Tag Archives: Laptop LunchBox
22 Oct

Halloween Bentos

Can you believe that Halloween is almost here?

Where did this year go!?

If you’re a lunch-packer in need of some spooky lunch inspiration, I’ve got you covered.

Most of these lunches don’t require anything more than inexpensive cookie cutters, stickers, and a few Halloween-themed treats easily found at your local grocery store, but you certainly don’t even have to go that route.

All you really need is a little creativity. Just use your imagination and maybe some things found around your house to create your own creepy lunches for your little creepers!

Here (in no particular order) are my ten favorite Halloween bentos to get ya thinkin’!

Halloween Lunch Ideas for Kids

  1. This ridiculous lunch that I made for the Mr. that turned out to be a huge hit at work. Go figure!
  2. Bat and blood snack box. Pomegranate arils make great edible blood drops… just sayin’.
  3. Exuberant Pumpkin Bento! I still say they look more like bell peppers.
  4. A Vampire-themed bento is a must!
  5. Skeletal Bento. Super cool and only slightly spooky!
  6. This Bat-tastic Bento complete with peeled grape eyeballs, bat sandwiches, bat carrots, bat pretzels and even a chocolate bat! Give me a theme and I’ll run with it! 😉
  7. Witchy Bento with homemade tortilla cats, a cheesy broom and guacamole potion!
  8. Creepy Crawly Buggy Bento. Ew!
  9. Monster Mash Bento. I still love how this one turned out. I mean, Gummy toes. Come on.
  10. Last but not least, one of my personal favorites, Last Year’s Halloween lunch.

And if you’re in the mood to make your own Halloween food picks, I’ve got you covered there too. It’s easy, promise!

Halloween bento picks

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2 Oct

chicken salad with greens and veggies bento

Happy Friday!

Let’s talk lunches.

The lunch/snack bento pictured above was for my husband. It contained chicken salad (shredded rotisserie chicken, celery, apple, dried cranberries, scallions, dijon mustard, light mayo, lime juice), spring greens, zucchini cut with fall-themed cutters, baby carrots, and super spicy hummus in the small container.

I also tucked a couple of squares of dark chocolate into his lunch box for a late-night treat.

He eats dinner before he leaves for work so he doesn’t need anything heavy at work. Just something light with a little protein to get him through the night.

Camryn also has chicken salad on a bed of leafy greens and baby carrots, but she isn’t into hummus so I left that out.  Horizon organic cheese crackers, grapes, and chocolate covered pretzels round out her lunch.

Friday is spirit day at school so her lunch box is proudly rocking her school mascot today.

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Last Week’s Lunches

9 Dec

Last week was pretty hectic around here so I didn’t get a chance to post any lunches.

I did somehow manage to snap pics of three of Cam’s lunches from last week so here they are in no particular order of importance:

 

This lunch had to be from either Monday or Tuesday because that’s when Cam has P.E. and I distinctly remember laying what was left of the cookies out on the counter and trying to make a word out of the few letters that were left. “JOG” was the best I could do and I figured it was appropriate given that Cam’s class was taking their fitness tests that week. Lots of jogging was to be expected.

Lunch was packed in her Good Lunchbox by Sugarbooger and contained a chicken sandwich on Hawaiian bread, sliced sweet peppers, carrot sticks, veggie straws, and three Orange Chocolate Beet Bitsy’s Brainfood cookies (look for more info on those coming soon).

 

For Friday’s lunch, I packed a cute koala sandwich that I made with this cutter, a Babybel, three Zucchini Gingerbread Carrot Bitsy’s Brainfood cookies, veggie chips, and celery bites filled with cream cheese and topped with flax seeds. There are a couple of chocolate covered almonds in the cute little box.

Lunch was packed in an Easy Lunchbox.

 

We were out-of-town Friday night and all day Saturday for my brother’s wedding so I packed Cam’s lunch and snacks since I had no idea what or when or where we’d be eating.

Her Laptop Lunches Lunchbox contains a blueberry muffin, sliced sweet peppers, sliced celery and carrots, lots of strawberries, fruit and cereal bars, and two Babybels.

I also packed bottled water and her reusable cup so I didn’t have to worry about drinks for her.

 

Clearly she had no problem settling into her new digs.

 

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28 Oct

batty bento 2014

 

Today’s bento is full of bats!

Cam has two bat sandwiches, bat eyeballs made from peeled black grapes, bat-shaped pretzels, bat-shaped carrots, drops of blood made from a sweet red pepper, and a sweet but slightly creepy chocolate bat. I added a couple of red sprinkles to give him some spooky eyes.

The extra bats are just scrapbooking stickers that I found on sale last week and stuck on some of her bento picks.

Since I had a couple of stickers left, I just stuck them right onto the lid for instant cuteness.

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Daily Bento

9 Oct

 

Today, Cam’s Laptop Lunchbox contains a chicken sandwich on Hawaiian bread, some cheese crackers, a few pieces of mozzarella cheese, and a small salad of romaine hearts and sweet pepper rings.

 

 

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Daily Bento

15 Sep

The kids had pizza for dinner over the weekend so it was a no-brainer to add the leftovers to today’s lunch.

Along with her pizza, Cam has romaine hearts and sweet peppers, pineapple chunks, and dark chocolate covered almonds. I also included a fruit & veggie strip but I highly doubt she’ll get to it. If not, she can eat it while she does her homework this afternoon.

 

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Daily Bento

3 Sep

 

Lunch today includes four blueberry mini muffins that I made last night after dinner. As soon as they were cool enough to handle, Cam grabbed the container that they were in and promptly ate nine of them. I’m fairly certain that she would have finished them all if I hadn’t suggested that we save a few for lunch today.

She also has some steamed edamame with sea salt, grape tomatoes, grapes, and veggie straws in her Laptop Lunchbox.

The blue container comes with a lid which is great because this lunch will be carried sideways today. After I snapped this picture, I just placed on the lid and laid the Lunchbox Love note on top for her to find at lunch.

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13 Dec

 

I hated peas as a child.

Maybe hate isn’t a strong enough word.

The only way that I could get them down was to swallow them whole, like pills.

My daughter however, adores them.

She can sit down in front of a big bowl of peas with nothing on them but a little sea salt and maybe a drizzle of olive oil and be the happiest girl in the world. And she has, many times.

For me, even a small side of peas on my dinner plate meant that I was going to be sitting at that table for a while. Or at least long enough for my mom to finish her dinner and leave the room so that I could scrape them into the trash.

I’m still not crazy about peas on their own but I love pea pesto.

For Cam, the mention of pea pesto always elicits a fast-clappy jump up and down frenzy of excitement.

She uses it as a dip for chips, crackers, and veggies. She eats it rolled up in tortillas and as “cheesy peasy bread spread”  smeared on toasted bread.

Last night it was just us girls for dinner.

That rarely happens but when it does, girl food is required.

So I sliced and toasted a baguette, topped each slice with goat cheese, sweet pea pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes, and that was what we ate while standing in the kitchen.

Actually, Cam sat on the counter.

I didn’t follow a recipe, I just used what I have in my kitchen.

The only hard and fast rule I always follow is that I only use frozen sweet peas. NEVER sad mushy canned peas.

Gross.

This batch was made with walnuts and it’s my favorite so far.

 

Sweet Pea & Walnut Pesto

1 cup of frozen sweet peas

1 clove of garlic chopped

lemon zest

squeeze of lemon juice

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

handful of walnuts – chopped and toasted

extra virgin olive oil

herbs: thyme, tarragon, basil, whatever you have – I stripped the leaves from one sprig of thyme

salt & pepper

 

Directions

There’s no need to measure the ingredients so all of the amounts are approximate.

Just thaw about a cup of frozen peas and dump them into a blender or food processor along with all of the other ingredients except the oil.

Pulse a few times and then slowly drizzle in the oil while the machine is running until everything comes together.

You can leave it chunky if you want or you can blend until it’s totally smooth.

Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Use immediately or store in an air-tight container for a day or two.

Cam brought the leftover pesto for lunch along with some tortilla chips for dipping.

 

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Measuring Up!

7 Jul

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:

L.L. Bean Collage

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.

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Daily Bento(s)

28 May

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…

Goodbyn 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.

Laptop LunchBox:

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.

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