bento lunches
March 7, 2012 § 6 Comments
I had two goals when I started to get more creative with our school day lunches a few weeks ago: first, to find another little way to show the girls that I’m thinking about them during the day and second – more immediately – to get my sweet Sophie to actually eat her lunch. Almost everything I made seemed to be coming home untouched.
Bento is a single-portion, boxed meal popularized in Japan that has really taken off in the kid-food arena. There are thousands of great ideas on the Internet, and some of them are visually amazing. I’ve stuck with simple and pretty food that I know my girls will eat. Sistema makes perfect little containers for bento lunches; I bought their lunch cubes which allow the girls to see all the choices at once. The key is to keep the portions small and varied.
My plan is working. The buzz generated in the mornings around the lunches makes me smile. The girls enjoy watching me put it together, and I love hearing them say: “What’s in the lunch today?” or “I can’t wait for lunch!” And the kicker is that my picky little one is actually eating. This morning Sophie yelled out, “Bella, guess what we get to have for lunch?!?” That made me a happy girl.
little things i love 
I’m so excited about these Carrie! I also have some picky eaters who particularly don’t like sandwiches. This looks perfect. Where did you get the boxes? Thx for posting about this great idea 🙂
Thanks, they are fun! I got my boxes at The Container Store.
You have once again inspired me! Where do you get the sistema little lunchboxes?
Thank you! I got them at The Container Store, and I got the silicon baking cups at World Market.
I can’t wait to get these boxes!! Emily’s lunches need some excitement and I know Sarah’s lunches will be a challenge next year. Might as well start now!! Love your ideas!
WOW! A gourmet lunch. No wonder the girls are so excited. It’s beautiful.