Fun Lunch Ideas- All About Bento

I did a little display of fun lunch ideas for the ladies in my church group at our back to school night activity.  I wanted to post the handout I made to show you how the basics can be done quite easily and quickly. 

The term bento as I understand it is a Japanese lunch form, where foods are packed snugly and tidily into lunch containers.  Containers often have compartments or use dividers to keep foods separate.  The bonus of the bento idea is that foods are made too look like shapes, characters, etc, to enhance their appeal.  If that doesn't help brown bag lunches to have more success, I don't know what will!

First, check out this video of some of the fun bento style lunches we have made this summer.

Now, check out the info I handed out to explain it all and give ideas.

fun   lunch   tips

Lunch Trick #1         Make it Neat and Tidy

Stack crackers and cheese. Alternate foods in a pattern. Use lunch containers with compartments or make your own compartments with empty baby food cups or silicon cupcake cups. 

Lunch Trick #2         Cut Shapes

Use cookie cutters to shape cheese, sandwiches, breads, baked treats, veggies, and fruit slices. You can even to cut the core out of apple slices with small cutters. Use a melon baller for any soft produce like melon, cucumbers, bananas, or kiwi.

 

Lunch Trick #3         Roll ups & Kabobs

                                       Use toothpicks, cupcake picks, and party picks to create mini kabobs out of lunch elements such as fruit, cheese, meats, cubed anything! One of the most popular at our house is leftover pizza cut into squares and stacked with olives and pineapple.  Picks can also serve as a small utensil in place of plastic forks.

Roll up layers of deli meat and cheese, either in flattened bread, tortillas, or without. Add flavored cream cheese for some zip. with  Try flattened bread spread with pb&j, nutella, pb& honey, or any of your favorite spreads.

Lunch Trick #4         Mix it up

                                       Try swapping out favorite sandwich breads for something new like one slice white and one slice wheat, bagels, flatbread, biscuits, tortillas, etc. Find other ways to introduce small portions of new foods. Remember to serve foods from all food groups for balanced nutrition.

fun   lunch   resources

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/neat_ideas/fan_sites/index.htm  A long list of idea sites.

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/neat_ideas/index.htm    click on “Yummy lunch gallery”

http://pinterest.com/keling/lunchbox-foods/

http://cookiecutterlunch.blogspot.com/

http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/

http://www.anotherlunch.com/

Any internet search for “bento” or  “Muffin Tin Meal” 

menu  ideas

Main Dish Ideas	Sides	Treats
Tortilla roll ups Cheesy tortilla shapes & salsa Bagel sandwiches Flatbread sandwiches Pita sandwiches Pita & Veggies with Hummus Sandwich on a stick Yogurt w/ sides of fruit and granola Pizza Pizza rolls Two toned sandwiches Pasta  salad Boiled egg Meat, cheese, crackers Grilled chicken Quiche Quesadillas Hawaiian kebab: ham, cheddar, pineapple Brunch scones Croissant sandwiches Meat & Cheese cubes PB Rollups	Carrot sticks & dip Celery sticks & dip Baby carrots & dip Cucumber ribbons Broccoli florets & dip Grapes Berries Craisins Apple wedges Orange sections Mandarin oranges Melon chunks Kiwi slices Canned fruit Goldfish crackers Club crackers Wheat crackers Mini muffins Almonds Applesauce Breadsticks Pretzels Babybel cheese String cheese	Honey straw Cookie Brownie Marshmallow skewer Holiday candy Mints Mini candy bar Trail mix Pudding Jello cup Fruit snacks