F.F.F. Monster Bento Edition

Halloween is just around the corner, so why not have some bento fun monster style?

Some monster lunches are cute.

(Like this bento monster for my daughter.)

Others are Strange.

(Like this one for my little guy.)

And some, even have parts to arrange.

(Like this build your own monster lunch for my big guy.)

All three lunches have:

• corn dog, (removed from the stick and cut into pieces)
• pretzels
• carrots and cheese, which are both more for garnish than nutrition
• fruit and veggie pouch, and milk to make up for that lost nutrition.
• candy eyes
• ketchup for the kids who like it
• toothpicks for the build your own

Don't miss a single F.F.F. 

See all the Fun Food Friday posts here.

Fun Food Friday - Fruit Jelly

 How incredibly cute is this?!

This week's Fun Food Friday is Fruit Jelly, a fun find from our local Asian grocery store.  I went in to get rice and bath scrubbies, but couldn't resist when I saw this package.  

Look!  It's not just cute,

and, it is....

Green Apple, Strawberry, Grape, and Pineapple.

Once in a blue moon, I'll tuck one of these into the kids lunch boxes as an added treat.  Each one only has 24 calories, so it beats a chocolate chip cookie.  It is a bit like jello, but it is made with seaweed instead of gelatin, so the consistence is different and hard to describe.

There are tiny chunks of coconut which add a tropical note.  Imagine eating a fruit flavored lollipop on the beach sitting next to someone wearing coconut scented sunscreen and that's sums up the effect.

To eat it, just toss your head back and squeeze the bottom of the plastic cup.  As soon as the vacuum between the jelly and the cup is broken, it plops right out and hopefully into your mouth.  

So, what does the girl think?

She can't talk cause her mouth is full, but it gets a thumbs up.

Be sure to check out past Fun Food Fridays here.

Fun Food Friday

This week I've got a DIY chicken soft taco bento packed 3 ways for you.  

To save time/sanity, I put the bentos together the night before and stick them in the fridge.  In the morning, I can pop them into the lunch bags, along with a drink, an ice pack and some kind of fruit to round things out.

Each lunch has:

2-4"flour tortillas, some roasted chicken, cheese, carrots, & 2 mini cookies.   

I pack each according to the kid it will feed.  For example my little guy (the bear) has cheese cubes because he eats everything seperately.  If he had shredded cheese, he'd eat it shred by shred, and lunchtime would be over with him having eaten nothing but a tablespoon of shredded cheese.  Not good for the super skinny boy.  I also cut his carrots into smaller pieces to make them easier and quicker to chew. 

He along with big sister (pink) get dipping sauce (chick container) for their carrots.

Big brother (blue) on the other hand, likes his carrots plain, so no dip chick for him.

Want more Fun Food Friday?

click here

Fun Food Friday #2

It's Friday!

So here's something food related.  These bentos include chicken nuggets, potato smiles, veggies, fruit (not shown) and a little treat (marshmallows, part of a fig newton and part of a gummy orange slice).  The big kids also got BBQ sauce, in the pigs, and lowfat dip for the veggies, in the lego box.  

Not the fanciest thing in the world, I'll admit.  However, it illustrates how to fit basically the same foods into different shaped containers.

Beginning Bento

How I managed to live this long in the dark about Bento box lunches for kids, I will never know.  If you're not sure what I'm talking about, check out  these magnificent examples from www.mymealbox.com 

http://mymealbox.com/bento/angry-birds-bento

http://mymealbox.com/bento/rabbit-bear-onigiri-bento-update

I'm in awe.  I want one!  I feel my latest obsession coming on.  

Since I'm impatient as well as obsessive.  I had to try something bento-ish the very next morning. 

This is the result.  Obviously, I've a long way to go and there is only so much you can do with PB&J.  But I am hooked none the less.