Back in my nine-to-five working days I packed my lunch most of the time and I got into bento boxes. In the Bay Area I had easy access to Japanese "dollar" stores so my collections of boxes and other supplies grew, and I actually used them. Being gluten-free it always helps to have my own snacks on-hand for traveling aside from workday lunches. And when I was pregnant and eating everything in site, many days were a two-bento day, plus lunch.
But then I stopped working and didn't need them as much. Recently, though, I rediscovered bento boxes as a way to thrill a hungry toddler on the go. She doesn't care how attractive they look, although she does enjoy the cute pictures on the outsides. She mostly just wants yummy food, and she wants it
now.
Here is the first official bento I've made in a long time.
On Thursdays Muffin has a toddler music class. (It's adorable!) That means she has an early lunch, goes down for a nap as soon as we get home, and wakes up famished for an early dinner. On this Thursday, however, we planned to go to Mike's office for the afternoon so the early dinner had to be packed up for the car.
It's not pretty or fancy, but it's filled with some of her current favorite foods and at this age I think that's what matters. I packed it up while she was napping so we could grab it and run out the door as soon as she woke up.
We had a roast chicken so I pulled off a leg and picked off some dark meat. (I threw in a little skin for texture and flavor. She picks at it and tastes it but rarely eats it.) I broke up some Chebe breadsticks that we'd made the night before (easier for her to bite if they're already broken into smaller bits). I chopped half a pear and a bit of cheddar cheese. With a bottle of milk and an apple juice box Muffin had a few hours' worth of fuel.
I remembered my old trick of tying a cloth napkin around the bento box to keep it from popping open in my bag. Now I need to get crafty and make a tote bag that isn't much bigger than the purse I already carry but can accommodate a bento box and a beverage or two. I hate bags that are too big and I hate carrying more than one bag.
I ate the leftover half a pear while I was preparing the bento and Muffin hardly touched the bread so I ate that on the ride home. Muffin chowed down on the rest.
