Bento lunches

LOVE IT!!!! Thanks so much for putting this together ; ) Rosie had her sister-in-law on The View do up some really cool kid-inspired dinners and they had the hotdog octopus as well as this amazing 'cupcake' that was a mini-meatloaf baked in a muffin tin, topped with mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower) as 'icing', then topped with different veggies or other food items as decorations. Creativity can easily run wild with that one! I absolutely *adore* making food fun for kids. Looking forward to hearing what others have done and found successful.

Reply

Word of caution -- a lot of the cheaper Asian kid's boxes contain high levels of lead. Not something that you probably want to be packing a lunch in. Check out Laptop Lunches (http://www.laptoplunches.com/products.html) for a fantastic variety of kid friendly bentos. We LOVE them!

Reply

Thanks for the warning about that. Definitely not something I was aware of!

Reply

It's all very pretty. Unfortunately, my kids wouldn't touch some of the main-dish type items with a ten foot pole!

Reply

Hi, it's Biggie of Lunch in a Box here. I wanted to say -- don't feel that you need to buy a whole lot of expensive bento boxes from Japan (or Laptop Lunches) to get started -- basically it's just glorified (albeit cute) Tupperware. The thing is to pack it compactly and appealingly; you can make it as simple or involved as you're up for. Also, Japanese-language bento cookbooks are chock-full of recipes for non-Japanese food, so it's not necessary to pack Japanese food in a bento-style lunch. Check out this Japanese Flickr user's photos for an example of beautiful bentos packed in Tupperware: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chocolat_vanille/sets/72157594159531306/

Reply

Remember that there is no need to pack Asian food in a bento! We pack sandwiches, fruit, soup, hard boiled eggs, chips, cookies, you name it. The point is that there is no waste and that a wholesome and complete meal is presented to the child in a fun and appetizing way. You bring the containers home, give them a wash, and you're ready again for tomorrow. No plastic bags, paper bags, or other needless waste as a byproduct of your child's (or your) daily lunch.

Reply

These definitely aren`t just for kids.
My husband has a bento-box, and takes a lunch to work in it each day.
In Japan, there are all sorts of bento-boxes, ranging from dollar-store level cheap to $30 or $40 just for the box. And I want to second one of the pps. It doesn`t really matter what you put it in - the main point is making a balanced, attractive lunch. My husband`s box certainly isn`t of the cute persuasion (Looks more like tupperware stacked in a big thermos thing) but it`s bento all the same.

All that "bento" means is "boxed lunch".

Reply

Also check out http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com

Those lunches are beautiful and not necessarily Asian-food but rather a lovely mix of creative vegan meals.

Reply

One of my favorites is Mr. Bento which looks more like a thermos: http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-Bento-Stainless-Steel-lined-Silver/dp/B000246GSE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-0958104-7142520?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1180482914&sr=8-1

They also have a Flickr Pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/mrbento/pool/

Reply

Also check out http://www.bentoyum.com/
It's a great new blog with recipes and pictures of Bento lunches! And you can buy some Bento sets right on there.

Reply