninja- a fully loaded, with chopsticks, stealth packed lunch. Including ninja star gummies and a candy ninja!

 For my mini picky minion- Peanut butter pop tart minion with "banana" gummies and candies. A few little lunch meat test tubes finish off the meal!

 

Better Than Nothing Bento

Since my whole family has been sick (especially me), I really had no desire to make anything. However, I couldn't let another week go by. I pulled together this cute little Spring Bento for my boys. I have so many cute ideas to do next week before Easter. So be on the look out!

Two for Spring

So happy its spring! I made my sons' Bentos springy themed (although its not going to be very springy here tomorrow). I stuck with light colors. Fruits and veggies galore and simple finger foods. The boys both loved lunch. It would have been perfect for a picnic had it actually been spring like. haha!

I also had a Pampered Chef Party this evening. It was fun and I will have a recipe of my own creations to share at some point. So, keep on reading!

How was your Monday?

Happy St. Patty's Day

Another Monday has come and gone! Sadly, both my children and I didn't have work/school today, so I only have one bento to share. Even still, at least its something! I hope you all had a wonderful day. I really love St. Patrick's day. Its the only holiday I know that celebrates a missionary with drinking and bagpipes. haha. No, really. I think its just so neat that a missionary did so much for the Lord that he has a holiday around the world!

Something Simple Bentos

As always, Mondays are meant for Bentos! I like today's because its so simple! The boys are just getting over being sick, so they are just getting their appetite back. So, I packed one larger lunch for both boys to share. I also packed a basic bento for myself.

I'm excited to share that coming this week I should be having one of my favorite things on my blog... A GIVEAWAY! This one will be especially useful to parents of younger boys. Spread the news, I want a big turn out! I also have a few meals ready to rumble now too. It should be fun!

Kid Kabobs & Dr. Seuss Bentos

When you have a lot of leftovers, its sometimes hard to be creative. This meal was created out of my need for a main dish to use with all my leftover sides.

Kid kabobs can be made with any kind of meats you like, but its always best to use what ever you already have waiting in the refrigerator.I also added some extra veggies and fruit to my kabobs as well. This recipe is simple and easy.

Kid Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1 can of mandarin oranges 
• precooked chicken
• precooked hot-dogs
• cooked veggies
• kabob sticks

1. Create Kabobs mixing veggies and meat. 
   
   
   
2. Heat in the oven 350 degrees and cook until hot
3. Serve with left over sides!
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    School today ended up being canceled today, but I had already made a few bentos. That is good news for you!
   
   
   
   
   

The Doctor, Pirates, Oceans, and Butterflies

Basically, it was a busy bento day in my family. I themed each persons bento just for them! Mondays have come to be a day I enjoy. I plan all week and spend over an hour preparing the lunches on Sunday night.

It has been an awesome way to show my family I love them and that I am thinking of them always. Below I will share what I did!

 Above is my husband's Doctor Who themed lunch. The famous lines from the Doctor's wife seemed most appropriate, "hello sweetie". You can also see the cranberry bowtie and the TARDIS I created! The marshmallow person was supposed to be one of the many aliens that the Doctor has encountered.

  

The ocean scene was for my youngest little dude. However, I found out later that neither boy would really eat the noodles because they were blue. Oh well! You live and learn.

 

My oldest son is totally into pirates right now. So, it was an easy next step to make his pirate themed. If you can't tell, the islands on both lunches is apple sauce. 

Finally we have mine. I stuck to a floral idea for mine. I didn't really have any cool plans for mine like I did for the boys. I was very impressed with my pear/apple flower in the top and my pretty pinwheel sandwiches.

So, what did you do to make you Monday more special?

More to Mondays

There is going to be a little more excitement to Mondays from now on! My children both go to preschool for one day a week on Mondays. So, that means bento lunches are back! If you don't remember, go back to my Life, Lunch, and Fashion series where several of our bento lunches are featured. However, this time I want you to come along for the challenge. Let's make Mondays less of a drudgery. Let's make it the day we look forward to! Making bento lunches is just one way I give everyone in my family something to look forward to about starting a new week. I challenge you to find a way to make Mondays more exciting for your family. Perhaps you might want to join the bento craze! However you choose to do it, I want to know! Keep your eyes peeled for my bento creations and I will be looking forward to hearing what your doing to put "More to Mondays"!

Below are the creations I sent with my family today. I themed my boys to their personality, while I stuck with a Valentine's day theme for the hubs and I.

The Hubs' lunch- spicy love!

My Lunch!

Also, remember to be checking out DolceDellaVita on Instagram to see my 100 Happy Days challenge photos!

Day Thirteen: Updates and Announcements

As I stated in the title, I have several updates and announcement to cover today. Because of this there will  be a slight change of plans. There will be no "basics" listed today. They will of course resume tomorrow through the end of the week. The next list of basics will be health and beauty. So, be looking forward to that. Now onto my monthly theme today!

My Outfit

My first announcements come with this section! Im sure you are aware that I am no photographer and neither are the friendly people who help me take my photos. I recruited some help. My younger sister has a good eye for photography and she accepted the position of helping me bring you my fashion! Now, the food and often other pictures will still be taken by me and willing hands. Kailee did a great job today helping me give you a little better look at my wardrobe. You can follow Kailee on Twitter.

From the top: Blue dangle earrings, green lace camisole, flowing sheer shirt, black leggings, boots

I also realized that I haven't been sharing how you can get my style for yourself! What good is seeing fashion you cant steal?! From now on I will be revealing my secrets, and helping you get the same great look. Unfortunately not everything in my wardrobe is still available. I try to buy pieces I love and keep them for as many seasons as possible. All I can promise is basic idea and a little inspiration.

 The shirt is so old I cant even remember where I purchased it. You can usually find similar looks at Marshall's and Ross. The leggings are Lane Bryant, but I would suggest taking a more affordable route and buying those at Wal-mart.

The earrings are one of a kind. I bought these handmade earrings at a craft fair. Craft shows make a great plan to buy statement pieces that no one else will have!

The boots bellow are wide calf boots from Lane Bryant. Another good location to buy wide shoes and wide calf boots is Roaman's.






My Lunch
Im starting to see a pattern here. I need to eat healthier dinners so my lunches will be better! This high carb lunch is courtesy of fast food for dinner. I promise tomorrow's and Friday's will be better!

Don't do as I do, do as I wish. My hopes are to make a few special recipes I have posted on Pinterest. Check it out and help me do better by sharing your fast and tasty ideas below.

I look forward to sharing more basics with you tomorrow. I also hope to be sending out my giveaway at the end of the month. We are 19 followers away from posting the contest rules!

 

Day One: Life, Lunch, and Fashion

I'm back in action! You know its going to be an interesting day when it starts with a breakfast of Oreos and diet Dr. Pepper! I have been MIA for far too long and it is about time I get back to my intentions. You can learn a lot about a woman by how she dresses everyday. From her career to her style, clothing is window into someones personality. You can also learn a lot about someone by what they eat for lunch!

With this in mind, I'm introducing my new series "Life, Lunch, and Fashion." For one month you will follow me on my daily wardrobe journey and my work week lunch selections. As the title reveals, you will learn a little bit about my life in general as well!

Happy Dr. Seuss day! It was requested by the school I work at that we wear red today, so I obliged. This morning I wished I had a more fun collection of red clothing, but this was all I could do with the available choices.  

Red 3/4 sleeve knit blouse with leather and sequins around the sleeves and on the neckline. Basic black pants and shiny black flats. Finished off with a side bun and small diamond and ruby hoops. 

Thanks to my wonderful mother my lunch also fit today's holiday. Fridays are always bento box lunch days. My kids go to "baby school" that day, so I usually just pack a fun lunch for my self as well.

Cat in the Hat bologna and cheese sandwich with a banana and strawberry hat. Sides include colored Goldfish, raspberries, and juju fish.

It was a wonderful lunch and for the most part pretty healthy too. This lunch was partially inspired by a pin on Pinterest. Check it out here: 14 Dr. Seuss ideas  

I am so very glad that it is the weekend! After a long week of work and little sleep (two sick munchkins can do that to you), I'm ready for some slower paced days. Since I decided to revamp my blog Ive been working on cataloging my wardrobe so it will be easier to plan clothing in advance. I dont want to have a one of those "Just throw it on" days. Although, I'm sure that is in my near future! I'm also working extra hard on my brand new job! I'm so excited to announce that I am now apart of the Growing Up in the Valley family. Check out this great new family magazine for the Roanoke Valley here: Growing Up in the Valley

Until next time, remember the story of Yertle the Turtle!