The Monkey is dressing up as a pirate for Halloween today. Arrrrrrrrr!
top: grape tomatoes, orange pepper strips, snap pea chips, orange & strawberry, parrot cracker
bottom: sandwich with pirate ship and island scene (cheese & fruit leather)
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday Morning bento (Toddler)
top: hard boiled egg, snap pea chips
bottom: banana, raspberries, whole grain corn cake, M&M surprise in bird case
Friday, October 24, 2008
Jack-O-Lantern bento (Toddler)
top: sunbutter & bread bites, Gruyère cheese, raspberries, edamame
bottom: forbidden rice with sweet potato pumpkin (fruit leather accents)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Scooby Doo bento (Toddler)
top: homemade apple sauce (the Monkey and I made this last night!), roasted sweet potato pumpkins, ketchup in the blue container
bottom: roasted sweet potato, fruit leather Scooby, cheese ghost, with sun butter & jam sandwich
Labels:
animal,
bento,
cartoon character,
toddler
Friday, October 17, 2008
Bats Bento (Toddler)
left: plum, avocado, sesame sticks
right turkey, jam sandwich with cheddar bats (light brushing of food coloring)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Along Came a Spider Bento (Toddler)
top: 2 strawberries, chocolate animal crackers, prosciutto*, and cheddar cheese
bottom: edamame, polenta, and a nori spider
*Monkey loves prosciutto, I know its weird
Friday, October 10, 2008
T-Rex Bento (Toddler)
top: avocado, strawberries, mini blueberry muffin, cheese, and animal cracker
bottom: tortilla and cheese T-Rex, multi grain bread, smoked salmon roll ups, broccoli, and red cabbage
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hay Ride Bento
Autumn is my favorite season in Georgia, and October is my favorite month! There is so much to do and the weather is wonderful. This weekend we went apple pickin' in the mountains with some friends. After wandering through the orchard and filling our bags full of apples, we visited the petting farm (baby
cows -or as some would say "calves", goats, bunnies, chickens, sheep) and then hopped on a tractor for a hay ride. The entire day was a hit. The Monkey was still talking about it this morning, I heard him excitedly explain to his teacher as he walked into class, "I went to the mountains and rode a tractor, and we picked apples!" I couldn't help but smile.
top: apple bunny, blueberries, cheddar bunnies, sugar snap peas, cherry tomato, and chocolate bunnies
bottom: cheese tractor with fruit leather accents, snap peas, sun butter & jam sandwich
Labels:
bento,
toddler,
transportation
Friday, October 3, 2008
Friendly Skies Bento (Toddler)
Guess what, he LOVED it! So for today's lunch we are giving it another go. It would make a nice dip too.
top: chicken apple sausage, manchego cheese plane, whole wheat corn cake with broccoli & sweet potato mash (hee hee), raspberries, blueberries, and green beans
bottom: yogurt with orange and blueberry
Labels:
bento,
toddler,
transportation
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Why I Bento
As many of you know I began to pack bento style lunches for my son over a year ago. It was an attempt to get him to try new and healthier foods and to get out of the PB&J sandwiches or Mac N’ Cheese rut. Not that these things are bad, but I feel that they should be eaten in moderation. Sometimes he tries new foods, sometimes he doesn’t. I find that he is more willing to try something new if it is presented to him in a fun way.
It wasn’t until after I began the lunches that I realized the additional benefits of lunch bento style.
It wasn’t until after I began the lunches that I realized the additional benefits of lunch bento style.
- Environment and Health. I find that I create a lot less waste when I bento. When making a bento lunch I rarely pack anything that needs to be tossed into the trash. I also use more fresh vegetables and fruit rather than prepackaged foods.
- Portion Control. When I got my first bento box in the mail, I almost returned it. I thought to myself, “This is way too small, how can I get an adequate lunch in here for my son, much less myself”? Well, trust me, you can. Our entire family eats bento lunches, you can find examples of both child and adult lunches I have made for my family on the website.
- Convenience. Most of us don’t have much time to spend making lunch; frankly you shouldn’t have to spend much time. Aside from some of the more elaborate meals I make for my little Monkey, I typically spend 5-8 minutes throwing together bentos for school, work, the park, or wherever we might be going.
- Fun. This is my favorite part. I love taking my bento out at the park and opening it to reveal the yummy goodness inside! I know my son feels the same way, at such times he grabs his bento box and opens it while saying, “Ooooohhh, what’s in heeeere.”
Bento lunches resume tomorrow!
Labels:
bento
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