How can I make lunch fun? These days packing lunch for kids can get pretty
fancy and elaborate compared to my brown bag lunches my parents use to make me. I
remember back in elementary school I had shrimp for lunch and my friends
thought I was so lucky, but that was as fancy as it got. Usually it was just a sandwich, drink and maybe a snack.
I know some enjoy making Bento boxes for their kids. H would
love this! Any suggestions to where I can purchase cute
Bento boxes? I saw this one online and loved the Wizard of Oz illustrations.
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| Shinzi Katoh Double decks Lunch Box |
A friend recently lent me a tool she uses to make ice cream
sandwiches. She told me that you could even use it on a hard boiled egg.
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| Tovolo ice cream sandwich molds |
When I heard this I had to try it myself. To my amazement it actually
worked and H was thrilled to have that in her lunch. Her teachers were mystified when they saw her lunch so H gave them a detailed explanation. All you do is boil the egg then peel off
the shell while it’s still hot. Place it in the mold. Wrap a rubberband or two
to hold the mold in place. Submerge mold in cold water for 10 minutes. Pop out
the egg and serve.
Other fun tools I like to use are sandwich cutters or even
some of our cookie cutters to cut up food in fun shapes. Or just add some of your creativity with their food by making a silly face or a cute scenery. That’s
always a hit for H&N.
Do you “play” with your food or have fun lunch ideas to
share?
I'd love to get inspiration and ideas from you.
Thanks!
Eva
In the preschool days, I loved making bento lunches and making them fun. In public school, the kids get 15mins to eat lunch and no time to appreciate it! BUMMER I still use our Laptop Lunch boxes (http://www.amazon.com/Laptop-Lunch-Bento-System-Berry/dp/B002QEB836/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1347976655&sr=8-10&keywords=laptop+lunch) which are BPA free. The girls carry them in bags similar to this (http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Joseph-Lunch-Box-Owl/dp/B003O85LTU/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1347976655&sr=8-14&keywords=laptop+lunch) with a CamelBak water bottle.
ReplyDeleteonly 15 minutes for lunch? that's crazy, sometimes it just takes kids 15 minutes to settle in.
DeleteCute lunch boxes!
More ideas:
ReplyDelete*Silicone muffin "tins" are always fun. Wilton even makes them in fun flower shapes.
*Mini cookie cutters work well for cutting fruit, fruit leather and veggies into fun shapes.
*Food writers! Watercolor markers made with food coloring to draw eyes on eggs, pictures on sandwiches, you name it!
*Amazon sells egg molds that presses eggs into Car, fish, bear and bunny shapes.
*Toothpicks or skewers for "kebabs". You can decorate them with little pictures and glue them on the ends. We sometimes use skewers and add lunch meat, cheese, grapes and berries. My girls enjoy drawing the pictures themselves ahead of time and i surprise them with my choices each day.
OR, I like these plastic Halloween ones:
http://www.amazon.com/FE-72-Plastic-Halloween-Picks/dp/B0044PSTJG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1347976270&sr=8-6&keywords=plastic+food+picks
and these that look like combs:
http://www.amazon.com/Bento-Decoration-Picks-Animal-15pcs/dp/B002PO1A7G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347976270&sr=8-2&keywords=plastic+food+picks
Need bento ideas? I enjoy this Blog (What's for Lunch Wednesday is especially great!)
http://www.bentolunch.net/
Thank you so much for all the great ideas!Lori, you inspired me when you posted all those fun lunches you did for your girls :) I was thinking of getting the silicone muffin tins. I definitely will use the skewer idea. LOVE that!!!
DeleteI have never played with food much for Baby C. I think when she gets older, I probably will. These are such great and cute ideas.
ReplyDeleteThanks MommyMandi! You'll be making it for Baby C before you know it :) It's fun!
DeleteCool! I've always wondered how they make the eggs in such cute shapes. I've gotta try this.
ReplyDeleteIt's real easy too!
DeleteI can't believe that a boiled egg goes into a mold, and 10 min later soaking in water it turns into a cow shape. That's amazing! And for cute bento boxes, google my friend "mauishopgirl bento" to find her cute picks! I don't try to make food as fun because it doesn't really get J to eat more ;). Nevertheless, I have a stock of cookie cutters for the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa, I will check out your friend's picks! I'm sure you can use those cookie cutters as J gets older and he can help "make lunch" too :)
DeleteOh! Those eggs are cool! How fun would that be to surprise the kids with!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dakotapam!
ReplyDelete