Our family has an affinity for these places. I think it's because it reminds my husband and me of our childhoods and great trips with family members to them. Of course it's also partly because our first date was at the old A&W in West Bend.
So we know about some in the area and will go to them occasionally. They're starting to open up for the season. Yay! Must mean it's finally spring. :)
Here's some we like:
A&W in Fond du Lac
It IS open for the season. We went a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, it was cold, but my husband was craving a black cow. ;) That's our main reason for going there. It's also cool that it's so close to the lakefront, so it's a nice destination in the summer.
Gille's, also in Fond du Lac
I've heard this is also open for the season, but I haven't been there yet. They have really good ice cream.
Chester's in Plymouth
Their set-up is very similar to Gille's. Their hamburgers are a bit on the greasy side, but oh-so-good. I'm sure not good for you, though. Eh, everything in moderation, right? Root beer is also good here. I don't believe they're open yet, though, and don't know when they will be.
Hamburger Haus in Dundee
Much smaller than the other places, and not necessarily a "drive-in." You have to walk up to the window to order. Good ice cream and we've never had bad food. I don't believe they're open yet either.
Toucan Custard in West Bend
Again, not really a drive-in, but still has that feel to it. There's a window to order to eat outside, or they have indoor dining. Their indoor dining is open year-round. Good food and ice cream, but a bit pricier than similar restaurants.
Those are mainly the places we go to, but there are others. There's also Sonic. They just opened up this past year in Oshkosh and Appleton. They're not necessarily old-fashioned, but they have a similar set-up to A&W's. And their drinks are SO good.
If you know of any other places or have reviews, feel free to post them. I've always jokingly said I wanted to take a trip across the state, stopping at places like this to take a pic of the kids eating ice cream outside of the places. Maybe I should do that sometime. ;)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Spring Bento Lunch
Ever since the EasyLunchboxes arrived, Kierra has been bugging me to make her one "like for school." With the yucky snow we got today, I thought it would be a nice day for it. I figured I'd make it a bit of a "spring" theme since I'm SO over winter already.
Only problem is we're in desperate need of groceries. It's been a busy week, so we haven't gone out yet. I was going to get some things today and then the snow hit. So we didn't have much - just plain old white bread, eggs (no lunch meat...no tuna even!), carrots, pears, and mozzarella cheese. Cheese we usually have plenty of since my husband works in a cheese factory. Since we were lacking with everything else, I kept it simple. Both older girls got the exact same meal, so I only took a pic of Kierra's lunch (that's her finger in the pic LOL):
So, we ended up with an egg sandwich on white bread. Yeah, boring, I know. I used my new Lunch Punch that arrived today to make it into a butterfly. Those are awesome, by the way. Cut very easily, and also sealed the edges fairly well.
Then, to the upper right, I have sliced carrots and two iced animal crackers for a treat. Below that is the cubed mozzarella cheese and pear pieces in the heart-shaped muffin cup I have. Going with the spring theme, I put the bunny picks in. The girls decided it wasn't complete without a fish pick in the sandwich. Eh, whatever. It's their lunch after all.
The results? Kierra ate more than she often does. Most of her sandwich and only a couple of carrots, cheese, and pears were left. Ali, who reminded me she "HATES eggs!" actually scraped the eggs out and ate most of her bread. Wow! Normally if she doesn't like something, she just won't eat it. She also ate some of her other things, but gave her animal crackers to her sister because she claims she doesn't like them. I think I caught her on an off day for her appetite.
So what did I do with the sandwich scraps? Fed them to their baby sister. LOL It sounds so bad to say I fed her scraps, but it was the perfect amount for her and she doesn't mind crusts. So I gave her that, some cheese, and pears. I didn't take a pic of hers since it was rather boring. She's too young for the cutesy picks. ;)
Overall, I'd say this style of lunch was a hit. Kierra was already asking when we'll do it again. I told her I'll probably only do it here and there until she goes to school, and then she can have it every day at school. She seemed fine with that. It wasn't that it was a lot of work (pretty much the same as any meal), but it just seems over the top to be making these everyday when we're not even leaving the house. For packed lunches, they're very cool.
So there you go, my very first bento. :)
Only problem is we're in desperate need of groceries. It's been a busy week, so we haven't gone out yet. I was going to get some things today and then the snow hit. So we didn't have much - just plain old white bread, eggs (no lunch meat...no tuna even!), carrots, pears, and mozzarella cheese. Cheese we usually have plenty of since my husband works in a cheese factory. Since we were lacking with everything else, I kept it simple. Both older girls got the exact same meal, so I only took a pic of Kierra's lunch (that's her finger in the pic LOL):
So, we ended up with an egg sandwich on white bread. Yeah, boring, I know. I used my new Lunch Punch that arrived today to make it into a butterfly. Those are awesome, by the way. Cut very easily, and also sealed the edges fairly well.
Then, to the upper right, I have sliced carrots and two iced animal crackers for a treat. Below that is the cubed mozzarella cheese and pear pieces in the heart-shaped muffin cup I have. Going with the spring theme, I put the bunny picks in. The girls decided it wasn't complete without a fish pick in the sandwich. Eh, whatever. It's their lunch after all.
The results? Kierra ate more than she often does. Most of her sandwich and only a couple of carrots, cheese, and pears were left. Ali, who reminded me she "HATES eggs!" actually scraped the eggs out and ate most of her bread. Wow! Normally if she doesn't like something, she just won't eat it. She also ate some of her other things, but gave her animal crackers to her sister because she claims she doesn't like them. I think I caught her on an off day for her appetite.
So what did I do with the sandwich scraps? Fed them to their baby sister. LOL It sounds so bad to say I fed her scraps, but it was the perfect amount for her and she doesn't mind crusts. So I gave her that, some cheese, and pears. I didn't take a pic of hers since it was rather boring. She's too young for the cutesy picks. ;)
Overall, I'd say this style of lunch was a hit. Kierra was already asking when we'll do it again. I told her I'll probably only do it here and there until she goes to school, and then she can have it every day at school. She seemed fine with that. It wasn't that it was a lot of work (pretty much the same as any meal), but it just seems over the top to be making these everyday when we're not even leaving the house. For packed lunches, they're very cool.
So there you go, my very first bento. :)
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Lunch Boxes Have Arrived
Yay! I'm all excited to start now. :)
I got a total of 12 EasyLunchboxes. It sounds excessive, but I decided to get that many because I figured I'd end up making lunches for all 3 kids (you know how it goes - if one has it they will all want it even if they don't need it). And they're nice for adults too. So I got the 12 and then 2 cooler bags to hold them.
I had Kierra try opening it and it opened fairly easily for her. Very good - it was one of the selling points for me.
So I have now promised a bento lunch for them soon, hopefully this week yet. I'll post pics and how it goes.
I got a total of 12 EasyLunchboxes. It sounds excessive, but I decided to get that many because I figured I'd end up making lunches for all 3 kids (you know how it goes - if one has it they will all want it even if they don't need it). And they're nice for adults too. So I got the 12 and then 2 cooler bags to hold them.
I had Kierra try opening it and it opened fairly easily for her. Very good - it was one of the selling points for me.
So I have now promised a bento lunch for them soon, hopefully this week yet. I'll post pics and how it goes.
Spring is Coming!
I can't wait for it to warm up. Yet I hate this in between time of mud everywhere. Yuck! I think I need to start packing 3 extra outfits per kid for each trip. It never fails - they seem to always trip wherever there is a puddle or mud pit.
The good news is more outdoor events should be popping up soon. I'll be posting about upcoming things I find soon.
The good news is more outdoor events should be popping up soon. I'll be posting about upcoming things I find soon.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The Bento Stash
One more Bento post and then I'll go onto different topics for awhile. I just wanted to get all the information I have so far out there right away for anyone interested.
As I said in my other post, my EasyLunchboxes haven't arrived yet. But I was so excited to get started that I set out to try to find some other supplies.
I've been told that silicone muffin cups are great for holding food in the lunchboxes. They're bright, cute, but also great to make barriers between foods. And of course they can also be used for their intended purpose - muffins and cupcakes. So I ordered a pack of 6 off of Amazon, to start, to see how I liked them. I used a giftcard that I had earned through Swagbucks to purchase them.
I also read that having dip containers are really handy. I found (again on Amazon) a Tupperware set. They should hold dips and sauces (like ketchup, mayo, ranch, etc) fairly well.
Not wanting to spend a fortune on accessories online, even if they were beyond adorable, I decided to see what was local to me. I started at Target. I didn't find much at all, but did find a nice storage container for all the Bento bits and pieces.
Then I went to 50-50 Factory Outlet in Fond du Lac. I thought since they carried party supplies they might have what I was looking for. Boy, was I right!
Clockwise from top left, there are flag picks (picks are for holding together rolls or just for decor), bunny picks, assorted fish theme picks, silicone muffin cups, and stir sticks (used to make kebobs, like fruit kebobs). This is the top layer of my handy organizer from Target.
Here's a closeup of the plastic picks I got (I prefer the plastic since they can be washed and reused):
Next layer:
This layer contains cocktail forks (just cute to give kids to use to eat chunks of cheese, fruit, etc), Halloween plastic cookie cutters (can be used to cut sandwiches possibly, or to hold food in lunchbox - they were so cheap I had to grab them), and the tiny Tupperware containers I mentioned earlier.
The final layer:
On the top I have picks topped with stars (they kind of look like magic wands). Next to them are another type of food pick sort of thing, kind of like the cocktail forks. The baskets - I'm kind of iffy on. I grabbed them because I got them all for 75 cents, but I just don't know if I want to put food in them. I've included them for now, but just may end up throwing them into the craft bin. ;) I'm thinking I could use them for Easter by putting a bit of grass in them with a candy in wrapper as a treat after lunch. I don't really want food to come in contact with them since I don't know if they're food-safe and they're made in China.
Here's a closeup of the iridescent picks. I thought they were pretty cool.
So, that's my stash so far! I can't wait to try it out. I'm already coming up with ideas of other possible places to check for supplies (party supply stores, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and dollar stores just to name a few!); but I figure I should actually try it out with the new lunchboxes before I get too much more invested. I do want to buy a Lunch Punch set soon though. I think I'll use that either way.
As I said in my other post, my EasyLunchboxes haven't arrived yet. But I was so excited to get started that I set out to try to find some other supplies.
I've been told that silicone muffin cups are great for holding food in the lunchboxes. They're bright, cute, but also great to make barriers between foods. And of course they can also be used for their intended purpose - muffins and cupcakes. So I ordered a pack of 6 off of Amazon, to start, to see how I liked them. I used a giftcard that I had earned through Swagbucks to purchase them.
I also read that having dip containers are really handy. I found (again on Amazon) a Tupperware set. They should hold dips and sauces (like ketchup, mayo, ranch, etc) fairly well.
Not wanting to spend a fortune on accessories online, even if they were beyond adorable, I decided to see what was local to me. I started at Target. I didn't find much at all, but did find a nice storage container for all the Bento bits and pieces.
Then I went to 50-50 Factory Outlet in Fond du Lac. I thought since they carried party supplies they might have what I was looking for. Boy, was I right!
Here's a closeup of the plastic picks I got (I prefer the plastic since they can be washed and reused):
Next layer:
This layer contains cocktail forks (just cute to give kids to use to eat chunks of cheese, fruit, etc), Halloween plastic cookie cutters (can be used to cut sandwiches possibly, or to hold food in lunchbox - they were so cheap I had to grab them), and the tiny Tupperware containers I mentioned earlier.
The final layer:
Here's a closeup of the iridescent picks. I thought they were pretty cool.
So, that's my stash so far! I can't wait to try it out. I'm already coming up with ideas of other possible places to check for supplies (party supply stores, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and dollar stores just to name a few!); but I figure I should actually try it out with the new lunchboxes before I get too much more invested. I do want to buy a Lunch Punch set soon though. I think I'll use that either way.
Our Bento Lunchboxes
I just started getting interested in Bento in the past week and I'm already hooked! I set out to find out what I should get, what I might need, and where to find it.
I'm on a wonderful message board full of mothers and the subject of Bento came up. They all gave great advice, and pointed me in the direction of the blogs I just posted in the previous post. I looked through those and decided I needed to start with which lunchbox I would want.
The possibilities out there are quite extensive. Without some advice, I would have been rather lost. After reading Another Lunch, I decided that EasyLunchboxes were the best for us.
Why?
1) It's fairly "easy" (hence the name - genius, right?). There isn't a multitude of boxes with lids to keep track of. Just one tray and one lid per lunch. I have three rather adventurous kids. I'm used to saying weird things like "No, don't use a fork to comb your sister's hair! Why is a fork even in the bedroom?" So I figured losing parts is about as likely to happen in our household as it is that there's snow in March in Wisconsin. ;)
2) EasyLunchboxes stack up nicely for storage. Meaning not only do I NOT have tiny compartments and lids floating around, but I also don't have to dedicate half my kitchen to storing them. Of course that may happen yet anyways if I become as addicted to new supplies as I see others do!
3) The blogger on Another Lunch said these are really easy to pack a "regular" lunch in (as in, a sandwich and two sides). Since I was starting out and wasn't sure if I would even like doing this, I liked the idea that these could be packed like any old lunch without too much finagling.
And a bonus is that they're decently sized and not overly childish that we can even use them for our adult lunches.
With all that being said, I can't give much for personal review yet as I just ordered them. ;) But I fully intend to try them out soon (due to arrive this week) and post about it.
If you'd like to read about other lunchbox options, check out the blogs in the previous post. They have great reviews.
I'm on a wonderful message board full of mothers and the subject of Bento came up. They all gave great advice, and pointed me in the direction of the blogs I just posted in the previous post. I looked through those and decided I needed to start with which lunchbox I would want.
The possibilities out there are quite extensive. Without some advice, I would have been rather lost. After reading Another Lunch, I decided that EasyLunchboxes were the best for us.
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| EasyLunchboxes.com |
1) It's fairly "easy" (hence the name - genius, right?). There isn't a multitude of boxes with lids to keep track of. Just one tray and one lid per lunch. I have three rather adventurous kids. I'm used to saying weird things like "No, don't use a fork to comb your sister's hair! Why is a fork even in the bedroom?" So I figured losing parts is about as likely to happen in our household as it is that there's snow in March in Wisconsin. ;)
2) EasyLunchboxes stack up nicely for storage. Meaning not only do I NOT have tiny compartments and lids floating around, but I also don't have to dedicate half my kitchen to storing them. Of course that may happen yet anyways if I become as addicted to new supplies as I see others do!
3) The blogger on Another Lunch said these are really easy to pack a "regular" lunch in (as in, a sandwich and two sides). Since I was starting out and wasn't sure if I would even like doing this, I liked the idea that these could be packed like any old lunch without too much finagling.
And a bonus is that they're decently sized and not overly childish that we can even use them for our adult lunches.
With all that being said, I can't give much for personal review yet as I just ordered them. ;) But I fully intend to try them out soon (due to arrive this week) and post about it.
If you'd like to read about other lunchbox options, check out the blogs in the previous post. They have great reviews.
Short Intro to Bento
I just started getting into Bento. As in, I haven't even received the lunchboxes yet that I ordered. ;) I got interested in it because my oldest, Kierra, will be entering kindergarten in the fall. I wouldn't say she's a picky eater (she gladly scarfs down broccoli after all!) but she does get her moments of not wanting to eat. I thought Bento would be a great option for her to have at least mostly healthy food presented in a way that might promote her actually eating it. Because, let's face it, a sandwich every day just gets boring after awhile.
So, what is Bento? From Wikipedia: "Bento (弁当 bentō)[1] is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container." Many American moms have latched onto this idea. In particular, the more "cute" form of Bento has become popular. In these lunches, parents often cut the food into designs and appearance is just as important (if not more sometimes!) than taste.
While I admire the parents that have the time, energy, and ambition to make their childs' everyday lunch into a work of art, sadly I lack that. But I would still love being able to present a lunch to my children that entices them to eat; and I'm not opposed to occasionally making it really cute. ;) So I'm hoping to use some of the ideas of Bento that I can find to help me do that.
If you're interested in Bento, here are two blogs that I was led to that are great places to start:
Another Lunch
What's For Lunch at Our House (Bento Lunch)
Just Bento (great if you're looking for more everyday kind of lunches without the frills - for adults too!)
Next post...my current Bento stash! :)
So, what is Bento? From Wikipedia: "Bento (弁当 bentō)[1] is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container." Many American moms have latched onto this idea. In particular, the more "cute" form of Bento has become popular. In these lunches, parents often cut the food into designs and appearance is just as important (if not more sometimes!) than taste.
While I admire the parents that have the time, energy, and ambition to make their childs' everyday lunch into a work of art, sadly I lack that. But I would still love being able to present a lunch to my children that entices them to eat; and I'm not opposed to occasionally making it really cute. ;) So I'm hoping to use some of the ideas of Bento that I can find to help me do that.
If you're interested in Bento, here are two blogs that I was led to that are great places to start:
Another Lunch
What's For Lunch at Our House (Bento Lunch)
Just Bento (great if you're looking for more everyday kind of lunches without the frills - for adults too!)
Next post...my current Bento stash! :)
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