Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Refuel

There's no theme behind what went in today's bento lunches, they were just bits and bobs of what was in the fridge - I needed to use up the fresh foods before our family leaves for a camping trip.

Bella, Sprout & Birdie had sliced ham & mozzarella roll-ups, grapes, tomatoes & clementines on skewers, pea pod snacks I thought were cute but they didn't really care for, baby carrots, crackers (Goldfish for the little girls, Ritz for their big sister), and Bella also got cucumbers by request. Picky Pickle had a peanut butter sandwich puzzle (which he LOVED, thank you Lunch Punch!), yogurt, and an oatmeal cookie, cut into wedges to fit.

So what's with the title of this post then? ...Today's lunches were packed in lunch meat containers! ... If you've been thinking of packing bento-style lunches but hesitate to invest in containers, consider stocking up on lunch meats that come in reusable plastic containers - they work perfectly for bento lunches, and they aren't priced any higher than the lunch meats that don't come in containers. If you're going to be buying lunch meat anyways, why not reuse the packaging ? I usually buy Hillshire Farms Deli Select brand (as you can see above) and reuse the containers for Sailor Boy's lunches. Their Variety Pack, that Pickle's lunch is shown in, is about the same size as an Easy Lunchbox. The containers are actually Gladware so they're sturdy, seal well, and are microwaveable and top rack dishwasher safe - and I won't cry if they don't make it home or get destroyed somehow ;)

Well, it's s'mores and wienie roasts for my family for the next few days...

See you Monday!