Maybe this has already been done.

Maybe it hasn’t.

Original ideas are really hard to come by these days.

Seems like every time I come up with something super creative and fantastic, one quick virtual trip to Pinterest reveals that someone else has already beaten me to it.

So I guess what I’m saying is that I probably shouldn’t take full credit for this one but I’m going to anyway since I’ve never seen it done before and I don’t feel like searching the web to find out if I am in fact the originator of this super idea.

That seems time-consuming and since my dirty dishes haven’t yet figured out how to get into the dishwasher by themselves, I figure my time is better spent doing more constructive things… like housework.

I saw Cam’s pencil box sitting on the table this afternoon and thought maybe it would make a decent bento box.

I mean, why not?

They’re super cheap (you can usually find them for under a dollar), they fit in a lunchbox,  they’re easy to open and close so they’d be great for younger kids, and they’ll hold a full lunch.

They also come in all kinds of colors and many times you can find some with kid friendly designs on them.

Seems like bento material to me.

Maybe you’ve been wanting to get into packing lunches this way but didn’t want to spend the money on a bento box, picks, silicone cups, and all the other little accessories that go along with it.

I get that.

Things can get out of control fast. Just look in my kitchen cabinets.

Oh wait, you can’t.

Well, if you could you would see that things here are out of control.

Bento stuff has taken over my kitchen.

Someone should probably put their foot down…

Anyone else hear crickets chirping?

So… I made lunch and put it in a pencil box. It’s pretty darn cute even without any bento accessories like picks, baran, or silicone cups.

I flattened some paper cupcake wrappers and tucked them under the sandwich only because this crayon box was used but you certainly don’t need to do that. I also used a cupcake wrapper to hold the pea crisps but again, that was only because the box is used.

If you didn’t have cupcake wrappers you could use wax paper, construction paper, a paper towel, or a napkin.

The cheese stick works just as well as a sheet of baran. A piece of fruit leather, a granola bar, or a rolled up napkin could just as easily serve the same purpose.

The anti-bento bento. A bento-style lunch packed using no actual bento accessories, yet still remaining fun, creative, and trash-free just like a regular bento lunch.

* Since pencil boxes weren’t made to hold food, it may be hard to find one that is BPA free.