Lunch Menu #13
Image and text by Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
For Menu #13 of our Lunch Box Series, we’re doing another snack-y lunch because they are so popular! This time I’ve created a mini-relish tray (minus pickles) with a homemade Ranch dip (Greek yogurt and seasoning mix). Instead of cheese, I’ve included a squeezable yogurt.
LUNCH MENU #13
-mixed veggies + olives
– ranch dip
– salami + ham
– cereal bar
– honey whole wheat pretzels
– squeezable yogurt
– grapes
… Olive Us: I’m Hungry – Guacamole
Images and text by Gabrielle.
Are you hungry? Well, you’re in luck. I’ve got the easiest guacamole recipe in world for you — so simple, your kids can really make it themselves. And it’s delicious, too! In fact, it’s the way I personally prefer guacamole. As basic as it gets. Just 3 ingredients. Take a look at the latest Olive Us Episode, fittingly titled Guacamole, to see how it’s done.
This episode was fun to make. You can never go wrong with faces on inanimate objects! : ) The illustrations and title were created by the talented Clayton Thompson. It was fun to outfit, too. Oscar and Olive are both wearing items from a French store called Generation Z. The dress Betty is wearing was a gift from Well Dressed Wolf. Isn’t it perfect?
Now I’d love to know: What do you like to add to your guacamole? Lemon? Cilantro? Onions? Tomato? Or do you skip the guacamole and concentrate your efforts on the salsa?
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This episode was fun to make. You can never go wrong with faces on inanimate objects! : ) The illustrations and title were created by the talented Clayton Thompson. It was fun to outfit, too. Oscar and Olive are both wearing items from a French store called Generation Z. The dress Betty is wearing was a gift from Well Dressed Wolf. Isn’t it perfect?
Now I’d love to know: What do you like to add to your guacamole? Lemon? Cilantro? Onions? Tomato? Or do you skip the guacamole and concentrate your efforts on the salsa?
… Lunch Menu #12
By Lindsey Johnson of Café Johnsonia for Design Mom.
Today’s menu in our Lunch Box Series features another lunch menu classic: ham and cheese. The special thing about Lunch Menu #12 is that it doesn’t require an ice pack. Lots of crunchy finger foods too! If your school is nut-free, swap the almond butter for a little cup of caramel. You can usually find them near the apples in the produce section of grocery stores. You’ll find the individual packages of almond butter on the shelf near the other nut butters in grocery stores.
LUNCH MENU #12
– ham and muenster sandwich with a little Dijon mustard (totally optional)
– baby carrots
– apple
– pretzels
– almond butter
… Lunch Menu #11
By Lindsey Johnson of Café Johnsonia for Design Mom.
Quesadillas are on the menu today! What would I do without this go-to favorite? Menu #11 in our Lunch Box Series is full of other goodies too. First we have pico de gallo with veggie chips. (Can I just tell you how much I love the chips pictured? More than my kids do. See below for the source.) I also have to tell you how much we’re digging the pink dip container. It’s actually a separate piece that fits into the lid to the container holding the pico de gallo. It inverts and sits next to an ice pack that fits neatly inside the lid. It’s brilliant!
LUNCH MENU #11
– quesadilla
– homemade pico de gallo and veggie chips
– sour cream
– jicama and olives
– plum
– fruit leather
– coconut water
… Olive Us: Lost Theater
Images and text by Gabrielle.
I’m so excited to share another Olive Us episode today, because this one feels magical to me. It’s called Lost Theater, and we filmed it in France. While we lived there, we became friends with Roger and Colette Sineux — the parents of our landlord. The Sineuxs were so good to us. Very welcoming and kind. In fact, on the day we arrived, Colette prepared the house with a fire and a homemade cake! Anyway, Roger and Colette live in a wonderful home with an old barn on the property. During one of our visits, Colette mentioned there was a theater in the barn and invited our kids to check it out.
Well. When we opened the door, we just gasped. It’s an amazing space! The light filters in beautifully, and it’s full of props and costumes and sets from past productions. When we visited, the theater hadn’t been used in awhile, so it had a romantic, dusty feel, and the whole family felt as if we were “discovering” the space. It was so dreamy we just pinched ourselves, and kept saying things like, “Can you believe this place really exists?”
Over a year later, as we were brainstorming Olive Us episodes for ulive, we remembered the theater and knew it would be the perfect spot to film something special. I hope you enjoy the show!
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Well. When we opened the door, we just gasped. It’s an amazing space! The light filters in beautifully, and it’s full of props and costumes and sets from past productions. When we visited, the theater hadn’t been used in awhile, so it had a romantic, dusty feel, and the whole family felt as if we were “discovering” the space. It was so dreamy we just pinched ourselves, and kept saying things like, “Can you believe this place really exists?”
Over a year later, as we were brainstorming Olive Us episodes for ulive, we remembered the theater and knew it would be the perfect spot to film something special. I hope you enjoy the show!
… DIY: Cement Candleholders
Text and images by Amy Christie for Design Mom.
As the daylight time decreases, I find myself wanting more light, and since I can’t harness the sun, candlelight is a comfy and cozy alternative. I was very inspired by this image and thought them perfect for fall. Cement candle holders are both architectural and soft, an assemblage of lines and curved bands, cold stone with a warm glow.
Don’t be put off by cement. A bag of it is really (really!) heavy and it is dusty and a little dirty, however, it’s sculptural properties are too alluring to pass up. Nothing can achieve what concrete can.
Spray paint is the perfect medium to add a colorful or metallic touch. Doesn’t the gold just shimmer? If you were making these for an event, you could use any color palette you like. Navy and royal with silver for a dinner party? Yellows for a summer wedding? Or you could stick with metallics and use them through the holidays and into January.
Hopefully these images have intrigued you, so let’s get right to how it’s done.
… Lunch Menu #10
By Lindsey Johnson of Café Johnsonia for Design Mom.
Have you ever bought pretzel rolls? I never had until the other day. My husband and kids went crazy for them. They are the perfect vehicle for a salami and cheese sandwich — a little more substantial than other rolls. So that’s what I’ve used here in Menu #10 of our Lunch Box Series. It’s another basic lunch menu that seems to be popular at our house. (Anyone else have salami fiends living with them?) A new thing we tried were new-to-us smoothie mashups. My girls really loved this blueberry-purple carrot flavor a lot. I think I’ll be stocking up on more of them. (The tops are recyclable.)
LUNCH MENU #10
– salami and cheese sandwich on pretzel bun
– blueberry smoothie mashup
– pear
– celery sticks
– pita chips
– water
… Lunch Menu #9
By Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
Sometimes you just feel like having a hot lunch, right? I know my kids feel like that sometimes too. For Menu #9 in our Lunch Box Series, we have a classic favorite: tomato soup with grilled cheese. At our house, grilled cheese is acceptable hot or room temperature, so I have no complaints about sending one in a packed lunch. The thing that makes this sandwich special is a layer of basil pesto inside. Yum! Of course, it’s optional, but I think once you try it that way, you’ll never go back to plain cheese. : )
LUNCH MENU #9
– tomato soup
– grilled cheese (with optional smear of pesto)
– grapes
– sugar snap peas
– bunny cookies
… DIY: Man in the Moon Garland
Images and text by Amy Christie for Design Mom.
A Man in the Moon Garland! (With some Women in the Moon too!) What nursery wouldn’t benefit from such a friendly addition? And it can be easily customized to your liking — different faces, bushier eyebrows, paler cheeks — whatever you like!
I’m so pleased about how this project turned out. It’s actually quite simple, but the potential is big. (Don’t be surprised if you see me adapt this project to make holiday garlands, too. Or maybe one with familiar faces for a family reunion!)
Papier maché was perfect for this project but we skipped all the mess and started with store-bought papier maché ornament balls. So much easier! Then we upgraded those simple spheres with a little air-dry clay. We added 3-D facial features, like noses, cheeks, chins, eyebrows and ears — and then painted them up. Voilá! The little man-in-the-moon faces were born.
Don’t worry if sculpting or painting faces is not in your skill set. It’s barely in mine! I have done my best to breakdown the shapes and features into the simplest of steps.
So flex those fingers and let’s get started!
… Lunch Menu #8
By Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
We’re on Menu #8 of our Lunch Box Series — and this continues to be a lot of fun for us! I hope you’re enjoying this series as much as we are. For today’s menu, I’m sharing one my kids really, really like. It includes a green smoothie. We’ve totally jumped on the green smoothie bandwagon and we’re not ready to get off yet.
In the picture, I’m showing a store-bought green smoothie that works great when you need to take a little shortcut. Otherwise, we normally do fresh ones and put them into an insulated bottle. Generally it’s okay to make them the night before, but if you’re having one in the morning, make a little extra to send with school lunch. : ) I’m also thinking my older kids would probably need two muffins to fill them up. One is enough for my Kindergartener. The dipping sauce for the celery sticks is just a little Ranch dressing powder mixed with Greek yogurt. I used a homemade mix that a friend gave me. It was all over Pinterest awhile back. Packaged kind is fine too.
The lunch bag pictured is one of my favorite bags. There are ice packs in the bag itself, so you freeze the entire bag and it keeps everything inside nice and cold. My daughter actually complained one time that it was too cold! I use it when I know everything needs to be kept extra cold to be enjoyable.
LUNCH MENU #8
– green smoothie
– homemade muffin
– plum
– banana
– celery with yogurt dip
… Olive Us: Pétanque
We’re delighted to share another new Olive Us episode today! It’s called Pétanque (pronounced pay-tonk), and it shows the popular French game of the same name. Have you heard of Italian Bocce? It’s similar, but the balls are smaller and made of metal. The materials make for a really handsome game.
In France, every little country village has a pétanque field where the older men gather for a game at the end of the day — and you can find pétanque fields in the parks of Paris as well. This episode was filmed in the teeny, tiny village of Fleuré, very near La Cressonnière, the home we rented. We would pass this field several times every day. In fact, this video has me feeling nostalgic!
Have you ever played petanque? And if you live outside the U.S., is there a sport or game that’s particular to your country? I’d love to hear.
P.S. — Want more Olive Us episodes? You can find them all on the Olive Us website, or see my write-ups on each episode here.
In France, every little country village has a pétanque field where the older men gather for a game at the end of the day — and you can find pétanque fields in the parks of Paris as well. This episode was filmed in the teeny, tiny village of Fleuré, very near La Cressonnière, the home we rented. We would pass this field several times every day. In fact, this video has me feeling nostalgic!
Have you ever played petanque? And if you live outside the U.S., is there a sport or game that’s particular to your country? I’d love to hear.
P.S. — Want more Olive Us episodes? You can find them all on the Olive Us website, or see my write-ups on each episode here.
A Ticking Clock
By Gabrielle.
Have you been keeping an eye on the US Government’s state of affairs these past few weeks? The shutdown and near-default on our debt unless we raise the ceiling (Which just happened, by the way! Phrew!)… oh, it’s heady and dizzying and frustrating stuff, to me at least.
If you work for the government, were you told to stay home or were you deemed essential? And is it true you essential folks worked without pay?
One of the commenters in Karen Nyberg’s Space Station tour is currently furloughed from her job at NASA, along with 97% of the agency. (Hi Sarah!) It must be a ghost town! And it must be crazy hard for those in the Space Station to deal with their support staff so limited. I’ve heard awful stories about programs that have been halted, small businesses that rely on government workers patronizing their establishments suffering painful losses, and on a much less serious note, even the super cool Alcatraz Island that I had planned to show my friend, Caroline, has been closed. (Next time, Caroline!)
How have you been affected directly, whether you live in the US or elsewhere? Fingers crossed you’ve only been mildly annoyed at the ever-alarming newsreel!
P.S. — My youngest brother hosts half marathons at National Parks, and could lose a very hefty deposit if the deadline passes or any other delays pop up. It’s a new business and a loss like this could tank the whole thing. I’m worried sick for him. Lunch Menu #7
Photos and text by Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
When my oldest was little, I came up with different variations of what we called “roll-ups.” Basically it’s anything you can smear, stuff, layer and roll up in a tortilla. For some reason she just always loved roll-ups and would request them for every meal. For our Menu #7 in the Lunch Menu Series, I’m sharing one of my daughter’s very favorite roll-ups with you. Some lunch menus tend to be more like a second breakfast, and this is one of those menus. But it’s full of healthy proteins, whole grains, and fruit.
MENU #7
– Greek yogurt with blueberries and honey
– Granola (homemade or store bought)
– Energy Packed Roll-Up
… Tourists in San Francisco
By Gabrielle. Painting: Transamerica Building and The Bay by Paul Ferney.
My dearest friend from France, Caroline, came to town yesterday. What a treat to have her here! It’s Caroline’s second time in the U.S., and her first time on the West Coast. For dinner last night, she ate her very first taco!
I’ll be splitting my time between work and hosting this week and I’m really looking forward to seeing the area through Caroline’s eyes. This afternoon, she’s going to take a hop on/hop off bus tour to get an overview of San Francisco, and this morning, we’re going to catch the boat to Sausalito from the Ferry Building and have lunch across the Bay.
In addition to touristy things, Caroline also really wants to see things like Target, and big American grocery stores, and popular chains they don’t have in France — like Old Navy. All the stores in France close by 6:0o or 7:00 PM, so I think it will be fun to blow her mind with a shopping trip to Target at 9:00 at night. : )
P.S. — Caroline is here till next Monday. We’ve started putting together an itinerary, but we’re still new enough here that we’d love your suggestions! Pop Up Desk DIY
By Gabrielle. Images by Handmade Charlotte for Building Blocks.
Did you see the Pop Up Desk DIY on the Building Blocks Blog? It’s so cute. And so doable!
I pin all sorts of projects on Pinterest — some that I will probably some day try, and others that I will never even pretend to attempt, but inspire me in one way or another, or maybe even spark another idea. But this desk I feel like my kids (I’m thinking Oscar and Betty) would totally make! And they’d love it too. It’s a perfect rain day/snow day project. Find the instructions here.
Tell me friends, what’s a project or recipe you’ve pinned or bookmarked lately that you actually plan to do? Or maybe have already done! I’d love to see what you’re up to.
P.S. — I’ve mentioned it before, but when Building Blocks first launched, I contributed several articles — like this DIY for a You Are Special Today Plate, and a recipe for a kid-friendly, french fry alternative. Lunch Menu #6
Photo and Text by Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
This is another basic for our Lunch Menu #6 — turkey and swiss on whole wheat bread. I’m still a fan of basic lunches because they always get eaten up and my kids love them. I do want to highlight this super cool Wrap-N-Mat. It functions as a reusable sandwich wrap, but also as a place mat. I love it! It’s super easy for kids to use and fold up and fastens with velcro.
MENU #6
– Turkey and Swiss Sandwich on whole wheat
– Whole grain cookies
– Baby carrots
– Apple
– Pickles
… Lunch Menu #5
Photo and text by Lindsey Johnson
Remember when Lunchables first came out and you begged (I mean, begged) your mom to get you one. But then after all the hype it just wasn’t as good as you were hoping? Yeah, me too. That’s why I refuse to buy them for my kids. They’ll thank me for it later, I’m sure.
Nothing could be easier than this Menu #5 from our Lunch Menu Series. The best part is that it is also one of my kids’ favorite lunches. I have one who will spread cheese on the crackers and layer with lunch meat. And one who eats everything separately, and yet another who creates her own cracker sandwiches. It gives them the chance to be a little creative here. You can totally sub whatever cheese, meat, crackers, and fruit your kids like best. It’s just a nice reminder that sometimes nothing tastes better for lunch than good old crackers and cheese.
MENU #5
– assorted crackers (one or two kinds)
– ham
– cheddar cheese stick
– herbed goat cheese (you could sub cream cheese or Laughing Cow)
– grapes
– strawberries
… Sugar Rules
By Gabrielle. Image by Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
You may remember that months ago I mentioned the NY Times article about toxic sugar. The article really stuck with me — possibly because I have a long-standing passion for all things sugary. : ) Since then I’ve done more reading on the subject and the family has made several sincere (but failed!) attempts to eat less sugar. But our latest effort seems to be working. Granted, it’s a baby step, but I thought I’d share in case anyone else out there is trying to cut back.
We instituted a sugar-only-on-the weekends rule, and I think it’s a keeper. It’s quite loose, and non-stressful, and that’s probably why we’re having more success. Basically it works like this:
… Lunch Menu #4
Photo and text by Lindsey Johnson.
This week’s Menu #4 of our Lunchbox Menu Series swaps a sandwich for a pasta salad and loads up on healthy veggies and fruit. I’ve finally discovered the best pasta salad that is full of goodies and easy to adapt to your child’s preferences.
MENU #4
– loaded pasta salad with vinaigrette
– fresh broccoli
– carrot apple sauce
– oatmeal raisin cookies
… Mary Lu
By Gabrielle.
Since I’ve spoken freely about how this move has thrown me for a mental health loop, I’ve received dozens of emails with kind-hearted questions on the topic, with one of the recurring themes being surprise that I feel so open and shameless about what I’m going through. These conversations have left me thinking hard about what has formed my own views on mental health. And predictably, it turns out my views were formed by experience. Two specific experiences really. And I thought I’d write about one today, and one on another day.
The first experience was growing up with my aunt, Mary Lu, who lived with us. If I asked everyone out there who had a Crazy Aunt Mary to raise their hand, I know pretty much everyone would. But some of us had an actual Crazy Aunt Mary. Mary Lu had Paranoid Schizophrenia. She would hear voices constantly. Sometimes the voices said harmlessly crazy things. And other times they said horrible things. These are some of the thoughts and memories that come to mind when I think about her.
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