As we talk about Back-to-school we simply have to mention lunches. This year I’m going to do a little more than mention it though as we delve into great lunch ideas and in an effort to go completely green in the lunch department, Bento will be key. From supplies to recipes and great sites for you to use as resources, we’re going green and Bento all over the place!!!

Care to take the plunge with me? Great!! Today, we’re going to look at the basic supplies and where to buy them.

Going Bento is not as challenging as it may seem, or as expensive. I admit I was so lost at first. I loved the idea of doing bento type lunches for my family, but I was struggling with the “hows” and “where-to-buys”.

In keeping with my standard back-to-school shopping advice, you have to “think outside the box” more than ever here. From where to shop for Bento boxes and supplies to how to creatively package daily lunches (without going crazy). While you’re thinking outside the box however, keep in mind that there’s a lot of products out there and you’ll be building your Bento supply box over time.

Start with the Box!

Finding the perfect box may seem daunting, but there’s simple solutions for those who are just starting. Here’s some ideas.

EasyLunchboxes is probably the simplest of them all! Last fall they sent me a set of their fantastic lunchboxes and it was an amazing introduction for me into the world of Bento. Alas, my life was so crazy at the time I wasn’t able to fully appreciate it or share it with all of you until now, but I’m so excited to do so.

Since these boxes are already compartmentalized you will have no problem building a cute lunch without needing an excess of supplies. Just purchase a set of these sturdy, durable boxes (comes in a set of 4 for around $14.99 – WOW!) and a couple little bento goodies and you’re totally ready to send up to four kids back to school for under $20.

Local Finds

Search for local shops (specialty, Walmart, Target, etc) and even look at garage sales, Craigslist, etc for bento options. If you can buy locally (and if their prices aren’t through the roof), you won’t have to worry about shipping costs and of course there’s the whole supporting local businesses idea to feel good about.

More Box Shopping

Feel like you want to take the plunge even deeper into bento? Check out AllThingsForSale.com a surprising little online Bento store that has simply amazing prices!

There’s a lot of creative solutions there and while it may seem daunting, I hope to offer a little more information on these over the next few months as we try some out ourselves.

Though there are tons and tons of places to shop here’s just a couple links to keep you going:

• Amazon.com - offers very cute bento boxes and accessories at definitely affordable prices!
• Ebay – honestly a fabulous place to shop for bento just use the normal cautions (ie: beware of sellers that gouge you for shipping or have low feedback ratings).
• The Container Store – another surprising find with amazing options!
• http://megasuperbento.ecrater.com/ - haven’t shopped here but got the suggestion from a few bento sites.
• Bento&Co – admittedly not the cheapest place to shop for bento but definitely unique.

Accessories

Wondering where on earth to begin? Well it all depends on how in depth you want to go right off the bat, but frankly I recommend keeping it simple. Although all accessories are truly optional, I do recommend that you at least start with silicone cupcake cups (can be found literally at any store that sells cooking supplies or online) or food separators of some sort (usually purchased in bento specialty shops or online at the stores I mentioned). Most can be purchased at any of the above mentioned ideas/links.

• Bag – if you buy boxes that don’t have one you may want to find something that fits the containers and a thermos or drink container for portability.
• Picks – the ultimate accessory for cuteness and keeping small food (grapes, olives, etc) where you want it to be in the box.
• Sandwich Cutters – not all boxes fit standard sized bread and let’s face it kids love shaped sandwiches!!! This is an affordable, simple and fun option to have.

More on Lunch

Be on the lookout for future posts that expand on ideas, suggestions, accessories and more all to do with Bento! Also, I plan to feature some fun lunch ideas over the next few weeks that are (of course!) simple simple simple!!!

Boys definitely have a tendency to think they are starving… ALL.THE.TIME. It doesn’t just kick in during the pre-teen years, nope, it starts at birth with many of them (though it kicks in a little later for a few).

Since I do not have an “open kitchen” policy, we occasionally have some interesting moments!  You should probably know right off that my boys actually are NOT starving EVER, they know that there are certain foods they are always welcome to grab and eat (fruit, carrots, cheese) for those moments of desperation.

But occasionally, apparently there are things in that kitchen that are tempting beyond the ability to resist. Especially for a 5 year old in the face of … Cheerios.

Although I reminded the little “thief” of our “please talk to mom” policy, I found myself more amused than anything else. Of all the things to sneak, Cheerios is definitely not an unhealthy option.

I probably have photos somewhere of each one of our boys as toddlers eating Cheerios. Either at a restaurant, in their high chair for snack or out of a snack cup watching a movie. It was definitely the “go-to” snack for all of them.

I grew up eating Cheerios, my kids have grown up eating Cheerios, and while I imagine it’s possible, I doubt there are many who have not and do not eat Cheerios.

A couple months ago, I posted about how we use Cheerios for a base to make some very fun Trail Mix when we are going on day trips and such.  As I was thinking about it more though, I realized that the reason we prefer original Cheerios around here is that it does make it so versatile for everyday use.

When the kids want to make a bowl of cereal, inevitably they will reach for the Cheerios because they know they can choose to eat it with fruit in it. We typically have a lot of fresh fruit around here, and I think the favorite would be a toss up between bananas and strawberries for mixing in with their morning Cheerios.

Other fun options though:

• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Mango
• Kiwi

And the list goes on. Don’t forget about dried fruit too. The kids love that mixture of crunchy fruit in with their Cheerios sometimes.

So…. how does your family eat Cheerios???

Disclosure: I am part of the Cheerios Blogger Circle and occasionally receive promotional products as a participant. Although they occasionally ask me to post on a particular topic, all information and opinions are absolutely my own! You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Expanding on the information about health, wellness and feeding your family I have joined the writing team at Mom Central Food. My first post went up today and it’s all about starting good eating habits young.

Feel free to hop on over and share your thoughts too…see you there!

I truly feel honored to be able to introduce all of you to some truly amazing products throughout the year.

Last week I talked about how we cook toast around here and I got some very fun responses!

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Large Family post, so I thought it was due . I know what you’re thinking … “but an entire large family post on toast?”. Yes indeed! Toast is served most mornings around here. In fact the only mornings I can think of that I don’t make it are those when I make granola instead.

The boys’ all time favorite toast is Cinnamon and Sugar of course, but they RARELY get it. Their Daddy is still trying to convince them that he invented it … none of them have fallen for it yet (I think they got wind that I grew up eating it too and they’re just a little too logical). He says it’s different than the toast I had as a child since his is called “Special toast” LOL.

My hubby just asked me yesterday morning if I ever thought in my life I’d be making toast in the oven. My reply… I didn’t even know it was possible until it became necessary.

A toaster or toaster oven worked great when we had four children! But with 6 we started running into some SERIOUS time issues! When my boys get up in the morning, especially the little ones, they want to eat NOW, not in 20 minutes (about the length of time it would take for a 4 slice toaster to crank out enough toast). It became a very tedious task to butter and dole out phase after phase of toast that way.

I like to feed them a solid and healthy meal, and because I end up doing a couple different breakfast shifts with CJ needing to be off to school an hour earlier than the elementary boys, this still works well. I can make oatmeal or eggs on the stovetop and I broil toast in the oven. Twelve slices at a time – woohoo!

I know that probably sounds like a lot of bread for most families, but it is the PERFECT amount for my 6 guys (and hubby if he’s still home) and it cooks in half the time! In less than 10 minutes the toast will be ready. It does require some extra attention though since it needs to be turned over and pulled out before it overcooks, but I love how quickly it’s ready. When it’s done, I form an assembly line of buttering and dishing up, then we’re good to go!

So there you have a large family’s take on toast!

For all of you who have wondered what it looks like when 6 boys sit down to eat .

I thought it would be fun to give you all a great tip this week ~ ok 2!  I’m forever talking about menu planning (and have the resources for a few great ones in my right sidebar), but there can still be some complications if you don’t have a few things organized.

Tip One ~ Organizing the meal plan:

If you are using a meal planner, print out that week’s meals and assign a day to them all, write the name of the meal on your calendar and have a specific spot you keep each week’s recipes.  It’s best if you have one day set aside that you read through, organize and shop for the following week’s recipes.  This also applies to those who would like to print out meals a month in advance and for those who are not using a meal planner.

Be strategic about the meals you assign to each day, keeping in mind variety, activities and meat thawing time (see below).  You may have family members that do NOT want to have chicken 2 nights in a row and if there are 2 mexican meals you may want to spread those out a bit too.

Tip two ~ the answer to a common problem: not getting out frozen meat in time to thaw in the fridge. 

Gone are the days where were we could pull meat out of the freezer in the morning to thaw on the counter for that evening’s meal.  Now we are supposed to thaw all of our meat in the fridge which requires a lot more planning ahead!  Most meat takes 24 to 48 hours to fully thaw in the refrigerator, more if it is a very large item like a turkey. 

There are quick ways to thaw meat and it isn’t unheard of to use the microwave’s defrost settings, but I personally don’t love the inconsistent temperature of the meat I pull out (the edges are cooked and it’s still frozen in the middle making it a funny combination of rubbery and not ready)

So, here’s my recommendation:  As you are going through that week’s recipes write a note on the recipe telling yourself what meat you need to get a day or two before!  So if you’re going to need that frozen chicken on Friday and it takes 2 days to thaw write it down on the bottom of the meal page for Wednesday.  If you aren’t using recipe pages you can also write this information on your calendar!!!

Another tip along these lines would be to plan meals using fresh and frozen meat strategically so that you are using up the fresh meat at the beginning of the week and giving yourself plenty of time to get the frozen meat thawed for the end of the week meals!

Happy Meal Planning!

I get asked all the time how in the world we feed all these boys! This had me thinking and I decided that I will try to post a weekly dinner menu when I think of it for you. I don’t mind making recipes available, just ask.

How much to they eat? Welll for starters many of them are fairly young and/or still self-proclaimed non-meat-eaters – LOL! Our 11 year old usually eats quite a bit more than me and our 8 year old is quickly catching up to him. Our 7 year old it a bitty-thing and won’t touch meat right now – dinner can be interesting with him! Our 3 year old eats breakfast and lunch great but isn’t so sure why we serve the things we do for dinner – after all we should have PB&J for ALL meals! The babies are still fairly new to the whole eating big people food thing, so they don’t eat a lot yet.

This week’s menu!
I have to back track a little to give you the full menu, here it is:

• Sunday – Goulash – would have been awesome, but I added too much spice
• Monday – Shredded Beef Tacos – yum yum yum!
• Tuesday – BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs in the Crock pot – yeah!
• Wednesday – Vegetable beef soup and rolls (leftover beef from monday)
• Thursday – Stroganoff
• Friday – Meatloaf? (sometimes we’ll order out)
• Saturday – Steaks

There you have it!