I put a lot of effort into my lunches. I don’t make them as elaborate as some of my bento heroes do, but they are always very colorful and nutritious. I want the kids to open their lunchboxes and see all the colorful fruits and veggies and be happy to eat that and not come home whining about why I don’t pack them potato chips or cookies in their lunches like some of the other kids get. So far it is working! I get a lot of happy feedback from my 5 year old and empty lunchboxes when they return home at the end of the day.
The big payoff here though, is that my kids are expecting healthy food in their lunches. After 6 months of this, their idea of a lunchbox is some protein, a dairy, a carb, and tons and tons of fruit and veggies. This is important to me because I am trying to develop the habit of choosing healthy foods. I want this choice to be their intuition. I struggle with my weight (due to food choices and portion sizes) as do others in our family. I don’t want my kids to struggle. I want them to make the healthy choice 90% of the time and relish the junk food in moderation for the other 10%.
My girlie was going to gymnastics camp at the NAC last week for President’s Day off and she wanted to pack her own lunch. I sat back with a cup of tea and let her go to work. This is what I watched her create:
My 5 year old’s Bento – She made this herself!
She’s 5! Ok, almost 5 and a half! 
She’s chose to make an Elephant sandwich using a lunch punch and foodoodler markers. I helped her press down on the lunch punch, but she made the sandwich and colored it herself. She says it is Dumbo and his mama wearing red dresses to go to the circus. SHE chose broccoli and washed it herself. She washed her own berries and grapes and even cut off the strawberry stems using a butter knife. She chose carrots and put a little mini muffin liner with some low-fat ranch. I offered her some crackers or something snacky and she said no. She only wanted healthy foods in her lunch that day. She was so proud of her lunch and I was proud of her for making it herself!
The fact that she chose these foods instead of whining for junk food… this is my dream come true! It tells me I am on the right path with feeding my kids. It gives me hope that they will take good care of their bodies. And it also helps remind me why I manage my weight so closely… she’s watching!
Also, note that she packed a rainbow for herself: red strawberries, orange carrots, yellow cheese (inside sandwich), green broccoli, blueberries, and purple grapes!
This lunch was packed in an EasyLunchbox, our go-to fave at home.
