Totally inspired by this lady & her "Week in Bentos" blog posts, I packed my very first school lunch EVER for Zoey this morning. Though I haven't had a chance yet to order some adorable bento boxes or other bento accessories from places like Ichiban Kan (who I hear is closing or maybe already closed their online shop?) & I'm bummed that the closest Daiso is in Lynwood, Federal Way & Seattle, I made do with what I had. Oh, I could go crazy with all the wonderfully cute supplies out there!
The pink plastic "bento" boxes are just Strawberry Shortcake containers I found at the dollar store. I already had some silicone cupcake liners & I just decorated the sliced peaches & cubed apples with vintage birthday candle holders picks. And though I lacked the sweet little food separator sheets , I used parchment paper that I scalloped with decorative scissors. The giant ham-n-cheese heart sandwich was made using a cookie cutter.
For a snack I made her some cinnamon crisps. I just spread butter on flour tortillas, sprinkled them with cinnamon-sugar & baked 'em in the oven on a super high heat (I was in a hurry this morning!) until it bubbled & got all melty & yummy looking. Slice the tortilla in strips or wedges & you're done!
It all packed up nicely--along with a juice box & a sweet floral cloth napkin--in her cupcake lunchbag that I have had for over a year. I got it on clearance at Fred Meyer & KNEW it'd be perfect for my 1st grader! And, hey, I only get to do this once a week so you better believe I'm going "all out".
I'll let you know what Zoey thought of HER first bento.
I had a thought this morning & wondered if any of my local Asian markets would carry bento supplies? Maybe I'll make a morning field trip of it next week.
♥
what a nice lunch! I found some shape cutters for sandwiches at the dollar tree, they have pancake ones also. anyway, what a great lunch!!
ReplyDeletewow, so beautiful first bento!!! good lunch to you ^_^
ReplyDeleteThere's a Japanese dollar store chain called Daiso - don't know where you live but they have them in the LA area, Seattle, Vancouver BC.
ReplyDelete(Okay, a little detective work tells me you are in WA, so Daiso might be an option for you).
Everything's $1.50 there, and they have a whole bento section. AWESOME store, you will love it.
wow! would you send me a lunch?! Hey, I came across a bento inspired lunch box system for my boy last year after seeing it in Parents magazine (I think). I LOVE it and use it often. Kinda "pricey", but so worth it because I think it will last quite a while. Check out their story and this particular product if you like http://secure.laptoplunches.com/AMAZING/items.asp?Cc=SYSTEMS&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc= Also, google "muffin tin mondays". It should bring up several blogs that do this idea. Kinda has the same "bento" feel. think you might like it, too.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know I recieved my bug catcher neclace today...it is adorbale..thanks so much...
ReplyDeletegreat job! I sell packs of bento supplies and can make up a custom pack if you are looking for anything specific. Drop me a line if you are interested :o)
ReplyDeleteSo I had to Google "Bento" :) Thanks for teachig me a new thign today!
ReplyDeleteAlso, ran into Mr WhiMSy love @ the store :) Hope to get together soon!!
Bentos... Bentos... is that like tupperware?
ReplyDeleteMine is only two and a half, she has lunch at home and then we're off to kinder school... but I'm already thinking about lunch and snack for her in 4 years time!
Cheers!
btw, did you get my email about felt pompons?
ReplyDeletecheers!
Cute! I think bento lunches are so great for kids. I try to pack some bento-style boxes for my son, but he complains that crispy things (crackers, etc) get soggy when in the same box with veggies/fruit even when I separate them with silicone cups, etc. Advice from any bento box veterans out there?? :)
ReplyDeleteI think your first bento is wonderful. Who needs to visit a Daiso when she has that *awesome* camel pick? That is rockin' my little world over here.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna have to make some of those tortilla strips too. I haven't had those since I was a little kid.
Greetings from the land of the original Obento! We are in Tokyo, Japan. In summer, we put bento-box-sized icepacks with the packed food so that the food stays fresh & don't get soggy.
ReplyDeleteI would definately eat a lunch that looks so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI read your blog every day and your girls are so lucky to have a mommy like you. You always bring a little laughter to my morning coffee and a whole lot of inspiration. Thanks!
K
Nikki, I went on laptoplunches.com yesterday to reorder some inner parts (the containers) and replacement silverware (that got lost!). They have some for 50cents! Also, on regularly priced orders, I came across the coupon code "Ideal55" that saves you 20%. So, if anyone orders on there, use that code at check out! Also, this lunch system keeps my kiddo's food the way it should be (crispy crackers ;-))!
ReplyDeleteTry laptoplunches.com, they have awesome bento box systems. I'm trying to decide for myself which one to get. They also have recipe and lunch ides.
ReplyDeleteMichelle
I'm from Hawaii and this is like a normal thing for us here. I love it. They actually have bento boxes that have 3 layers. 1 for rice, 1 for the meat or whatever, and 1 for chopsticks. I'm sure you could switch those around to work with mainland foods =)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.allthingsforsale.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=92_104&osCsid=2d1de164849b8660f364ac7192984ae3
Some great authentic japanese bento boxes!
Love this idea. I just caught up on the last 22 posts (yes! that's how long I've been away from blogs!). I wrote about my daughter going to school the other day too. A little bittersweet, isn't it?
ReplyDeletethanks for the intro to daiso!
ReplyDeletehttp://crafty.littlerockmamas.com/index.php/2009/11/07/bento-box-obsessed/