Bento | The TaterTwins

Quick, Healthy Lunches for Little Ones

19 Apr posted by Jayme

This guest post was written by my friend Maria from Life, Loss & Other Things Worth Mentioning. Let’s welcome her to the world of bento lunches! These are the same lunch boxes I’ve been using for about 2 years now- for my kids and husband.

In September when Gavin, my 4 year old, started going to preschool, my life changed. I went from spending the majority of my days at home, to having one thing or another going on almost every day of the week. Then weekends came and there were always more projects and errands to run. I love being busy, but more times than is healthy, I would end up picking up fast food for lunch and bring it home. I loved that as soon as I got home, I could get the kids fed. It was sit and eat in the moments after walking in the door.

On occasion, I would pick up Lunchables for the boys to eat since I figured it had to be healthier than fast food. They loved the compartments and discovering what goodies were in there. In fact, Gavin started asking for them over the fast food kids meals. Then, it dawned on me that I was paying close to 5 bucks for a couple of crackers, slices of cheese, and lunch meat. That is crazy! So, I decided it was time to make my own Lunchables!

I bought these divided lunch containers from EasyLunchBoxes.Com and went to it. I love that I can put all sorts of fruits, veggies, meats, cheese, and even a sandwich if I want. I even like to put something sweet in there for a desert like a cookie or animal crackers. Today it was string cheese, some mini pepperoni slices, half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, baby carrots, and grapes. Then, for dessert, a piece of left over Easter candy.

The boys love them! I will even go as far as to say that if I offered Gavin a fast food lunch or see what Mommy put in his lunch box, he would choose his EasyLunchBoxes.Com lunch every time!

In the morning, before I head out for my errands or appointments, I assemble the lunches for the boys. Then, when I get home, all I have to do is pull them out of the refrigerator and voila! Lunch is served. That is the fastest I have ever been able to get a homemade meal on the table!

I really feel so much better about what I am feeding my children. Plus, I like that I am teaching them what is healthy, good portion control, and that our lunch is just as much fun as expensive store bought processed foods or a happy meal.

Maria Dillon

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Filed Under: bento, food, guest post, Review

Back to School

10 Sep posted by Jayme

Registering the girls for school this year was a chaotic process. I probably shouldn’t expect any less, but I guess I was being optimistic that it would be a smooth transition.

Meet the Teacher Night for the elementary school was while I was in NY, and Aaron didn’t go. Not that I blame him, first of all he was working nights, so the evening it took place he was at work. Secondly, I’d have felt like a weird creeper if I were a man going to open house with no kids.

The the kids and I went over to the school several days before it started. I was hoping to register the girls and get all the paperwork out of the way if at all possible. We were told to come back on the first day of school to enroll them. OK, no big deal.

The first day of school we show up and wait around for ages in the office, while people came in and out. I told the lady at the front desk why we were there when we arrived, and she ducked into an office. 25-30 minutes later, someone else came out and asked me why I was there. I told her. She points to another lady at a desk to the side of the front desk who was chatting with a cafeteria worker the entire time I was there. Because of how small the office was, I can assure you this was not an important school-related discussion.

Another 15 minutes goes by and they wrap up their conversation and decide to help me. Now, before I go on, I want to remind you that I have all four kids with me in this tiny office, and let you know that that there is a sign out front:

I probably don’t have to tell you how frazzled I was at this point or that I had absolutely no patience left.

When I finally talk to the woman who is to enroll my girls, she hands me two giant folders of papers, one for each kid- that need to be filled out before they can attend. I KNEW I needed to do something like this to register them! That’s why I tried to go BEFORE school started.

Then there was the storm, and with it power outages. We live just a couple blocks from the school and I believe they were affected for almost as long as we were. I know for a few days it was closed, and then they had a two hour delay for at least one day. Then there was Labor Day weekend.

BUT school is now in session and in full swing, so here is my official, albeit late, ‘First Day of School’ post!

: Lili’s first day of 4th grade………..Mia’s first day of 1st grade

The girls both like their new school, and even knew some of the kids in their classes already. There are several little girls in the neighborhood in Mia’s class, and a girl Lili’s played with on the playground in hers.
lunchday1 I packed their lunches, like always. They are using their Easy LunchBoxes again, but I did get them new SIGG water bottles this year. We went to the commissary the day before and I let the girls pick what they wanted in their lunches. They had bologna & cheese sandwiches that I cut with a puzzle sandwich cutter, carrots and dip in the small container, Teddy Grahams and yogurt covered raisins, a frozen Go-Gurt, and a little gummy candy.

The boys REALLY miss the girls while they are at school all day. And I really miss the extra hands! We have yet to get into a good routine, but I’m sure it will happen soon. They get very excited to pick their sisters up each afternoon.

This is getting long, and I haven’t even touched on the hair dying adventures of the night before school started… I’ll save that for another entry!

Ryan helping Lili with her things after the first day of school.

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Filed Under: bento, Lili, Mia, school

Bento Oct 4 – 13

14 Oct posted by Jayme

October 4:

For the girls:
Turkey & cheese sandwich with fruit strip butterflies, trail mix, chocolate covered sunflower seeds and a Halloween sugar cookie, frozen peas and corn and half of a hard boiled egg shaped like a bunny and dipped in soy sauce.

October 8:

For the girls:
The girls have salads with carrots, cheese and croutons. Ranch in the little containers. Applesauce in the lidded section, turkey on the picks, and veggie wheat thins… all in their new Sassy containers.

October 12:

For the girls:
The girls have salads with ranch, biscuit pizzas, fruit snacks and a Halloween cookie.
Recipe for the biscuit pizzas here.

October 13:

For the girls:
Crust-less PB&J decorated with fruit strips, Goldfish crackers, and a few chocolate covered sunflower seeds and tropical trail mix.

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Filed Under: bento

Bento: Sept 26 – 30

30 Sep posted by Jayme

September 26:

For the girls:
Egg salad in a whole wheat mini pita, Baby Bel cheese, carrots, and ranch in the dip container.
In the side car, a cream filled cake, vanilla yogurt covered raisins, raisins, and banana chips.

For Aaron:
Car shaped hard boiled egg, mini turkey pepperoni, carrots.
Two mini whole wheat pitas stuffed with egg salad, Baby Bel, ranch in the dip container.
Yogos, candy pumpkins, and Fritos.

September 27:

The girls have a whole wheat bagel with honey nut cream cheese, half of a hard boiled egg, string cheese, candy pumpkins, Wheat Thin Stix, fruitt snacks, dried apricots, cashews, and raisins.

Aaron also has a whole wheat bagel with honey nut cream cheese, cashews, candy pumpkins, peppered turkey, two hard boiled eggs, string cheese, two mini cupcakes, dried apricots and Yogos.

September 29:

The girls each have half of an egg salad sandwich with fruit strip decorations, Goldfish crackers, Baby Bel cheese, Mandarin oranges, a mini cupcake, vanilla yogurt covered raisins, and Wheat Thin Stix.

Aaron has an egg salad sandwich with fruit strips as decoration, Baby Bel cheese, Mandarin oranges, mini turkey pepperoni, Goldfish crackers, cashews, and a cupcake.