Little Bites: Lunchtime

I stumbled upon a wonderful little web-shop while searching for retailers of these fantastical plastic egg molds. Who would have ever thought you could so easily create the fun-factor of play-dough molds from a single hard-boiled egg?! Anyways, turns out Lunch Boxes with Love have a neat little supply of cute and quirky lunchtime gadgets to make packed meals that much more fun! Here's a little glimpse:

Boiled Egg Molds, $9.00

Cute Little Fork Picks, $10.00

Little Dippers, $10.00

While I'm definitely a sucker for all cute little trinkets, these are a surefire way to brighten up a toddlers preschool lunch!

Lunch by BUILT

We're all familiar with the iconic designs of BUILT bags, totes, and cases (think bright colored neoprene patterns), and now they've created the littlest buddies of the pack - Big Apple Buddies lunch bags for kids. Adorable kid-friendly designs + the durability and consistency of this well-made insulated bag company, makes these little animal totes perfect for the freshest little diets! And while kids are bound to love the familiarity of the modern illustrated cats and dogs, I'm downright smitten by the owl...!

P.S. There are some other wonderful little lunch bags I've written about in the previous year or two. Check these out: 1. convenient neoprene crush 2. cool modern graphics 3. naturally neutrally hipster.

Happy snack packing!! :)

Seasonal Snacking

Currently munching on some seasonal snacks: fresh figs. This is one of the many reasons I love the month of August - fresh Farmer's Market figs. Delicious! Plus, pairing them with sliced muenster cheese made for a nutritious (they're loaded with calcium and fiber!) and delectable mid-afternoon snack. Pick some up at your market - they'll only be around for a few weeks!!

Rad Pops

Calling all summer-loving sweaty little boys: these have got to be the most rad ice pop molds ever!! Sailboat, Rocket, and Robot pop molds (set of 6), $10.00

Pure Peach Pops

Naturally it was my sister-in-law Rivky (I love your new-kosher-product radar!!) who introduced me to Trader Joe's Peach Pops; a freeze pop of natural proportions. Made simply of puréed peach + some fruit juice, this push-up-pop nixes the chemicals, dyes, and artificiality of iconic American summer chilling.

To be quite honest, while Freida seems to love these freezr-treats, I personally happen to think they taste like a tube of frozen canned peaches (good and refreshing, but not delicious and fresh!). Though, I did think of something these would be totally tubular for: Bellinis!! Seriously, who can pass up that sumptuously fizzy and refreshing cocktail?? The only complication in a Bellini is that the most important component is fresh peach purée - voilà! Girls night out just got a whole lot cooler. Simply combine 2 oz. peach purée and 4 oz. sparkling white wine (I love this most made with Prosecco!), and let the chilling begin. Summer happy hour simply can't get any sweeter!

P.S. If you have a young baby at home and have been making and storing your own baby food, or interested in trying it out, here's a way you can both benefit! Buy some fresh, ripe, organic peaches, score the base of the fruit, and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, and then immediately plunge into ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove the skin and get to puréeing (check out this neat little gadget for super-easy baby food production!!). Store and freeze for baby, and use reserve for these summer cocktails... take a deep breathe and inhale the sweet peachiness of parenting after hours! :)