Thinking Outside the Bento Box

First, let me say "I'm sorry" if all of my words don't come out correctly in this post. As I sit here in my husband's hospital room, I'm running on 3.5 hours of sleep. Here I sit: Typing on the iPad, chair positioned towards the window. A view of the skyline - the tall, stately buildings just a few blocks away. Watching the daylight trying to brighten the wet, dark clouds that are scurrying by. You see, my husband is having an unexpected appendectomy this morning. Went to Urgent care last night, got sent to the ER at 9:30, someone stayed at home with our sleeping kids. Appendicitis diagnosed at 11:30, got a hospital room at 12:30, surgery time got scheduled at 1am. I went home, relieved the babysitter, slept for 3.5 hours, got the kids up, took the dog out, did Starbucks drive-thru for breakfast & COFFEE, handed kids off to another friend, got to the hospital to be with my Love. Surgery was scheduled for 8am, and yet we still wait.

Back to the lunch that I created for our kiddos yesterday. Thinking outside the bento box, here is a packaged lunch (which is all that a bento lunch really is): thermos full of taco soup, carrots (veggie), mandarin orange (fruit). Tada! A non-traditional packed lunch.

Numerous times at dinner, my kids will incredulously exclaim to me, "Oh, Mom! This is SOOO good! Can I have it tomorrow for lunch?!" If your kid is one of those people that eat leftovers, then this opens up numerous possibilities for lunch-making!

Invest in a GOOD thermos, one that will keep the food hot until your child's lunchtime. The night before, pack the veggies and fruits in the lunchbox, and place it in the refrigerator. I always leave the lunchbox unzipped, so that I remember to put an ice pack or thermos inside before sending the child to school. In the morning, preheat the thermos with hot water. Meanwhile, reheat the food to a hotter temperature than you would normally serve your child. Then dump the water out of the thermos, and fill with preheated food. Lastly, don't forget to pack a spoon!