Well, is everyone enjoying being back to school and work after the holidays? Shmoo went off to his partnership school today (he attends a once-a-week school for home-schoolers), and was excited to finally be packing a lunch in his new Red Kitty Bento Set from I Love Obento. His favorite animals are cats and tigers, so he loves the cat on the outside of the box.He packs his own lunches now, with a little prep help from mom. Today he chose vegan chik'n nuggets, potato salad balls filled with mixed veggies, baby carrots, and edamame. In the top tier he packed strawberries and kiwi. I had mixed the fruits together, but he insisted on separating them and placing a plastic divder in between (and that's why we were late to school, honest...)
Here's the bento all put together and nestled into its matching bento bag. It turned out that the top tier sits farther down into the bottom container than we thought, so we had to take out some of the baby carrots and rearrange things. Verdict: I was worried; would that little bento box really hold enough food for a 10 year old? Shmoo reassures me that it was more than enough to make him full; he couldn't even finish the last potato salad ball. But still, the first thing he said when I went to pick him up was, "I'm hungry!" 5 meows.
Cute Bento! Love the potato salad balls BTW! Delicious!
ReplyDeleteawww loves it. my kinda lunch box...and strawberries to boot!
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to try those potato salad balls. They sound perfect for when we are at our homeschool group's park day. I was just wondering how you keep the fruit cool. In the summer the kids will be taking art lessons where they have to pack a lunch. I would love to get them Bento boxes, but I am worried about keeping the food fresh in the heat.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear shmoo makes his own vegan lunch boxes now! That one looks particularly delicious, kid-friendly and nutritios! Do you teach him yourself? How do you find the time to home school him? Is he enjoying it? Thanks! =)
ReplyDeleteshmoo is 10?? how did that happen?!
ReplyDeleteIt's usually hard to get excited about boxed lunches! Thanks for the inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteIs there a recipe for the potato salad balls? I can't find it anyplace and it sounds divine.
ReplyDeleteThanks! For this and all your other inspiring posts and book....
RS
I'm charmed to hear that Shmoo packs his own lunch now with help from you. What a cool kid. And what a great bento!
ReplyDeleteWow, I can see I need to step up in the lunchbox department. My poor kids get pretty much the same thing every day for weeks at a time. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeletelooks super yummy!
ReplyDeleteon a side note... OMG! Schmoo is 10 years old now? It seems like only yesterday when it was his first day at school! kids grow up so fast. O_O;;
I love the kitty bento box with matching bag. So very cute.
ReplyDelete>>I was just wondering how you keep the fruit cool.
ReplyDeleteEverything was cold in the lunch box, and it's the middle of winter so I honestly didn't worry about it. But if it were warm at all I would have included an ice pack. I Love Obento also has these great bentos with gel in the lids. You stick the lids in the freezer and they act as ice packs:
http://shop.iloveobento.com/products/gel-cool-earth-bento-boxes
>>Is there a recipe for the potato salad balls? I can't find it anyplace and it sounds divine.
ReplyDeleteIt's from "The Manga Cookbook". I've also written a different, vegan version for my forthcoming book, so stay tuned...
>>shmoo is 10?? how did that happen?!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I ask myself that same question all the time!
>>Do you teach him yourself? How do you find the time to home school him? Is he enjoying it?
ReplyDeleteHis dad teaches him Spanish and I cover the rest. Lately it's been very hard to find the time, but I'm hoping it will get easier now that I'm almost done with my book. He enjoys it compared to going to school, but he still hates math.
Hey! I just bought that exact same bento box from that site :) Great minds think alike!
ReplyDeleteThat bento is so adorable. I love cats and tigers too!
ReplyDeleteI really ought to get a bento of my own for my work lunches.
Thanks for the link. I am off to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThat is a super cute bento box! I was on a mission to find some when I was in Tokyo back in September, didn't know about that site! :)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThis is Emily from Wheeler's Frozen Dessert Co.! Sorry about maybe misusing the comments section since I couldn't find a public email address on your site. I am writing to ask if you would be interested in participating in our next project.
Beginning in January, we will be interviewing fellow vegan bloggers, bakers, and cooks as part of a "behind-the-scenes" glimpse into vegan food & lifestyles. We'd be thrilled to let our readers know about the great resource that is "Vegan Lunch Box," and to better get to know the supermom behind it! We may be a vegan ice cream company, but we like health too. We use all fresh ingredients in our products, and we think our blog readers would love to hear from another health-conscious maker-of-yum such as yourself.
The interviews will be published on our blog, every two or three weeks, depending on the number of interviews conducted. Questions asked may range in topic from food and recipes to relationships, and as you may know, we here at Wheeler's love to stir up a little trouble, so be warned that some of the questions may be a little risque!
Anyway, if you're interested in participating, please let me know! We'll be sure to forward further details about the interview shortly. Thank you!
Emily
Wheeler's Frozen Dessert Co.
334B Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
P 617-247-0047 / icecreamproject.com
wheelersblacklabelveganicecream.blogspot.com
I have this bento box on a wishlist for myself! It's so cool! I was wondering though, will it leak if turned on its side or upside down while there is food in it? And how do you like the elastic band thing as opposed to a snap closure?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, seeing such beautifully created food inside the bento box makes me want it even more. (^_^) This site is so inspirational, I love it.
It sealed just okay. For drier food like this it was great, but the inside lid was pretty loose so I wouldn't put anything liquid, like pudding or yogurt, in it. The band held everything together nicely. It's really adorable!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love bentos. I use them for my daughter and myself. I wish I could pack them for my 15yo and soon to be 14 yo sons, however a bento would have to be the size of a carry-on to fill those boys up. Enjoy that 10 year old before he starts eating you out of house and home :)!
ReplyDeleteI love that bento box!
ReplyDeletei love the pictures! much more inspirational seeing instead of just reading what others are eating.
ReplyDelete