Gotta have it!

I'm amazed sometimes how much the kids are liking their bentos.  The other day I told them that I wouldn't be making a bento because it was Saturday - "Ahhh... Mom...."  I couldn't believe it.  I'm packing less "junk" in their lunches, and they aren't complaining.  Everything comes back empty, and I have no worries.  I really think that this is going to stick.  (so long as I don't get sick of making them).  At the beginning of the school year I bought all the regulars - granola bars, fruit cups, pudding, cereal bars.  And, as of yet, they really haven't been into them that much.  Sure, there was the request of a pudding yesterday, but really, out of the 20 some bentos that I have made, they really aren't wanting anything extra.

It makes me think that maybe I'm taking a step in the right direction.  I can't wait until the new bentos come.  I'm hoping that then I will be able to send them some rice balls, or something else since it will be contained a little better.  And, by that I mean that I will be having a longer, skinnier box, instead of the square.  Something different is always good.  And, each of the boxes has 2 layers, so maybe I'll be able to sneak in something a little extra.

Okay, onto the bentos.

Mia asked for the piggy bento box.  It's just the sandwich box that I had before, but I make sure not to pack it too tightly.  She also had some Mac&Cheese with this.  I know that it may not be the healthiest, but I worry that she doesn't have a "tummy filler" as Wendy from Wendolonia says.  I try to add fruits, veggies, a carb "tummy filler", and a protein.  Here we have nectarines, grapes, some black olives hidden in the middle, a few "balloon" yellow tomatoes, heart cheese ontop of crachers, and yogurt covered raisins.  I also snuck in 2 sour peach candy in the ears.  I knew that it would be a little much for miss munchkin, but she ate her fill, which sometimes is the goal with her.  My finikity eater.  One day it's all good, then the next - "no way".  Ahh... lovely.

The other 2 basically had identical lunches.  Watermelon, cheese, yellow & red grape tomates, crackers, nectarines, and star kolbassa pieces.  There is also some cucumber and 2 sour peaches candy hiding in there.  They didn't say much about the dried mango which they "had to have" at the grocery store.  I guess if it didn't come back, it's all good!

On another note, I do want to try to make more faces, something a little more fun.  I'm trying to find a recipe to make my own candy eyes that I keep seeing on the bento blogs.  They are kinda cool, but I don't want to spend a fortune on them.  (in case the youngest munchkin finds them, and eats the whole pack!).  Plus, I'm the kind of person that never buys anything because I think "hey, I could make that".  Sure, if I knew at all how to make candy.  Then again, I think that it wouldn't be *that* hard.  I mean, a white circle covered by a smaller black one.  Shouldn't be hard... right?

Anyway, that's another project that I'll have to add to the pile.  Right now, life is good, and the kids are loving what they are eating.  That's the main point.  I'll try for more  "cute" stuff later.

Thanks for following!