Bento #6

This time I finally got away from the sandwich! Yay! I think the kids were excited too as they are the entire thing.

Contents:

• Rice (shaped like a rabbit, but you can't see that)
• Steamed carrots
• Meatloaf (I cooked the meatloaf directly in these cute little "pans" from left over meat when I made meatballs the night before)
• Grapes
• String Cheese
• Crackers
  

All food groups represented! I'm really liking these wider bento boxes. I find that they are much easier to fill than the narrower ones.

Since this bento lunch, I've also done a bento dinner which came out great. I had promised the kids a bento box because we were supposed to meet some friends. Then plans changed... but they still wanted their dinner in a bento box. I didn't take pictures (I forgot), but it came out great and they ate it up. I have a feeling they wouldn't have eaten as much has it been presented on an ordinary plate.

I used the narrower box and put a layer of rice on the bottom (with soy sauce - I'm not ready to venture into allowing them to put their own on yet), and I topped it with teriyaki tofu on one side and teriyaki chicken on the other (left overs). The upper box was half corn and half grapes with string cheese in the middle. Again, I was able to cover all the food groups.

I'd like to find other foods for each food group that the kids will eat. I use grapes a lot, but with Lyssie's fruit selection limited... I can't really veer too far. She's at the age now where she gets sad and offended if her brother gets a food that she doesn't. In fact, it makes her cry and she cowers in a corner - yes, I'm sure it's for the dramatic effect - but it's heartbreaking.