Enough leaf blowing already!!

Like everywhere I've gone today I've seen TEAMS of landscapers blowing away leaves with hand-held leafblowers, lawnmower-sized leaf blowers, and giant fan ride-on leaf blowers. Talk about an idiotic waste of resources!!! And to top it off, many of the trees haven't even finished dropping their leaves! GRRRRRRRRR.

Anyhow, on to lunch...

Ryan's
lunch:
gherkin
pickles;
dried
apricots;
carrot
sticks;
1/2 a
rice &
bean
burrito
topped
with a
slice of
bell
pepper
& soy
cheese
& nori
"house";
steamed
broccoli; an apple on the side.




And here are a few
more pics of Ryan
on the weekend's
hikes...




























And let's not forget Maia!

in with the new

I decided to try the new Toy Story bento for Ryan today. I had him practice removing the snug top tier, and told him to eat the stuff on top first and then remove it when it was empty. I'd hate to have half his lunch end up in the lap of the person next to him. We'll see what his report is after school...
Ryan's lunch: carrot sticks; mini pumpkin muffin; orange slices; leftover bok choy joy; an Amy's non dairy burrito cut in half; monterey jack soy cheese slices.

This bento is deceptive because of its height. It seems small, but it really holds a lot of food! And it fit really nicely into Ryan's lunchbox, with plenty of room for a drink, utensils, napkin...and I tossed in a mini gel cup because there just seemed to be extra room! But seriously, on the bottom tier was an entire burrito! So I'll be curious to see if he can even finish the whole lunch.

I just got the paperwork for the 2010-11 preschool year. I cannot believe Maia is going to be ready for the toddler class, but then when I look at her doing things like riding her little bike, I know
she'll
be more
than
ready.
And
that'll
mean
my
first
real
GIRL
BENTOS
!!!!!!!!
Let the
count-
down
begin!

In the bag

...or in the lunch box as it were. I do enjoy days when lunch packing basically takes care of itself. As much as I love creating fancy custom bentos, it's a happy monday when there are leftovers I can just arrange nicely and close the lid.

Ryan's
lunch:
top tier:
leftover
birthday
cake;
straw-
berries;
bottom
tier:
leftover
smiley
potatoes;
carrot
sticks;
leftover
veggie
green
burrito
from
Acapulcos
(which I
reviewed
here). They have changed their burrito filling recipe slightly to include mushrooms, which I really enjoyed, though AJ wasn't thrilled. Ryan loves adding LOTS of extra guacamole to his.
Here are the kids at the Mexican restaurant, which Ryan chose for his birthday dinner...








Ryan








AJ








Nate








Maia

Restaurant Review: Boloco

Boloco, Natick, MA

Last weekend after a visit
to the Lego Store at the
mall, we went nextdoor to
the burrito restaurant
Boloco. It is sandwiched in
between The Container Store
and Ben & Jerry's with an
unmistakable red facade.

Inside the ceilings are high
and the decor is dark, all red
and black. For a restaurant
that families frequent I sure wish it were more cheerful and comfortable. Too bad its location doesn't allow for outdoor seating on a beautiful spring day.

The menu consists of 8 various
burritos, or you can create your
own. Vegetarian fillings include
organic tofu, fajita vegetables &
guacamole. (There is a complete
downloadable PDF version of
the menu available online.) The
kids and I ordered the Summer
burrito with mango salsa and
added some organic tofu. I thought
this was a tasty combo; even Maia
enjoyed the bits of mango,
along with some rice & beans.
Wheat tortillas and brown rice
are available for the burritos.
The boys enjoyed some blue
corn tortilla chips & a side of
guacamole for dipping.

Boloco also offers a wide array
of smoothies (some include soymilk and sorbets). There is also a vegan House Salad. Even peanut butter & jelly is available for ultra picky kids. The breakfast menu is small though, with no vegan options (but they don't open til 11am so who cares). Check out their website for nutrition and allergy info.

Boloco is a certified green restaurant with locations around MA, NH & VT (you can also order ahead online). They have won 2 Best of Boston awards. This Boloco is located at 1265 Worcester Road (rt. 9) in Natick, MA, 508-907-7286. Lots of shared parking, though many people use the lot as overflow parking from the Natick Collection mall.

Restaurant Review: Acapulcos

We love Mexican food, especially when it's at a family friendly place like Acapulcos. The original restaurant is in Sudbury, MA on route 20, the location closest to us. But there are 12 locations around Massachusetts, and 1 in Connecticut.

On Father's Day at 5pm
the restaurant was already
pretty crowded. Service is
always quick though, with
a basket of hot tortilla
chips and both mild & hot
salsas delivered immediately.

The staff all speak Spanish
& English, and there were
a few Spanish-speaking families there that sunday evening as well, always a good sign.

The menu is large, and there is even a vegetarian section. We always order a few huge veggie green burritos for everyone. There is a children's menu, but nothing on it is vegan.

The portions are big! Here is
the veggie green burrito: rice
& black beans, tomato, onion,
peppers & lettuce wrapped in
a flour tortilla and topped with
fresh cilantro, tomato, onion
& salsa verde. We order ours
without the cheese or sour cream,
but there is a nice side of chunky
fresh guacamole with each dish.

Despite only ordering 3 burritos
for 5 people, we always leave
with leftovers (which make a
fabulous breakfast by the way)!

And there are crayons with
placemats to color, water for
the kids with tops and straws,
and helium balloons to take home.

No matter what your diet or how picky your kids are, you're
bound to enjoy Acapulcos!...or as the kids call it "Ah-po-cocos".

Happy Father's Day!