This is an incredible guest post courtesy of my friend Katheleen from Montana Bento.
If its lunch time it’s time for a Disney BENTO.
What is bento? Bento lunches find their roots in Japanese cuisine. They are commonly found not only as take-out meals from restaurants or convenience stores but are also very common homemade lunches by mothers and wives. I even know some fathers/husbands that make bento meals for their loved ones.
Bento a typical bento contains rice, a protein source (meat or tofu), and either a pickled or cook vegetable packed in a way that is interesting, beautiful, cute, colorful, etc. I tend to make “kawaii” (cute) lunches for my daughter.
The “box” in a bento box is an important component. The box should be small and compact. When I received my first bento box I was sure my daughter would starve to death if took up this style of lunch making. Our smallest box measures just under 6″ long and about 2 ¾ tall. It is small but the point is to pack it well so that items don’t shift.
Why pack bento lunches? Homemade lunches are cheaper than most school lunches AND you control what your child eats. For me that is a BIG plus. You will also find that bento lunches are an easy way to expand your child’s food preferences….if a food is cute children are much more apt to try it.
AND bento lunches are good for the environment, you aren’t using sandwich bags to separate the food, no cling film, no foil etc. and that saves money as well.
You may want to start small – a cut sandwich delights almost every child. Find those cookie cutters…it’s almost November, you’ll want to sort them out for holiday cooking anyway.
The key to a good cut sandwich is to cut each piece of bread individually. If you are using fillings such as bologna and cheese cut those individually as well otherwise you’ll end up with a mushed sandwich and that is not cute.
Our old friend Mickey is just three cut circles…want Minnie?
Add a little tomato bow to the ears. Leave the bread plain or give it a bit of color with Wilton Color Mist (found in the cake decorating isle). This particular bento box is panda shaped so it cradles Minnie nicely, but just to be sure she doesn’t move around some grapes keep her secure. The top shelf can be filled with fresh fruits and veggies in this case fresh snap peas and carrots; oh the little Mickey container has ranch dressing for dipping.
For more information on bento lunches feel free to check out www.montanabento.webs.com. Meanwhile let me share some of my daughter’s dreamy Disney lunches with you.
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