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With school back in session, I’ve been creating a lot of lunches – some a little more “bento” than others. The truth is, bento lunches can seem overwhelming, they can take some extra time [depending on how much creativity you want to put into them], but they really don’t have to be.
Any time I post a picture of one of the girls’ bento lunches I always hear…
Those are lunches only non-working Moms can create.
My kid would never eat that!
I don’t have all those supplies!
They really don’t have to be complicated and believe me, your kiddo will eat them. I can put a sandwich in front of Moreaya and she’ll take two bites of it… I can put the same sandwich cut into a cute flower design [that literally takes 2 extra minutes with a small cookie cutter] on her plate and she eats it right up. Kids like fun and I’m happy to be able to take those 2 extra minutes to encourage their healthy lunches.
So, what do you need if you want to start creating cute bento lunches for your kids? The true answer is… not much. This hobby [like a lot of others] can seem overwhelming at first, when you see the tons of supplies available, and it can also get exciting because of that same reason – Buy.All.The.Bento.Things!
But if you’re looking to start simple, I have a great list to get you started and the best part? You can order them all today with Amazon Prime and have them on your doorstep ready to create bento lunches in just 2 days!
1. Food Picks – If you were to buy only one thing for your child’s lunch, make it food picks. They’re inexpensive, super cute, and make any lunch cuter. There are a TON of options and designs available.
2. Silicone Baking Cups – Not only will these cups serve dual purposes [bake in them when you’re not using them for lunch!], they hold up well and are reusable. Plus you can find them in lots of fun colors, shapes, and designs. They’re also a great way to control portions.
3. Egg Molds – If your kiddo doesn’t like hard-boiled eggs, skip these, but you may be surprised. The girls will devour a hard-boiled bunny egg and these molds are so inexpensive, it’s worth a try!
4. LunchBlox and Thermos – Once you have cute bento lunches, you need somewhere to store them. My girls have small lunch boxes, so I’ve found that the Rubbermaid Lunch Blox system fits the best. It’s small and perfect for their portion sizes and keeps the lunch from shifting too much. We also have quite the collection of Thermos Foogoo Straw Bottles. They don’t leak, stay super cold, and are the perfect size for small lunch boxes too.
5. Cookie Cutters – Cookie Cutters aren’t a must-have because they definitely make the bento creation a little more time-consuming, but they’re a great way to get started with bento lunches. There are a ton of option if you search on Amazon and some of my favorites come from CuteZCute.
No matter how you create your bento lunches, what you put in them is definitely the most important. Stonyfield Organic yogurt pouches really make healthy lunchbox additions. I love that I can have them frozen and stick them in the girls’ lunchboxes and know they’ll thaw out at the perfect temperature by lunch time.
Pouches are also a great way to sneak in some veggies – since both of my girls aren’t big fans of raw, cold vegetables. The YoTots pouches are delicious fruit and vegetable combinations.
Tasha Glasscock
Saturday 29th of August 2015
Several things in your drawer are in my cart right now! Actually I've been trying to make myself buy them for months, but I never have because I've been afraid it will be a waste and Weston will poke someone with the pics or they will get thrown away. I think I'll go ahead and get some of them though. I agree with you, about presenting the food on a different way. Weston will tear apart a meat and cheese sandwhich and will only eat the cheese, but if I roll up the meat, cut it like sushi rolls, and cute shapes in the cheese, he eats it all :)