October on Instagram

I realised the other day that I haven't really shared here all the pics I've taken on Instagram. Seems like a perfect opportunity to share them here for Flashback Friday!


Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~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.

Mo-Vember

How is it November already? Or should I say Mo-vember. Just in case I don't get around to making any moustache lunches this year, here's a Flashback Friday of what didn't quite get posted last year. Here's some watermelon with moustache picks.

I used the picks as a template for drawing on some oranges too. I used FooDoodlers as there was a chance the flesh would come in contact with the ink when packed.

I photocopied the picks and used a hole punch to feed through a straw. These got sent to daycare with a bottle of milk for a morning tea treat after I saw this on Pinterest

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~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.

CuteZCute Animal Palz Review

I received my latest order from affiliate Bento USA a few weeks ago and still haven't had a chance to play with all my new toys tools. But the one that got busted out before anything else even got looked at was the Animal Palz set from CuteZCute.

Can you see why I couldn't wait? Simply adorable!

This is what you get. Instructions on the back - images *and in English*!

Inside you get the 4.5 stamps, the back plate a press and a cutter.

I got all excited thinking I'd get 4 little sandwiches out of a piece of bread. . .

It didn't really work though.

I could get two good & two dodgy pieces from each slice of bread, so the dodgies ended up on the bottom of the sandwiches.

This was the other slice.

And because it was just before Halloween I thought I'd use the bat. They don't quite fit into my sandwich container either, but then again, neither does a full sandwich.

You may recognise these from my Count Duckula lunch

You will have to check out my guest post on BentOnBetterLunches today to see what Monkey Business these little guys were up to :-) Added bonus! This is an egg mould too!! The first time I used it for a mould I got waylaid so left it in the fridge overnight. I'm not sure if that's why it stuck & the egg fell apart like it did. Lucky I had a spare boiled egg in the fridge still in its shell. I peeled it & left it in a mug of boiling water while I prepare the rest of the lunch. That one worked beautifully!  Loving: Mutli-tasker! Sandwich cutter, sandwich press, egg mould, rice mould. I'm sure there will be other uses I discover as time goes by BPA Free Dishwasher safe (top rack) Easy to follow image guide with instruction in English Brilliant how to videos available here Apparently it's freezer safe! Can also be used as a food cup/divider Multiple characters in one pack Loving a little less, but liveable: You can only mould one egg at a time. I realise this is the case with other egg moulds too, but I like to batch boil my eggs & leave some in the fridge in the moulds for use later in the week.  There's a bit of waste if you want nice neat pocket sandwiches Overall: A great little starter pack. If you weren't sure whether or not little Johnny/Susie would go for shaped sandwiches or eggs etc, this would be the perfect set to get to experiment with - even if you ended up using it as a simple cookie cutter and press. I'm sure you'll be seeing more Animal Palz in our lunches in the future.

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post, however I did receive a discount to purchase the AnimalPalz set. All opinions expressed are my own, based on personal experience with the product.

Poppy Biscuits

I've never been much of a cookie-cooker if that makes sense. Slices, yes. Truffles, OK. Cakes, absolutely. But biscuits & cookies I've just never seemed to be able to crack it. That being said, I think these ones turned out OK

I wanted to make something for Remembrance Day that included rosemary and poppy seeds, which led me to thinking about savoury baking, which in turn led me to Google (most of my recipe books haven't made it out of storage yet)

I found this recipe which I followed pretty much with the exception of using fresh rosemary and cookie cutters.

I also sprinkled some poppy seeds in the centre of my biscuits before I baked them.

These are an OK biscuit but I must admit I'd like something tomato-y to spread on them, like a nice pizza sauce. It could be because these were being cooked in the same session as Miss M's poppy-pizza scrolls, or just that they reminded me of garlic-bread pizza. I thought the Butterfly from the Lunch Punch critters pack looked like this Pinspiration, but seeing the finished product I'm thinking maybe not.

Do you have a favourite biscuit/cookie recipe? Would you mind sharing?

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.
~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.

Remembrance Poppies

In Flanders fields the poppies blow       Between the crosses, row on row,    That mark our place; and in the sky    The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. John McCrae

Ham topped sandwich with vegemite, poppy seed and black sesame seeds. FooDoodler detail, some rosemary for Remembrance, and a food pick.

These pizza scrolls didn't quite work out like I'd hoped. I realise the Pinspiration for this came from biscuits rather than pastry, but Miss M enjoyed helping to make them and they were eaten.

Strawberry slices and blueberries atop yoghurt. Again, nothing like the Pinspiration

Babybel cheese drawn on with permanent marker. Underneath is some Pepperoni from Walkerston Country Meats and rice crackers.

More strawberry slices and blueberries with red grapes

Orange & poppyseed mini cupcake in silicon mould, decorated with chocolate sprinkles. 'Poppy' biscuit based on these Rosemary & garlic Crackers

Image printed & taped to Miss M's popper. I think I got the image off this website, but now I can't be sure, I did find it in a few places.

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.
~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.