Happy Holidays!

A Holiday Bento Inspiration

It's Christmas and I'm so proud to present to you a Holiday video that Easylunchboxes have produced and collaborated.  It contains all the beautiful festive lunches that my Bento Bloggers and Friends have done to inspire all bento-enthusiasts and aspiring bento-makers.

This is the best gift anyone could ever have.  Healthy foods.  Made out of love and ingenuity.  Packed in the #1 and best-selling containers....The EasyLunchboxes. 

Here's wishing everyone a very happy Christmas!

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All bento accessories are available through Bento USA,

the cheapest and most complete online bento products in the USA.

Other bento gears are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link.
Thank you for your support!

If you need weekly meals straight to your inbox, try MOMables.

It's our one-stop shop when we're on a lunch rut.

Turkey & Cheese Subwich

Today's lunch is a DIY - Subway Lunchable.  
Everything what my kiddos would love to put in their sub.  I tried to put them all together, but I'm afraid that they might turn soggy by lunch time.  So we put all things on the side, but the TLC - turkey, lettuce and cheese.  No tomatoes and onions.



Not sure if I already mentioned that Mr G has started with his ortho appliance prior to the actual braces.  He has the palatal bar attached to his upper first permanent molars, with the bar across his palate.  We thought it was easy at first, but foods get caught on the bar, and is a nuisance for him.  Since then, I tried to cut food as bite-sized as possible so he could chew his food and lessen the chance of getting caught in there.

For a time he's been on soup-based meals.  Anything goes.  For one, he's not a very picky eater.  And secondly, he eats healthy by choice.  So his lunch tomato-based soups were mostly veggies and shredded meats to satisfy his proteins, carbs, and enough calorie to get by the day.  I will blog them, so you get the idea what he had on those days.

Now that he's over the transition stage, we're back to be eating normally.
Also, he has asked to eat cafeteria meals with his friends on some days, which I allowed.
So he wouldn't feel that he's missing out so much.

If you love Healthy Eating Starts at Home, you may subscribe via email to get all my posts straight to your inbox. No spam mails, just healthy food ideas for your lunchboxes.

All bento accessories are available through Bento USA,

the cheapest and most complete online bento products in the USA.

Other bento gears are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link.
Thank you for your support!

If you need weekly meals straight to your inbox, try MOMables.

It's our one-stop shop when we're on a lunch rut.

A Burst of Spring

Spring is absolutely here!  

SO let the COLORFUL lunches begin.

It's always nice to pack lunches on spring-colored lunchboxes.  It adds colorful inspiration when it comes to planning.  And that is when I am thankful The EasyLunchboxes has created another genius product to tag along when on trips.  It just matches every single color of my silicone cups at home.  It makes packing lunches so fun and vibrant.  They honestly look good on pictures.  Don't you agree with me?

This lunch is so simple to prepare. It's just chicken and bean taquitos cut into halves for the stalk, and grape tomatoes to make as a bud blossoming on springtime.  Should have added some greens for the leaves, but my pantry is out so that will do for the day.  On side compartments are green pears and a couple of chocolate chip cookie treat.

Have a wonderful day!

All bento accessories are available through Bento USA,

the cheapest and most complete online bento products in the USA.

Other bento gears are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link.
Thank you for your support!

Crab Sushi

I am telling you, blogging is not quite well for me these days.  Lazy as I could be, but I will never stop packing lunches for the kids.  It's been my addiction & passion for as long as they would let me.

I packed Crab sushi for the kids, with some assortment of fruits {blackberries and grapes} and veggie {steamed edamame} on the side.  I have been experimenting on the different ways of packing meals.  This time in our Lunchbots Trio.  It's been my latest favorite.

I love it when I get to pack fruits and veggies on the children's lunchboxes.  Most of the time they're pretty picky with the greens.  So I just have to keep experimenting till I sold a package of lunch to them. Then I keep in mind what worked.  Those that didn't, will have to go around with another meal.  And see if that helps at all.  I do that with sushi fillings too.  But they're pretty good on poking them out before they actually consume the rolls.  That, of course, is the great idea of my Missy A.

My kids love the silicone cup idea inside the box coz it keeps the food contained and not be mixed and mangled with anything inside.  So with the help of the divided boxes, silicone cups were remained in place, which helps the food intact.

Have fun packing foods for your family. It doesn't have to be perfect.  Just keep it simple and yummy.  Have a fabulous day!!

All bento accessories are available through Bento USA,

the cheapest and most complete online bento products in the USA.

Other bento gears are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link.
Thank you for your support!

Summer Mealtime: Dinosaurs

Today we learned about Dinosaurs. 

We didn't have much time to read last night due to my busy schedules.  However, they were able to pick out a book to read on their own before bedtime. Did I tell you yet, that I might start to teach phonics and reading to Kindergartners anytime this July, if all things push through. It's something that I've been formally doing for my children.  And something that I find accomplishments other than bento-ing.

To make up from last night, I brought out book this morning to read for them while they're eating breakfast.  I, of course, made them a dino breakfast to celebrate.

Summer Mealtime: A Place to Bloom

Today we went to the library to loan more books to read for the week.  We choose books at random without any clue what kind of message the book brings. We give each book a chance to relay its message. I read aloud to them on a regular basis. So I don't worry much about that. I try to answer every questions they might have. Then I throw questions to them if they have none. We try to make it interactive for added fun. It's been our nighttime routine. Nobody goes to bed without reading a single book in a day.  Except for daddy, who patiently waits till it's time for prayers and bed. 

Last night we read the book, "A Place to Bloom" by Lorianne Siomades.  It's a little book with such big message. The message conveys to us that the world doesn't exist for us alone, but for all of God's creatures as well, large and small, people and animals.  The things that we take for granted may be precious to someone else, whether it's food on our tables, or the trees in the park.  We should learn to share whatever we have, even if it has to be our own place to bloom.  We especially love this book for its rhyme and lovely illustrations.  It helps readers think about others and the world around them.

There are so many things to consider when creating a lunch for this particular book. So I asked my girl what's her favorite part of the book. She said that it's when the little girl found a worn out bear that has been thrown away, brought it with her, and became her very best friend.  She loves bears so this is what I got for her breakfast.

Summer Mealtime: I ♥ HEART!

Have I told you that we're participating in our Public Library's Summer Reading Program? Yep! And we decided to pursue on making our meals inspired by every book we read for the record. We figured it's a great way to connect with the book.  Not only that, but it helps retain the lesson of each story. An absolute wonderful learning tool for the kids and adults alike.

For this post, I have decided to make lunches from the book, 

"The Magic School Bus Has A Heart".

In this book, Ms. Frizzle's class is learning about the heart.  They are going to see a movie, but they end up on a heart-pounding adventure when Keesha trips and falls.  The class learned the circulatory system in Keesha's body, just before they went for the movie, and celebrated her birthday.

Summer Mealtime: Seaside Bento

We had a seaside adventure one Saturday afternoon. Our cravings for shelled foods brought us to the Reondo Pier. Since new moon hit the 4th of July, we thought it would be the best time to eat some crabs at the pier this weekend. It's the time when the crabs could eat better, thus meatier catch for the fishermen. Lucky none of us have food allergies, so we hit the road without hesitations. I just have to pack lunches for the kids who were both not a huge fan of shelled foods.

I packed sliced crab-meatloaf with ketchup, carrot slices & Ranch, 

strawberry hearts and cherries.

Grandma's in charge of the rice and corn, so I skipped that.  

And that's part of their lunches.

For us, I packed brown rice, diced tomatoes and cilantro salad, soysauce and lemon dip. Then we bought huge meaty crabs, red snapper fillets, and clam chowder soup for everyone to share and enjoy.  It was a fulfilling meal that everyone had. 

After, we headed to the beach side for some water and sand play,

while the oldies relaxed and de-stress.

Have a wonderful day!

~Marie 

Summer Mealtime: Inspired by The Magic School Bus and the Shark Adventure

My kids are huge fans of The Magic School Bus Series. Big G started reading those series back in Kindergarten, and still enjoys it now that I'm reading it to his Sissy.  Since I have the right tools in hand, we decided to make a breakfast the following day to talk more about it.  And further connect with the story.

I would have to thank an amazing fellow bento blogger, Keitha from Keitha's Chaos, for inspiring me to make lunches out of the books we read. My children are voracious readers, and I'd like to inspire them better by making meals out of it.  But you see, mama's not a food artist, as my fellow Bento Bloggers & Friends. I just try to put together healthy lunches and make them appear as appealing as it could be.  So bare with me.

Ms. Frizzle and her class were painting a big picture of the ocean life, when Keesha asked if she could paint a mermaid's purse. Unknown to all, Ms. Frizle decided to take the class on a trip to the ocean to find out what a Mermaid's Purse is all about. Turns out those are shark egg cases.

So here's the lunch I made for both of them, which reminded them of the whole MSB trip with Ms. Frizz, as she's fondly called by the class.

Summer Mealtime: Under The Sea

If you have been reading my blog, I'm sure that you already know that I have an incoming kindergartner who's quite picky with foods school lunches.  To be honest, I have been on the internet as much as I could to find the most adorable lunches I could that would work for my little girl to encourage her to eat in school.  I didn't have issues with her when she was in preschool because the preschool served healthy warm lunches. Thus, she eats what everyone's eating.   So this summer I have taken the opportunity that I could to practice several bento skills I need to learn for the following school year.

I made an under the sea breakfast today.

 Sissy had 3 fishes cut from 1 sandwich bread, 

and 2 octopuses (as Cute Foods for Kids call them).

I cut some Nori sheets for seaweeds background, which my kids love

to have in every meal.  I also found a good tutorial on how to make an octopus

out of hotdogs thru Cute Foods For Kids which can be found here.

Big G had 2 dolphins cut from 2 sandwich breads,

and 3 octopuses. With similar ingredients for the seaweed and background.

If you notice I lack eyes and mouth for the octopuses.  That's because we run out of big straws that can cut the right dimensions. Next time I'll show a better picture for you.

I even forgot to place hat picks for him since he was in a rush to dig into this.

But everyone's happy and didn't even notice what I did.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

~Marie

A Flower Garden Salad and Pizza

I was feeling inspired today and prepared a cute lunch for my boy. It was my first time to cut up carrots this way, and I could see a twinkle in his eyes. I was a reluctant bento designer because I was afraid I would embarrass my boy to school. So I have to introduce it slowly, and see how far he would let me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

So today, I prepared him a flower garden fresh salad of lettuce and carrots with blueberries and ranch on the side. A couple slices of Cheese pizza for the main entree. With his lunch, he also had a yogurt drink, 100% juice pouches and water. Perfect! So tempted to doodle on those pizza but I held back. I believe that, "Patience is the key towards success" :)

But, today an unfortunate thing happened. This lunch went to the ground. And he came back home starving.  Apparently, a girl from school pushed his lunch aside, which went straight to the floor. We're currently investigating what happened and I hope it was just an accident, and nothing mean attitudes involved. My hubby suggested that maybe I should keep my lunches simple. It might have provoked the girl, out of jealousy, since her mom couldn't provide her a cute healthy lunch. I don't think so. And I'll keep providing them cute and healthy lunches for as long they would want me.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

~Marie~

Minnie Mouse

Sandwich Onigiris

Lunch & Snack: Feverish Little Sissy

My little girl is sick today and missed school. She's been complaining of right ear pain for a while. I was thinking of an ear infection, so we're seeing a doctor this afternoon.

Sad but she managed to fix her own lunch. Blame it all on the lunch picks. She was so excited to make use of our newest picks, and was encouraging me to get more animal sets, preferably those horses, zebras and ponies. Her first love :)

Her choice for lunch was gyoza and crackers, which she never finished. Well, she finished the crackers, and left the gyoza, which made it to my grumbling tummy.

For snack, I fixed her strawberry-kiwi jello, apple slices and chocolate rice krispies. And loads of cold water to keep the fever down.  I also offer a lot of popsicles to keep them hydrated and cool, especially when they don't feel like drinking. Jellos & yogurts are good when they're out of appetite.

We saw the doctor today and found out that she only has a cough with a fever. Her ears and throat are still okay, but advised us to return when fever and ear pain worsens, or she generally worsens. We're hoping she gets better though without the need for any antibiotics. She's not big on medicines. So it's never okay when there's frequent weather changes.  It will sure hit her.

Mother's Day Off!.....A Blog Hop

KIDS Turn!

It's Mother's Day, and we deserve a treat on our special day!  My fellow Bento Blogger MOMS decided to take a rest and let the kids rule for a day. My little girl was thrilled when I broke the news. She's 5 and very much into Bento-making. Dad prepared everything (food & supplies) on the table. Her task was to put them together in a lunchbox.

Sushi Love Bento

Wednesday would be Sushi day for us.

It was like any ordinary days except that there's something special about this lunch.

I added some love by giving it a little character.

I know I don't normally blog about my lunches on a daily basis.  But I thought of doing it once in a while since my little girl is up to having similar lunches with his brother lately.

Guess it's time to prepare her for bento-style lunches.

Pre-K Lunch: PB and Nutella Swiper

Swiper the Sneaky Fox from Nick Jr's Dora the Explorer!

Under The Sea

My daughter and I tried our luck with KYARABENS (Character Bento). We took out her playdough cutters and chose the right shape for her favorite theme - The Sea! We made it with bread, turkey and cheese. Then we added some clementines for the corals or seashells, and some Nori for the seaweeds. We need some more practice to put them altogether in a bento box.  Then it would be ready for school.

And here are all the scraps which made it to my breakfast. Spread some Nutella & peanut butter for a chocolatey treat.  I am a chocoholic mom. Not everyday, but when the cravings strike, I should get a dose of it.  Nothing soothes me best, but the chocolates. 

But guess what, Mamabelly has just come up with a French Toast Casserole recipe that takes care of this scrap better and tastier. It has cinnamon that makes me itch to try it next time. I'm sure the kids will love it as well. Now, wouldn't you wanna try that out?

Cracker Bento: Turkey & Laughing Cow

I am re-inventing my bento meals for the next school year as my daughter hits kindergarten. She's the one who's keen into creative bentos. So I'm trying as early as now what would work for her and him as well.  This was served to both as breakfast. It's Ritz crackers with Laughing Cow Cheese spread and star-shaped turkey deli and a cup of organic milk. 

I love the star-shaped turkey on those Ritz. The cheese spread held them in place very neatly. These aren't just nutritious and healthy, but fun to eat too. My girl was delighted to see a twist on her breakfast this morning. She didn't even asked about the spread. She's not a fan of cheeses. So I try not to mention cheese when I'm feeding her something with it. I think this would be great with Nori for her bento. She doesn't need much since she'd be home by 1pm. If she'd still be hungry, I could feed her at home by then.