Posted in bento on February 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Monday
Chicken Nuggets, Asian Pear and String Cheese
Tuesday
Pizza Bites, Strawberries, Blueberries and Celery Sticks
Wednesday
Fish Cake, Corn and Carrots
Thursday
Dumplings, Cauliflower and Apple Slices
Friday
Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Apple Slices, Baby Carrots and a Cookie
Posted in bento, tagged bento on February 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I haven’t felt my 100% lately and I wanted to make sure I get to still do something for my kids on the days that I don’t feel as bad.
That’s one of the biggest reasons I started making them lunches. I just stumbled upon bento lunches when I saw how cute they were and figured my kids would be more excited about their food if it looked fun.
Today, I’m sharing a few things you will need to think about if you want to start making bento lunches for your children.
1) Foods your child like to eat
2) Menu planning and shopping
3) Time for food preparation
4) Temperature control of the food
5) Containers and decorating
1 Foods your child like to eat
The lunch you will make for your child has to be something that they will enjoy and eat even when you’re not around. Sure you can come up with a great lunch box with an egg salad and cookies but if your child doesn’t enjoy these foods, you have just wasted both your time and money.
To avoid upset kids and parents…
a) Consider your child’s favorite foods
b) Introduce new foods to your child before putting them in their lunch box
c) Gain commitment and reinforce your child for trying new foods.
2 Menu planning and shopping
I normally make a menu plan and purchase 2 weeks worth of supplies to make lunches. I have to make sure I switch them up a bit to keep the kids from getting bored. There’s always something different to do whether it’s good preparation to containers or food combinations.
3 Time for food preparation
Some moms can spend hours perfecting the most creative lunch box. Some moms spend the same time making their meals from scratch. I’m the kind that can’t spend too much time preparing lunches. I always find a way to make things faster and easier even it it means the lunchbox isn’t as cute as I hoped it would be.
4 Temperature control of the food
When choosing what lunches to make your children, you may want to consider how long the food will stay out before it gets eaten or gets bad. Keep in mind the time your child will have lunch and make sure that his food will stay fresh till then. You might have to purchase a thermos container for soups and cold packs for some lunches.
5 Containers and decorating
When doing bentos, it’s important to consider the types of food and amount of food you want to use when choosing containers.
There are many stores locally or online that sells bento supplies. You don’t have to buy the expensive ones. I say invest in a couple of good pieces and stay practical.
Silicone cups are perfect food dividers and bento picks are easy decorations for your lunches. You always have the option to do fancier decorations like shaping your food into characters and other things.
Bento lunches are fun and can be a memorable part of your children’s childhood. Have a great time using your creativity in making them. Share your enthusiasm with your child and they will be so grateful and feel extra special!
Posted in bento, food on October 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Last Week’s Bento Lunches
Monday
Dumplings, broccoli, bagel rings and watermelon
Tuesday
Mini Corn Dogs, oranges and carrot sticks
Wednesday
Ham and Cheese sandwich, grapes, chicken bites and cheese
Thursday
BBQ, rice, corn and mini apples
Friday
Chicken Nuggets, crackers and pluot
Posted in bento, food on October 15, 2012| 1 Comment »
Here are this past week’s bento lunches
Fried Tofu Sticks, Pears and Edamame.
Hardboiled Eggs, Peas and Carrots and Watermelon.
Ham and Cheese Rolls, Grapes and Yogurt
Cream cheese on toast, Cheese, Tomatoes and Persimmon
Rice Cakes, Ham Rolls, Carrots and Peaches
Posted in bento, food, tagged bento on October 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Hello! I know I haven’t been posting much lately, it’s been quite a hectic last few weeks especially with both kiddies now in school.
Now there’s getting ready both kids early in the morning and doing the homework the night before.
Like that’s not crazy enough, I decided to start making the kids lunch everyday for school.
Why? Well, Aaron’s school charges $2 a day for lunch and Elle’s school charges $3.75. I can afford Aaron’s lunch but Elle, hmnn, she doesn’t eat a lot and that’s way too much if you ask me.
And since I’m determined to make Elle lunches, I wanted to make lunches for Aaron as well =)
So, I started making them lunch everyday since Elle’s school started, 2 weeks later than Aaron’s. I came across a few samples of Bento lunches and thought it would be a cute idea for the kids.
I like making these lunches for them because it allows for me to be creative with my the food ideas. I’m also being challenged to incorporate fruits and vegetables in their daily lunch. The fact that bento lunches are in compartments and in cute presentation helps the kiddies have fun with their lunch as well.
Here are my bentos from this week…
Monday
Quesadillas, cheese, carrots and strawberries
Tuesday
Fish Cake, rice, broccoli, carrots and mangos
Wednesday
Pasta, hotdogs and white peach
Thursday
Chicken Nuggets, fish crackers, grapes and mangos
Friday
Egg, crab meat, rice and watermelon
Its not easy to try to come up with NON boring food combinations, however, it always put a smile on my face that my kids say they love their lunch.
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