Making bento lunches is not nearly as daunting or time consuming as one may think. I make Little One’s lunches as I’m making supper and it really takes little extra time at all.
A girl friend was over recently and when she saw Little One’s lunch for the following day (like I said, I make her lunches while I make supper), she made a face and said, “Oh. My. G-d. Chris, please tell me you do not do this every day. That is crazy!”
I don’t think she meant it in the “crazy awesome” way, but more like the “you’re out of your mind” crazy way.
We had a good giggle, as I’m okay with her opinion of my lunches for Little One. The only thing that matters to me is that my daughter is eating all her food groups and ENJOYS her lunches!
In all honesty, it doesn’t take much time at all to make bento lunches. They can be as fancy or as plain as you want them to be, but the bottom line is that your kid gets all of the food groups and a well-balanced lunch. Variety and portion sizes are key. For me, the fact that her lunchbox comes home EMPTY is good enough reason for me to continue making fun, healthy, well-balanced lunches for her. Most of the time, she gets just fruit as a dessert. On the odd occasion, I’ll add a little surprise like some Hello Panda treats or a homemade cookie.
Here are 5 Quick & Easy Bento Lunches for Kids
Hello Kitty Bento Lunch
- Rice – Leftovers from supper, but if I had to cook it, it’s only 14 min in my rice cooker.
- Omelet – 2 min to beat egg, cut up onion and meat, microwave for 1.5 min.
- apple – washed and sliced: less than 2 min to do.
- Ham – rolled up in less 30 sec.
- Sugar snap peas – arranged in seconds
- Grapes – arranged in seconds
- Hello Panda treats – put into a container in seconds
Total time to make this bento: 8 minutes
Blooming Flower Bento
- Mandarin orange – peeled & segmented: Less than 2 min.
- Pepperoni – sliced in less than 2 min.
- Carrots & Cucumbers – washed, peeled, & cut into flower shapes with vegetable cutters: Less than 3-4 min.
- Sugar snap peas, grapes, mini homemade chocolate chip cookies & yogurt added – less than 2 min.
Total time to make this bento: 9 minutes
Halloween Bento
- Banana – halved, face drawn on peel: less than 1 min.
- Homemade applesauce with raisins as a face: less than 1 min.
- Cheese cut in cubes: less than 1 min.
- Salami roll up: 30 sec.
- Celery sticks: less than 1 min.
- Crackers arranged: less than 1 min.
Total time to make this bento: Just under 6 minutes.
Kitten Bento
- Ham roll ups: less than 2 min.
- Broccoli “mini trees”: 2 min.
- Star-shaped carrots and cucumbers: 3-4 min to wash, peel and cut with vegetable cutters.
- Orange segments and grapes: Less than 2 min.
- Green onion garnish: less than 1 min.
- Cracked Wheat sandwich: Less than 1 min to cut bread with sandwich cutter. Less than 1 min to put pomegranate jelly on bread & assemble sandwich.
- Yogurt
- Homemade Chocolate Chip cookie
Total time to make this bento: 9-10 minutes or less.
Petite Gourmet Gourmande Bento
- Homemade Puff pastry with onion/chive cream cheese filling – leftovers from supper: less than 1 min to put into bento box.
- Apple, cucumber and red pepper slices: less than 2 min to cut and arrange.
- Turkey slices – leftover from supper. Less than 1 min to arrange.
- Mandarin orange segments and grapes: Less than 2 min to arrange.
- Yogurt
Total time to make this bento: 5 minutes.
Little One always takes a thermos filled with water to school with her meals.
There you have it! Bento lunches for kids are actually quick and easy to make. Little One really enjoys eating food from all the colours of the rainbow. Her latest favourites are red pepper spears, cucumber, sugar snap peas and homemade applesauce.
If you use the CuteZCute cutters, and are worried about waste, fear not! I am married to a frugal farmer and we are not allowed to waste anything in this house! I use the crusts and bread left over for making my own croutons, bread crumbs, stuffing, etc. Many of you have asked where I purchase my bento supplies. I get them (including the CuteZCute cutters) at BentoUSA.
You are amazing Christine!!! Thanks for the inspiration 😉
These are such awesome ideas! I needed some new ones for my son’s lunches for school and these are so easy and cool!
These are so adorable and easy to make! I love the Kitten Bento!
Great ideas! I love packing my kids lunches and get groaned at whenever I say this in public. It makes me happy to know that my kids know that their food is packed with love. They tell me that they can taste the love.
Such a neat idea. I love the kitty. The kids would love that!
I WANT to make bento lunches for my kids but I just can’t do it. I know everyone says it doesn’t take that long but it takes me 2 minutes to make a sandwich and my kids add their own snacks. We do it the morning off. Everytime I buy fruits and vegetables, they go bad because it’s to much work to cut and/or peel them. I know it’s just that I’m lazy, I can admit that.
Maybe someday…
OMG is right! I always LOVE your bento lunches! When I come back in my next life – I’m going to come back as your daughter – and I shall scream from the rooftops how awesome my bento lunches (and my mom) is! 🙂
Debalino:
LOL!!!! OMG. I love you!!!! Have I told you that lately? lol xo
I love the idea of Bento boxes! Love the Kitten Bento!
Tee hee 🙂 Thanks, Craig! Great way to manage portion control and get all the food groups in! Plus, it makes things interesting and new every day 🙂
What a lucky little girl! I remember my lunches being “gross” and would never eat them. But if they had been like these, I would have gobbled them up! 🙂
Julie: Awww! Thanks! The kids have a boomerang lunch system where what they don’t eat, returns home in their lunchbox. Since I’ve been making bento lunches, nothing gets returned in her lunchbox. Well, except on pizza days. She doesn’t like bread products, so the pizza crust comes home. lol
hi c – love how you described each bento and the time it took to assemble. very nice!
have you used any of the bento supplies i sent you last year?
Canine:
I figured I’d give people an idea of how quick it is to make each bento. I’ve been razzed by my friends for “having so much free time to make lunches” 😉 lol I honestly don’t have a lot of free time and it takes only minutes to make lunches. lol
Yes, it really doesn’t take that much time at all! Your daughter is so lucky to have such fun and appealing looking (and tasting) lunches! 🙂
OMG…never too old for bento lunches! Okay…that’s just me talking! I’m all about the bento lunch! I’d make them just for me!
Canine: Yes! Thanks so much! I use the bento supplies you sent us all the time! The face on the rice is made from nori with the nori puncher you sent us! 🙂
Yay! I think those bento supplies are so cute! TC is kinda too old for me to do all that but part of me still wants to do it, just for me, haha!
I’m always so in awe of the bento lunches that you share on instagram. I need to enlist you to make my daughters school lunches. Haha!
Thanks for sharing this post. You have given me inspiration!
Nicole:
Tee hee! I would totally make your DD’s lunch! Honestly, I love doing them and they only take a few minutes! 😉 xo
I have been following your benito boxes all month! They are so creative! My kids would love them! too bad mommy isn’t that creative! When they only want butter and bread, there isn’t too many options.
Jenn: 🙂 Butter and bread! I did a cinnamon & brown sugar on bread and made a bear face with banana and raisins! xo