MAGIC RAMEN - a Literary Lunch

This lunch is also posted over at The Little Crooked Cottage as a Literary Lunch. Head over to the fabulous blog of four children's book authors and check out the Magic Ramen lunch there as well! May contain affiliate links.

Have you ever wondered who invented ramen? Andrea Wang tells the story of Momofuku Ando - the inventor of ramen - beautifully in her new book MAGIC RAMEN. Kana Urbanowicz illustrated the mouth watering book and her pictures will invite you to make your very own bowl of ramen as soon as you finish reading.

Mr. Ando worked day in and day out to create quick, convenient, and tasty noodle soup for all the people he saw standing in long lines after WWII to get food. He believed that Peace follows from a full stomach and went to work to create what we all know as instant ramen. He eventually went on to invent Cup Noodles and his ramen even went to space.

Read more about Momofuku Ando and his journey in MAGIC RAMEN - and don't forget to make sure you have some at home before reading :)

We packed a lunch full of noodles and love in our Planetbox Rover:

• two banana bread "chicken drum sticks"
• nutritious strawberries and Blueberries 
• happy cheese sandwich people looking forward to Ramen
• a carrot, celery and mushroom salad with Mr. Ando's backyard shack
• a bowl of healthy Ramen with chicken, carrots, cheese hearts, spinach and an egg  

A Week of Yumbox Lunch Ideas

I am not a great meal planner, I have to admit. I like being spontaneous when it comes to food but with four kids it just doesn't make sense to not plan ahead. As my kids are getting older and more activities are crowding my calendar, I am trying to be better about at least buying fruits and vegetables in bulk and having an idea what everyone will be taking to school. Since my kids differ in ages and appetite, that requires an actual shopping list and a plan.

Today, I am sharing a weeks worth of lunches packed in our original yumbox. Side note: the purple yumbox is an older model that my daughter still uses and the pink one is the new upgraded version of the original.

6 YUMBOX LUNCH IDEAS FOR YOUR WEEK AHEAD:

This Elmo inspired lunch contains:

• Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• apple wedges
• peanut butter dip
• kiwi fruit
• an Elmo jelly sandwich
• a grape and almond butter snack

This Hello Kitty inspired lunch is filled with:

• cheese crackers
• cucumber and red pepper
• peanut butter crackers
• Hello Kitty cream cheese sandwiches
• apple wedges
• a few fruit snacks

This Mickey Mouse themed lunch contains:

• Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• peanut butter crackers
• a piece of banana
• peanut butter dip
• apple wedges
• Minnie Mouse jelly sandwiches

This fairy bread lunch is packed with:

• a tube yogurt
• two cookies
• apple wedges
• blueberries
• peanut butter dip
• fairy bread Nutella sandwiches 
• carrot sticks

This snack lunch is filled with:

• a tube yogurt
• a few cookies
• carrot sticks
• cheese crackers
• a star nut butter sandwich 
• a few chocolate treats
• spinach and mini peppers

I also added a Lunchbox Love lunchbox note.

The cute Panda pocket sandwich lunch contains:

• a tube yogurt
• cookies
• apples slices and blueberries
• cheese crackers
• a few chocolate treats
• a Panda pocket sandwich with cream cheese
• mini peppers
• Lunchbox Love lunchbox note

** These lunchboxes contain peanut butter. If your school is peanut free you can instead send WOWbutter or substitute with other ingredients that are safe :)