Posts in Bento Babies
Back to School Bento Babies

It was a big week in the Heath house last week. 

2 boys, 2 new uniforms and 2 pairs of sparkly new shoes. How have my boys got such large feet for such tiny boys?!

I wanted to make their first lunches special – for Sammy a big school Bento box (as he is used to having Bento style lunches at pre school – you see lots of his lunches here) and for Ollie a fishy adventure in a packed lunch!

Ollie is attending the same pre school that Sammy has just graduated from. They each have a label with their name on and a symbol to help them recognise it. Ollie is an octopus! So now he is known as "Jolly Ollie Octopus" – how lovely!

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There were no tears from either of them, just beaming smiles and empty lunch boxes at pick up time.

It's great to see so many parents embracing the principle of Bento. I am a huge fan and have been bleating on about the great ways that with a little time, effort and creativity on your part, you can go a long way to expanding their taste buds, get their 5 portions of fruit and veg into them in potentially one sitting, and make lunch more fun.

Great Little Trading Company are big fans of the Bento principle too and wrote this very lovely post promoting healthy eating with hint and tips referencing this Bento Babies feature on my blog.

It's a great way to stop you getting bored of making the same old ham sandwiches every day!

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Featured in the big boy school Bento Babies box: 

  • Flatbread with ham and chorizo slices
  • Babybel cheese
  • Fromage frais raspberry pouch
  • Fresh strawberries
  • Mini cocktail sausages
  • Cheese fish crackers
  • Dried orange fruit buttons
  • Cranberries and raisins
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In a smaller boy's first day at pre school Fishy Adventure Bento Babies box: 

  • Flatbread with tuna (for the beach!)
  • Babybel cheese hiding under mini pop tarts
  • Mini cocktail sausages
  • Strawberries and orange fruit buttons
  • Lots of fish crackers in the sea! 
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You can see I used almost identical ingredients but presented them slightly differently. 

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I am thrilled to see so many Bento ideas being shared on Facebook and Twitter so please do link up your ideas – tweet them to me using #BentoBabies and I will pin them to the Pinterest board.

Great Little Trading Company are offering lovely Bento Babies fans 15% off any order over £50 with the code GOLDFISH in honour of the fishy adventure lunch idea!

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This post was kindly sponsored by Great Little Trading Company,

Winner of the Best Children's Retailer 2013 at the UK's Mail Order Industry Awards

(for the sixth year running!)

Owl Bento Babies

With all the summer holiday fun, I have realised it's been a little while since I posted a Bento Babies idea!

Over the summer the boys have been eating lots of snack teas and lunches and I always follow the basic principles of Bento, I just keep forgetting to take some photos!

You can read all about Bento Babies here, if you are wondering what on earth I am on about! 

I love how presentation makes such a difference at their young ages. That all from a little effort from me, I can get them trying new foods and save me going mad from preparing the same old lunches every day! 

Bento isn't just for packed lunches for school goers. I have followed the basic ideas since I weaned Ollie.

Small portions (remember one portion for them is their fist, not yours), colour, shapes, creativity! 

Last month was heavy on ends of eras. There were lots of goodbyes last month.  You can read about them here.

My big boy flew the nest too. The Little Owls Pre School nest! 

He adored his lunch on the last day of school! 

An owl bento. 

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Featured in this Bento Babies box: 

  • Body - ham and cheese sesame seed burger bap
  • Eyes - sliced hard boiled egg
  • Beak - dried sliced mango
  • Claws - chorizo
  • Ears - strawberries
  • Wings - dried apricots
  • Branch - brown bread finger sandwich
  • I added parsley for the tree but that was for decoration! 
  • The cracker letters are by Cheez-It

I added a couple of other bits to his bag including an apple and a yoghurt. 

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There are lots of ideas on my Bento babies page including this seaside lunch!  

Cold pasta is such a great lunch filler! 

If you are often struggling for new ideas for snack teas try ticking off a few of these. 

Happy Bentoing everyone! 

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Cheerful Summer Bento

When I made up this Bento Babies lunch box for Sammy I realised how colourful it was and how cheerful it made me feel! 

Just like how we all feel when the summer sun shines.

If you have never heard of Bento Babies click here for more!  

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Featured in this Bento Babies box:

  • Pineapple ring
  • Babybel
  • Sliced carrot
  • Grapes (which I promptly cut in half after I photographed it all)
  • Dried mango
  • Watermelon fruit jellies
  • Pear
  • Broccoli floret
  • Cauliflower floret
  • Ham wrap rolls
  • Fruit smoothie melts
  • Dried pineapple

 

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I have no idea what I will be eating today for my lunch! I shall be meeting my sponsor for BritMums Live, Imotiv in a little café, after meeting my Cousin's new baby Cordelia! They live in Kenya but have had the baby in London and live minutes from the conference venue! 

I can't wait to tell you all about my trip to the conference and good luck to everyone in the Brilliance in Blogging Awards. I have my gracious loser face at the ready!