Bento Lunch

From top to bottom, left to right: chicken breasts cooked in the crockpot with House Tuscan Italian dressing, Halloween mac 'n cheese, and sweet corn kernels (no color variations, but I was working with what I had) --> Dinner on the Run Night; ham and cheese sandwich with mustard on oatmeal bread, cut into bat shapes with a cookie cutter, pickle slices, and canned peaches (which those and the pickles are in Halloween cupcake liners); Piggy Burgers!!!!! (a.k.a. sliders, mini burgers); ham and cheese sandwich with mustard on oatmeal bread (again) cut into a black cat and a witch with cookie cutters (details in black FoodWriter, read below), carrot chips, red grapes, and 2 pieces of a fundraiser crispy chocolate bar; Salad Day: torn lettuce leaves, sun dried tomato vinagrette (tiny box w/lettuce), red grapes, carrot chips, turkey or chicken cubes in a Halloween cupcake liner, bacon crumbles in a Halloween cupcake liner, and a Splitz yogurt.

I know. Y'all are all thinking, "ANOTHER Bento blog?" Not really. This is just my little corner of the world, where I can blog about anything. And today, I just HAPPEN to be blogging about Bento Boxes!

It all started over the summer, just before the school year started here. A friend of mine was posting about those nifty little boxes and some lunches she made to try them out. I got curious and looked it up. WOW!!!!! I was so amazed, I couldn't even think straight for quite a while. I was so excited to try something new! So I got our daughter up here to look at all the Bento Boxes and recipe books on Amazon, and our craze started from there. By the way, she has 2 different boxes: one is a Laptop Lunchbox - complete with water bottle, a fork, a spoon, and a carrying case; and the other is a Panda 2-tiered Bento Box.

I know you're probably thinking that it takes too much time to make. And my answer to you is that it doesn't take longer to put a Bento lunch or dinner together than it does to throw some leftovers into a container, or slap a sandwich together. You're really doing the same thing, but adding a few details to it.

I'll admit, I don't go all out with the shaped cheese and stuff like that. Our daughter never asks for it. But she LOVES her shaped sandwiches! And she loves to pick out all the cupcake liners for her lunches when we go out to buy them. She loves to pick out what she wants to eat, and she loves to help put it together into her box. Most times, though, I'm the only one getting it all together and into her box. But I don't mind, because I'm doing it for her. And I'm having fun!

I've sent leftovers for lunch with her in her boxes. Yes, I've used the Bento recipes, too. Those are pretty amazing! Some of them can be made for dinner, and those always call for enough ingredients that you have leftovers. One of our favorites is Teriyaki Meatballs with Jasmine rice. Oh, it's AmAzInG.....

I usually take pictures of her lunches before I put the covers on the dishes (yep, they have containers for those boxes!) and pack it all away. Then I send that out to my family, and sometimes my friends. I even post them on FB. I've made a lot of people jealous of her lunches. *lol* My twin sister keeps bugging me to make HER lunches for her. Hasn't happened yet.

So, do I eat the same thing she does for lunch? No. Why? I'm usually too rushed for time in the mornings to make 2 different types of lunches. Mine have to be on the lighter side, doc's orders. And after having spent way too much time arguing with her about getting dressed and all that other good stuff WHILE I'm making her lunch and getting her morning snack together, I just don't have the patience. Mind you, this girl gets up at 6 am every weekday, same as me. But I give her 1 hr. to watch TV and eat breakfast, and then the TV goes off at 7 am. THAT'S when all the problems start, so it takes us 40 mins. to get it all together before we leave at 7:40 am. Sometimes I get to make her lunch before 7, but not a whole lot of times. Between 6:15 and 7 is when I get ready for my day, and I sometimes drag. And I eat breakfast during that time, too.

Anyway, I digress...

Bento Box lunches are really easy to make. They usually just require cookie cutters and the makings of a sandwich. For those really "short" or "thin" cookie cutters that you can't fit an entire sandwich under (which was my problem this morning), you'll have to go the extra mile and cut everything individually (lesson learned!).

Food picks for the fruits? I don't use 'em. I just put them in cupcake liners. Why? Because I've known those kids at the school for a long time, and I know how they behave at lunch. Not bad, really, but give them a food pick...No, thanks. So cupcake liners it is. I use the paper ones, but only because I just can't bring myself to spend so much money on the other ones. What are they, silicone? I forget. I know it's more cost efficient in the long run, but I always hesitate when I come across them...And the hesitation always wins.

By the way, if you think you can't afford a Bento Box of some sort, THINK AGAIN!!!!! No, I'm not crazy. Just buy a package of the Ziploc rectangular containers that has 3 compartments in them: a small one for fruit or veggies or chips, a medium one for the same, and a bigger one for sandwiches or leftovers or salads. Need something for dressing? Use the small compartment, or actually buy those tiny containers for the Bento Boxes online or at an Asian store. Heck, if you can find something at the store to take it's place, go ahead! Just be sure that they're spill/leak proof. Then pack those up in a lunch bag or lunch box, and you have yourself a Bento Box!

Not sure what to make? Well, like I said, a sandwich goes a long way. Or a salad. Our daughter LOVES salad, but I never used to pack it for her for lunch. I do now! And she pretty much eats it all up, too! You can find Bento Box lunch/dinner ideas on the internet, just do a search. I got a lot of ideas from various sites, but I didn't write those sites down so I can't share them with you.

For those little extra details I mentioned somewhere above, I use Wilton's FoodWriter markers. They're edible marker colors. However, don't use the black if you can avoid it. It turns your bread green where you used it between the time you made the lunch and the time you actually eat it. I learned that lesson the hard way! I'll just use green or blue next time. Heck, maybe even red.

If you're gonna go the extra mile and MAKE the little details yourself, then be sure to have different sizes of straws on hand. And some food gel to stick them into place. I tried it once before, and I hated it. I take the easy way out now and just draw the details with the FoodWriters. But I keep the gels on hand and in stock just in case.

So that's it! I hope you "enjoyed" reading this blog, and I may actually post another story or more Bento pictures later on. Enjoy!