For a while now I have wanted to try out the Bento lunchbox craze that has begun. Inspired by Capture By Lucy's beautiful photos, I thought the idea of making mealtimes fun and playful would suit us greatly as I am always looking for ways to spark the children's imaginations. When I was challenged by Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community to come up with a healthy but original meal for under £10, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try.
As we are currently re-doing our garden I decided to go for a garden themed lunchbox, as we lucked out with the weather so were able to enjoy them in the garden too! I scoured Pinterest for some ideas and then wrote my list and with the help of my mum, we all took a trip to the shops.
So I head to my local Asda, which is a great size and has lots of products and deals on offer, and first hit the lunchbox aisle to find something suitable. There were lots of selection from plain clear Tupperware boxes to Fireman Sam and Peppa Pig adorned containers. I opted for simple but bright square box with an easy-to-remove lid - pink for H and blue for J.
Next I scoured the utensil section and found some bright silicone bun cases to use to make little sections in the tub. Check out my Google+ Album for more photos.
Using my garden concept as inspiration I purchased a few green groceries as well as brighter fruit for flowers and sliced beef to represent the soil as well as provide some sustenance.
Back home I started by lining the boxes with grass (lettuce) used a sharp knife to cut out leaves (cucumber slices) and added flowers (strawberries) on top. I created more flowers (kiwi) and then placed petals (mango) around the edge. I used a cookie cutter to cut out some trees (bread), then placed this on top of the mud (beef slices). I then filled the gap with podded peas, which are always fun for the children to pick.
We sat outside on the deck and then children happily stuffed their faces. They are huge fruit fans so this went down first, followed by the bread and beef. H pointed out all the shapes as she went along and they both seemed to enjoy the new experience.
For me, creating the food was great fun, I love anything creative and a bit different and I can definitely see me trying out more in the future. Although J enjoyed the different way of eating I think he is a bit young to really understand it. It was great for H to explore colours, textures and shapes. And they didn't even realise how healthy it all was!
