Bento Boxes
I was thinking of things to write about, and Randi (former Parenting Toddlers writer and mother of two great kids) told me about Bento boxes. She has a neighbor who is Japanese and introduced her to the idea. A Bento box is a single portion takeout or home-made meal common in Japanese culture and usually has rice, fish or meat, and pickled or cooked vegetables on the side. As you can see in the above picture, the food looks not only tasty but healthy. Another benefit, as Randi pointed out, is that it is economical. The meal in the above picture uses food mainly from dinner the night before. This is a great way to use leftovers - which I know I have a problem with. They also help with portion control. Other cultures eat way less than we do, so we don’t always have a great sense of portions. These boxes can help you eat a balanced, nutritious meal and stay within your portion.
There are different ways to use Bento boxes: packing one for your older child’s school lunch, preparing them at night for you and your toddler’s next day lunch, making them for picnics, and more. They can get pretty elaborate and there are gorgeous boxes available:
There are even contests where homemakers compete to make the most aesthetically pleasing and complex Bento box. I know I would have a hard time rolling out of bed and preparing a gorgeous nutritious lunch for my child. I would have all I could do to slap together a peanut butter sandwich. With Bento boxes, you can make it easy on yourself. You can just get a tupperware container or a child’s seperated container or plate and put together some leftovers from dinner. If you want to get more into it, then you can always progress.
It can also put some fun into your toddler’s day; and if you want, you can explain how it comes from a different culture. It’s just something to try if you need a switch in your routine.
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