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.

  • 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!

4 comments:

eilismaura said...

Thank you for a fabulous post!!! I am going to share this with others I am trying to encourage to use bento boxes.

koala brains said...

Good point about portion control. I'm using one of Boo's old bento boxes and at first was reluctant thinking it was too small but it's actually just right.

Self-Proclaimed Yummy Mummy said...

i agree!!!!ur site's full of ideas - thanks!!!

Junella Sgro said...

I stumbled upon your blog, and I LOVE IT!!!! Thank you for sharing these great ideas. I have 3 awesome eaters and 1 picky eaters. I've been looking for a way to get him out of his rut...I think your presentations may just do it. Does it really take a few minutes in the morning? Especially your creativity with the cheese and fruit leather? I've bookmarked you as one my favorites!!! Done anything for Star Wars??