If you’re looking for some lunch inspiration for your little Valentines, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ll be the first to admit that these certainly aren’t the healthiest Valentine lunches you’ll find on the internet but they sure are cute and they were pretty easy to put together too.
I kept lunch super simple today.
I made Cam a BST (bacon, spinach, and tomato) and tucked it all into a hot dog bun.
I like serving bacon sandwiches this way because it’s a lot easier for little ones to eat.
I also put some baby Goldfish crackers, broccoflower (broccoli/cauliflower hybrid), and a juice box in Cam’s Bynto.
And that’s lunch! 🙂
When I started out on my little bento packing adventure some time ago, I remember stalking other bento blogs spending lots of time online trying to figure out which bento box to buy, which lunchbox it would fit into, and how it compared in size to other boxes.
It was exhausting.
All the manufacturers gave dimensions which is great, but what I soon learned early on when I first started packing lunch this way, is that you also need to account for a drink, utensils, napkins, and an ice pack.
And… manufacturer’s dimensions can be wrong.
I’m talking to you Toys R’ Us.
10x8x8 does not equal 10x5x8.
If you pack a juice pouch every day then you should be all set. Those things pretty much fit anywhere.
But, if you’re like me and you need to pack a thermos or other resealable drink container, you need a little bit more info to go on.
I also think it’s helpful to actually see how everything compares in size and how it all fits together so I put together a little visual that I hope will be helpful to anyone who may be setting off on this lunch packing adventure for the first time this school year.
Last school year we packed lunches in a lunch bag from L.L. Bean for my son, and a “lunch pack” from Garnet Hill for my daughter.
I took a few pics of each lunch bag with our larger bento boxes in them so you can see how everything fit.
But first, let’s size up those boxes!
From top to bottom:
Lunchbots Trio
Good Lunch Box by Sugarbooger
Spencer Bento Box by PBK
Laptop Lunchbox
Easy Lunchbox
Goodbyn Bynto
As you can see, the Bynto wins out in the length category due to it’s handle. Width goes to the Laptop Lunchbox.
Here they are packed in my son’s L.L. Bean lunch bag:
The only box that would not fit is the Laptop Lunchbox which wasn’t an issue for us because he carried an Easy Lunchbox exclusively in his bag last year.
He would also put a small water bottle or juice box (when we had them), an ice pack, and a napkin in his lunch bag every day and they all fit. There was a little bulging in the front of the bag but it zipped just fine.
This bag has a handle on top and is meant to be carried upright so keep that in mind if you’re looking for something to carry your kiddos’ lunches flat.
This lunch bag is pretty average in size to most other lunch bags I’ve seen and trust me, I have seen them all.
Now, onto Cam’s lunch box.
Everything fit with room to spare for a drink, an ice pack, a napkin, and utensils when she needed them.
The Spencer Bento box and the Laptop Lunchbox fit snugly but still left room for a small juice box.
And there were even some days when I just put her water bottle or thermos in the pocket of her backpack if I couldn’t get them to fit.
I feel that I should also tell you that I LOVE this lunch bag! It’s extremely well made and worth every penny and the pattern on it is adorable. It still looks brand new after a year of abuse use!
Right now Garnet Hill is offering a free lunch pack with the purchase of a matching backpack which is a great deal. Their backpacks are a little on the pricey side at around $34 for the smaller one but they are extremely durable and come in some adorable patterns this year.
I hope this helps some of you who may be starting your back to school shopping. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below.
If you had any issues with yesterday’s cupcake lunch, you may want to avert your eyes.
This was today’s lunch:
I know you see them. Those are banana bread brownies.
Yep. I went there.
I probably won’t be going there again any time soon though. They were not a big hit with both kids.
Cam liked them, D was not a fan.
I also packed grapes, strawberries, pineapple (which Camryn ate most of before I could snap the pic) and some cheese hearts.
In the interest of full disclosure, this lunch is still sitting in my fridge.
Camryn is home sick from school today so she’s only had saltines, pasta, and dry toast up to this point.
Was May a busy (and expensive) month for anyone else?
Sheesh!
We had two birthdays, two Mother’s Days, a wedding, recital stuff, family coming in from out of town, and now that the end of the school year is fast approaching, we have ice cream party day and water fun day coming up next week for Cam.
Seriously.
We’ve had a lot going on around here over the last couple of weeks so posting took a backseat to my sanity.
It happens.
Anyway, I have a few of Camryn’s lunches from last week to share today.
This first one was last Wednesday’s lunch:
In her Bynto was organic strawberries, turkey and cheese roll-ups, a granola bar, a juice box, some honey almonds, and veggie chips.
This was last Thursday’s lunch.
It contained a granola bar, a juice box, baby goldfish, Greek yogurt with sprinkles, a cheese stick (under the spoon), grapes and strawberries. It was all packed up in her Laptop Lunch Box.
And this one was Friday’s lunch:
Packed in her Yubo was a chicken sandwich, organic strawberries, baby goldfish crackers, honey roasted almonds, and a juice box.
There are no pics of her lunches that I packed earlier in the week because I slept in those days, then drug myself into the kitchen, slapped a sandwich together and threw it into an ELB along with some chips or goldfish, and cookies or maybe fruit? I can’t even remember. Let’s go with fruit.
Since this post is already pretty lengthy, I’ll keep my reviews short. First up, the Bynto…
Would I buy it again? Yes. It is inexpensive, it works well, holds quite a bit of food and Cam loves it. You do have to buy the stickers separately but you get a lot and they are dishwasher safe and easily changeable.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yep. But I would be sure to inform them that you have to close the middle section first to get the other sections to close.
Would I buy it again? Yes. I had actually been eyeing them for a while and was finally able to get a great discount on the one Camryn wanted. So I would say wait until they offer up a discount code and then snag one for yourself because they are on the pricey side.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, but only to friends with older kids. Say 1st grade or above. The lids can be tricky to get off. I rubbed Cam’s with a little vegetable oil which has helped but they can still be tricky. The box itself can be hard to open and close occasionally too. Not sure what that’s about. It also holds a lot of food. Maybe more than a pre-schooler or a kindergartener would need. It is lovely to have all those compartments to keep everything sectioned off so nicely. That in itself is a big plus.
Yubo:
Would I buy it again? I was lucky enough to win our Yubo so I didn’t pay for mine. That being said, I was eyeing that lunch box too and waiting for a discount code to pop up so I could snag one for Cam. This lunch box is definitely pricey. Especially if you’re going for personalization. But… it would make a great birthday or Christmas gift so if you look at it that way, it’s not so bad.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes. But wait for a discount code and definitely spring for the drink holder. Camryn is the only one in her school with a Yubo and the kids and teachers go nuts for it. It is easy for little ones to use but holds enough food for older kids to use as well. The interchangeable face plates are fairly inexpensive so it doesn’t cost much to swap them out when your kid gets ready for a new look. I also love that the whole thing comes apart and goes right in the dishwasher. Genius!
*Alll of the products listed can also be found on amazon.com.
Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate for any of the companies reviewed above. I make no money if you purchase any of their products. This is just my unsolicited, honest opinion.
For lunch today Cam has a vegan snack cake that I made last night, Babybel cheese, chopped organic gala apple, carrot coins, and some cheese crackers for a little something salty.
I was doing a little shoppin’ yesterday and I happened to come across a set of butterfly and flower shaped silicone cups in yellow (Cam’s favorite color) for $4.99! There was no way they weren’t coming home with me.
Since I had new butterfly shaped silicone cups, it seemed appropriate to do a butterfly bento.
The top section contains cheesy butterflies and strawberries with fruit leather butterflies on top.
I used my butterfly pastry stamp to make two sandwiches and put them in the middle section along with some fruit filled wheat cereal.
The bottom section contains Annie’s Organic Cheddar Snack mix.
Today is the 100th day of school for my kids.
This means nothing to my oldest who is in high school. For him and his classmates, it’s just another day.
My daughter on the other hand, basically gets an all day party.
Kindergarten does it right!
Since I don’t have any letter or number cutters yet (husband take note) I thought I’d do what I had seen all my bento bloggy friends do and pack 100 bites to celebrate 100 days.
Thanks for the inspiration BBF’s!
I had to do things a little differently though. Since my kid eats like a bird, I had to plan very carefully so that her bynto wasn’t loaded with food. Because in the end I would have ended up throwing most of it out and I hate throwing food out.
100 bites for 100 days
Happy Friday!
Today’s lunch is pretty simple.
Camryn asked for more meat and cheese roll-ups so I made some for her using salami and mozzarella. She also has a cat sandwich filled with Jif Hazelnut spread, strawberries, grapes, and tiny saltines.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Cam had a big important test yesterday that took up most of her afternoon.
She still has another section of that test that needs to be done in 2 more weeks so we won’t know how she did for some time, but I know my daughter and even at 5, she takes academics very seriously so I thought a “great job” pick would be perfect for today’s lunch.
Cam has lunch meat and cheese roll-ups, carrot and celery sticks, tortilla chips, chocolate animal crackers, and strawberries for lunch today.
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We Should Be Folding Laundry 