Bento Lunch Box — Lunch Ideas and a free printable cheatsheet of meal combinations for busy moms. Checkout our favorite bento lunch boxes, prep essentials and lots of fun ideas for packing kid’s lunchboxes.
Bento Box Ideas
Are you a chicken nugget zombie robot mom? Have you fallen into the routine of reaching for a handful of frozen chicken bits shaped like dinosaurs or Mickey Mouse, popping them in the microwave… and thats lunch…. or dinner… or both! I’m totally guilty of this. We get busy and I need to make B something super quick, something I know he’ll eat without argument, so chicken nuggets have become a regular on our menu. But this year is gonna be different.
This year I’ve set my Back to School resolutions, which include:
- not showing up to drop-off in some half combination of pajamas
- making a kick-ass classroom snack that will make all the other moms jealous AF
- packing healthy (er!!) nutritious lunches that are still cool enough to eat with your friends
Does your kid give you the rundown of snacks that other kid’s moms pack for their friends? Mine does, and he’s in preschool people.
So this year will be the year I plan ahead and take-on the task of packing cool healthy lunches kids will approve. Starting with an awesome bento box.
Shop for Cool Kids Lunch Boxes
Here’s a round-up of one awesome ones:
And some lunch combinations for kids meals. I put together this cheat sheet for you as a guideline. Of course its not always gonna work out to include one of each food category. I have a pretty tough time working veggies into breakfast or lunch, so I try to mix them into dinner. Hey, do what works for you!
Bento Lunch Box Printable Cheat Sheet
More Lunch Ideas and Kids Snack Ideas
Lunchbox Hacks and Snacks for Back to School
Lunch Box Ideas That Are Fast & Fun
Mini Bites + Party Food Recipes Everyone Will Love
Ad: Back to School Meal Planning for Busy Moms
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Awesome cheat sheet here! I love a cute lunch box and it is so great how they all have proper seperate compartments now so no need for excess packaging!
I’m digging the cheat sheet. I love bento boxes, too and bought one for me. I think they are an awesome way to pack lunch.
I don’t have kids but I’m still pretty into the whole bento box idea! I’d do it for myself and my husband when we go to work and bring packed lunches. I’ve always liked the bento boxes that I see, yeah it takes effort but it’s also so adorable!
I love these ideas! I am always struggling with lunch ideas for my hubby. I need to print this out and save it! Thanks for the great ideas!
I have never had to pack a bento box. It looks so complicated to get a good mixture. I have always wanted a little lunch box though, they are so cute!
There is nothing better than getting a head start on what I will prepare for my kids for their lunches this upcoming school year! This post is getting bookmarked and I might even start doing this during the summer to get some practice! Thanks for these awesome tips!
These are great! My daughter will be starting school this year so I need help with ideas of what to send for lunch!
What a nifty idea. If I ever have a need to pack a lunch, I’ll take your advice.
I love these lunch boxes and I’m always looking for ways to spruce up my sons’ lunch options. My younger one is picky and tends to stick to the same foods all the time.
I love packing my own lunch, I always do when I am leaving the house. I like the ideas you are sharing, they look awesome. I like the black beans with rice and mango cup, just because mango is one of my favorite fruits.
My oldest daughter graduated last year, and my youngest is homeschooled, however I always packed their lunches bento style!
These are fun bento boxes, and I love the lunch printable sheet! I made a similar type of lunch sheet before and found it so helpful and help my kids make sure they packed a well-rounded meal.
I would have loved this when I was younger. Unfortunately I had to eat cafeteria lunch when I was growing up.
Good luck with your back to school resolutions I’m sure you can achieve them. The bento lunch ideas sound really yummy x
I love this post! I am container obsessed and I need a cheat sheet to keep everything sorted in my mind!
I’m definitely going to need this when the kiddos head back to school next month. Thanks for sharing it with us!
I love the bento boxes! I use them for my kids all the time! It makes it nice to add different foods and reminds me to mix it up for them.
When my kids were in school I used to make them bento lunches daily. They thought it was the best thing they’ve ever had, and I will for sure be doing it again come September and we send them back! So this is awesome and helpful! – Jeanine
These lunch boxes are amazing! The shape is perfect and they keep all foods separately!
I’ve seen lots of blog posts and social media shares about bento lunch boxes, but I’ve never tried one myself. This is a great ideas cheat sheet and would definitely make putting them together a lot easier!
Very simular to Yum Box’s here in Australia. Aparently they are fabulous 🙂
I so love doing this for lunch boxes. They are so colorful and adds to my appetite to eat
I pinned for when I have kids school age! Great tips and tricks! And cute boxes.
That’s such a good overview: it allows for healthy choices without being ‘boring’ for the kid. Love the variety.
I like the cheat sheet. It does look very useful. I have a new bento box for my daughter and need some new ideas!