Making Lunch Fun, One Box at a Time

ben·tol·o·gy (ben t äləjē) Noun : The study of making nutritious and fun lunches for my daughters.

I get a lot of inspiration from other blogs. So, in hopes someone might get some inspiration from me, I've decided to post some pictures here.

This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.Proverbs 3:7-9

Monday, January 30, 2012

Valentine's Day Bentos

The first real Valentine's Day bentos:


- 2 heart shaped sandwiches with fruit leather hearts

- Blueberries with a strawberry heart

- Babybel with heart cut-outs

- Broccoli

- Dove Chocolate Hearts




Same with a different type of sandwich, fresh broccoli vs. steamed and cheddar hearts instead of Babybel.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Snowman




  • 4 peanut butter/cracker sandwich made with snowflake shaped crackers


  • Cucumber and tomato slices


  • Blackberries and raspberries


  • Powdered Sugar doughnut snowman, decorated with a candy corn and chocolate chips

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Rainbow Smiles



  • Salami and herb cream cheese on a whole wheat bagel thin, halved and stacked. I colored the rainbow using food safe markers

  • Cauliflower "clouds" with ranch (SO annoyed that I bought purple cauliflower instead of regular white this week...White would have made better clouds but I had to go with what I had on hand.)

  • Babybel cheese rainbow, halved, stacked and decorated with food safe markers

  • Strawberries

  • Veggie Straws

  • Hershey Kisses



Bento Lunch

Monday, January 23, 2012

Simple Lunches

Still getting adjusted back to "the real world" so the lunches so far haven't been overly creative or complicated.




  • Ham and cheese on a mini croissant (I know, I know...Whole wheat is way healthier but it's okay to splurge every once in awhile)

  • Blackberries and raspberries

  • Peas

  • Babybel with a heart cut-out

  • Hershey kisses





  • Ham and cheese roll-ups made with whole wheat

  • Carrots with ranch

  • Veggie straws

  • Red grapes

  • Hershey Kisses

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Bon Voyage!!

I'm back!!! We just got home from a week in the sunshine! We went on a Disney Cruise and it was W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!!!

The week before we left, I made a couple of cruise themed lunches.

  • Sandwich made with the Pamper Chef sandwich cutter with a provolone life preserver ring. I decorated the ring using food coloring and a paint brush
  • Pretzel snaps
  • Clementine with a blackberry center
  • Cucumber and tomato slices
  • Peanut Butter Snickers

  • 2 palm tree-shaped sandwiches (stacked) decorated with a food safe green marker
  • Peas
  • Blackberries
  • Cheddar "sunshines"
  • Buckeye (or if you are boring a "peanut butter ball")

Star Student

Ok, one more lunch before my break...

My oldest was "Star Student" this week. So, I made her a lunch to celebrate:



  • Ham and cheese sandwich on a whole sandwich thin (halved and stacked) with a provolone and cheddar star.

  • Carrots with ranch

  • Red grapes

  • Hershey kisses

Monday, January 9, 2012

I'll be back!

I'm taking a little break. But please don't forget about me! Check back the week of January 23rd for lots of bento ideas!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Angry Birds Pig

Today's lunch was inspired by one I saw Hawai'i's Bento Box Cookbook, Bentos and More for Kids.



  • Angry Birds Pig Sandwich - Salami and cheese on whole wheat sandwich thin with provolone and cucumber accents.

  • Red Grapes

  • Cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes with ranch

  • Hershey Kisses

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Simple and Easy

This Mama is operating on about 3 hours of sleep and has a splitting headache. SO, this lunch was quick and easy. But, hopefully it will still be yummy and nutritious!



  • Peanut butter and wheat cracker sandwiches

  • Strawberries

  • Broccoli with ranch

  • Cheddar flowers

  • Aunt Ginny's homemade fudge

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2012, everyone! Here's a lunch to celebrate the new year!



  • 2 party hat-shaped sandwiches (stacked) with provolone and cheddar decorations

  • Cheddar cheese numbers

  • Carrots with ranch

  • Grape kabobs

  • Hershey Kisses