I had several questions asked by a few different people, so I thought that I'd share them here as a reference:
1. Do your kids like cold fish sticks and popcorn chicken?
- Truth is, when we have them for a meal at home, they like them practically room temperature anyway. I opt out of cold packs, as the bentos are insulated enough to keep the cool stuff cool. They eat lunch early and are in school for only 4 hours per day. When Cupcake starts kindergarten in the fall, I may reassess the whole cold pack thing in regards to yogurt and pudding.
2. How do you get them to eat soggy fish sticks and popcorn chicken?
- Ahhh, see, I cook them in the morning. I have a handy-dandy toaster oven that is a life saver. I ask them what they want to eat in the morning. That's when I pop them in the oven. I let them cool completely before I pack them. Usually, the sequence is: Start breakfast with Daddy, Ask what they want to eat, bake (if necessary), set out to cool completely while getting dressed. just before it's time to leave, pack it up. I'll go ahead to prepare the fruits, puddings, and/or yogurts in the trays and pop them in the refrigerator.
3. How do you keep hubby's sandwiches fresher?
- I dress the cheese, not the bread. That keeps the bread from getting soggy. Thankfully, he's not picky about it like the girl's can be, so it helps to be able to prepare a few days of his food ahead of time. On Sunday, I try to get Monday and Tuesday (at least) ready for him.
4. Those trays! Where did you get them?
- I researched, and searched...read reviews, researched some more. Then, bit the bullet. The Bentgo Kids containers were purchased from Amazon, as were the Easy Lunchboxes and mini-dippers. The Yumboxes, I ordered from their site. The are available on Amazon, but if you sign up for their mailing list, they send out coupons. I got ours at 20% off.
5. What do you do when they get home from school?
- The trays on the girls' bentos are removable, and top-rack dishwasher safe. They take them out of their lunch bags (Yes! They fit into standard sized lunch bags, so you don't have to purchase any special one...unless you want to). I rinse out the trays and pop them into the dishwasher. I hand wash the shells so that the seals are preserved. I have two sets of trays for the Bentgo Kids containers, and when the next coupon comes out, I'll order some more trays for the Yumboxes.
6. What is the bento style?
- Packing food bento-style, is what you make of it. Traditionally, it has its origins in Japanese cuisine, and is a way of presenting food so that it is colorful and inviting. Bentos can be super elaborate (manga characters, landscapes, 3D flowers), or super simple (as in how I do it for my family). Sure, I could wake up at 2 in the A.M. and carve apples, but my kids like apple slices. I could use egg molds and shape freshly boiled eggs into hearts and flowers, but my kids don't eat boiled eggs (yet, at least) so that would be a huge waste of time...and eggs (which I use for baking and for hubby's lunches and snacks). Instead, I use what they like. I use little cookie cutters to make shapes out of Sugardoodle's sandwiches (she likes them bite-sized), and I use cute,colorful containers. That's what I make of bento. You really have to do what works for your family.
7. Aren't they supposed to be nutritious?
- They can be. They *should* be. But right now, this is what my kids eat. We are actually in the process of expanding their palates. I take the opportunity to introduce new foods, flavors, and textures in small quantities. Bentos help with that. No, my kids probably shouldn't eat this many fish sticks, or frozen popcorn chicken pieces, but I'm a *for realz* mom, and I have to make these types of changes in their diets gradually. I like to tell myself that they eat better than, say, maybe 60% of the kids in the country. Besides, I need for them to eat lunch while they are at school. They'll learn better, they won't disrupt the kids who are actually eating their lunches, and they won't be hangry. I've actually instituted some food changes in our lives, but I know that gradual is the way to go with my kiddos.
8. How do you find time to do this?
- If you're going to cut the crusts off of their sandwiches, take the extra 0.04 seconds to grab the cookie cutter and make their sandwich into a cute flower or heart. You're cutting off of a block of cheese? Take the extra 0.09 seconds to make one more cut and turn that square into a triangle.
Now, for some pictures:
Fish sticks and ketchup, Gr yogurt, green apples and teddy grahams.
I try not to give them the same things twice in a row, but (for the second time in as many weeks) Friday snuck up on me, and fish sticks for Cupcake was the best that I could do at the time. But, that's the beauty of being flexible. I've planned better for this coming week.
