by Sally on August 24, 2012
When you’re hankering for something sweet–but don’t feel like turning on the oven or spending a bunch of time in the kitchen–I’ve got four words for you: No Bake Cookie Balls.
I already love these Peanut Butter Balls. But I recently discovered three delicious-looking cookie ball recipes from Snack Girl. So I made them all, one after the other. These are the perfect one-bite dessert or a fun lunchbox treat for your kids.
No Bake Brownie Balls

Amazingly fudgy and rich–with barely any added sugar unless you dredge them in powdered sugar like I did (Snack Girl dusts hers with a more reasonable amount). I must say, they’re delightful plain as well. And gluten free!
No Bake Lemon Balls

The sweetness of dates + the tang of lemon + the richness of almonds = cookie ball perfection (especially for lemon lovers like myself).
No Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Balls

Like wonderful little globs of raw cookie dough, without the pesky food poisoning risk. Frankly, I can’t be held responsible for what happens if I’m left alone in the house with these.
For more great recipes from Snack Girl, go here.
by Sally on August 13, 2012
Anyone else geek out over lunchbox gear?
I caught the bento bug two years ago (read Bento-a-Go-Go). I hope that someday I’ll have the energy to cut cucumbers into flowers and draw faces on tuna sandwiches. But in the meantime, I just like the fun and ease of divided containers. And I finally found one that I love: EasyLunchboxes. They’re BPA-free, dishwasher safe, durable, easy for little fingers to open, and come in a set of four so I always have a clean one available.

These fit well in the larger styles of Lands’ End soft-sided lunchboxes. Plus, there’s still room for a cold pack and juice box or water bottle.

When I want to divide the main compartment of the EasyLunchbox even further–like a side of cheese cubes with a PB&J–I use these silicone muffin cups. (But secretly, I just use them because they’re cute. Seriously, look how cute they are!)

The only downside to EasyLunchboxes is that they’re not leak-proof. So I bought a set of these Kids Konserve stainless steel containers for sending dips, yogurt, applesauce, or drippy fruits like watermelon.

Finally, on the advice of Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food, I sprang for this set of silicone ice pop molds for packing frozen smoothies and do-it-yourself Go-gurts.

For more ideas, check out this lunchbox review from 100 Days of Real Food and this lunch gear roundup from Red, Round, or Green.
What’s your favorite lunch-packing gear?