Valentine's Day Lunch Ideas
Bree is a full-time software engineer who loves arts and crafts, cooking and baking. She is very passionate about keeping a healthy and happy lifestyle. She strives to keep the work-days bright, colorful and enjoyable with delicious, nutritious and cutely designed lunches for herself and her boyfriend, and shares these creations on her Instagram account @bentosbybree.
Oh, Valentine’s Day – the day for all things cute, lovey-dovey and heart-shaped! The day where you do something a little extra special for your loved ones, to show how much you care for them, how much they mean to you, how your world wouldn’t be the same without them, how you’d go to the moon and back… okay too dramatic. But would you like to know one simple way you can make this Valentine’s Day a little extra special for that special someone? Make them a homemade lunch!
I still remember the lunches my wonderful mother packed for me when I was a kid. She usually included a little note, or would draw a smiley-face or a heart on my sandwich Ziploc bag. And those little things, those little messages and reminders that she loved me, no matter what kind of day I was having, always made me smile and made my day that much brighter. No matter who you’re making the lunch for – yourself or others, regardless of age, regardless of complexity or design, a simple heart shaped note or piece of food is guaranteed to bring a smile to their face and a little extra happiness to their day! And what better day to try this heart-shaped idea out than for Valentine’s Day? So break out your cookie-cutters, scissors, sharpies or sticky-notes, and let’s share some ideas!
Cookie-cutters are one of the easiest ways to add a little extra fun to your homemade meals – add some zucchini-flowers to your stir-fry, banana-stars to your oatmeal – the possibilities are endless! And if you have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, there are so many things you can do for a Valentine’s Day lunch. You could make a heart-shaped sandwich or just imprint the heart design on the top of the sandwich bread, cut out some cucumber-hearts to add to a salad, or use a slice of cheese and cut out hearts for garnishes on a lunch. You could even trace the cookie cutter on a piece of paper and just include that in the lunchbox.
If you don’t have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, no worries! Kitchen scissors or knives work just as well – you can freehand a heart cut out of a strawberry or sandwich bread. Keep in mind that it’s the thought that counts, and don’t fret over the heart shape being perfect – your loved one will love it! One of my favorite tricks is to take a piece of lettuce, and fold it in half like a piece of paper, and cut out half of a heart shape with kitchen scissors. Ta-da! You have a simple little lettuce heart to add to your lunch!
It doesn’t have to be limited to just hearts either. Another idea that I’ve discovered just recently are cucumber roses – simply take your vegetable peeler and peel a long, length-wise strip of cucumber. Roll it up starting at one short end, and voila, a little rose to add to your salad!
The simplest, but just as profoundly meaningful, little act of love is to write a note, draw a heart on a Ziploc bag or on the peel of a banana or orange, put a sticky note with smiley-face on their juice-box. Sometimes all someone needs is that little smile to make their day brighter!
There are so many quick and simple things you can do to add a little extra love to your lunches. Get creative and have fun with it! Here are some pictures of heart-filled lunches I’ve made using the Bentgo Classic lunchbox!
What do you like to do to make your Valentine’s Day a little extra special for your loved ones? Please share in the comments below!
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