The Life of Jennifer Dawn: Fun with Food Friday: Budget-Friendly Bento Boxes

Friday, April 26, 2013

Fun with Food Friday: Budget-Friendly Bento Boxes

Have you seen those adorable lunches in those expensive little boxes--Bento Boxes? Well, the expensive comment probably won't make me the next spokesperson for any of the companies selling the Bento containers originally inspired by Bento Japanese lunches. Let's face it though, a lot of those containers can be pretty pricey. Yes, I love the convenience and cuteness of the lunches, so I'm jumping on the Bento bandwagon, but I'm doing it on a budget. Here's how...

Recipe for Bento Boxes on a Budget
Ingredients:
*Reusable Sandwich Boxes (I found inexpensive packs of 5 at Target.)
*Cookie and Sandwich Cutters (To make things a little cuter...)
*Mini Storage Containers (In a variety of shapes and colors)
*Food for the Lunches
The lunches pictured above contain:
Monday: A banana, 100 calorie chocolate chip cookies, and an organic peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Tuesday: Orange slices, vanilla wheat sticks with a fruit and veggie dip, and 100 calorie chocolate chip cookies
Wednesday: Fresh strawberries, peach yogurt, and chocolate cookies
Thursday: Chips, mild salsa, carrots, and mozzarella cheese
Friday: Cheese flavored crackers, dried apple slices, fresh broccoli, and cheddar cheese
A large plastic bin with all of the unused containers and supplies was stashed away in the pantry in order to make future lunch packing quick and easy. I also placed plastic bins in the refrigerator to store the packed lunches. Chalkboard labels make it clear who the different lunch boxes belong to since I have to vary things up a bit between my toddler and preschooler. (Eli's food gets cut up more, and I may pack different things for each one according to their personal preferences.)
Happy lunch packing!
lifeof
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4 comments:

  1. Tara @ SuburbleApril 27, 2013 at 9:35 AM

    Great ideas! I love bento-style lunches (as do my girls) and any way to keep things frugal are okay by me! :)

    Found you through the Six Sister's Linky!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RitaApril 28, 2013 at 1:46 AM

    Love these ideas! If you get a chance, please share this on my linky party: http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/04/sunday-link-party-5.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dayna@ Lemon Lime AdventuresDecember 27, 2013 at 8:04 PM

    I love your lunch organization. When we were all in public school I premade snacks and foods for the refrigerator like this, Very helpful. I look forward to reading more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. cheekySeptember 6, 2014 at 12:52 PM

    Where did you get the container shown in Tuesday's lunch, holding the dip and wheat sticks?

    ReplyDelete

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