Why I love a bento box
If you aren’t familiar with bento box style lunch boxes, it’s trending now in the parent world. Bento boxes are a great way to give your kids variety and satisfy the pickiest of eaters. Bento boxes typically feature three to four separate compartments, keep foods fresh, help with portion control, and eliminate the use of plastic wrap or foil.
As a parent, a bento box forces me to provide variety in my child's lunch, making it my mission to fill each compartment with something different and interesting. For the picky eaters, this is a great way to expose your child to new foods alongside a favorite food. For example, if your child loves mac and cheese, put that in the main compartment, and add a new fruit and vegetable in the two other compartments. Throw in a fun treat like an applesauce pouch or a cerebelly bar and you have a well balanced lunch box.
For some picky eaters, it’s about the presentation. Using a bento box is colorful and fun making it appealing to your kids. Also, the foods are not touching but separated by compartments which might entice your picky eater to try something new. To learn more tips for picky eaters, check out my recommendation here on the Forager project back to school tips page.
A bento box also helps with portion control. It makes it simple as a parent to portion out snacks and the main lunch into each compartment to ensure you are giving your child just what they need. This one is super cute and it even has a separate compartment for fun dipping sauces like ketchup, nut butter, hummus, or guacamole. Bonus… adding a dipping sauce is another way to entice picky eaters to try new foods!
Here are a few simple ideas for your kids bento box. Why not line up some bento box lunch items on the kitchen counter and let your kids assemble their own!
“Lunchbox sushi rolls” recipe here, orange slices, applesauce
Scrambled or hard boiled egg, mini bagel with cream cheese, berries
Turkey and cheese wrap, carrots, grapes, Enjoy Life mini cookies
Hummus, crackers, cheese stick, pear slices, smoothie pouch
Be creative with your bento box... it does not have to be a sandwich everyday! Try piecing together mini snacks and dips to form a balanced lunch. For example, guacamole, tortilla chips, black beans, cheese, fruit and let your kids have fun dipping away! Or try nut butter, pita chips, whole grain wrap, and berries. Kids will love these deconstructed lunch options.
What bento box lunch are you going to serve to your child?
