A few years ago I saw some cute lunches called bentos online and thought they would be fun to make for my daughter. I was familiar with the term bento from living in Hawaii and traveling in Asia. I loved the cute spin that I was seeing on these boxed lunches. As we approached Kindergarten, I decided that I was going to make cute bentos for my daughter's lunch each day. I wanted her to be eating a full, healthy lunch and to feel comforted by being apart during the day with my loving gesture.
I am starting this series of tips here at Diana Rambles called Bento Basics to teach others how to make sure your child is eating healthy with fun lunches.
Tip: Introduce new foods by making their food fun! I didn't want to be sending junk food in my daughter's lunch, so when I give her new foods or ones she's not a fan of, I make them cute by using a cookie cutter, decorating, or making it fun.
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| Hazelnut spread introduced in a butterfly shaped sandwich. Skewered blueberries adds to the fun! |
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| Introduced cantaloupe (starfish) and edamame in this under the sea themed bento. |
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| My daughter won't eat peas at dinner, but she will in a cute lunch! |
Tip: Making cute lunches doesn't have to be expensive! You don't need a lot of gadgets to make lunch cute. While there are lots of bento supplies out there, you can use simple containers, cookie cutters, and even make your own food picks.
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| Disposable restaurant container used for a road trip bento for my teen son. |
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| Daddy-Daughter dance theme in a muffin tin for lunch at home. Silicone liners from a dollar store. |
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| Angry Birds packed in a plastic container. Nori (wrapper used in sushi) for black accents. |
Tip: Don't worry if your creation isn't as cute as those online! There are a lots of very cute & creative bentos out there. Don't get hung up on how cute or fun yours are. You only have 1 person to impress and that's your kid or whomever you are making the bento for. Here are a few of my less than perfect lunches that my daughter adored.
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| This was my very first bento. |
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| My panda turned out kind of creepy, but she loved it! |
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| This is supposed to be a flower garden. |
If you have any questions, please leave them as a comment. I will reply below each comment. I may include some of the questions in upcoming parts of this series.
