If you follow me on Instagram you probably already know that I pack my kids a bento lunch each day for school.
Bento lunches are compartmentalized to make it easier to pack a healthy, simple and fun lunch.
It takes away the need for plastic baggies, and paper sacks…which makes me feel like a good Mom for being more eco-wise and it also helps save me money.
The bento boxes that I use and LOVE are called Easy Lunch Boxes and you can purchase them on Amazon. They come in a pack of 4 which is great. They are dishwasher safe, extremely sturdy, and also very kid friendly.
But guess what?!{Giveaway Now Closed}
I’m going to give you the chance to win a whole set for yourself! That includes a special Insulated Tote Bag that can fit up to 3 easy lunch boxes and comes in a variety of colors!
What’s even cooler is Easy Lunch Boxes has now come out with these Mini Dippers which are leak proof containers that fit perfectly into your Easy Lunch Box to hold dips, sauces, or whatever you want to! (these unfortunately aren’t included in the giveaway, but you can buy them on Amazon here and they’re only $7.95 for a pack of 8.)
Now I wont have to use those throw away sauce containers anymore! {bonus!}
So here are just a few more examples of the different lunches that I’ve made for my kids over the past few months. {these are all taken on my iPhone, so sorry for the lack in quality, but you get the idea}
And believe me… they come home empty each day! No waste!
This is a “Build Your Own Tostada” Bento. We had tostadas the night before, so I love to use leftovers for their lunches. Notice the little container of sour cream… can’t wait to use the new Mini Dippers instead!
This is a Chicken Bacon Ranch English Muffin Pizza that I quickly made that morning.
I just grabbed an English muffin, put some ranch on it, then some leftover shredded chicken and a little bit of those packaged bacon crumbles. Then I topped it with mozzarella diced tomato and some green onion and threw it under the broiler for a few minutes.
It’s fun to just be able to throw together something real quick and use up what’s in your fridge. That’s what I love so much about these boxes!
Another example of leftovers becoming lunch! My kids love baked potatoes and we had one left over so I threw a half in each box with a little cottage cheese. I like to give them some fruit or veggies each day as well as once in a while I’ll throw in a treat. This time it was some white chocolate pumpkin spiced popcorn I made the other day. (yum!)
Here’s an example of how you can re-create those already packaged lunches into a healthier one that’s more filling and costs way less.
I took one whole wheat pita and cut it into a few pieces, then gave them some pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and some diced pepperoni (which was actually just some leftover summer sausage) so they could have a “Create Your Own Pizza” box. My kids really loved this one!
Can you tell I love to use leftovers to make my kid’s lunch? This is my Taco Night turns into “Taco Bento Lunch!” I just used the leftover Taco Night fixin’s to create a taco wrap and closed it together with one of their favorite things… olives on a toothpick.
Seriously- my kids are weird about their love for olives.
Ok, so sometimes I wake up in an extra nice mood and make my kids a hot breakfast before school. This day I made them a batch of crepes and had some leftover… so yeah… Crepes Bento! It’s also becoming that time of year when those cute little oranges are in season, so those will be making a big appearance in their lunches too.
Oh, and I just buy my kids string cheese, but cut them into little cubes cause I’m weird like that.
So I hope now you have some ideas of how easy it is to pack a healthy lunch for your kids, and you’re totally pumped to win a set for yourself!
Easy Lunch Boxes are the #1 best selling lunch boxes on Amazon.com, where you can get free shipping in the US! So don’t delay in getting a set (or two), cause they sell out fast!
disclaimer: I received a set of Easy Lunch Boxes and tote bag and Easy Lunch Boxes is providing a set to the winner. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Halloween Marshmallow Pops
tree
i like that they are BPA-free!
Ashley
I like that they have separate compartments! My kids are so picky about things touching.
Erin
I love that they are a set of 4 with different colors. We have 4 kids and it will be great to know whose is whose.
Jamie vigil
Dishwasher safe!
Julia A
No BPA, Lead, Vinyl or PVC!
Tammy S
I like the size, the price, that they are dishwasher-safe, and I like the different colors. 🙂
Marie-France
I love the convenience of these! I want some!!!!
Sarah Jane
I would use it for packed lunches.
Haley S
They are so organized and make food look and taste better! (:
Melissa H.
No sandwich bags! And I can toss them in the dishwasher …
jessy
Oh…the compartments!
Elaine
I love that the ELB system is divided and that I don’t need to use plastic bags!
Jennifer
I love that they are BPA free!
Nina
I love the different sized compartments!
Amanda H
That they don’t cost a lot!
Wehaf
I love the divided sections – it makes it easy to pack a whole lunch in one container.
Rebecca K
i like that they are inexpensive
Leslie
A variety of foods can be packed with only one container to keep track of and wash.
Heather Christensen
I would love to send myself and my kids off to school with a bento lunch! These all look delicious. 🙂
Stefani
I love that they’re simple, good for us, & good for the environment. 🙂
Stephanie
I love the colors and how easy it is to make sure the kids aren’t getting too much food. That’s a big problem with me.
Mary Elizabeth
Would love to have some of these for my lunches at work!
Lindsay
I love how perfect they would be for me to take lunches for me and my toddler when we’re out all day!
Ashley
I just love the Bento idea. My kids are always envious of the Lunchables that others bring to school but I cannot feed them that food! These boxes would be perfect for my family!
Julia@cookandburn.com
I do go through quite a few plastic baggies packing lunches for 4 kids 5x a week! It would be nice to use something more eco-friendly.
M.
I love that the lids are easy to open. My poor kids sometimes have trouble getting into their lunches. :\
Meagan Cooper
I am a fan on FB
Meagan Cooper
Thats easy, DISHWASHER SAFE! nothing beats that in my book!
Tracey
I really like these! I love the built-in portion control they provide and the neatness and organization factors are very appealing, too. We homeschool, but I could still see myself using these to simplify lunches for my hubby as well as the girls and myself.
barbara n
Easy to pack and good for the environment!
Amie
I think these cute little things would make it more fun for the kids to eat…it would make lunches more exciting!
Stephanie
I started packing bento lunched for the boy and normally it is just leftovers with some snacks. Love what you have for your kids here!
Sheree
I like the simplicity and affordability. Also, love making freezer meals with the easy lunch boxes. Great for taking to work and popping in the microwave.
Terri
I like that they are affordable and easy to open with kid-friendly lids!
Eden Allison
I love the idea of being sble to put different itms in one container without it all getting mixed together. That means it should all fit in their lunch box! Both of my girls struggle to open containers so I’m excited that it says they are easy open kid friendly lids.
Kara
I like that they store nicely together!
Melisa
dishwasher safe! woot!
Carly Trythall
I am a freak about my food touching and have passed that on to my kiddos. I LOVE that there are compartments for your food so nothing will get soggy or touch! Great post!
Kelly Lester (EasyLunchboxes)
Hi Carly,
I published a guest post on my blog about food touching you may be interested in: http://www.easylunchboxes.com/blog/fear-of-food-touching-is-manageable-with-compartmentalized-containers/
Maria Guzman
Love these Bento boxes. It does make sending a child to school with a varied lunchbox a whole lot neater. They have enough to lug around in their rucksucks without a bulky lunchbox too.
Ala
I love these ideas–I’m a huge bento-er as well, and my sense of anticipation for (future) child-rearing has inordinately excited by this post… 😛