School lunches have come under a lot of scrutiny lately and the findings aren’t good. Schools all across the nation are serving lunches of questionable quality and nutrition. With that in mind, more and more parents are opting to pack a lunch for their child each day.
The problem is, kids get burned out on the same old sandwich day after day. And despite the parents’ good intentions, the healthy part of lunches often makes its way into the trash. So how can you pack a healthy lunch that your child will be excited to eat? Enter the world of bentos.
Traditionally, a bento is simply a meal packed up to-go and is common in Japanese culture. Foods are often arranged artfully, adding visual appeal to the meal. In addition, there is an emphasis placed on healthy ingredients.
Today, many parents are taking the concept of bentos and applying it to their child’s lunch. The result is a fun and nutritionally sound meal that kids actually look forward to. While a traditional Japanese bento might include rice, fish, and pickled vegetables, in the Western world, kids’ bentos often include fresh fruits and vegetables, sandwiches, and crackers. These foods are shaped and arranged to include fun shapes, interesting patterns, and even silly characters. Want to see what a kid-friendly bento looks like? Check out the link provided at the bottom of this article.
If you’d like to try your hand at making these lunches, it’s easy to get started. You will simply need a bento box or other plastic lunch container. For more elaborate designs you will need cookie cutters, food picks, food dividers, and other bento accessories. But don’t run out and buy those extras right away. Instead, just get a box and use supplies you already have in your kitchen to create some lunch magic.
You will likely come up with many ideas for bento lunches for your child but here are some basic ideas to get you started.
Dress Up a Sandwich — Sandwiches can be cut into shapes with cookie cutters and decorated with embellishments made of cheese, fruit leather, vegetable peels, and even seaweed. Or consider making a sandwich on a bagle, English muffin, or dinner roll.
Think Outside the Bread — Swap out the sandwich now and then for a different main entree. Good choices include meatballs, wraps, quesadillas, cheese and crackers, hotdogs, and hard boiled eggs.
Veggie Up — Keep in mind that even the pickiest of eaters may be willing to eat a veggie that’s cut into a fun shape or design. Use mini cookie cutters to cut shapes out of cucumbers, jicama, and squash. Add tree trunk picks to brocolli or cauliflower to make cute trees, or skewer chunks of veggies onto a pick for a mini kabob.
Get Fruity — Fruit is a nutritious treat that is usually well received by kids. Jazz it up by arranging it in pretty patterns or designs. For example, fashion a rainbow with rows of strawberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, kiwi, and blueberries. Or create a striped apple by simply cutting an apple into slices and lay it in the lunchbox by alternating the peel side with the flesh side of the slices.
Add Treats Sparingly — Unfortunately, many lunches from home are full of junk food like potato chips, candy, cookies, and soft drinks. An occasional treat is fine, just don’t make it a regular part of your child’s meal.
Now that you’ve got the basics down, you’re ready to begin. Here are a few tips and tricks to make your bentos even better.
- Pack food in tightly to keep it from shifting.
- Incorporate as many natural colors in the lunch for visual appeal.
- Prepare as many elements of the lunch in advance to make mornings easier.
- Finally, keep at it. The more bentos you make, the faster and easier it will become.
