Thursday, April 26, 2012

Disposable Field Trip Bento

Bella has a field trip today and needed a throw-away lunch. We did have brown paper bags, but no plastic baggies, so I packed everything in a plastic basket the grape tomatoes came in, lined with a coffee filter. I figure that's better than baggies anyways, it will protect her lunch from getting squished by her drink or other lunches - and it's re-using something :) Lunch itself is pretty uninteresting - she has fig newtons, half an apple fruit leather roll, cheese (under the) grape tomatoes, a whole carrot cut in 2, and a mini bagel:


For her drink, I washed out and refilled a water bottle from our recycling bin and put a fun new label on it.  I re-labeled the tomato basket too - just to make it a little bit cute :)  I also instructed Bella to look around to see if there was a recycling bin before tossing anything in a trash bin.


While I was packing the tomato basket, Bella decorated her paper bag. I think she's actually going to enjoy the novelty of this disposable lunch! 


I didn't get creative with her lunch (unless you count the label - which I don't) but here are a few links to some fellow bloggers who did make some cute disposable bentos to go :

The disposable bento Ludicrous Mama of Biting The Hand That Feeds You made for her daughter's field trip to a local Children's Museum was inspired by a book they had just read in her preschool class, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss.   

Shannon of What's For Lunch At Our House has made a few field trip bentos, including this astronaut themed one, and a bear face in a reused take-out box.

Sheri of Happy Little Bento has packed many disposable bentos for her son, and has lots of examples of recycling containers for bento - like this Ponyo bento packed in a recycled bowl and blueberry basket.

Keeley of Keeley McGuire dressed up her daughter's recycled strawberry basket bento with a personalized label, and a Hello Kitty ribbon - which also helped keep the container closed.
How do you pack your kidlets' lunches for field trip days? Does your school request a disposable lunch, or provide a box or bagged lunch?

13 comments:

  1. That is a wonderful idea! I'm going to start saving containers!

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  2. Disposable and nut-free. Which is hard to remember, since she doesn't take lunches to school, other than field-trip days.
    So I only have to worry about being nut-free for my 4 snack-days per year... and since I'm not in the mood to cut out 20 cute little PBJs, it's easy to be nut-free for snack! (And since there's no one in either of her classes with an actual allergy, we don't have to find packaged foods that weren't cross-contaminated at the factory. As long as nuts aren't in the ingredients, we're good.)

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  3. I love this idea and the lunch looks great!!! I am super impressed. Thanks for the great suggestion!

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  4. Ok, what a great idea! And a reminder of the fact that I really lack creativity. Thanks for the inspiration and the reminder to think outside the box. I'm definitely going to do this!

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  5. Very nice! I just made a disposable one this morning - I've always loved Sheri's bentos! ^^

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  6. Thanks for including me! :) Great post and ideas!! Love the lunch for Bella - even disposable, it's still lovely and colorful, as always. :)

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  7. I love the idea of disposable bentos~ I wash the plastic mineral water bottles and fill them again with kettle water :)

    Oliko

    http://cutiepiecooking.blogspot.com

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  8. I especially love the labels you put on the container and water bottle. What a special and personal touch. She's sure to remember the care you put into her lunches forever!

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  9. Love the personalised labels and -of course- the bag!

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  10. Brilliant as always ladies!

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  11. Anonymous5/15/2013

    The cute lunch bears and what not are very Japanese. But the idea about reusing strawberry and tomato containers with coffee filters/cupcake holders is brilliant!! I love it I was really stressed about how to make my field trip lunches as we always eat whole foods. Your site saved me a night time trip to the store! THank you so much

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