Penelope has been eating lunch at school a lot lately but here are a few lunches I made for her on those days when she didn't like what was on the school lunch menu.

Our first bento of 2014!



Top tier: Olives on pick, blueberries and raspberries, Hello Kitty Senbei (Japanese rice cracker, this one is drizzled with strawberry cream.), seasoned nori, and vitamin gummies.

Bottom tier: Bologna and cheese round sandwich, baby carrots, and nori flavored Senbei.

New box bento! Found this one at Target.




Bologna and cheese and on a sub roll, baby carrots, Pirate Booty, fruit snacks and gummy vitamins in HK container.

And this one...


Another bologna and cheese sandwich, some more Pirate Booty, strawberries, grapes, and a peppermint Oreo cookie.

This was the other bento box I found at Target the other day.


I am curious if any of you also purchased these boxes from Target? Here is the snack bento I made for Penelope today that this box inspired.

This was Penelope's bento today. It is also my first entry into the Bento Blog Network weekly themed bento contest. This weeks contest theme is Birds.

Granola with chocolate covered raisins, 2 hard boiled eggs, open faced turkey and cheddar bird sandwich on flatbread, mixture of watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe, gummy worms.

I am no where near as talanted as some of these bento artists.

Several years ago I became really fascinated with the Japanese bento lunch. Especially those made by Japanese moms for their children to take to school. Wow, these ladies do get creative... just type in obento or Kyaraben in google and you will see what I mean. Anyway my fascination went from gawking at the different photos online to purchasing cute bento boxes with the intent to create my own fabulous lunches. Needless to say I used a couple of my boxes to carry my lunch to work one or two times, but my cookie cutter sandwiches and star shaped rice molds did not impress my fellow coworkers. I decided to store them away for a time when I could make cute lunch's for my future little girl that would become the envy of all her classmates. Fast forward I have my little girl but she is still too young to impress her friends with cheese shaped flowers and octopus weenies. (That's right Chris I said weenies, that's what my mom called them and that's what Penelope will know them as.) People, do they or do they not only become a hotdog when you put them in a bun? Anyway, rather then just letting my bento's collect dust for the next couple of years I decided I would start to use them for Penelope's lunch now and share with you what's in her tummy.

It's hot! I can't wait till next week when the weather is supposed to be cooler. Here is Penelope's bento for today.


Top Tier: Turkey and cheddar sandwich with mustard smiley face made with my Pampered Chef Press & Seal. It makes your sandwiches into little round filled surprises! Blueberries and a tangerine.

Bottom Tier: Smoked almonds, crackers, salt water taffy and vitamin gummies. There is a cute little pink spoon in there for her apple sauce that did not fit in the box and I also threw in some Justin's Almond Butter to spread on her crackers. Penelope said that her friend told her that she loves her lunches and everyone in class loves her lunches too!

Penelope's been wanting to eat hot lunch at school almost everyday but yesterday she decided chicken soft tacos and black beans did not sound yummy so I made her a bento lunch.

Top tier: Dried Cherry Medley from Nature Box, String cheese, Fruit and nut bar, Cheddar cheese cubes.

Bottom tier: Cucumber, Olives, Pita chips and hummus.

Penelope said her lunch was very yummy!

Here is Penelope's bento she took to school the other day.

Here is Penelope's fall bento.

Top tier: Turkey and cheese pumpkin sandwich, Cheetos

Bottom tier: Oatmeal and raisin cookie, 2 Halloween chocolates and olives.


Yesterday we carved pumpkins and roasted pumpkin seeds with the grandparents.

Happy Fall! Now if only the weather would start acting like it!

A few weeks ago we made an Ikea trip to purchase some much needed furniture for our home. While there I happened to find this little cutie.



Here is a lunch for Penelope in her new puppy bento.


Wheat Thin crackers, Cheddar cheese, Turkey, Fruit & Veggie squeeze, Olives, and a Caveman Cookie.  The Caveman Cookies are all natural, Paleo cookies, that are surprisingly good.

She woofed her lunch down.

Penelope's bento today was filled with PB&J sushi, cheddar cheese flowers and crackers. She also had strawberry sauce and two GinnyBakes Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

For the "sushi" take some bread and remove the crusts. Then flatten the bread, spread the peanut butter and jelly and roll up into a log. Slice into rounds. Your kids will be so impressed!

I know it's been awhile since I posted any bento's. Poor Penelope has been eating plain boring lunches. I decided to finally do something a little fun for her today, especially since she is getting very excited about Santa's upcoming visit.
Snowman turkey and cheese sandwich, grape tomatoes, pickles, craisins, and a piece of Christmas fudge from our cookie swap. Thanks Tracy, it's delicious!

Penelope's first day of Spring Break bento! Excited to have a break from school for a couple weeks and even more excited for a visit from the grandparents. Can't wait to show them around San Diego for the first time!

Top Tier: Blueberries, Tulip Turkey and Cheddar open faced sandwich

Bottom Tier: Tulip Hard Boiled Egg, Cuties and Easter M&M's She also had some barbecue chips not pictured.

Happy Spring Break!

Look what I picked up when we were at LEGOLAND a couple of weeks ago...


Here is Penelope's lunch for today in her new Lego bento box.


Cajun turkey and cheddar sandwich on a hoagie roll, Spicy Nacho Doritos, baby carrot sticks and an Oreos and cream Handi Snack. Not a very impressive lunch but I had to share the new box!

Here is Penelope's panda bento. It is a rare pink nosed panda, probably the only one of it's kind...

Top tier: Panda made with rice, olive ears, nori face and a bologna pink nose. Chicken strips and soy sauce in the fishy container.

Bottom tier: Baby carrots, mixed greens, cherry tomato and ranch dressing.


Yep, looks just like him.

I got a new little bento box from Target,


and have your seen all the cute Valentine's Day kitchen stuff they have right now? Love it!


She had a turkey and cheddar sandwich, peppercorn ranch crackers, sweet orange pepper strips, baby tomatoes, Ranch in the little HK cup and an HK senbei with strawberry cream drizzle.

Here is Penelope's lunch for today. I thought I would do a spring-y lunch now that the snow is starting to melt and the temperatures are rising. So excited!

Top tier: Sliced strawberries, lime Jell-O hearts, tangelo
Bottom tier: Bologna and cheese daisy sandwich with licorice stem, baby pickles, and Easter candy.

What little princess wouldn't like this bento?!